Chapter Seven: Despite Chaos
"Shit, where the hell am I suppose to park?" Brooke smacked her palms against the steering wheel of her Jeep as we drove in circles. I cringed at her harsh, loud cuss words.
The venue's parking lot was full; cars lined the road outside. Brooke had explained to me that a few other bands were playing tonight as well but assured me that most of the fans would be here to see 'Despite Chaos', as the boys called themselves. In spite of her warning, I hadn't thought that the show would be this big of a deal until we arrived and I saw the evidence for myself.
Brooke finally gave up trying to find a space and reluctantly drove down the road to a parking garage where she threw the garage attendant some money for parking. I dug through my bag, knowing that I had a little cash on me as well.
"Here, I can reimburse you for half…" I told her, holding out a five-dollar bill. She shook her hand at me.
"No, don't worry about it! Cas suggested we come early, but I didn't feel like waiting around and listening to the other bands play. Next time we'll get here earlier!" She laughed, parking the car and reaching to undo her seat belt. I followed suit, the thumping of my heartbeat beginning to quicken. I grabbed my bag and threw it over my shoulder, drawing a breath in an endeavor to quell my nerves.
We started down the sidewalk and I rubbed at my arms as the chill of October began to rush over my body. Brooke looked down and giggled at me.
"I guess you'll have to get used to the cold, huh?" She asked me, eyeing my short shorts.
"Yeah," I snickered, shaking my head. "I should have checked the weather for tonight; I'm just so used to the constant warmth of the west coast; I didn't think. I don't even own a long pair of jeans…"
Brooke was clearly used to the New Jersey autumn weather, wearing a long pair of white jeans, charcoal faux-sheepskin boots and a black long-sleeved thermal under her "Team Castiel" t-shirt.
"It'll be warm inside, don't worry. All of the body heat makes for a sometimes excruciatingly hot atmosphere." She told me with a reassuring grin.
We walked another five minutes before coming to the main entrance. People stood in a line that stretched down the sidewalk and I cringed when I thought of having to stand out in the cold for much longer waiting. I followed Brooke as she strangely walked towards the front of the line and waved at the big man, taking tickets and names, who stood at the front.
"Ah, Brooklyn Bridge!" He gasped happily, ignoring his next set of ticketholders and turning to us. I stood awkwardly behind her, my brow furrowing at the bizarre nickname as I surreptitiously attempted to wipe my sweating palms across the backside of my shorts.
"We're running a little late, Bruce. Can we squeeze by real quick?" She asked him, pulling two tickets from her purse and handing them to him. The man called Bruce looked over Brooke's shoulder at me, and I flashed him a timid smile.
"Leonardo has finally reeled one in, huh?" He laughed, outstretching his hand to me. I took it, politely smiling over my confusion. I linked the nickname directly to Lysander and I hoped that Bruce didn't think that he and I were…together.
"I'm Bruce, the boys' personal body guard." He laughed. I didn't know what to make of any of the things he was saying so I just nodded and kept on smiling. Brooke snickered wildly, putting a hand on my shoulder.
"Don't listen to him; he wishes we'd hire him as body guard! The boys play here so much that we've all become friends with the venue staff." She explained. Bruce looked down at the list in his hands and checked off two lines.
"Luna Broderick, check! Leo da Vinci had me double check to make sure you were on there…seems like he's got a little crush on you." Bruce teased, his thunder voice sending chills down my spine with his outrageous jokes.
"Bruce! Stop it!' Brooke whined, playfully smacking him. I nervously giggled and Brooke looked back to me with an expression that begged me to forgive his embarrassing mirth.
"Go on in, ladies. I'll catch up with you later!" Bruce outstretched his hands and ushered us past the waiting line and into the building.
"Bruce teases a lot, don't mind him. He really is a nice guy." Brooke tried to explain as we walked into a lobby-type area.
I looked to her with a forbearing smirk."That's okay, I figured that much."
Brooke quickly led me down a small set of stairs and found her way to a large, metal door. She pressed her body against it and pushed it open, holding it for me and letting me pass through first. The ambience inside exhumed excitement and I stopped to take in every detail of the setting that unfolded around me. The large open room was full of standing people, mostly around our age. An outsized, empty stage sat at the far end and a bar lined the left wall; a few of the older spectators at the stools sipping drinks and chatting with the bartenders. The music hadn't started yet but the atmosphere was already thick with the sounds of everyone talking at once. The crowd was intimidating and I wasn't sure how we'd be able to enjoy the show from all the way in the back.
