I know everyone is itching to see what comes of the meeting with Jaime and Lauren, but this chapter had to be written. Lauren and Jaime will be in the next chapter. I have to give you something to look forward to, don't I? Don't be too mad. You'll get to read about the meeting soon enough.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
(Chloe's POV: during Jaime's call to Lauren)
"Hey, Derek!" I whisper in his ear as he sleeps in his bedroom. I crawl on the bed and lay next to him, trying to keep from giggling as he mumbles in his sleeping and grips his pillow tighter. He's lying on his stomach so I have his very nice back to play with. My hair is still damp from my shower so I lean over him and let the ends trail over his skin. When he moans I stop so I don't start giggling. I wait a few minutes until I'm sure he's fully asleep.
I draw circles on his back, lightly pressing my nails into his skin. Goosebumps erupt where ever I touch him and he gives a shiver but continues to sleep. I giggle noiselessly and lean over him to nuzzle his neck. Then I nip his earlobe and suck on it, humming low in my throat and keeping up my gentle scratching on his back.
Derek moans in his sleep and flips over. I barely avoid being crushed by the rolling werewolf. It's a good thing his bed is so big; I have room to roll out of his way without dumping myself onto the floor.
Derek's room is bigger than anyone else's, mainly because he has the biggest bed. Kit insisted that he get a bed he can comfortably sleep in (for once) and since a king size (the only size Derek's feet wouldn't hang of the end of) wouldn't fit in any other room besides the master bedroom, Derek got it. Along with the decked out bathroom the previous owner splurged on. And a huge window with an amazing view of the estate.
Sunshine lights up the room with a warm radiance that makes me feel all fuzzy with happiness. I'm in a very good mood. I probably shouldn't be after last night, but when I got home, Derek was here. And he was here for me. He took one look at me when I stumbled through the door and knew what had happened.
He'd caught me up in a hug that crushed me and whispered, "It doesn't matter. It was a long shot from the beginning. We can just keep doing what we've been doing and continue on. And we found those books. They'll help a lot." When I responded with a sob, he picked me up and carried me up to my room. Kit and Lauren didn't protest at all and I'm just now realizing that. I wonder why?
And then Derek and I talked long into the night; about necromancers and werewolves.
About not necromancers and not werewolves.
About Diane and what to do about her. We talked about Diane until I no longer worried about her.
We talked about everything important and everything trivial.
About Derek's dream job in Physics.
About my dream job creating movies.
About Simon and Tori.
About Simon and Tori sharing a dad.
About my favorite movie.
About his favorite book.
About my favorite cartoon.
About the school we liked best out of all the ones we've had to move to and from.
About Aunt Lauren hating Derek.
About a world in which Aunt Lauren loved Derek (this was a very fun fantasy which we entertained for about thirty seconds before getting real).
And when I started to yawn more than speak, Derek left and went to his room. I was asleep before my head hit the pillow and I woke up with a smile on my face and Derek on my mind. I'd dreamt about him.
I wonder now what he's dreaming about, so sound asleep we isn't waking up with all my kisses.
I am having fun taking my time waking him up. It's almost ten and Aunt Lauren got a phone call that woke me up and she's still on the phone. I want to wake Derek up before she gets off so we can sneak out and go for a morning walk. But I'm in no hurry, really.
I assess how deeply Derek is asleep, then swing a leg over his waist so I'm now straddling him. I lean forward, running my hands up his washboard tummy, loving the ridges of muscles. I kiss his chest, the hair there not too thick, but soft, springy even. I run my fingers through it. My lips trace a path from his chest down his stomach, nipping and sucking. When I reach his bellybutton I flick my tongue into the dip.
Derek's breathing hitches and a growl makes me look up to see if he's awake. But he's still asleep, an arm thrown over his face now and the other still clutching his pillow. I can see his mouth hanging open under his arm and I smile. He's so cute when he's asleep.
I continue to run my hands over him, rubbing and brushing over sensitive spots on his sides, over each inch of exposed skin. It helps that he only wears boxers to bed. I trail kisses over his arms and chest and abdomen. Then I make my way back up his neck. I love the taste of his skin and go back for a second helping of Derek Delight—my favorite breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
When I reach the base of his neck, I hear him suck in his breath quickly, cutting off the purring he'd been making. I feel his body tense for a second and then relax, but I know he's awake now. I smile into his neck and make a humming sound in my throat before continuing with my tasting of Derek.
