Mara POV
It hadn't been as hard i thought it would be to convince Dean to come with us. We had to do a lot of compromising. He downright refused to get on a plane, so that meant we had to drive. The four of us. The four of us in a car. The four of us in a car for thousands of miles. Oh yeah, i was thrilled.
Cas had 'angel business' as they continued to call it, so i didn't have worry about the three of squeezing into the back seat. We'd agreed to only take Dean's car, mostly because he refused to even consider taking mine, even though i'd insisted it was faster. Nothing i said changed his mind. I suddenly regretted not just taking ahead of them.
I pouted slightly staring out the window, sighing. We'd left early in the morning, which i'd discovered was a monday morning. I wasn't the greatest at keeping track of days. Bella read most of the time, and Sam did a lot of the same. It was a boring, and achingly long too.
It took us a week to get there, we'd only stopped twice to sleep, Bella and i getting a room, then getting one next to us. Most nights i could sleep, changing and slipping out of the door quietly, making sure the salt lines stayed intact.
It was quite cold tonight, colder then most nights, but it didn't bother me much. I just dropped my temperature a few degrees, making my skin adjust to the changes. It wasn't making it drop, as convincing myself it was. The more i believed it, the more it happened, mind over matter. Bella hadn't been all that good at that, at least not yet.
I made it back to the motel, a little after two, pausing to look at Dean. He had a beer in his hand, leaning against the railing outside his bedroom door. "Little late to be running, dont you think?" he asked, the words tumbling a bit. "Aren't you cold, you barely wearing anything?"
I grinned, moving up the steps. I had short spandex shorts on, no higher then mid thigh. I wore a sports bra, both of them being black pieces. Then just my running shoes and my headphones.
"Not really," i said, turning the device off. "What are you doing up, another nightmare i assume?"
"How do you know i have nightmares?" he asked suspiciously, but nodded.
Dean and i didn't talk about anything hell related, and if we got close to anything that reminded us of our little vacation one of us would switch the subject to something less depressing. We knew what it was like down there, and we didn't feel a need to talk about it. We also didn't need to worry about each other not understanding what it was like. There was no reason to voice our emotions, to share. We knew.
"We can hear you, you know, at night," i clarified. Thin walls, creaky beds and the tendency to wake up screaming our shouting. Or someone else waking us up.
"Right back at you," he said looking out over the parking lot and away from me.
"So how old are you anyways?" he asked, again, changing the subject.
"Physically, about sixteen, seventeen in may," i said, eying him.
"You look older," he commented, i wasn't sure if he meant physically, or in hell time, and more to himself then me, "maybe it's your eyes."
"Technically i'm supposed to be twenty. You know what it's like to be hunter, you grow up in the life, having grow up too fast. A life like mine is no different. That and the harsh reality of the world tends force you to grow up, open your eyes to things that ages you decades. With or without your consent."
He was looking at me oddly now. "You sound a lot older too, like your an eighty year old war vet turned buhdda."
"Thank you, that makes me wonderful inside," i said sarcastically and he grinned at me. "Like i said, harsh realities age you."
"Yeah," he said, almost sadly. "it is what it is i guess."
"Dont worry, your still beautiful," he said and at my quirked eyebrow, he blushed, the first time i've ever seen him flustered, looking away quickly. "I mean, your hot."
We stood quietly for a moment, a comfortable silence settling over us. I liked this, maybe more then i should. "So where are you parents? Your family?"
I looked away from him, eyes narrowed slightly, refusing to meet his eyes or say a word. "Hey," he said, a worried tone in his voice. He tilted my chin back to him, staring at me with that same curious and fond intensity. "Where is your family, you do have family right?"
He had such a genuine look of fear, as if my words would burn him or something. His hand travelled up lightly, cupping my face gently. His eyebrows furrowed, seeing something in me that he couldn't identify. It was guilt.
"Talk to me," he whispered, his thumb running across the bottom of my eye.
"I killed them," i bit out, my expression becoming void of emotion, the coldness in my voice matching it. I turned and went back into my room. I closed the door behind me, locking it. I sunk to floor, leaning against the cool door. It was the first i'd ever said the words out loud and no my chest hurt, like something was swallowing me up. I heard movement on the other side of the door, and a light knock. When i didn't respond he knocked again, and when he got no response he went back into his own room.
We went straight for the gypsy pools, not bothering to book a room right away. The property was owned by an elderly man, and if my sources were correct, that would make him around a hundred and thirty years, give or take a few years.
I hadn't wanted to take all of them at once, but i dont think we were allowed to go there more then once. A younger man opened the door, looking a little then Bella. He obviously looked older then me, everybody did. "Noah's been waiting for you," he said, stepping aside.
What a cliche, i thought amused. We passed through the door, the smell of incense and herbs passed over us, and i watched both Bella and Dean grimacing. I just brushed it off. Gypsy colonies really liked their incense.
The boy led us down a hall, straight out into the backyard. The woods were thick out here, and there was maybe just a little over seven feet of grass before the tree line started. An elderly man, who i assumed was Noah sat on a bench to our left. I shared looks with Bella, and he greeted us. Or at least i think he did, i couldn't be a hundred percent sure considering i couldn't identify the language.
"He says welcome to his home," the boy translated. We said 'hi' back, kind of awkwardly too. The man was blind, it didn't take long for that to sink in, what freaked me out the most, was the fact that if i didn't know any better, i'd say he was staring right at me. "He wants to know what your purpose for visiting is?"
"I'm teaching my sister," was all i said. The man spoke, still staring at me and i tried not to cringe.
"He would like to know why your teaching your sister."
