Credits: The rose spell that has been used in this chapter is adapted from the Television show Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1997) and all rights for that go to the show's writers.


Chapter Four - Adrian

In the darkness before the dawn

In the swirling of the storm

When I'm rolling with the punches, and hope is gone

Leave a light on


The Enchanted Rose

"So what is this, then? Like… A Supernatural apocalypse?" Eddie Castile was staring at me like I was a mental patient.

He wasn't exactly wrong, I was on the way to insanity as it was; what with god's gift to unlucky Moroi—spirit's influence and stuff. So I wasn't as offended as I should have been. After breaking the news to Castile, Jailbait, Angeline and the imported Guardian, we were all at Jackie's house, and she didn't look too pleased about it.

She kept glaring from Sydney, to me and then back while making this irritable 'tsk' sound with her teeth. She was mad pissed. Sydney looked like she wanted to be swallowed whole, her cheeks flushed and her lashes dipped. She kept staring at the floor as if silently pleading it to swallow her up. I on the other hand, was the lone one who thought that telling the rest of them had been a good idea.

Jailbait was standing upright with a perky smile, like she could take on anything. I admired her can-do attitude, if I had half of that maybe I'd be able to submit Mrs. Valentine's projects on time. Castile was having trouble understanding that this was something that was actually happening, he kept asking us ridiculous questions and looking around the room for any sudden threats. I told him that whatever was causing this wasn't going to jump out of the shadows and attack; but he didn't buy it. Neil didn't look so good, he was sitting on one of the couches Jackie had pulled out as still as a corpse. All the color had drained out of his face and he jumped a little; startled, when one of Jackie's cat friends tried to nudge him. Angeline was simply amused by this whole thing, she kept asking when the 'fun' was going to start. I thought her willpower was adorable; the problem was that the sort of enemy that we were currently dealing with didn't have an ass to kick.

"I wouldn't term it as an apocalypse, ah… I will not rule out the possibility, however." Jackie then turned to Sydney again and crossed her arms over her chest, "How exactly are your pals planning to help?" Sydney looked like she'd been scolded by a teacher, her face blanched and I suppressed my laughter at how cute she looked when she was afraid. She didn't know that she'd crossed over to the side of us rebels a long time ago. She still had an issue with wronging authority figures.

"Well…They're all willing to help and I thought that the more people we had working to prevent this, the better. Actually… It was Adrian's idea. He'll elaborate further."

I stared at her but shrugged it off and took it like a man. All pairs of eyes settled on me, I took a step away from the wall I'd been leaning against and bowed down dramatically, "Settle down, folks." Nobody seemed amused, and I had to cut all the jokes I'd thought of and switch right to the main monologue.

"Look, if the world's in danger then I think my friends deserve to know. Jailbait and I are bonded; so she was bound to find out sooner than later. No pun intended. Now, I thought sooner would be better than later because instead of only the two of us—that's Sydney and me, helping. Now you've got all of us… Except London Bridge over there, the guy looks like he's gonna pee in his pants." Jill frowned at me and mouthed something like, 'That was not a nice thing to say!'. Immediately, she was at his side and asking him if he was okay, he nodded and looked up at me, trying to seem intimidating but failing at a level that was almost funny. "I'll be fine." He muttered through gritted teeth.

Jackie took off her glasses and began to polish them frantically, "Um… Adrian, while I completely trust you and your circle of friends… dealing with something like this… It—It requires a certain… uh… finesse."

"Way to be diplomatic," I muttered under my breath, Angeline piped up, her eyes were fierce.

"I have finesse," she insisted, "I have finesse coming out of my bottom!"

Everyone turned to shoot her a puzzled glance and she shrugged, "What?" I turned back to Jackie, "Look, Jackie. I think they can really help us here. Give them a shot, yeah?" I plastered on one of the most dangerously charming smiles that I had up my sleeve and hoped she'd fall for it. Finally, she sighed and nodded in defeat. "Alright… If you must be that way, I'll try it your way. I will give you all something to do, but you must remain covert about this. No blabbering about this to anyone outside of your group, and I—I'll try to let you participate as long as none of you are in danger of getting hurt."

