He's never coming back. Mary-Lynnette couldn't keep the thought from
echoing in her mind. It was her first thought when she woke up, and her
last thought before she went to sleep.
Ash is gone, she thought, and he forgot about me. She had been in a perpetual melancholy state since Ash had said those last words, "Even when we're apart, we'll still be looking at the same sky!" His words, the last thing he ever said to her.
"What a line," she muttered, "Oh, Ash, why did I tell you to slay a dragon for me? I just want you here." Mary-Lynnette looked up as the door to her barren room opened.
It was Mark, her brother, "Mare, Rowan, Kestrel, and Jade are here, why don't you come down?" He was trying so hard, but Mary-Lynnette seemed to have given up.
"It'll be fun."
"Maybe later," both of them knew she wouldn't come.
"Don't make me drag you down there, Mary-Lynnette Carter!"
A hint of a grin touched her lips, "I said maybe later," as he was shutting the door she threw a pillow at him.
And she never went downstairs.
"How much longer until you go back?" It was Quinn who finally had the nerve to ask Ash about his return to Briar Creek, to Mary-Lynnette.
"A minute, a lifetime, I don't know. What if she doesn't want me back?"
"Ash, she'll want you back, how many times do we have to tell you that? You belong together."
"You're lucky, you know."
"And why is that?" Quinn asked curiously.
"You and Rashel never have to be apart, never for a long time, atleast. It's torture, being away from your one and only, even for just a small amount of time."
"How long has it been?"
Ash didn't even have to think about it, "One year, two weeks, and three days I lost track of the hours and minutes awhile ago."
"Didn't you say you'd go back after a year?" Ash nodded, "Then go! Everyone is getting extremely of you moping around Thierry's mansion. Why haven't you gone back?"
"She won't want me. She's probably forgotten about me," Ash tried to point out.
"Ash, you're being a complete idiot, she's your soulmate! Even if she doesn't want you back; she hasn't forgotten you." Quinn was on the verge of yelling.
"I'm afraid," Ash admitted, "will you go with me?"
"Your sisters and the Carters can't stand me. They probably don't know I'm not evil anymore."
"Bring Rashel then," Ash pleaded, "I can't go alone."
"Fine we leave tomorrow at 8:30 AM." Quinn turned to leave.
"You planned this," Ash yelled as he pulled out a bag and began to pack.
"Mare, you're coming with me to Jade's house. You've barely come out of your room in two weeks." Mark was yelling through the door.
It was 2:30 the next day, and Mary-Lynnette didn't want to leave her house. "No, Mark, I'm not in the mood."
"Will you ever be in the mood again? We miss you."
Mary-Lynnette opened the door and looked out, "You don't understand, you can't."
"You're eighteen years old. Stop acting like an old lady. Just come now, and if it's to horrible for you, you never have to come again, fair?"
Mary-Lynnette sighed, defeated, "Fine."
"We're leaving in fifteen minutes."
Twenty minutes later, the Carter siblings found themselves at the front door of the Burdock farmhouse. They let themselves in and each plopped down on a chair in the family room. They waited for the Redfern sisters.
Rowan, Kestrel, and Jade walked in, and Jade asked, "Would you guys like--" she was interrupted by a tap-tap-crash on the porch, then she said, "Not again."
Everyone ran for the door.
It was Quinn who fell in the hole, and Quinn was the first person seen by the group at the Burdock house, "What are you doing here?" Kestrel asked.
Quinn ignored her and said calmly, "You never said there was a hole there, Ash." Mary-Lynnette was shocked, Ash, she thought, here? She looked at Mark; he shrugged as if to say, I didn't know.
"Well, Quinn, I had other things on my mind." Meanwhile, Rashel was cracking up. "That's Rashel, also known as the Cat, and you know Quinn."
Mary-Lynnette walked up to Ash and kicked him in both of his shins, hard. "That is for being late, and ignoring me. And this," she hugged him tightly, "is for the year, two weeks, four days, and eighteen hours that I've missed you since you left."
"Ow," he said, "that hurt," he hugged her back, and everyone else went in the house.
An hour later everyone was gathered in the Burdock kitchen, and Ash, Quinn, and Rashel were explaining about the past year.
"So," Rowan asked Quinn, "You have a soulmate?"
"We met in Boston," said Rashel.
"You have a soul?" asked Kestrel in a serious tone.
"Kestrel!"
"Well, sor-ry."
"Quinn told us about Daybreak and what happened to him, but what happened to you, Ash?" It was Jade who asked.
"I wandered around for a few months, doing random good, but then I realized that it wouldn't be enough. Then I heard about Circle Daybreak. I just recently became a member. What would Dad say if he saw us now?" Everyone laughed.
"Are we done here?" Mary-Lynnette asked. She turned to Ash, "Let's go look at the stars."