"Good morning," Derek growls, his voice quiet and rough with sleep. The sound sends shivers through my body. This time I purr.
Derek's arms move to go around me, but I sit up, knocking his hands away. I grab his wrists and pin them to the bed while he's still surprised. I look down to see his eyes still half way closed and sleepy. But his lips twitch in a smile.
"Whatareyoudoing?" He sleepily mumbles, not resisting me. I smile down at him wickedly.
"Having breakfast." My answer surprises him, because his eyebrows arch. His eyes stay at half-mast though and his arms stay pinned under mine.
"And saying thank you," I add. I squeeze his wrists and then move my hands to entwine our fingers together. "For last night."
I lean back down to kiss his chin and then along his jaw. My mouth reaches his ear and I suck it and nibble. His breathing hitches and he growls. I remove move hands from his, sliding them up over his biceps, then over his shoulders and down his chest. I tickle his chest hair, gaining a louder growl from him.
I smile and lift my head to kiss him. A real kiss. My mouth meets his and it feels like relief. Ahhh. This is what I wanted. Thank you for finally waking up. His tongue tangles with mine and our breath mingles. One of his hands wraps in my still damp hair, grabbing it in a bunch at my neck. His other hand lands squarely on my back, pressing me into his body
After a moment…or two or three, his hands slide down my sides to grip my hips. I trail my hands back down over his chest, down his abdomen, fitting between our two bodies. My fingers brush the hair that trails below his bellybutton…
"Chloe…" Derek whispers against my lips, tensing. I lift my head and lift one eyebrow at him.
He smirks at me. "Are you sure you want to go there?"
He shifts under me and suddenly my bottom isn't on his thighs, but further up. I can feel his hardness, pressing against me there. I blush.
I look at him, unsure. Derek smirks. "I thought not."
Suddenly he sits up and gives me sound, swift kiss. "Good morning," he says again and lifts me off his lap.
I'm still blushing furiously and am disgruntled from the sudden dislodging, but I try to calm my racing heart. "Good morning," I answer breathily. "Again."
He smiles at me, his eyes full of amusement.
"Derek, are you laughing at me?" I ask, crossing my arms over my chest.
Derek's smile drops away quickly and his eyes go tender, looking into mine sincerely. He leans forward to give me another kiss. This kiss is soft and gentle and thorough enough to get my blood heated again. Derek pulls back and I feel him smile against my lips.
"Yes, I am," he says and gets up to grab some clothes from his dresser.
It takes me a moment to understand that he was answering my question because I sit in a daze on his bed. He was laughing at me! And by the time I've realized this, he has already gathered his clothes and started the shower in his bathroom.
I walk over to the bathroom and bang on the door. I hear Derek laugh through the door and instead of yelling at him, I feel myself start to laugh, too.
I just shake my head and fall back onto the bed and wait for him to finish showering. Today, declare in my head, will be a good day.
As I stare at the ceiling, I remember some of the conversation from last night with Derek.
"Here. I have a good one for you," Derek says, referring to our best/worst school subject. Then he's rolling onto his back and taking my pillow with him, distracting me.
"Hey!" I say and make a grab for my pillow, but he rolls off the bed so he's kneeling on the floor on the opposite side of my bed.
He smiles and holds the pillow over his head, taunting me to come get it. I sit back and fold my arms under my head, looking to all the world like I'm comfortable without it. I raise an eyebrow at him. I'm not getting anything from you. You're gonna have to give it to me.
"So, you said you had a story?" I ask nonchalantly.
Derek smirks. He throws the pillow at me and a waft of air blows my hair back when it hits me. I laugh and when I move the pillow back behind my head, he's back on the bed, sitting cross-legged next to my feet. He picks one up and starts playing with it. I wiggle my toes and he looks up at me.
"Okay. What were we talking about? Schools?" He thinks a moment, running his thumb up the instep of my foot. It feels good.
"Oh, right. Worst mascot ever, huh? I'll win with this one," he warns me.
"Oh, I doubt it. How can you beat…the Willow High Trees? Our mascot was a tree." I put my hands up to cover my eyes, embarrassed for my old school. "I mean, can you imagine it? There was a kid who, for every school event, walked around in a brown cylinder that was supposed to be a tree trunk, with green tissue paper stapled at the top for leaves." I groan. "It was bad."