Eddie crossed his arms over his chest, "Do you think the Strigoi have something to do with this?" Eddie had personal reasons for loathing our evil fangy foes but I could tell that he was hoping that he would get something to smash or kill. Jackie shook her head, "The Strigoi are dangerous, but they aren't the brightest batch. They wouldn't have the skills it takes to pull something like this off, no. This is the work of someone who is advanced in the dark arts… A magic practitioner."

"So we don't get to kill things?" Angeline sounded dissapointed, like a kid who wasn't allowed to eat her Halloween candy.

Jackie shook her head no, "You get to research and help me buy some supplies for the spells that Adrian and Sydney get to perform. Also, one of you could volunteer to fetch snacks on overly busy days."

I could already tell that Neil was calling dibs on volunteering to be Snack Boy. The rest of them looked slightly displeased but agreed anyway. Eddie hadn't taken Sydney being a witch very well - but he was getting through his initial shock, which was progress. Angeline had simply shrugged it off saying that "I knew it all along. Nobody spends that much time with a teacher, not even a nerd like Sydney." Jill already knew everything to some extent.

"Alright then," Jill said, and Eddie nodded, "Whatever it takes." At this, Jackie smiled a little,

"This is very brave and noble of you all." I grinned, at least everyone seemed to be getting along.

xxxxx

"How was class?" I'd missed my art class today because I had to go to Jackie's house with the gang. I was talking to Rowena in the evening and asking her about what went down in class, she told me there was more homework—I wasn't surprised.

"Damp," she muttered a little grouchily. "Mrs. Valentine took an off so we had a substitute. Professors who spit when they talk should come with warning labels on the course description. But otherwise fairly boring, she assigned everyone with a project that's due next Monday," she said, handing me the assignment sheet. Those assignments were really piling up and I was starting to have dreams about ditching this whole college routine.

"I'm glad I missed it, I don't like spit in my hair." I replied honestly.

"So, guess what?" I told her as we walked down the lane back towards my apartment. "You got me a pony? Geez, thanks Adrian. I've always wanted one. Will it fit in my room? Does it have purple stripes?" Rowena questioned sarcastically. I shake my head, "Sydney's back,"

She stopped in her tracks and a teasing smile played at her lips, "You're kidding!"

I nodded no, "God's honest truth, I'll even pinky swear on it." She punched me in the chest, "So? Tell me about it! Did you guys have hot, passionate sex on the hood of a police car?"

I laughed, thinking about how sex with Sydney would actually be like. I couldn't even imagine it, since we hadn't gotten to that stage yet. It was strictly making out with Sydney—not even tons of under-the-shirt action, really… and that had been back when she hadn't been scared out of her mind at the sight of me. I was still feeling a little crappy after that talk we had in the dream. The sight of a little blood had sent her over the edge and into a frenzy, that wasn't like the Sydney Sage I loved and loathed.

I mean, sure, it worried me, too. It had to be a side-effect of the elemental powers going crazy, though and nothing else, but when Sydney had met my eyes again, they were hard as steel and she looked like she'd seen a ghost. It still wigged me out, thinking of it.

"Nah, she's been a little distant. We're not really in a good place," I admitted, and Rowena started walking again, her smile dissapearing. "You still love her, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do. I love every agitating inch of her."

Rowena shrugged, "Then try to make things work. It's not going to be all plums and peaches instantly—you've gotta work for it. Why is she back, anyway? Is it for you?"

That was unfortunetely a question I couldn't answer, I couldn't tell her the real reason Sydney was back. She wasn't a vamp friend.

Plus, I had the feeling that if Rowena knew that I was a vampire, she'd start comparing me to Edward Cullen from those pathetic Twilight movies and I wouldn't ever hear the end of it.

I shuddered at the thought. "Hell if I knew."

xxxxx

"What kind of spell are we talking about?" I quizzed, but Jackie had already cut the phone.

That night, Sydney and I had received a call from Jackie asking us to come right over to her house for some spell experimentation. I wasn't particularly amused about it, but at least I'd get to see Sage—that was always a plus.

