***Mark's POV***
My father and I walked for a long time, my mother had remained behind to guard Jason; they had stopped all my questioning the moment it began. Now we were deep within the forest, I couldn't even hear any animals anymore; which made little sense since it was so beautiful and lush. I had a feeling that my father was doing it somehow; although he simply looked to be walking before me. Finally he stopped and turned in a full circle, slowly he nodded and then leaned against a tree; I was surprised by the sadness in his eyes.
"Can you make Jason immortal too?" My father closed his eyes tightly for a moment; when he opened them again I could see unshed tears.
"No, and I can't make you mortal, no one can; it's too late for that now." All I could do was stare at him; there had to be something I could do to keep Jason alive, or join him the moment he ceased to live.
"That doesn't make any sense Dad, Kevin died; and you saved the witches, why can't you split my life force with Jason; or tie his to mine or mine to his?" For a long time it felt like he simply stared at me; slowly he turned his back to me as he shook his head.
"Kevin died because he chose too, before he could transcend; you've already crossed that threshold Mark, the moment you went to Jason you changed forever." I remembered that moment; the first time I felt him reach out to me, it was almost like he was calling me; I could feel his fear and sadness it coursed through me like a raging river. All I knew was that I had to get to him, that there wasn't anything I wasn't willing to give just to be near him again. I didn't remember much else but light coming from every direction and then there was a crash and he was standing before me in nothing more than a pair of cut off shorts.
"We were prepared to give you the same choice we gave Kevin; no matter how much it pained us to do so, we didn't want to force eternity upon you. Well I was prepared; your mother not so much, but you changed before you were supposed to, you changed out of desperation to save Jason." I could only nod as I leaned against a tree, now I was stuck on this world for the rest of time; and at some point I would lose him.
"So you're telling me that no matter what I'm going to lose him; that there's nothing that can be done to save him?" My father looked to the ground for a moment, when he looked back up I could see the war being waged within his mind.
"We could with his permission extend his life, but that wouldn't change the fact that he is mortal; he will always be able to die and nothing can change that." At least there was hope and that's all I really sought to begin with; still it didn't ease the tension I felt in my heart.
"Are there others like us?" My father nodded once again, the mere thought of that sent chills down my spine; how many I wondered?
"As far as I know their all still sleeping; as they have been for millions of years now, your mother and I always found ourselves waking from time to time to see how much had changed. We've only been awake for a little over a thousand years this time around, and most of that time was spent learning how to shift into a human. Who knows maybe the others have awoken while we slept; there's really no telling; we're not connected like that." I only had more questions as he explained part of our history to me; I wondered why the human race captivated them so much when so many other creatures existed.
"What did you do with the treaty; you did save the witches didn't you?" Once again he nodded his eyes focused and clear; I could see the how much it angered him that they had been bound to begin with.
"Our words were meant to help the world recover from the meteor; we drew on our own life forces to do so; they found a way to twist it in a very evil way. They act like they brought peace and balance where that was never really the case, all they really did was try to control all those they felt were below them. I sealed in the exchange of life force making sure they couldn't kill countless innocent children; which is what even they are to us." He almost sounded like an angry father; but I knew he couldn't have had anything to do with their creation; but maybe it was just the crime he felt they committed.
"How would we extend his life?" My father smiled and closed the distance between us, he leaned in close and whispered in my ear.
"We funnel life into him from our own life forces, but the process is tricky; as it stands now if we tried to extend his life he would began to age in reverse. It would be safe to say that we need to wait until he's at least a thousand years old before we can attempt the first transfer; any sooner and we could accidently unmake him." I heard a twig snap from behind us; my father was moving before I had a chance to even think what the sound meant.
"I mean you no harm; I was just curious about what you were whispering about, it sounded important." My father held what looked like a child against a tree, only her features betrayed her true form; she was far too perfect to be human.
"How did you get so close without me noticing?" The child smiled as my father tightened his grip; it didn't seem to bother her in the least.