"The first demon, Lilith is trying to set Lucifer free, i need my sisters help to stop her," i said a little unsure of where this was going.
He spoke again, this time looking at Dean, who tensed under the blind scrutiny. Yeah, i knew what that felt like, i thought, feeling the relief of his gaze leaving me. Why do psychics always have to do that?
"Noah wants to know why you were returned to earth after your deal was due," he said, frowning a little.
Dean didn't know what to say for a moment, before unevenly saying, "an angel pulled me out, they said i could stop Lucifer from rising."
Noah looked over each of our faces now, that same expressionless look. He spoke, in a graver and i just knew whatever he said next was really going to suck. "He wants to know if your each prepared to make great sacrifices to complete your journey. He wants you to understand that, if you succeed, all you will have gained is suffering and pain."
I narrowed my eyes slightly, each of us had our reactions and i just ignored them, watching the man closely. "He says you will each be betrayed by someone you care for, that you will lose more in this quest then you think. Are you prepared for all of this?"
Each of us nodded after a moment, it's kind of too late to go back now. Way to kill the spirit i thought bitterly. Noah turned his gaze to me again, the man didn't translate right away, looking confused for a moment. "He says when the war comes to an end, you must not let your own pain cloud your judgement or everything you fought for will crumble at your own doing."
I just raised my eyebrows and didn't bother mustering up a respone. Everyone was staring at me now and i frowned. I didn't know what that meant. Sounds like i was going to go bat shit crazy or something.
Thankfully, Noah didn't feel the need to continue the conversation, sending the boy as our guide into the bush. It wasn't long a walk as i would've thought. Each of us were silent, lost in our own thoughts. Not a single positive things came out of that damn discussion. Not one. Well he made it sound like we one, but then he turned around and said, that i'd ruin everything? Yeah, real comforting, i thought rolling my eyes.
"Wow," Bella said, and i bumped into her as she came to a stop. I looked up, a huge waterfall in front of us. We were surrounded by trees and the water was crystal clear. You could just carely make out the bottom of it, about ten feet deep maybe. It seemed to be all sand, which i thought was weird.
I heard splash and we all turned to watch the boy drive into the water. "Hey, no one said anything about swimming," Sam said wide eyed.
I just grinned, pulling my sweater and t-shirt off. I pushed off my pants, revealing nothing but my black bra and underwear. I was suddenly kind of glad i didn't have a thing for thongs. I winked at Dean, who was staring open mouthed and wide eyed at me, and then dove into the water after him. Ignoring the shouts everyone sent after me. Someone jumped in after me and i glanced back seeing Bella. Then i heard someone else and then i was too far under the waterfall to hear anything else.
I followed the bright blue color that seemed to be coming from under the waterfall, just past the wall. I was starting to get a little light headed but a hand dropped in front of me out of nowhere. I grabbed onto it, and he pulled me over the ledge.
I waited a moment, seeing my sister and then helped her out of the water. I stared around, it was kind of humid in here, but it looked kind of unreal. It was sort of like an underground cave system, it was well lit too. You could see straight through the water to the sand on the bottom. Kind of like you would a pool. I heard someone swear and then suck in a deep breath. I didn't need to look back to know it was Dean.
There were different sized openings all over the place, and sort of pillars of rock or something, reaching from the bottom to the top. It also seemed like the rock we were standing on wasn't being held up by anything. As if the pillars held it up, i didn't see anything holding it up from beneath. There were small platforms, going into different areas, and in some spots i could see little crystals and jems on the walls and ground. There was some kind of ink on the walls as well, crudely drawn images.
You wouldn't think there was light in here, but i could see perfectly, and stones were a sort of orange like color. Not the black rocks you'd expect in a cave.
"Wow," Bella said, moving up to my side, "this place is amazing."
"Yeah, no kidding," Sam said from behind us.
"Anyone else feel that?" Dean asked, a little freaked out.
We all turned to him, "what?"
"I feel like someone's watching us or something," we all looked at him weird and a wind swept through the room, carrying whsipers. "See! There it is again!"
"Dean, there spirits, do you have any idea how old this place is?" i asked in disbelief. "Different religious colonies would worship this place centuries ago. People used to believe if you died in here, you might me granted immoirtality by the spirits if they deemed you worthy of it."
"Really? There has to be a set back, no deal's that good," he said frowning.
"Like i said, worthy. No one's been given the gift of eternal life in centuries, that's why the rest of the world doesn't know about it anymore. The gypsys protect it when foolish people used to try and take the waters."
We were all quiet for a moment, moving around and looking at the different symbols and crystals. I knew my fair share about crystals, but i didn't recognize any of them here. "Does anyone else feel different?" Bella asked suddenly, looking down at her hands, flipping them to look at the other sides.
"Now that you mention it," Sam said frowning. I paused, noticing the unusual sensation.
"My skin is buzzing or something," Dean said frowning.
"The waters on this side of the waterfall wash away scars you may have had previously," the boy said, coming out of nowhere on my right. i jumped in surprise. "It also chooses to bestow beauty upon people of it's choosing, you should be thankful, no one has been to the pools in over twenty two years."
All of us were quiet for a moment and i ran a through my hair, ringing it out. "Alright Bella, time for a new lesson," i said grinning at her. It wasn't so much a lesson, as it was teaching her how to connect to her spirit in a less controlled enviornment. The energy from the cave was all about sight and clarity. It was empowering, and it would help you find confidence, sometimes answers, they were vague and the cave didn't exactly spell it out for you. But it would help guide you to something. It was like a really deep meditating. Once she fell into the trance, she didn't move for hours.