"Follow me!" Brooke called to me over the noise. I obliged and we weaved through the hordes of sweating teens to a tiny staircase that led up to a cozy private balcony with chairs and tables. "We get to sit in a VIP section!" She added with a grin. I found myself increasingly relieved that I wouldn't have to brave the crowds like everyone else.
She led me through a gate and up a few steps to the 'VIP lounge', so to speak, where I instantly recognized Melody and Rosalya as they sat and talked with an older boy I had never seen before.
His lengthy legs were crossed and his lanky arms folded on his lap as he looked over to Brooke and I. Long, wind-swept locks of jet-black hair surrounded his sculpted face and he looked as though he'd been plucked right from a classic storybook. He was the second person here in Amoris that dressed in elegant Victorian clothing and the only thing that I felt he was missing was a big, tacky gold crown perched on top of his head.
"Brooke! Good to see you." He said, standing up and towering over us at a whooping six feet at least. He wrapped his arms around Brooke and pulled her in for a hug and I stood by, aimlessly looking out to the crowd.
"Luna, this is Leigh!" Brooke expressed. Turning my focus to Leigh who outstretched a calloused hand to me, I began to study his facial features. His chiseled heart-shaped bone structure was eerily familiar.
"Good to meet you, Luna." He chirped happily. I smiled as I made a connection. "It's a pleasure, Leigh. Ah-are you Lysander's older brother...by any chance?" I asked him cautiously. I remembered Lysander saying something about a brother and the facial resemblance was so uncanny that I didn't even have to read his mind to know that my assumption was correct.
Leigh's eyebrows arched as he nodded his head. "Yeah! It's not often that people tell us we look alike or anything. How'd you know?" He seemed intrigued; impressed, almost.
"I can definitely see a resemblance. Your nose, chin, cheekbones...I think besides the hair and eyes you two are practically identical." I told him truthfully. Leigh snickered and shook his head.
"That's certainly a first! You know my brother well then?" I shrugged. No, I didn't know his brother at all. Not one bit.
"Sort of…" I lied, nodding my head and taking a moment to plunge into Leigh's thoughts.
'So this is the famous Luna that Lys told me about…' I heard him softly think to himself. My eyes widened and I pushed deeper, wanting more. 'She's beautiful…she'll be good for him I'm sure- if only he'd actually admit that he likes her. With the way he comes home talking about her it's only obvious. He might need some help from his big brother!'
"Looking gorgeous again, Luna!" I heard from behind Leigh. The strident voice ripped me from my focus on Leigh's thoughts and I looked over as Rosalya stood and walked to me with a grin.
"Thanks! You do too, like always." I eyed her adorable outfit with a faked smile, reeling about what Leigh had been thinking. I had only known Lysander for a week, I certainly didn't think of him as anything more that…
What did I think of Lysander?
Aside from the curious impenetrable fortress, was there more? Was there a reason why anytime I talked to him I felt weak and dizzy? What affect did Lysander have on me? I couldn't find the word for it.
"Thanks, Hun!" Rosalya again snapped me from my daze as she wrapped her arms around me for a hug. Typical charming Rosalya. Melody waved a sweet, simply hello and I mirrored her with a coy grin.
"How was the last band?" Brooke asked Leigh, looking out to the crowd and checking her cell phone for the time.
"They were respectable…nothing compared to what's to come." Leigh smiled, looking over at me with a smirk I could read. He was up to something.
"Have you ever heard Lysander sing?" He asked me, sitting down and patting the chair next to him for me. I very cautiously sat beside him and shook my head. "No…"
"He's really talented…you'll love him. He's happy you could come to see him tonight." Leigh expressed. Was he trying to glorify Lysander? If so, Lysander definitely didn't need any glorification to me.
"I'm happy that Brooke invited me to come and see the band play. I never did get out much growing up, so this is new to me." I told him, dancing around the subject of Lysander and trying to change the topic of the hot button conversation completely.
Leigh smiled and nodded, his eyes scanning my outfit. "Rosalya tells me you're somewhat of a fashion plate and I can definitely see where she's coming from. I kind of have an eye for it. The feather in your hair is great; do you know who made it?" He crossed his legs again, leaning in close. I could instantly tell that fashion was his thing.
"I did, actually. Well, I didn't make the feather…" I laughed. "I found it on the beach; it belonged to a seagull. I cleaned, bleached, and dried it and then painted the peacock design." I did get a little eager when talking about my projects, so I elaborated for him.
