Chapter Twenty Eight – Alex

I sat through Justin explaining everything. I sat through Max bringing back Harper. I sat through Ixion's brief incantation in Ancient Greek that undid the celestial marriage. I scrubbed the floor, washing the ill thought out defenses away. I went through the motions of cleaning up the mess we had made of everything.

Tomorrow was Monday. I would be going back to school. I could hardly believe it. After all that had happened, I was going back to school. I was going to have to go to cheerleader practice and hand in a report on Howard Taft. I would have to find out who Howard Taft was before tomorrow morning.

It was nearly dark when everything had been cleaned up. Even with magic we couldn't just wipe away runes like those that easily.

Finally I got Harper alone with me for a moment. I had questions for her.

"Harper, what exactly did Mason say to you when he said we were those Fakeawhatsits? I asked her carefully.

"Phaeacians. And he said that you weren't human." Harper answered me. She had gone from the Battle Diva costume to some distressing shades of black. I think she was still upset about Justin's brief and unnecessary marriage to Juliet.

"Harper, what exactly did he say when he said I wasn't human?" I asked her.

"He said your secrets made you inhuman or something like that. You were descended from all kinds of different beings, gods and demons and that kind of thing."

"So is everyone else!" I snapped as Harper watched. "You're called mortals for a reason, Harper. You aren't immortal. We aren't a different race. My Dad's a mortal, but he started out a wizard. We're all the same race!" I ranted. "How could he say that? How could he say I wasn't human?"

Harper looked at me. I don't think she had ever seen me this mad. And she had seen me through a lot, more than anyone else besides Justin.

"Alex! Calm down. I'm sure he didn't mean it that way. You should just go talk to him."

I shook my head, barely able to talk. "He did mean it that way. You heard what Professor Crumbs said. He ate people! You don't do that if you're human."

"Please, just get him to explain." Harper was a step away from me. She looked very scared. So I moved. I walked passed a window, and looked out for a moment. I saw the sun was setting. I couldn't wait.

"Alex." Mason smiled as I entered Justin's room. He looked happy, too happy. "Full moon tonight. It will be our first-"I cut him off.

"Some are evil, some are kind. But now all must speak their minds." I practically spat it at him.

"Did you eat people?" I asked him. I was shaking now.

"Yes. I do eat people." Mason answered. I practically collapsed onto Justin's desk. "What's the problem?" I stared at him.

"I'm a people. I, what's wrong with you? How could you do something like that?" I felt a sick feeling in my stomach. It was just as bad as when my magic had been broken.

"I eat humans, but I save them. I've saved a lot more than I have eaten. I don't kill people to eat them. I just do it when the opportunity presents itself." Mason had a confused look on his face. "What is the problem? Alex, what is it?"

"Did you tell Harper that I wasn't human?" I asked him. My voice was barely under my control. I looked at him, pleading silently that Harper had gotten something wrong.

"Yes, I did. You aren't a human. We aren't of her kind. We live forever and guard the world from those who would destroy it. Alex, you have to know this. Is this some kind of joke? You can't actually think that you're the same species as Harper." He was smiling at me, trying to get me to lighten up.

"I am human. I just have magic. And if I lose the Wizard Competition I won't even have that." I looked around Justin's familiar room. And I was glad we were having this confrontation here. This was my ground, my home. In Justin's room I have Justin's strength. And his strength was the strength I needed.

"Alex, you ignore their rules all the time. You're a rule breaker, a trickster. If you think you're one of them, how can you treat them like that?" Mason asked me. "That's what I liked about you. When I first met you, you were different from all of them. Your eyes were on the future, on art. You played games with them, and with me. I thought you were a fairy at first, or maybe a cambion." He moved his hand towards me a little. "But a witch is better."

I sat there stunned. I had done a lot, in my life. I had done a lot of bad, and some good. And most of what I did depended on your point of view. Was I having harmless fun or risking everything, lightening up the grim world of school or shattering learning for the sake of amusement?

"No!" I shouted. I felt power raging inside of me. I felt so mad at Mason. "I am human! I've done things I shouldn't have, but I did them because I'm a human. I've been petty, and mean and short sighted. But that's all part of being human. I was never above them." I stood there, shuddering at what I needed to do.

"Mason? Why don't you think we're human?" I asked him very quietly.

"Because they die. I have seen things, Alex. I have seen armies butchered and cities burned. I have seen things I can't even describe to you, sweet little girl. But they pass in time. We don't. We last forever. Even death doesn't stop us, like you proved. We can come back and start all over. And that's a good thing, even for them. We keep the experiment rolling until it ends and it all matters."

As Mason talked the sun set. He transformed into something animal. The face of a man I loved, a man I didn't know.

"I love you." I whispered. "But I never knew you. Get out!"

"Then why did you bring me back? If you didn't know me, if you are just throwing me away, why did you kill for me? Don't I matter?" Mason sounded just as sad as I felt, but I kept it under control, and lied. I had given him up before.

"Because I was so stupid I put myself under a spell without thinking about it. I. Said. Go."

And he looked at me with a broken expression. "I'll be back when you calm down." But I wouldn't calm down, at least I didn't think I would. I hoped I wouldn't.

And he did. Mason left, and I stumbled into my room and collapsed onto my bed. When I was alone, I cried. Because it had all been for nothing.