"I have roamed these woods for thousands of years; sneaking up on you was as simple as flicking my wrist. Though my first statement stands I mean you no harm, nor your fledgling; your voices caught my attention. Normally only witches venture this far into the woods; I thought you might be a friend, one I've been expecting for some time now." Slowly my father lowered the elven child back to the ground; she bowed lightly before smiling and turning her attention toward me.
"Who have you been expecting?" She only seemed to smile brighter as she leaned against the tree my father had held her against moments before.
"A friend of a friend actually, he was supposed to meet me here two maybe three days ago; but he never showed." The hair of the back of my neck stood up on end; I stared at the child that wasn't a child but a creature older than Jason's grandmother.
"Who are you?" The little girl smiled brightly at me; then slowly she raised her finger to her lips and shushed me before smiling once again.
"You may call me Tessa, but what good is a name such as mine; its importance was lost long ago, it's not as important as your name." She smiled once again as she angled up head upward toward the night sky, she seemed lost for a moment.
"I've seen you before in another's fate; your name is Mark." I swallowed hard as my father glared at her; it felt like the air was getting heavier as she took a step toward me.
"How do you know my name?" For a moment her eyes seemed to fill with sadness as she stopped in her tracks and looked toward the ground before returning her gaze to mine.
"Jason will say your name as his last breath whispers past his lips; your roar will echo for miles around as you pound your talons into the ground." My mouth was dry, my legs wobbly as I grasped at the tree beside me, I could barely breath; my dad rushed to my side pulling me into his arms. The world nearly spun around me as I watched her eyes change back to her natural bluish green, from the solid white they had been when she spoke.
"You can't know that; I'll protect him I won't let him die!" She smiled at me slowly and nodded, then walked back toward the tree; she sighed as she placed her hand against the bark.
"All I know for certain is that Jason will die; be it tomorrow or thousands of years from now, in none of the paths have I witnessed an endless existence for him. In some he's ancient, in others he's still a child by our definition; yet nothing is set in stone, fate is always changing with each and every choice we make. In all honesty I wish him well and a long life, a very long life; Diana wouldn't have wanted anything less for him; and her wishes are my wishes." The realization slowly crept over me; she was the one who had made the deal with Diana; she was the reason Jason had lived as long as he had.
"Then why take her life and deny him his mother, why agree to barter with her at all if you loved her so much?" As she turned around I saw the tears falling freely from her eyes; the weight of her agony nearly crushed me.
"You do not know the whole story, and that is a story I will only tell once, you are not the one I will reveal the details too though, those are for Jason's ears alone. The only thing I can tell you is that originally Diana planned to raise Jason with her beloved, the angel known as Eros; Jason's father. Should you see Drake send him my way, we have an appointment to keep with Jason, and tell him he's late and that I want to see Jason again I miss him." A moment later she vanished, not through a portal like the other Fae had used, she just vanished into thin air as if she had never been there.
"I have to get to Jason." My father stopped me by placing his hand firmly on my shoulder; I turned trying to shake him off.
"You need to calm down; you act as if Jason were some defenseless infant, when in fact he's more dangerous than any of the creatures we've seen. Granted he may not have a full grasp on all of his abilities but that doesn't change how powerful he really is; plus a mansion full of witches ready to die to protect him doesn't hurt either." I closed my eyes and tried to reign in my emotions, he was right Jason was far from defenseless or unguarded, but that didn't change how much I needed him.
"You don't understand; the very thought of losing him takes my breath away, if I ever had to face a reality without him in it." I stopped as my father wrapped his arms around my torso tightly; finally the tears I had been holding in fell freely.
"Then don't think about it; we'll protect him, I promise we will do everything within our power to keep him safe and sound." It wasn't his protection I was worried about, it was him; Jason was different now, in some ways he was helpless.
"Come on; let's get back to mansion and tell Jason about our encounter with Tessa, it may shed some light on his father's location." I nodded as he pulled back and released me from his grasp; slowly we turned and walked back toward the mansion; the whole walk all I could think about was Tessa's prediction. Though I wondered why she had no fear of Jason while the rest of the Fae acted like he was a monster just waiting for the right trigger to send him on a rampage.
"Why is her vision of Jason so different than the other Fae?" My father only shrugged his shoulders as he continued to walk, I could tell he had a lot on his mind.