Leigh's eyes widened and he started to reach for the feather in my hair. I tensed up just a little at the swift motion of his hand.
"I'm sorry, I'm just trying to get a feel for the texture. The bleaching doesn't fray it?" He asked, very carefully tossing the feather in my hair through his delicate surgeon fingers. His touch resembled my own when working on my designs and projects. I could instantly tell by his gentle touch that he too was an artist of sorts.
"I used 20% hydrogen peroxide and hair bleach powder and it worked like a charm." I shrugged with a smile.
Leigh nodded his head, squinting his eyes as he continued to study my feather. I tried to look over at it in habit, wanting to see what all the fuss was about, but as far as I tried to stretch my eyes there was no way I'd be able to get the side of my head in my own view.
"She also makes boots!" Rosalya added unexpectedly as she scooted her chair closer to where Leigh and I sat. Leigh looked to Rosalya first before looking back to me.
"What kind of boots?" He asked. I snickered, feeling a little flustered as I pulled out my phone. I figured instead of trying to explain them to him I'd just show him a picture that I had taken; I knew he might appreciate it. It wasn't often in my life that I had the opportunity to share my work with others.
I pulled up a picture of the white heeled Victorian styled boots I had made and handed my phone to Leigh. He took it into his view and gazed long and hard, a smirk slowly emerging onto his blank stare.
"These are amazing…" He softly muttered, almost to himself as he looked up and handed me my phone back. "We'll have to have a long chat someday about materials and Victorian influence. I'm a full time designer and I'm pretty impressed by your work already. Do you have more?"
I shrugged, a hot blush rising to my cheeks. "A little bit. I had a lot of free time on my hands back before I moved here…so I made things."
He smiled, biting his lip a little in contemplation while I took a quick moment to sneak a peek at his thoughts again.
'She's perfect for Lysander…but if he doesn't want her…wait, what am I thinking? Of course he wants her. How could he not? This is Lysander's time, not mine. I had my chance with the perfect girl and I screwed up. Now it's my job to make this happen for my little brother! I shouldn't think of Luna like that. She'd make the perfect sister-in-law!'
I gasped for air at the sensation of his rash, fanatical thoughts. What on EARTH was he thinking?! Even with my supernatural abilities I was unable to clearly decipher his thoughts. Did he honestly believe that after a week of knowing his brother that I'd ever consider pursuing a relationship with the boy? I'd hardly ever even talked to a boy before I came to Amoris and after seeing how easily my mother and father's marriage fell apart I was dead set on the notion that telepaths don't get the luxury of true love. How could you make a relationship work with someone who can never know the real you? It was unfair to my mother for my father to put her in a situation like that, and it would be unwise for me to do the same to another. Leigh was quite mistaken if he ever thought any attempt in "setting me up" with Lysander would work.
I glanced awkwardly down to the stage and noticed that a few unrecognizable people in black "staff" shirts were setting up equipment. Brooke looked up from her cell phone and turned to us with an exuberant grin.
"The boys are on in less than five!" She gasped, her entire face lit up. I swallowed the pit in my throat as the sides of my mouth pitifully jerked out a frail smile. I still couldn't figure out exactly why my stomach was in knots over seeing Lysander perform.
"I made Lysander's outfit for tonight, but he designed it. I really wish he'd let me teach him how to use the sewing machine so that we could make my clothing line into a family business but he'd much rather write and sketch." Leigh chuckled, shaking his head and pursing his lips as he observed me, hoping for a reaction. I nodded my head but didn't give him the satisfaction of much else.
"Did you make sure to remind Castiel to tie his shoes this time? We wouldn't want him to trip again…" Rosalya laughed.
Brooke rolled her eyes with a snicker. "Yep, I just sent him his third reminder text of the night!"
Suddenly, I was shocked into a deep sense of awareness as the lights in the room went dim. The entire venue screamed and hollered in unison and I kept my eyes on the softly lit stage, eager to watch the 'grand entrance' of Despite Chaos. Brooke got up from her chair and rushed to the bars of the balcony, followed by Melody. A bouncy, overzealous Brooke looked back with a beam as bright as the sun, motioning for me to join her. I carefully wandered over to her, gripping on to the cold metal of the railing in front of me and taking one last nervous breath before preparing to brace myself.
Castiel walked out first, holding his flashy red guitar in the air with one hand; a characteristic "rock-star hello" to the audience. As the people in the crowd cheered wildly for him Brooke clasped her hands over her mouth and screamed as loud as she could, nearly blowing out my eardrums.