Derek only smiles. I sit up, intrigued. What's worse than a tree?
"What if I said that I once went to a school in a town called Dillon? And we were the Does?"
I furrow my eyebrows, thinking. "So?" A deer for a mascot isn't that bad. Kinda wimpy, but not awful.
He smirks. "The Dillon Does? Can you guess what everyone called us instead of Dillon Does?"
Then I get it. My face flushes and I cover my face as his laugh shakes the bed.
I spread my fingers so I can look at him. "Okay. You win." He nods.
"I thought I would."
Derek doesn't stop rubbing my feet and I slowly relax again, forgetting my embarrassment. "So…A tree, huh?" he asks, breaking the silence and I laugh before going into a story about the Senior Prank and what they did to the Tree that year of high school.
And then I'm back to the present. I laugh now, thinking about Derek and the Dillon Does. And just as I do, Simon walks by in the hallway and gently pushes the door open a crack. He pokes his head in and smiles when he sees me.
"Hey. I thought I heard you," he says. He looks around the room, taking me in on the rumpled bed and the closed bathroom door with the sounds of a shower running. I sit up as he saunters into the room.
"I just came in to wake Derek up." I lift my chin, daring him to think anything else.
Simon smiles and raises his arms. "Okay, okay, I believe you. I didn't say a thing." His eyes twinkle with humor. He goes to the window and looks out. "Damn. I wanted this room so bad. The view is ridiculous."
I sigh and have to agree. "Yep. I think Derek really enjoys having a bed he can actually fit in, though." My tone is slightly reproving. Simon can't blame Derek for finally getting a bed he fits and getting this room by default. Although, Tori does.
He gives me a grudging smile. "Yeah, I'm sure he's enjoying it, alright." He wiggles his eyebrows at me sitting on the rumpled bed suggestively. Before I can protest, he moves on, more serious. "You know, he never once complained about his bed, but it was always kind of painful: watching him hang off the end of his own bed."
He makes a face and I laugh.
I stand up. "Come on. He'll be out soon. Let's go get some breakfast before Derek gets down there and eats all of it."
"What did Aunt Lauren make?" I ask as we leave the room. She always makes breakfast on Sundays for anyone who wants it.
Simon looks at me, confused. "Didn't you hear her yell upstairs? Dad and Lauren left about," he checks his watch, "ten minutes ago."
Oh, well. I guess I was distracted. "Where did they go?"
He shrugs and looks at me, suddenly cautious. "Richmond, I guess," he answers, sort of reluctantly. I suppose he doesn't want to remind me of last night and the Jaime Vegas fiasco. I grimace.
Simon doesn't look at me as he says the next thing. "So, are you all right? You were pretty upset last night and I didn't want to interrupt whatever you and Derek…" He doesn't finish. I give him a look, knowing what he thought we were doing last night.
"You could have interrupted," I say in a hard voice. Like Derek and I would have had sex after everyone watched us go upstairs together! Like we'd have sex at all. Right now, neither of us is ready for that, thank you very much.
Simon smiles, a strangely bashful expression, and shrugs. "Whatever, you say."
"I say." Just making sure the point is clear. Then move on.
"And thanks. I'm all right. Derek and I talked a lot last night. He put things into perspective, made me realize it was only our first shot at finding a necromancer." I shrug and bump him with my shoulder. "We can try again."
Simon nods.
I search for another topic. "So, um, did they say why they left?"
Simon looks confused and then remembers Kit and Aunt Lauren left to go to Richmond.
"No, they didn't really give a reason, but they both seemed real edgy." He doesn't look all that concerned about it though and throws an arm around my shoulders. "Hey," he whispers playfully, "let's go see what Tori's up to!"
I stare at him, in shock. "What?" He's not avoiding her? And, jeez. We're jumping subjects like leap frog this morning. First it's Derek, then last night, then Kit and Lauren, now Tori—the last thing I expected to talk with Simon about.
He stops and drops his arm from my shoulders with a sigh, so I turn to face him. He shakes his head, not meeting my eyes.
I'm worried about him, I realize. I've been mostly worried about Tori, especially after her bad reaction to the news. I can't blame her—finding out that she had two dads, one fake and one unwanted, and a half brother she once had a crush on, is not easy.