"Perhaps their emotions play a part in their visions; they fear him and she doesn't, maybe their fear clouds their minds and twists their visions to match what they fear." I nodded knowing those who feared Jason were being foolish in doing so, he wouldn't attack unless provoked; much less kill another creature; he was too gentle for that now.
***Cassie's POV***
I sat in the balcony of the underground arena, and tried to watch Jason and Lauren fighting; currently all I could really see was flashes of them in different places when they clashed. It looked like play time was over as well; Jason had smudges of blood all over his body, as did Lauren; yet both of them smiled at one another whenever they took a break. I tried not to sweat it because I knew that if Jason were in any real danger Evelyn would have already have acted. As it stood she simply watched them carefully; I think she could actually see them. Whereas I could only be amused by the shifting wind and occasional ghostly image appearing than vanishing again before I could focus on it.
Now that I was awake I wanted to know what had transpired at the gathering, Evelyn wouldn't take her attention off Jason long enough to discuss it with me. As for Jason his breaks were short, sometimes it even looked like it was tiring Lauren; still she kept going after only a few moments of deep breathing. I was also amazed at how quickly Jason recovered from minor injury, for all the blood I didn't actually see any wounds. He didn't even seem winded by all the exchanges, in some senses he almost looked like a kid in a candy store.
"I don't think Mark's going to take this well, no matter how much Jase smiles." Evelyn only nodded in my direction, I was about to just give up and go back to Jason's room when Jason appeared before me.
"Do you want to grab a bite to eat? Right after I shower?" I nodded before he vanished from sight once again; slowly I sat down to wait and as I did Evelyn finally looked at me.
"You should consider returning to the human world before you get pulled into this world any more than you already have, it's dangerous here Cassie." It was the last thing I had expected Evelyn to say; but it was already far too late for me to just go back home and pretend none of this was real.
"Dangerous or not; I won't abandon Jason, not now, not ever; I made a promise to myself and to him a long time ago, besides this is all too amazing to miss. As far as I know, I'm the only human that knows any of this even exists; not that I can ever say anything, but getting to see it and remain within it is wonderful." Evelyn raised her eye brow slightly and smiled at me as she turned her head upward as if searching for something.
"Are you ready?" I turned to see Jason clean and in a fresh set of sweats; he even had a sweat shirt on.
"Where are your wings?" He smiled and lifted his shirt slightly, I could see his feathers going across his abdomen, and not a single inch of skin was showing.
"I'm trying to see if I can keep them under control long enough to wear clothing, it's a bit uncomfortable but so far so good." Now that I looked closely I could see that the shirt made Jason look bigger than he really was, but anyone else would assume his shirt was just too big for him.
"What happened at the gathering earlier, I didn't get a chance to ask Evelyn?" Jason's whole body seemed to tense for a split second, it looked like his wings struggled momentarily as well.
"It could have gone better, as of now we're preparing for war, which I wanted to talk you about; it's not safe for you here." Before I could protest he held up his hand and shook his head, and then turned to face me fully.
"I didn't say you had to leave; I'm just saying you should at least consider it, if you don't leave soon you may not have the choice. If we enter a state of war a lot of things are going to change here, my grandmother told me that our first actions could draw the attention of the whole world. At that point you're leaving would be impossible, I'm just saying think about this carefully before you denounce it out right." That did add a different twist to all of it, I hadn't seen my parents in a few days now and I knew my lies would only go so far before they demanded I came home.
"That also means I couldn't come back, that I couldn't risk it once I left; because I would be an easy target for them." He nodded as I leaned back against the wall; I didn't want to leave but I had thought I would be able to at least visit my family and keep up the pretenses with them.
"You have a family Cass, a mom and dad, brothers and sisters; at some point you're going to miss them, but it may be too late by then." I closed my eyes and struggled with everything he said; Jason had always known me best but I really didn't know what to do.
"Come on, let's go get something to eat; I'm starving." I mutely followed him through the mansion until we arrived in what looked like a cafeteria; there was even a line.
"The underground portion is a lot bigger than the mansion is; it's large enough to house all the witches and feed them for quite some time before they need outside resources." The mansion was huge from what I had seen of it; I couldn't imagine the full scope of the underground area.
