Fog
Disclaimer: All rights go to Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl; I own none of this.
A/N: This is set after Beautiful Darkness, so if you haven't read it, don't read this.
The underground tunnels held more in store than I could have ever imagined. Just like I never could have imagined that my girlfriend would end up being Caster, or my mother in love with an Incubus, who by the way, wasn't my father. Or how my best friend would end up being…Can't think about that now…there's too much going on…
Ethan? Lena's voice rang crystal clear, which was something new after being pushed out for the past month.
I'm here.
Do…do you…want…to… Even though the sound was clear, her thoughts were a jumbled mess.
Lena, I can't understand you.
Do you want to drive around or something? She finally got it out. Well most of it, but I could hear the other half, even if she didn't want me to. 'Like you did with Olivia. Like we used to.'
Sure…
Great…I'm outside… I got up off my bed and peeked out the window. Sure enough, two headlights shone out through the foggy, night. Even through the fog, her face shone out, glowing greenish, just like it did on her birthday. She was smiling. I actually laughed, and half ran down the stairs to the door.
"And where do you think you're goin'?" Amma asked.
"With Lena, Amma," I replied, trying to sound as polite as possible. Since everything had happened, no one really tried to get in between us, but even Amma had her limits. Going out on a school night with my girlfriend for random drives was one of them.
"Where to?"
"She's outside, she didn't tell me yet."
"Ethan Wate, if I let you go out on a Thursday night one day, then what do you think you'll be askin' me next week?"
This was a strictly don't answer question, "Ma'am?" I just stared at her. She just stared at me. My dad stuck his head out from the kitchen, holding a spoon in his hand.
"Just let him go, Amma, I'm sure he'll be back in an hour." He smiled at me.
I half-heartedly grinned back, "Yes, sir."
"Alright…you best be back in an hour." I hugged her and ran out into Lena's car. She smiled, her eyes shone, not ringed with eye liner anymore. Her jeans and black shirts were back, just like her converse and open hair. I reached out to hug her. She pulled away and started the car. Strangely enough, she pulled over at the Gatlin sign, same place I'd taken her almost a year ago.
"So where are we going?" I asked, I asked nervously.
"You tell me…" Something about her voice was unsettling, like she was holding something back.
"Oh come on…where do you feel like going? Don't tell me here…" I saw the fog getting thicker.
Wherever you went with her… I heard her voice in the back of my mind, uncurling. Her voice was full of spite, and the fog was still getting thicker.
Lena…
"I'm sorry…" she hid her face in her hands, "I had no right to say that."
I was quiet for a minute, "Of course you do."
"I'm the one that was roaming around to random places with…John, without even telling you."
I opened my mouth, but she continued, "And it's not like…"
"Lena…I'll take you anywhere you want."
"That's not what I want to hear."
"Then what do you want to hear?"
"I want you to tell me I was stupid and that I was acting childish. I want you to tell me that you're mad at me and you hate John. I…I want you to tell me that…that nothing…" The fog was so thick now that I couldn't even make out the words on the sign.
"That nothing happened between me and Olivia?" I asked. She looked up at me, her fingers peeking out from behind her fingers.
Nothing, L. It's always been you.
"Honest?" she asked. I nodded, pulling her into my lap. I kissed her, feeling the harsh, yet familiar electricity. The fog was clearing now, and so were her thoughts. The jumbled mess was gone, and I could see what she was thinking. What she wanted. I could see myself. And through it all, I was pretty sure, she could see herself too.