I had talked a bit with Simon about it, but he'd always seemed fine, if a little disgruntled. I thought he'd been handling it fine.
Another sigh from Simon and a glance at Derek's door, down the hallway. "Listen, I know what you're gonna say," he looks back and meets my eyes briefly. "Hell, you've already said it, more than once. That I need to talk with Tori." He looks down and scuffs his shoe, his hands shoved into his pockets. "But it's not an easy thing to talk about and it's not like she makes it any easier."
I fold my arms. I wasn't going to say anything like that. But he's right. He does need to talk to Tori. He just hasn't yet, always coming up with an excuse. "So…what? You want to talk with her now?" I'm confused. I thought this about going to see what Tori's up to. "Why do you suddenly have an interest with Tori's activities if you guys are avoiding this 'talk'? What are you up to?" I ask.
He rubs his neck. "Well, she's been acting weirder than usual. I just wanted…" Of course. Simon is not Derek, and no matter how much he dislikes a person, if he's living with her and he's related to her, he's gonna care about her. But he looks uncomfortable, so I decide to make this easier. He cares about Tori, and wants to help.
"Yeah, I've noticed her behavior the last couple days. And last night in the car, she didn't say a word. Going to the show, or coming back. Not even a reaction that D-Diane showed up." I chew my lip and curse my stupid stutter, but otherwise try to ignore it.
We both continue downstairs in silence, thinking about what to do with Tori.
I grab a bowl and pour some cereal just as Derek lopes down the stairs. I hold the box out to him. "Kit and Aunt Lauren are gone. Gotta fend for ourselves this morning."
Derek nods and grabs the box of cereal from me. Simon hops up onto the counter to wait for his toast to pop up. I grab the milk and a spoon and head for the table just as Simon says, "Hey, Tori."
I turn to see her standing, dressed and ready for the day, in the doorway of the room. She doesn't acknowledge Simon but instead walks past us all and drops a pile of papers next to me as she passes.
She pauses just behind me so I can't see her face and says, "Thought you could try one of those." And she's gone, and I hear the front door slam.
I look at the papers. They're six pages of spiritualists, mediums, and others of that kind of profession. They're names and a brief description next to each one. Wow.
I look up to see Simon worriedly looking out the window at Tori's disappearing figure. Then he hops down from the counter, taking his toast with him. "I'm going after her." He looks like he's come to a decision and he's sticking to it.
Derek starts to protest, but Simon raises a hand. "No, Derek. I'm going after her." Then he looks at me so he knows I'm listening. "Tori and I need to talk." Then he's gone, too, and it's just Derek and I.
I look at him. Derek is glaring at me.
"What?" I ask. "I didn't tell him to go after his half-sister. He did it on his own." I can't keep the happiness out of my voice. Finally, I think. I pour some milk on my cocoa puffs. "But I do think he's doing the right thing."
I wait a moment and finally hear Derek give a frustrated growl and sit down beside me. "If he comes back with a charred head, I'm blaming you."
I smile down at my cereal and take a bite. At least he's not going after Simon and throwing him over his shoulder and tying him to a chair.
"So…What do you want to do today?" I ask as we are both putting our dishes in the dishwasher.
Derek shrugs. Then after a moment he says, "I wanted to look at some colleges online." He looks at me, judging my reaction.
My face breaks into a grin. "Sounds great."
(Tori's POV)
I'm about halfway down the long driveway in front of the farm house when I hear running footsteps behind me. I tense, knowing that whoever it is, I don't care, I just want to be left alone.
"Hey! Wait up." I cringe when I hear Simon's voice. Oh, God. Anyone but him, please. I ignore him and instead speed up.
He picks up speed, too, so I know he's not going to leave me alone. Fear suddenly engulfs me, just as it has been sporadically any time I got near someone for the last few days. I don't want to hurt anyone anymore. If I lose control, it's not going to just be a picture exploding. I know it. Someone's going to get hurt. And if someone touches me, I'm going to go thermonuclear on their ass.
When Simon's hand drops onto my shoulder, it's my worst nightmare come true. In desperation I grab it and twist it, locking his wrist, then his elbow in one of the self-defense moves Kit showed me and Chloe. Maybe if I get him off me quickly, nothing bad will happen.
I'm just bringing my other arm around to shove him when Simon's arm, the one I'm not holding, swings up and slams into my chest, effectively winding me. The blow was so forceful I know he was expecting me to attack him and already had his countermove picked out. I stumble back, dropping his hand in the process.