"So you're telling me that the mansion is more for show then actual use?" Jason shook his head as he filled his tray with food, and handed me a tray as well.
"No, it's got its uses beyond the obvious ones; but it's not the heart of the fortress by any means, this place just seems to go on and on." As we sat down I took note of all the changes within Jason, his attitude and demeanor were completely different from when he was almost human. He even ate differently; he was almost inhaling the food; when before he would take his time to eat; to make sure he didn't get overly full. I also noticed how little attention he gave to our surroundings; he was relaxed as well, it was an odd state of behavior for me to see him in.
"You're really happy here aren't you?" He looked up from his food for a moment and grinned at me a little, even that made it to his eyes; I could literally see his joy.
"How do you do it? Forgive Abigail I mean, and accept all of these people with open arms? I just don't understand is all; it's like you're a completely different person." Jason sat back a bit and just stared at me for a few minutes; he looked to be in really deep thought before he locked his eyes on my own.
"I think Mark said it best, my emotions operate on a higher level now, everything does; but it's more than that, I have two sets of eyes. One is within my mind; where I see energy and intention, and the other set allows me to see the emotions and so much more than I can put into words. When I was human I looked like a void to my grandmother; her power didn't work on me, and my mother died bathing me in her blood. She thought my mother tried to kill me; and only my mom knows everything, and the reason it turned out this way. My point is that I don't have time to hold grudges, she made a mistake and I see her sorrow and guilt every time our eyes meet." I think it was the most straight forward answer he had ever given me, it helped me to understand a little better but didn't change my stance on Abigail.
"Maybe I'm just petty but it wouldn't have mattered to me Jase, but maybe letting her live was the crueler thing to do after all. If she really is sorry then she can live with that guilt for the rest of her life, which is probably going to a long time. "Jason's eyes got sad for a moment, then he looked away; if I didn't know better I would have thought I hurt his feelings.
"I hope not, I hope she can get past it." I tried to imagine what he could see and I couldn't help but consider what I would do if I could actually see Abigail's sorrow.
"She's really protective of you now though; at least from what I've seen." Jason smiled a little, but it didn't fully reach his eyes this time; I could tell something was weighing heavily on his mind.
"What are you thinking about?" Slowly he met my gaze, there was a deep sadness etched across his face, but within his eyes a storm raged.
"Mark's immortal, and I'm not; and I know that's why him and Ken left earlier, he's going to tell Mark he can't help me." It was the last thing I expected him to say; more so his prediction worried and confused me to no end; he looked away for a moment.
"What do you mean, and how do you know what Ken is going to tell Mark?" Jason sat back a little and looked upward; he tried to smile as he did, but I could see his heartbreak in his eyes.
"Evelyn and Ken are ancient; and they created Mark, Ken said they were immortal; that has to include Mark, or I think it does now. I have a long time to live, if I get to live it that is; but at some point I'm going to die and leave Mark all alone; he won't be able to handle it." I knew he was right without even having to question it; Mark had been beside himself when Jason left in the middle of the night. He was the first one to alert us that Jason was gone, hours after he had departed; he had dragged himself into the hall way. When I got to him he could barely hold his eyes open, still he told me that Jason was gone that we had to find him.
"You're right, but there isn't anything you can do about it; so just face it and move on, and I wouldn't count Evelyn and Ken out so quickly. If their ancient Jase, there's no telling how much they know; or what they can do, maybe they can change you into what they are, or something." He raised his eye brow slightly, and then he smiled at me a little and nodded his head; it was strange to consider. Eternity was a very long time; no matter when you lost someone you would still live on forever without them.
"Ken looked sad when they left; that's why I thought he couldn't help me, Evelyn is even somber; it just makes me wonder is all. You're right though, there isn't anything I can do about it; so I better just move on from it, at least for now." I smacked his hand; he pulled it back and fringed injury, I stared at him for a moment as he looked at his hand.