So I drove to Jackie's new apartment for the second time that day to find Sydney already over there. My heart started to beat ten times faster when I caught sight of her. It wasn't like we'd been miles apart; I'd seen her this morning… But there was a glow to her face…Or maybe it was just the hundred dozen candles that had been placed about the room that made it seem that way. Either way, she looked beautiful. She had all of her blonde hair brushed to one side of her neck and she was wearing jeans and a formal shirt. Semi-formals always suited her. She was playing with one of Jackie's many cats, the little black animal purred in her lap. Sydney's head jerked up as she saw me and she smiled warmly, for probably the first time since she'd been back. "Hey, Adrian,"

I grinned as I walked in, "He likes you," I observed.

Sydney looked down at the cat in her lap and her mouth curved a little, "What do you mean? Can you read animal auras too?" I nodded my head no, "I can just tell that he likes you, Sage. Although, I've heard that reading animal auras is a possibility. That would be cool, wouldn't it?"

Sydney nodded in agreement.

"Speaking of animals," I muttered, sitting down on the couch next to her, "I think it's time you take the dragon with you. An absent parent is not a good parent, plus I really need a break from all the screeching before my ears start to blee—" I didn't finish the sentence, thinking about Sydney and her newfangled fear of blood.

She caught it, but tried to pretend like she hadn't heard me say that.

"Oh, I'm sorry I had to keep him with you for so long. Yeah, sure… I can take him tomorrow. I'll drop by your apartment." I smiled appreciatively then opened my mouth to ask her about the dream but thought better of it.

It made her uncomfortable, so no matter how curious I was, I wasn't going to prod her about it and make things worse. Thankfully, Jackie came into the room on time and postponed any further conversation.

"I'm so happy that the two of you came. I know that it's late and you both have better things to do but I thought it might be time we began with the experimental spells." She was wearing a dark blue robe and the rims of her glasses almost fell off her nose. At least she'd decided that she needed to groom something other than her cats for once, her hair looked neater and her face looked brighter—or maybe it really was the stupid candles.

"What are all the candles for?" I asked her. Seriously, it was starting to smell like aroma therapy in here.

"It sets the mood, and fire is an element that fuels magic. Somewhat like a catalyst. Also, I like the smell of burning wax." Sydney sighed and let the cat jump off of her lap, "Did you call Amberwood?"

"I've already told them that I need to keep you extra hours for a special project. Not far from the truth, is it?" Sydney nodded.

"So what is the spell, then?" Sydney asked, echoing my thoughts.

"Ah, yes," Jackie nodded, pulling out a large book and placing it on the table. "The spell is fairly simple, since the two of you are very new at this, I don't want to pressure you." I could feel an unspoken yet after her words.

"I think I'm up for anything as long as there aren't any animal sacrifices or bloodletting rituals." I joked.

Both Jackie and Sydney stared at me like they'd just been offended. I sank into the couch and shrugged, cancelling about twelve witch jokes that I'd thought up on the drive over. "Now," Jackie started, pushing her glasses up to the bridge of her nose and reading an extract from the big book. "Is that a grimoire?" Sydney questioned, which I assumed was a fancy term for Magic for Dummies. Jackie nodded, barely paying attention to us, "Ah, yes, it is." Sydney looked like a child on Christmas morning, her face lit up… I even think there was drool. If only she looked at me that way.

"Can I read it?" Jackie looked up from the book finally and nodded, "Perhaps, after I'm done with it. Plenty of research to do." I could already tell that Sydney was upset that she was forced to do practical work instead of theory. She enjoyed research and reading like the rest of us enjoyed a good party. It was her escape.

"Ah, so we must start with the spell, now." She announced, handing me a small container filled to the brim with some white powder. "What is this?" I wanted to know.

"It's sand," Jackie explained. "Special sand?"

"No, just sand."

"Now, I need the two of you to sit down on the floor," she requested, pointing at the ground. We did as told, and I stood up and sat back down in the middle of the floor, feeling a little stupid for unknown reasons. "Adrian, I need you to pour the sand on the floor in the design of a four-point star in a circle. Can you do that?" I shrugged, it was easy and pretty much like painting a pattern, so I nodded yes and got to work.