So they left.
And the world was whole again and everything was looking up.
Ash is gone, she thought, and he forgot about me. She had been in a perpetual melancholy state since Ash had said those last words, "Even when we're apart, we'll still be looking at the same sky!" His words, the last thing he ever said to her.
"What a line," she muttered, "Oh, Ash, why did I tell you to slay a dragon for me? I just want you here." Mary-Lynnette looked up as the door to her barren room opened.
It was Mark, her brother, "Mare, Rowan, Kestrel, and Jade are here, why don't you come down?" He was trying so hard, but Mary-Lynnette seemed to have given up.
"It'll be fun."
"Maybe later," both of them knew she wouldn't come.
"Don't make me drag you down there, Mary-Lynnette Carter!"
A hint of a grin touched her lips, "I said maybe later," as he was shutting the door she threw a pillow at him.
And she never went downstairs.
"How much longer until you go back?" It was Quinn who finally had the nerve to ask Ash about his return to Briar Creek, to Mary-Lynnette.
"A minute, a lifetime, I don't know. What if she doesn't want me back?"
"Ash, she'll want you back, how many times do we have to tell you that? You belong together."
"You're lucky, you know."
"And why is that?" Quinn asked curiously.
"You and Rashel never have to be apart, never for a long time, atleast. It's torture, being away from your one and only, even for just a small amount of time."
"How long has it been?"
Ash didn't even have to think about it, "One year, two weeks, and three days I lost track of the hours and minutes awhile ago."
"Didn't you say you'd go back after a year?" Ash nodded, "Then go! Everyone is getting extremely of you moping around Thierry's mansion. Why haven't you gone back?"
"She won't want me. She's probably forgotten about me," Ash tried to point out.
"Ash, you're being a complete idiot, she's your soulmate! Even if she doesn't want you back; she hasn't forgotten you." Quinn was on the verge of yelling.
"I'm afraid," Ash admitted, "will you go with me?"
"Your sisters and the Carters can't stand me. They probably don't know I'm not evil anymore."
"Bring Rashel then," Ash pleaded, "I can't go alone."
"Fine we leave tomorrow at 8:30 AM." Quinn turned to leave.
"You planned this," Ash yelled as he pulled out a bag and began to pack.
"Mare, you're coming with me to Jade's house. You've barely come out of your room in two weeks." Mark was yelling through the door.
It was 2:30 the next day, and Mary-Lynnette didn't want to leave her house. "No, Mark, I'm not in the mood."
"Will you ever be in the mood again? We miss you."
Mary-Lynnette opened the door and looked out, "You don't understand, you can't."
"You're eighteen years old. Stop acting like an old lady. Just come now, and if it's to horrible for you, you never have to come again, fair?"
Mary-Lynnette sighed, defeated, "Fine."
"We're leaving in fifteen minutes."
Twenty minutes later, the Carter siblings found themselves at the front door of the Burdock farmhouse. They let themselves in and each plopped down on a chair in the family room. They waited for the Redfern sisters.
Rowan, Kestrel, and Jade walked in, and Jade asked, "Would you guys like--" she was interrupted by a tap-tap-crash on the porch, then she said, "Not again."
Everyone ran for the door.
It was Quinn who fell in the hole, and Quinn was the first person seen by the group at the Burdock house, "What are you doing here?" Kestrel asked.
Quinn ignored her and said calmly, "You never said there was a hole there, Ash." Mary-Lynnette was shocked, Ash, she thought, here? She looked at Mark; he shrugged as if to say, I didn't know.
"Well, Quinn, I had other things on my mind." Meanwhile, Rashel was cracking up. "That's Rashel, also known as the Cat, and you know Quinn."
Mary-Lynnette walked up to Ash and kicked him in both of his shins, hard. "That is for being late, and ignoring me. And this," she hugged him tightly, "is for the year, two weeks, four days, and eighteen hours that I've missed you since you left."
"Ow," he said, "that hurt," he hugged her back, and everyone else went in the house.
An hour later everyone was gathered in the Burdock kitchen, and Ash, Quinn, and Rashel were explaining about the past year.
"So," Rowan asked Quinn, "You have a soulmate?"
"We met in Boston," said Rashel.
"You have a soul?" asked Kestrel in a serious tone.
"Kestrel!"
"Well, sor-ry."
"Quinn told us about Daybreak and what happened to him, but what happened to you, Ash?" It was Jade who asked.
"I wandered around for a few months, doing random good, but then I realized that it wouldn't be enough. Then I heard about Circle Daybreak. I just recently became a member. What would Dad say if he saw us now?" Everyone laughed.
"Are we done here?" Mary-Lynnette asked. She turned to Ash, "Let's go look at the stars."
So they left.
And the world was whole again and everything was looking up.