"I'm always right, and you should learn not to question my reasoning; you're reading too much into this Jase, there may be war and that's plenty of reason to be somber for anyone. She's probably just worried about you like I am, it's why I don't want to leave you, I'm so scared I won't see you again. It's like every other day your life is hanging by a thread and everyone is like you should go home and I'm like how can I abandon you?" He took my hand in his, and slowly we rose from the ground; he smiled at me as all the plates in the large room began to levitate and almost dance. When the food started standing up and moving like little people I couldn't help but smile a little as everything but Jason and I returned to their original places.
"My life isn't hanging by a thread Cass, you and Mark have it in your heads that I'm still the boy that nearly died. When that couldn't be further from the truth now; I haven't even pushed myself to my limits yet, if someone wants to hurt me they're going to have to work very hard to do so. In all reality I'm more concerned about you getting caught up in all of this more than you already are, you could die Cass a whole lot easier than me." As we returned to our seats I stared into his eyes before I closed my own eyes and tilted my head back.
"Alright; I'll go home until things settle down, but you have to promise me this isn't the last time I'll see you." Jason nodded and held up his pinky, I took it and held it tightly; this felt more like an ending I truly didn't want but I had little choice in the end. I knew that I couldn't stay here for the rest of my life; and that in all reality I was more of a hindrance to them than I was any help.
"I promise you'll see me again; and I'll stay in contact too, one way or another." Something told me that this was the last time I would see him again in my lifetime; but I ignored it because I had too to carry through with it. At some point I knew that we would have to part ways; at least for college and then the careers we would have taken up after that point. It's just that I thought I would have longer, at least until the end school anyway, but fate had aligned against us it seemed.
"Don't cry Cass; I always keep my word, you know that." I tried to smile while the tears trailed down my face; I shook my head a few times and finally managed to stop the water works.
"It's just I know it's going to be a while before we get to see each other again, and I know you'll do everything in your power to keep your word. Sometimes things just don't work out that way though; I can't help being scared this is the last time I'll see you." In an instant he was beside me, he pulled me into his arms and held me tightly; I could feel his wings stirring beneath his shirt.
"I planned on being by your side through all of this; but you're right I can't lie to my parents forever and I can't risk being stuck here if war breaks out either." He nodded as I pulled back from his embrace; he had tears hanging in his lids as he smiled at me warmly.
"I'll have someone take you home after you've had time to collect your things and we finish eating." I nodded as he vanished and reappeared on the other side of the table; he took my hands in his yet again and pulled them to his lips.
"I love you." The words rolled off his lips so naturally it was hard to believe it was coming from him; he really was different now; better and maybe close to being whole.
"I love you too Jase, I always will." He kissed my fingers lightly and held my hands in his; I didn't know how either of us was going to finish eating like this; but maybe that was the point all along.
****Mark's POV****
The images rolling through my mind haunted me as I walked through the underground labyrinth making my way to the arena. Tessa's words still whispered in my ears, filling my mind with one horrible thought after another, in all of them I held my beloved as his last breath left his lips. The thought alone threatened to rob me of my sanity; I wanted to leave this place and go hide with Jason until the end of time. Yet I knew that Jason would never agree he wouldn't abandon his family in a time of war; which made Tessa's words all the more frightening.
When I entered the arena I found my mother talking with Lauren; I didn't see Jason anywhere but I could smell his blood. As I examined Lauren more closely I saw smudges of blood on her clothing; her face was very serious. The moment my mother turned around and saw me she was before me; a second later she was holding me up against a wall.
"It's not Jason's blood, it's her own blood produced from small tears in the skin caused by the speed she moves at, it heals instantly and Jason heals even faster. He's having a bite to eat with Cassie; you really need to get a grip on your emotions." Finally my heart stopped thundering in my ears, I swallowed as she released her grip on my throat; she patted my chest lightly.
"I'm sorry, it's just we met someone in the woods, she has me on edge." My father nodded to her from my side; she looked toward Lauren who was walking toward us.
"None of that matters if you can't control yourself; you'll end making it worse no matter what you do, you have to stop lashing out. You're not a child, you know better than this; what happened to my level headed son?" He fell in love, is what I wanted to say; I knew I was losing it, but I had no idea how to control myself, it was like my instincts overran everything else.