Meanwhile, Jackie walked over to Sydney and handed her a red rose. Once I finished illustrating the symbol, I looked up at Jackie, "What exactly do we have to do?"

"Oh. You're going to float the rose. Then use the magicks to pluck the petals off, one at a time. It's a test of synchronicity. Your minds have to be perfectly attuned to work as a single delicate implement. I need to see exactly how compatible vampric and human magic can be when focused on."

Most of what she said went over my head and came across as utter gibbersh, Sydney on the other hand, looked a little pale. I eyed her, "You okay?" She blinked and took a deep breath,
"I'm alright."

"You know we don't have to do anything that we don't want to, Sage,"

"I know. I'm fine."

"Are you two ready?" Jackie asked, and we nodded.

Honestly, I was unsure what was gonna happen but I trusted Sydney enough to give it a shot anyway. "Now I want the two of you to concentrate while you are doing this, like you are meditating. Only, you are going to work with the power of your will. I need you both to connect on an intimate level. To achieve this, you must tune out the sounds of the trivial world around you and focus on each other. Focus on the sound of your heartbeats. Focus on your partner, try to be in tune with their thoughts. After that, as one, I need you to will the flower petals off. Do you understand?"

I sighed and glanced at Sydney, she looked a little unsettled; but as soon as she caught me staring, she flashed me a tentative smile. I smiled back and gave her hand a gentle squeeze, just so that she'd know she could be comfortable around me. It didn't seem to make her invincible, but it did seem to give her some confidence. "We understand." She confirmed.

"Alright then we shall begin. Miss Sage, place the rose on top of the circled star."

Sydney did as directed, we were sitting across from each other now; amongst the candles. There was a few meters of space between us, but it wasn't much. Sydney closed her eyes then and I followed suit. "You will start slow," Jackie directed.

Sydney reached her hands out to me and I linked my hands with hers. My palms felt warm against her skin and it was only getting warmer. It felt good, getting to hold her again. Well, technically, we weren't exactly holding each other but my skin had been tingling for her touch since she'd left. Her palms were smoothe and soft, only slightly smaller than mine and somehow they fit perfectly with each other. We just sat there opposite from each other, with the rose and the weird symbol in between us, hands held, breathing controlled. There was only silence for a few seconds until Jackie spoke again.

"Concentrate, you know what you have to do. Let it flow… naturally."

I hadn't ever performed a spell before so I wasn't sure what to do. I'd seen movies about witches and wizards, in Harry Potter they had wands. I wished we had wands. That would have been a whole lot easier than this. "Focus on each other."

I tried to do as she directed. Block out the trivial world around you and focus on each other.

Everything was extremely quiet. It was good that the initiation of the spell required focusing on her because she was all I could focus on. The parts of my skin that touched her skin itched. If I concentrated enough, I could hear her soft breathing. Our knees and the toes of our shoes were touching, too. Between us, something seemed to be glowing, the light flickered red and gold against my closed eyelids. Incense wafted around us.

Suddenly, my finger twitched and stroked the pulse point of her wrist, I could feel it. Her pulse. Underneath my finger. I started to stroke her skin again and she didn't seem to mind. I tried to keep my thoughts as zen-inducing as possible, but it was difficult.

I focused. I counted every breath; both mine and hears. Everything was so silent I could feel my heart pounding against my ribcage, and I almost thought I could hear her heartbeat too. I focused on the way her skin felt and then tried to imagine what a floating rose would look like.

I opened my eyes when I felt something. Heat. And then a soft breeze.

My eyes flipped open and her's did too, at the same time. She gasped and I realized that something was happening. A bright light came to life on the circled star. At the same time a soft breeze sweeped through the room and the rose began to shudder. Slowly, it started to rise. When it was on shoulder-level, Jackie asked us to release our hands.

My hands were hot when I let go of hers. I rubbed them together and then stopped, realizing I was only generating more heat. Should have paid better attention in Science class.

"It worked." Sydney muttered softly, looking slightly awed.

"Now for the hard part," Jackie's voice was calming, "The petals."

"I want the two of you to raise your left palms and place them against each other. Count the petals on the other hand, just for reference and better justification."