He certainly looked the part, wearing a red and black striped long sleeve v-neck and tight black pants. He had black fingerless gloves around both hands and after he glanced up to us to presumably make eye contact with Brooke, his hair fell around his face as he looked down to fidget with his guitar before they began playing.
Next was Nathaniel, who held his drumsticks high in the air for all to see. Brooke and Melody both screamed and clapped for him as he made his way to his drum set at the back of the stage and I studied him, wide-eyed and shocked at his appearance. Straying from the dress shirt and khaki pants I was used to, Nathaniel looked like a rock star, his outfit outlandish and loud as Castiel's.
Finally, my eyes pushed past Nathaniel and Castiel and I felt the butterflies in my stomach nip and bite as I watched Lysander emerge from behind the curtains. He looked incredible, wearing a tight grey long sleeved shirt with a black vest over it and a small, black bow tie tied around his neck. His skin-tight black pants made his long, willowy legs go on for days and he strode confidently to the microphone front and center and took it in his hands confidently.
He looked out to the audience and then up at us in the balcony. I watched at the ghost of a smile emerged from his face when we made eye contact and I smirked back, my heart bashing itself along the walls of my ribcage.
"We're Despite Chaos and we were wondering; do you mind if we play some music for you?" He spoke loudly, his voice lively and teasing. The audience went wild, screaming and jumping around, grabbing for him and pleading to hear them play. Brooke, Melody and Rosalya jumped and screamed along with the rest of the audience while Leigh and I hung back a bit, smiling and observing the stage.
"I'm terribly sorry, but I didn't hear you that time. You don't mind if we play some music for you tonight?!" Lysander continued to tease the audience, this time prompting them to scream even louder to which the music started all at once.
A drawn out guitar solo played beautifully by Castiel, who swayed back and forth and occasionally tossed his head or took a few strides, introduced their first song. Nathaniel kept the beat with the drums as Lysander took the microphone from the stand and put his head down, marching a circle before coming back to the middle. He opened his mouth to sing.
What came out was the epitome of perfect. I was on autopilot as my body gravitated forward, gripping onto the railing once again and tilting my head, watching his every move. His voice was pure ecstasy to my ears and I was drowning in it. My eyes never left him and I found myself shocked and enthralled by his unbelievable, out-of-character stage presence. He danced, paced the stage back and forth, jumped, swayed, and interacted with the audience throughout his entire performance. He even had a sort of sex appeal to him as he moved his hips and bit onto his lip in between lyrics.
Brooke, Rosalya and Melody sang loudly to the words of every song and even Leigh clapped and shouted a few, "Go Lysander!" words of encouragement to his brother as he preformed below. I however continued to capture every move Lysander made with my eyes, taking it all in and keeping it for myself. He was fascinating to me. I was fixated on his performance. I was fixated on him.
"Didn't I tell you?" I heard being whispered into my ear. The vibrations of the soft voice sent shivers down my back and I turned my head to see Leigh standing over me, looking down at his little brother. I looked to him for an elaboration on his question.
"Isn't he incredible?" He asked me, sneering from ear to ear.
"Incredible." I repeated, turning my head once more to look back to him, afraid to miss a moment.
"I told you you'd love him." He snickered. I felt my face growing hot and I sheepishly nodded.
"He's very talented." I reiterated, hoping that Leigh wouldn't get the wrong idea.
Despite Chaos played ten full-length songs, working themselves to the bone and practically destroying the entire atmosphere with their performance. When Castiel rang the last chord, Nathaniel struck the last beat, and Lysander sang out the last word to the last song, I was almost disappointed. I could have stood and watched him for much, much longer.
"Thank you all, you've been beautiful!" Lysander graciously told the audience as they continued to bawl, clap and cry out for them. I clapped my hands wildly but my contribution to the gratitude of the performance was small and feeble compared to the passionate screams of everyone else around me.
Lysander, Castiel and Nathaniel disappeared back stage just as quickly as they had appeared, and all at once the lights were brought back to a medium set, momentarily blinding my dark-adjusted eyes. I rubbed at them as Brooke and the others collected their things from the tables around us.
"Did you love them!?" Brooke asked me enthusiastically as she handed me my knapsack.
"I'm completely blown away…that was the most amazing thing I've ever seen!" I told her honestly, still excited and revved up. She giggled and nodded her head.