"I lost him once, and I never want to feel that way again; no matter how you cut it, eternity is a very long time to feel like I'm dying." My mother took a step back and swallowed hard, she nodded only once as if she truly understood, and then she looked to my father.
"Trust me Mark, I won't do anything to hurt Jason; I love him dearly." It was hard to trust anyone, even those pledged to protect him; I had to remind myself that Lauren was the one that had acted to protect him from Abigail before he changed.
"I know, and that's the messed up part; it's hard to control, but I'll try harder in the future I promise." Lauren nodded and then smiled at me before approaching me outright, she took my hand and laid it above her breast.
"I would rather this stop beating, than for any harm to come to Jason; we're family and I protect my family above all else. Below that reasoning is that he is the heir to the throne, and direct decedent of not only our queen and late princess; but of Hecate, our sovereign mother and first true Queen. Jason's blood is the same as Hecate's and thus he is our treasure as his mother was; there is nothing we won't do to protect him Mark even if it means slaying our own to do so." The conviction in her eyes and voice were enough to calm the savage beast within my heart; although I couldn't make any promises about the future.
"He's everything to me Lauren, so please understand that before anything else; when it comes to protecting him there isn't anything I'm not willing to do." Her smile was answer enough as she slowly walked away and returned to her position near the bench.
"Hey baby." I turned around to see Jason wearing sweats from head to toe, I couldn't see a feather or wing to save my life; he smiled at me lazily and spun in a slow circle on his heel.
"How do I look?" It felt like my heart both ached and soared at the same time; Jason raised his eye brow and tilted his head slightly as he waited for an answer.
"Amazing." Now I got the full smile and I was lost in its luminance before I was wrapped up in his arms; I could now feel the feathers beneath his shirt.
"I love you." The words I could never get enough of whispered into my ear as his lips trailed along the side of my face.
"I love you too." He hummed a little as he rested his forehead against my own, and all I could think about was what Tessa had said to me.
"We need to talk in private." Jason nodded only once before we began to lift off the ground and then everything was a blur for several moments before we stood in the domed cathedral where the meeting had taken place.
"No one is within ear shot of us now, what do you need to talk about?" I didn't know where to begin, so I started with what my father told me, all the while he remained silent and only nodded from time to time. When I spoke of Tessa and her prediction his face grew more serious and grim; when I told him her conditions I saw a change in his demeanor.
"I know what I have to do; I have to go home, alone." Jason quickly but gently placed his hand over my mouth; he shook his head and then placed his finger before his lips.
"Listen I know you have it in your head that I need protecting; but please try to remember before my accident I didn't need anyone. It was a fluke that I was injured to begin with, and now I'm completely different; the form I now stand in would have slain my old identity instantly. The reason I have to go alone is simple, it'll be easier to only have to focus on protecting myself, and my father has had over a century to learn how to protect himself. If someone attacked I would still be completely focused on protecting you, regardless of your mortality or lack thereof. "He kissed me as I tried to protest, and even though I always found his kiss intoxicating I couldn't relent on this for a single moment.
"Why alone, and why there, why can't you send your grandmother's recon team?" Jason's eyes became distant as he pulled away from me; he sighed deeply as he turned away from me.
"He won't show himself to anyone, I was supposed to go meet him if I survived my encounter with my grandmother; no matter what you may think of him, he loves me Mark." All I could do was stare at the back of his head, my instincts screamed while my heart told me to trust him no matter what my instincts said.
"I have to go alone, he'll think it's a trap otherwise; I have to know the truth Mark and this may be my only chance." Slowly I closed my eyes and took a step back mentally; I breathed deeply trying to find that part of myself that knew limits.
"Alright." I opened my eyes to find joy in his eyes, and a soft smile upon his lips; Jason leaned in and took my lips.
"I'll be back soon." Then he was simply gone, the house went crazy a moment later; alarms sounded as I wrapped my arms around myself. I took deep breaths, trying to calm my racing heart; Abigail appeared before me, her eyes alert and full of concern.
"Jason was here last, where did he go; what happened?" It took a moment too long to answer, now she stood only inches from me; her eyes more serious and focused than before.