I glanced at the glowing red rose that was now slowly floating and rotating in the air in between us. It had five petals. We rested our left palms against each other and closed our eyes again. I focused once more on Sydney and tried to do as we were supposed to.

Now, a voice seemed to mutter in my mind. I took a deep breath and then put down one finger on my right hand.One. After a few seconds, I did the same thing for the second one as something in my head whispered 'now'. I counted. Two. We went on doing this till we were done with the five petals. "Open your eyes," Jackie sounded delighted.

The hovering rose was now only a hovering stem. The rest of the petals had fallen to the ground. The spell had been successful.

I started to slow-clap, probably ruining the moment for them. "I am the Wizard of Oz," I mused, "Tremble before me!" Jackie smiled, Sydney simply kept staring at the hovering stem until it collapsed to the ground. "It's unnatural but it's so…" her voice trailed off. "Amazing?" Jackie offered, Sydney simply nodded, pretty much rendered speechless. I had to admit, it was neat.

"I don't want to pressure the two of you, and its getting quite late so we can continue tomorrow." Jackie muttered and we agreed. After wishing her good night we walked out of her apartment and headed towards the parking lot. Jackie had picked her up and taken her back to her apartment on the way there, so I was dropping Sydney back to Amberwood.

She wasn't talking as we walked towards my mustang. I didn't like awkward silences, and this one was particularly aggravating. "Jackie said that our minds had to be attuned with one another or whatever, right? So when we were plucking the petals off the rose, I thought I heard a voice in my mind. Was it you?" I asked her, the question had been bothering me ever since we'd finished the spell.

Sydney looked a little lost in thought and she wrapped her arms around herself, but that was probably because of the cold. It was strange, Palm Springs was like a giant meat locker, it seemed slightly improbable that the weather was so unruly all of a sudden. A cold wind breezed past us, as if challenging me to prove it wrong.

Yep. Definitely strange.

"Yeah, it was me…" Her voice was so faint, I wouldn't have caught it if it hadn't been so eminently quiet around here. "I didn't know magic could do that. I wonder if we could read each other's minds. Man, that'd be cool." I muttered, stealing her another glance. She glared at me, obviously not finding anything I say amusing at the moment.

She seemed disturbed, bothered. It was weird, we'd just successfully finished a spell that might help us in the long run. Her natural do-gooder instinct told me that she should be pleased. Instead she was being overly quaint and a little out of it. It's like she was physically present, here with me, but her mind was somewhere else. Normally, I'd just ask her what was bothering her, but I could tell that she really didn't want to talk right now.

Maybe what she needed was a shiny change of subject. I opened the door for her as we got to my mustang and then got into the driver's seat. Once we hit the road, I finally spoke up again. "Isn't it cold—For Palm Springs, I mean?"

Sydney was looking intently out the window while I posed my question, a few seconds later she turned to look at me. "Huh?"

"Nevermind."

"Yeah, the weather's strangely cooler than usual. Which is a good thing, I guess."

Now I was fairly certain I'd stepped into the Twilight Zone.

Sydney was an analyzer, if she saw a slight change in anything she would probably be going on and on about it by now, and I could have expected a detailed thesis on the weather change in the morning. Instead she was keeping to herself and being extremely recluse.

"Okay, who are you and what have you done with the real Sage?" I blabbed, hoping that she would catch my vibe and join us back here on planet earth. She blinked a little and then flashed me a half-hearted smile, "I'm here. Just… tired, that's all."

When we finally stopped at a signal, I got the chance to stare at her with my mouth wide open. "What?" She groaned, noticing. I shook my head and took a deep breath, "You used to be able to talk to me about everything, Sage. And now it's like we're not even friends. Your distance… just feels kinda insulting." I explained truthfully, feeling exactly like I'd described to her. Usually between banter and constantly keeping in touch with each other's lives, Sydney and I didn't ever run out of things to talk about and now it was like we were nothing but acquaintances. She must have realized as I started to drive again and the signal turned green, but she didn't respond to me, which pissed me off on an egoistic level.