Simon doesn't say anything and when I move to attack him again his lips move imperceptibly and his fingers wiggle. Suddenly, I'm flying back from his knockback spell. I lose consciousness when I hit a tree.
I come to a few seconds later. My mouth is opening and closing but no air is getting to my lungs. I imagine a fish out of water and guess I look like something similar. Anger rolls through me. I. Just. Want. To. Be. Alone.
But it doesn't look like I'm going to get my wish.
Simon leans down and picks me up while I'm still not-gasping for air.
"Tori, I know you want to talk to me just about as much as I want to talk to you. But I think some things need to be said. And if you're not going to cooperate, then I'll just have to make you listen to me." He sounds pissed.
He walks into the forest still carrying me. Suddenly, I wonder why we're not both blowing up. Why isn't my magic erupting? It's been a constant pounding on my control for the last week and all of a sudden it's quiet. Tamed.
What the hell? It's such a shocking revelation that I forget to struggle against Simon once I get my breathing back under control. And I forget to run away after he sets me down.
I look up at him after he drops me unceremoniously onto the uneven ground of a clearing. "Well? What do you want to say that's so important to me?" I snap at him.
He looks stunned for a moment before looking irritated again. He runs his hand through his hair and begins to pace in front of me.
I cross my legs and wait. I'm not so angry anymore. In fact, the relief of my magic somehow being tamed is heady. Like when you have a stomach bug. You've been feeling nauseated all day and when you finally throw up, it's such a relief. I feel like I finally threw up. I feel better.
Talking to Simon still doesn't sound pleasant because I can guess the topic, but it's no longer the torture it would've been a few minutes ago.
Simon keeps pacing. After a few laps of the clearing, I realize I'm going to have to start this if I want it to end any time soon.
"Simon." He stops and glares at me. "Hey, you brought me here to talk. And since it looks like you're going to be thinking all day about what you want to say to me, how about I start?" I raise my eyebrows at him.
His mouth drops open for second before he gets his expression under control and he glares at me again. He points an accusing finger at me. "You've been a bitch." He begins pacing again, but talking now. "Actually, you've been a bitch since I met you. You're spoiled and rotten and a bitch. Even to Chloe, who never deserves any of the crap you give her."
I sigh and sit back, getting ready for a rant. I yawn. Sorry, Simon, but you're not telling me anything I don't already know.
He stops when he sees my yawn and narrows his eyes at me. "Sorry, am I boring you?" he asks sarcastically.
I shake my head. "Nope. Please continue. But I have to warn you." I lean forward. "You're not telling me anything I don't already know about myself."
This makes him pause. He frowns and looks confused. Then he gets his gumption back and continues to pace. "So you're a bitch that doesn't care who she hurts. Great. But recently you've been…I don't know." He throws his hands up in a frustrated gesture. "You've been out of control despite yoga and tea and all the other shit that's supposed to be calming. I don't know what's up with you."
He stops suddenly, looking more frustrated than I've ever seen him. I sigh.
"I know. I've been scaring myself a lot recently." Why am I telling him this?
"What?" He skids to a stop and looks down at me.
Oh, boy. I don't want to get into this right now. "Simon, you didn't come out here to talk to me about my unpredictable, chaotic, and frankly scary powers." I pause so he can process that. "You want to talk about the fact that we're…related." I grimace and shift uncomfortably.
Simon makes a less than pleased face and nods. "Uh, right."
I nod back. "So, what do you want to say?"
He shrugs. "I don't know. I mean when I found out, I can't say I was thrilled." Yeah, me neither. "But you completely over reacted."
I bristle. "Well, I wasn't exactly getting the same news as you, was I?"
Irritation crosses Simon's face. "Uh, yeah you did."
I cross my arms and lift my chin. "Really? Let me guess what Kit said to you." I clear my throat and close my eyes, channeling Kit. "Simon, this is hard to say, but…Tori is your half sister. No, no. It's true, really. Her mother stole some sperm from me and I guess Tori was the result. So… now you have a sister."
I open my eyes to see Simon trying not to laugh as he stands over me. It surprises me because I wasn't expecting that reaction. Anger was a more predictable response.
Simon rubs a hand across his mouth to erase his smile. "Uh, no actually. He didn't quite say those words. Not word for word, anyway."