"He went to find his father." Her eyes held only shock and concern; I put my hands on her shoulders and stared into her eyes.
"He'll be fine, he's strong and smart, fast and agile; if I can trust him on this, then you have to be able to as well." I stepped back releasing her shoulders as I did, she raised her eye brow before slowly smiling and nodding her head ever so slightly.
"It's not that I don't trust him Mark, it's those after him; they will try to strike before they declare their intentions. All houses now have a stake in Jason's survival; within these rooms I can protect him; while on the outside I can barely act without drawing attention. I hope for both our sakes you're correct about him; I will silence the alarms before anyone departs in search; we'll try to act as if nothing has happened." After taking a breath I nodded and turned to leave; I felt her hand on my shoulder lightly patting it before its presence vanished.
"Thank you." I glanced in her direction confused before she vanished; the alarms stopped a minute later, and I found myself wondering the seemingly endless halls. Everything was a blur though, I waged a war with myself; it was almost as if my bestial side was a separate identity altogether. One that I normally found myself agreeing with instantly; only now I knew I had to lessen my grip or I would push him away in time. I had to remember how impressed I had been the first time we met; even then he had been well above the cut in human standards.
"I've been looking everywhere for you, where's Jason?" Cassie took several quick steps toward me; she looked a little concerned but still easy going.
"He went to find his dad, said he would be back soon." I was amazed by her relaxed posture; she even smiled as she leaned placing her shoulder against the wall.
"I figured it couldn't be anything major; you're still here and for once you look like you're in control." She shot me a lazy smile, she then jabbed at my rips playfully for a moment; I laughed as she hit my ticklish spot.
"That's better, want to come help me pack?" When she realized I had no idea what she was talking about she explained, all the while leading me to Jason's room.
"How do you do it? Stay in control I mean." Cassie took a seat on the bed; she picked up her backpack and started piling her belongings into it.
"Because I know Jason, he came here to die Mark, and that's why I lost my mind with you; I knew how much danger he was in then. Now he doesn't want to die; he has you and everything he ever wanted, he's happy for once and I know just how hard he'll fight for that happiness to never end. He's not a victim Mark, he's a survivor; you have to take a real step back and come to terms with that; you have to it know in your soul. That's the only way you're going to gain control, you made the right call tonight; just stay occupied when he's training or not in front of you." I think it was the nicest way she could say, get a life; and I knew she was right through and through, she loved us both after all.
"So you're going home?" As she stood and nodded I saw the glimmer of her tears, they shined like diamonds in the light as they trailed down her cheeks.
"It's for the best, but I still expect to be kept in the loop; you need to hit me up on Facebook on the daily, I want to know as much as I can." Cassie wiped the tears away and moved toward the door with her bag over her shoulders; I knew that wasn't going to be possible, and so did she.
"I'm going before he gets back; I'm not really good, at goodbyes." It was then that I watched her walk away; I had to give her the space she needed right now, I didn't want to push her over the edge.
"That is one human whose far wiser than most of her kind; it's a pity she'll only live such a short time in comparison." My mother's arrival was so sudden I nearly jumped; my father stood near the door, a small smile upon his lips.
"It's what makes them so beautiful to behold, like flowers they bloom throughout the years until they whiter away from age. Though most are at peace in the end; something I could never imagine being quite truthfully." It never occurred to me to look at it like that; but now that I did it was far more frightening to know you would never die, than facing an unknown expiration date.
"It's not so bad, it makes everything more important; knowing your next choice could be your last is kind of thrilling. Knowing you're going to end up in the same place at the end is comforting, I envy them for that, but if I had known before I changed I would have still done it. I would give anything to save Jason; just to spend another moment in his embrace; knowing he's alive and well, that's he's happy." I closed my eyes and bit back the tears that threatened to fall, he would be fine; I just had to keep telling myself that.
"Your life has just begun, so has Jason's for that matter; you have lifetimes to spend together, keep that in mind Mark." I nodded to my mom and then laid back into the bed, she patted my chest and vanished a moment later; my dad turned the light off as he closed the door behind him. In the silence and darkness I tried to calm my nerves as best I could; I took a deep breath and tried to go to sleep.