I stopped the car abruptly on the side of the road. Her head yanked up to gawk at me, "What are you doing, Adrian? Why did you stop the car?" I began sifting through my pocket for my lighter and then opened the door, "Haven't you heard not to piss off the person who's currently driving and therefore responsible for your life?" I retorted, jumping out of the car and lighting a much needed cigarette. Sydney just glared back at me, "Adrian, please—don't start. Not here, not now. Just take me home or I'll get into the driver's seat and drive home myself."

I turned around after taking a swing and put a hand to my heart in mock disbelief, "Do you honestly think I am that stupid?" I dangled the car's keys in my left hand, right in front of her face, just to irritate her. She rolled her eyes and then trudged out of the car, too, banging the door in exasperation and not even caring. "Hey - your beef is with me. Don't take it out on the mustang." I muttered, patting my mustang as if consoling it.

Sydney's eyes threw daggers at me and if looks could kill…

She tapped her foot impatiently and glared on at me, crossing her arms over her chest.
"What do you want, Adrian? A heart-to-heart? Because I'm not sure stopping the car in the middle of the road when I'm clearly exhausted is the best way to start!"

I took another long drag of my cigarette and frowned at her, "You haven't been acting like yourself lately and I know that it's because something is obviously bothering you. What is it? Let it out. I want to help. I mean—you seemed fine before the spell… Is that it? Did I do something wrong? Does it bother you that you managed to do something that would piss off your Alchemist pals back home if they ever found out? Are your primal do-gooder instincts conflicting with your goal in mind here?"

"Oh, so you are going to try to help me by throwing insults at me? That's very mature of you, Adrian." She roared, and I tossed my cigarette away, stamping on it and taking a step towards her. "No, I'm trying to do what's best for you!"

"Oh, and what makes you think that you know what's best for me?"

"I just do!"

"Wow, maybe you should open group therapy sessions! Share your talent with the world! Since you are so all-knowing, why don't you figure out what's wrong with me yourself!"

I groaned, running a hand through my hair. Sydney was really starting to get on my nerves now. I pressed my temples and looked around us to locate exactly where we were. Sydney wasn't stupid enough to try walking back to Amberwood becaue we were still a good thirty minutes away from there. I'd parked the car near a gas-station that seemed to be the only sign of civilization for the next couple miles—except for the occasional passerby car or truck.

The moon was a shining crescent in the otherwise cloud littered sky. The air was crisp and the night was cool, another thick breeze brushed past us, making the hairs on my arms stand on end. To one side of our car, there was a grass field, and the gas pump was on the other. There was no escape, so I grabbed Sydney by the arm and dragged her towards the field.

"Stop it! What are you doing?" She yelped as I sat down on the slightly moist grass on the field and ushered her to do the same. She scoffed, and shook her head, an incredulous smile appearing on her face.

"You are insane." She spoke like that was the answer for everything I ever did.

"I want to help you. Now, I know something's wrong, and until you don't tell me what it is, I'm just going to sit here. Amberwood's still briefly thirty minutes away, we are nowhere near actual civilisation and it's almost two in the morning. You've got no escape." I explained indignantly. She muttered something unpleasant under her breath but finally sighed in surrender and sat down next to me, brushing the grass and her pants to make sure she wouldn't get much 'dirt' on it.

"You are arrogant, unbelievable and really annoying. Do you know that?"

She asked, tilting her head towards me. I smiled, "I've been told."

"So are you ready to vent yet?"

"Fine," she groaned, and stared up at the sky for a whole other minute before speaking again, "You're right. The spell… it unnerved me. I'm not used to magic, even though I've already performed quite a bit of it. I just know that she's going to push us to experiment further and I'm all for it because it's for a good cause,"

I cocked my head to the side and played with a strand of her golden hair, twisting it around in my finger. She didn't seem to mind, "But?" I arched an eyebrow. She took another deep breath and exhaled, "But they drain too much out of me. I could feel a wave of nausea hit me as soon as we finished and this was only a basic spell. Also… Spells like these, like the ones that Mrs. Terwilliger is talking about… well, I've read up on them. You have to rely on your partner, trust them, give your everything to them. Spells like these… they're intimate. In every sense of the word."