I give him a look that says just how much I appreciate his answer. "Whatever. That's not the point, Dumbass. The point is the news you got was that my bitch mother stole some sperm from your dad and as a result you have a half sister. The worst of it was that the irritating bitch you'd like nothing better than to get rid of is half related to you and it isn't going to be as easy to drop her." I look away and pick at some grass under my foot. My chest is tight, remembering how I felt that day. "You know what news I got? It was a little different." My voice is low and menacing.
Simon's quiet so I look up to see his face a few feet from mine, now on my level as he sits across from me. He looks wary. I look down again.
I answer when he doesn't respond. I can't keep the bitterness and anger out of my voice. "Well, I got the news that my dad—the man I trusted and loved my entire life-isn't my dad. I found out that maybe the reason my dad didn't help me the one time I called him and asked for help, might have been because he never really loved me. Never really loved me because I'm not actually his. Ifound out just how fucking psychotic my mother really is. I found out that I was conceived in a lab, probably in a Petri dish."
I sniff, feeling tears gathering. "I found at that the man who is my biological father," I spit the words and can't stop talking, my voice rising with each word, "didn't know about me, but had heard a fucking rumor. But he never knew for sure 'otherwise, I would have found you, Tori.'" I mimic what Kit said, my tone bitter.
I feel tears stream down my face, but I ignore them and look into Simon's now horrified eyes and continue. "I found out that my real father was part of the Edison group, too. You can imagine how ecstatic I was to know that both my parents were part of an experiment in which I was the subject. Oh, and he's a sorcerer, so I'm not really a witch. I'm a freak. Half sorcerer, half witch." I laugh bitterly and am suddenly annoyed with myself, but I can't seem to stop talking. My voice hardens as I continue.
"I found out that my real father was one of the guys that realized Project Genesis was wrong and he took his son and got out. I found out that because he didn't know about me, I was stuck with an abusive mother my entire life instead of having at least one loving parent." I wipe the stupid tears away and look at the ground.
"I found out that the stupid boy I liked, just a few months ago, is my brother." I end my rant in a whisper and can't look at Simon.
There's silence and it lasts for a while. Birds and other animals far away make the only noise. I don't know how long we're like this, silent and not talking. Minutes or hours. I don't care anymore.
And still, the magic stays tamed. So I can't get really and truly worked up, especially after spilling my guts to Simon, I feel…well, gutted. I also feel relief. Seems today is just one relief after another.
I look up at Simon after a while. He's staring at a tree to his left, his arms wrapped around his legs. I sniff.
"So, do you have anything to add to this discussion, or are we done?"
He shakes his head and I stand up. I offer him a hand up and after a moment's hesitation, he takes it.
We stand there awkwardly and Simon runs his hands through his hair again. "Listen, Tori, I…I never really thought about all that from your point of view. I guess I was too stunned by my own side of it that I couldn't get past it to see your side more clearly."
I look at the ground and scuff my shoe against a clump of grass. "Yeah, well. I don't blame you. It's not a side that's pleasant to see from."
I turn and start walking back toward the road. Simon follows after a second. "Where are you going?" he asks.
I shrug. "Away. I wanted to be alone, earlier." I don't anymore, but I don't say that. I stop and turn to him. "Actually, I think I owe you my thanks."
Simon stops looking surprised. "For what? Pulling a Derek and hauling you into the middle of the forest?"
I laugh and the sound surprises both of us. I look down, embarrassed. "Um, kind of. I've been feeling really out of control lately." I look back up at him to see a concerned look on Simon's face. "Especially after the other day when I…you know in the parking lot?" He nods and I swallow.
"Well, after that, it was like there's been this burning feeling in me…" and I explain everything as we walk through the forest. The Gas Station Breakdown. The no-touching-because-I'm-going-to-explode thing. The obsessiveness towards Chloe's necromancer research. Simon listens and after a while, he puts his hand on my shoulder. I stop and look at him.
"And you don't feel like that anymore," he asks. I nod, wide eyed.
"Tori, you don't have to do this alone." He looks so concerned and sincere I feel my throat tighten. I feel like a completely different person without the magic trying to burst out of me at any sign of weakness.
I nod and Simon drops his hand. He turns and we continue on, me talking and talking like I've never talked to a person before. And for the first time, I feel okay. I feel like I can handle this.