"C'mon, let's go see our little rock stars!" She expressed, taking my hand and pulling me towards the side of the stage. The rest of the group followed me, and honestly, I wasn't so sure I was even ready to face Lysander but secretly a part of me was excited to see him.
After we walked behind a large curtain and through a dark, desolate side-stage passageway we came to a door that led to a well-lit corridor. The walls were lined with various doors and we looked down both ends of the long halls before realizing that we were alone.
Jolted by a loud noise, we all swiftly turned our attention to a door down the way as it flew open, having been kicked by Castiel. It slammed against the wall with a loud thud and the exuberant guitarist barreled through, his red guitar still slung around his shoulder dangling from his back. He was drenched in sweat and panting, his mouth agape with excitement and exhilaration.
"We fucking KILLED IT! Didn't we, little girl!?" He shouted, outstretching his arm to Brooke who as fast as a bullet went skipping to him. They laughed as they wrapped themselves in one another.
"You guys were marvelous!" Brooke screeched, kissing Castiel.
Nathaniel came out next, sluggishly gasping for air and dripping sweat. He grasped his drumsticks in his hands and laughed with a speechless shrug as Melody went to him and offered compassionate congratulations on a show well done. I continued to watch the door.
Lastly, Lysander coyly emerged, cautiously glancing at Rosalya, Leigh and I with a crooked smile. He looked just as clean as he usually did, not a trace of the intense concert on his expression or body. His outfit was crisp, his hair fell perfectly and his face was still as fresh and bright as it had appeared on stage. Leigh and Rosalya walked to him to present him hugs and pats on the back while I stood smiling in the background, not wanting to get in the way. I clasped my sweating palms together behind my back and rocked back and forth on my heels as to not seem too awkward, silently listening as everyone buzzed about the show.
After receiving countless hugs from his brother and Rosalya, Lysander peeked up at me and pushed past them. I, like usual, redirected my burning gaze to the ground as I felt him coming closer and closer until I saw his shoes in my line of sight. I peered up to him, flushed and gasping for air.
"Did you enjoy the show?" He asked me, his gaze dreamy and that famous smirk spread across his face like a string of Christmas lights.
"You were incredible…all of you." Was all I could muster. I felt my cheeks as they burned red. His face followed suit and he chuckled, looking down and then back to me.
"Thank you Luna..."
"Your stage presence is misleading, you know." I giggled, covering my mouth and gawking up into his eyes. He raised an eyebrow and nodded his head.
"I come alive on stage. It's as if I adopt a persona. Drive by adrenaline and passion I can become someone totally different, you know? It's a rush. I like to make people happy with our music. I get high off of their reactions...it may be a little pompous...but it's real." He explained with a straight face. He fascinated me.
"I could see the passion in your eyes." I told him, nodding my head.
"I hope so." He muttered, staring deeply into my eyes with a look that I couldn't quite figure out. I wished with every fiber in my being that I could read his mind.
"LYSANDER!"
The shrill screech had us all quiet and alert in a millisecond, Lysander especially. He snapped his head to find the source of the scream and after catching a glimpse, he rolled his neck and his eyes fluttered in sheer horror and embarrassment.
I peeked forward, cocking my head to the side to get a look at the person who came sprinting down the hallway in a frantic escapade of emotion. She was a short girl, maxing out at a possible five feet, and her long strawberry blonde pigtails bobbed and swung like a pendulum as she ran. She was dressed in an elaborate black gothic/Victorian inspired gown and with it she wore a small, decorative top hat.
Immediately, Castiel tugged Brooke by her shirt and they stepped out of her way, along with the others who threw their hands up and cleared a path for her, leaving only Lysander and I standing helplessly in a clearing.
"Lysander! Lysie-poo, you were magnificent! You're an inspiration, an angel, a visionary!" She gushed all at once, wrapping herself around the clearly flustered Lysander like an anaconda. He stood perfectly still as a statue, breathing heavily and chuckling uncomfortably.
"H-hello Nina..." He managed to mutter, carefully peeling her arms off from around his waist.
"SQUEE! You remembered my name!" She screamed, balling up her hands into little fists and jumping up and down. I looked on, my eyes wide and wondering. Her mind wasn't even worth reading as it was obvious that she wore it right on her sleeve.
Poor Lysander was visibly lost for words and the rest of the group, like me, watched on in dismay as the girl called Nina fished through her bunny-shaped purse for something. She pulled out a pen and a notebook and handed it to Lysander, who warily took it from her.