Okay, that, I didn't know. I wasn't sure what to say, I stopped twirling. Sydney suddenly looked up at me, and touched my hand that was in her hair, but only briefly, "That's not to say that I don't trust you. I mean, if there's anyone in the world that I truly trust it's you. It's just that it's difficult for me, Adrian. Opening up in such a way… You joked about reading minds. Did you know that its possible? If I would have thought of anything other than counting those petals at that moment in the spell… You would have heard what I was thinking. That is what a test of synchronicity requires and it requires a lot of it. I have this feeling that the rest of the experimental spells that Mrs. Terwilliger is going to make us do are going to be similar."

I frowned and began to twirl her hair around my finger once more, "Don't do them, then. Jackie's not putting a gun to your head, Sage."

"I know that, but it would be so selfish of me not to! The whole world's on the line and—"

"The whole world is not your responsibility and the world can wait."

Her eyes gleamed with something like pride and she smiled, her lashes dipping once more,
"I wish it were that simple."

"It is that simple! It doesn't matter what anyone says. I don't care if the sky turns orange and the world gets swept into oblivion, if you aren't comfortable with doing it, Jackie can find another lab rat." I was taken aback with the vehemence in my own voice.

Sydney looked equally alarmed. I didn't know what it was about this girl that brought something like that out of me, but just the thought of her putting herself on the line made anger surge through all my veins. I hadn't felt this kind of a temper before—not even towards Rose. There was a burning sensation in my gut that made its way up into my throat.

"Adrian," she mumbled, "Yeah?"

"You are the sweetest jerk I've ever met."

"Really? I'd like a certified statement for proof of this."

We were both quiet for the next few minutes. Sydney huddled a little closer to me, wrapping an arm around my waist. I held onto her with the same intensity. The night was getting colder, I almost wondered how many degrees it was. The sound of the crickets chirping, our breathing and the gentle breeze kept the night from being too noiseless. Despite how good it felt just holding on to her, I was about to suggest we head back to my mustang until she spoke again.

"My parents are getting divorced," She whispered dismally, and my head jerked up just a little.

"Another marriage bites the dust? Divorce is getting way too common in the world. Maybe the divorcees should all band together and start a convention." She chuckled softly and my grip around her tightened just slightly, "I'm sorry to hear that. Are you alright? Is that why you've been so upset?" She shook her head no, "I saw it coming from a mile away. I knew it was going to happen, I just didn't know when. It isn't even me I'm worried about, it's Zoe." I frowned, "Brat kid sister?" She nodded, "Zoe will be devastated and I know it. That's not all there is to it, my mom says that there might be a battle for custody. I don't want Zoe to end up with my father, she's already too much like him. I… I can't let her end up with him. He's a close-minded bigot who will turn her into his prodigy since I failed him on such an epic scale."

I reached out and stroked down the middle of her back, "You've got a strange definition of failed." I could feel her smile and relax into me a little, her breathing calmer now. I continued to stroke her back with my fingers. "You'll find a way, Sage. Don't forget that you managed to dodge the Alchemists more times than once over the summer. You beat a psycho witch, and you've got a dragon for a pet. You can handle anything."

"If I'm so super then why do I have a really bad feeling about what's about to come? I was so powerless in that dream…" Her voice trailed off, I grabbed her chin and forced her to look up at me, "You'll be fine. Do you understand me?" She sighed, "You promise?" Her eyes in that moment looked so full of hope and innocence that I felt like I was going to explode under her gaze. There were plenty of times when I was around Sydney that I felt like pinning her against the wall, crushing my mouth to hers and kissing her till the world ended but it wasn't usual for me to feel like I was going to spontaneously combust under her eyes.

"I promise," my voice was hoarse. We sat there for a few more minutes, we didn't talk, just hugged each other and watched the starless sky and the city lights from the distance. Finally, I felt the wind pick up some pace. I gave her back one last stroke and placed a kiss to her forehead, then I stood up and lent her a hand, "We should get going. You look like your about to turn into a popsicle." I said, she agreed and grabbed my hand.

Her hands were cold, so I rubbed them with my own, hoping to warm them up a little. She didn't say anything, but I could feel her looking at me, studying me. I didn't stop her. We walked back to my car and drove off, feeling like all the anguish from earlier had evaporated and transformed itself into pure desire.