"Can I have your autograph again?" She squeaked, her voice pitchy and cracked. Lysander snickered and happily obliged, scribbling his signature onto the notepad.
As Nina hugged the notebook to her chest, her eyes met mine and I couldn't revert my helpless gaze from her glaring contact. Her left eyeball twitched, and she cocked her head to the side like a bird of prey, zeroing in on its next target.
"Who are YOU?" She hissed, pointing a long, sparrow-boned finger in my face. I went cross-eyed, staring helplessly at her finger.
"L-Luna...I'm Luna. It's nice to meet you..." I stammered. Lysander looked down at me, sensing my discomfort, and put a firm, protective hand on my shoulder. Nina's jaw dropped and she gasped at the small gesture.
"Luna is a friend of mine, Nina." He explained calmly, glancing down again at me as I looked to him for salvation.
"Just a friend, huh? I've never seen you around at any of the concerts. I'll have you know that I've been to each and every one of Lysander's shows since they started playing concerts…" She bragged. If only she knew how little I cared…
"Luna is new to the area." Lysander told her, as if I needed to counteract her feeble attacks.
"What's wrong with your eyes? They're black!" She blurted suddenly, leaning in to have a look at me. I felt a jab of pain and stepped back, accidently bumping into Lysander's side. "It's so…it's so unnatural! What kind of freak are you?"
"That's enough, Nina!" Lysander stepped in front of me and looked down at the younger girl with astonishing intensity.
"B-but Lysander…did you see her eyes?" She just kept going. I pressed my unnatural eyes shut, knowing that I shouldn't let her cattie words get to me- it was, however, the first time anyone had ever said anything out loud about them.
"What do you make of my eyes, then? They're not abnormal to you?" Lysander asked her, cocking his head to the side. Nina was at a loss for words. She began to scramble.
"N-no…no, your eyes are beautiful, Lysander!" She stammered.
"And so are Luna's. If I could kindly ask you to leave now, it would be much appreciated…" He hissed. I watched him, speechless and embarrassed. I didn't know what to do or say or even feel.
"But Lysander…" Nina blubbered, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. I couldn't allow this girl to cry just because I couldn't take a harmless comment.
"It's okay, Lysander…she didn't mean anything…" I quietly peeped from behind him.
Nina's face lit up at my forgiveness and she nodded her head with a smile.
"No Luna, it's not okay." Lysander snapped back at me before turning to Nina once again. "Nina, please go. Now."
She all at once started to sob. "This is all your fault, you freak!" She screamed, pointing to me before taking off at a full sprint down the hallway and through a door, slamming it behind her. I was so shaken and embarrassed I could hardly move.
"Crazy bitch!" Castiel called out to her. Brooke smacked him in the chest and gave him a wide-eyed, teeth-clenched look of shock.
Lysander swiftly turned to me.
"Luna, I'm so sorry…please forgive me for her childish behavior. She's a distraught fan who seems to have become obsessed with me…I swear I have no affiliation whatsoever with her." He all at once gushed, holding his hands out to me. I felt flustered and humiliated and wished more than anything that he would just drop it. I put my hand up, waving his insecurities away.
"It's okay, really. She's young and harmless. It's not a big deal." I shrugged, trying to act as nonchalant as I could while adopting a pathetically staged confidence in myself. "T-thank you for standing up for me, though…" I added cautiously. The others continued to look on, seemingly shocked.
Lysander's eyes widened at my comment and he nodded his head. "I know what it's like, and as much as you say it doesn't hurt, I know it does."
I was stunned with his rash comment, left speechless and reeling.
"Let's go outside! I'm dying for a cigarette!" Castiel all at once blurted.
"I second that motion!" Brooke called out, following Castiel down the hallway.
I was so relieved for the ice breaker that Castiel had so graciously provided me with and I followed behind Leigh and Rosalya as they started off towards the door. Lysander matched my stride and looked down at me.
"Promise you're alright?" He whispered, concern spewing out of every corner of his being. I smiled up at him and nodded my head.
"I promise!" I smiled, nodding my head with assurance and bracing myself for the cold rush of autumn as the doors to the outside were opened for us.
A/N: I'm sorry this is so ridiculously long. xD I know you guys like the long chapters, but sometimes I feel like they can be a strain on the eyes so just let me know if you ever need me to shorten them up!
You guys never fail to make my life with your kind words and incredible feedback! Thank you SO much, and I'm so glad you're enjoying everything! Much more to come very soon! XOXO
