Chapter 9

Mary-Lynnette woke late in the morning, the digital clock on the nightstand reading 10: 14. Sleep, what a wonderful concept. Her body stretched out lazily under the covers in a bed that she imagined clouds would feel like. She'd always been one of those people that refused to move out of a place where she felt unbelievably relaxed and ironically with eyes still closed already start her brain in motion.

It had already been a week…a blissful dreamlike week that just couldn't have been real. The whole time Ash had shown her around the mansion introducing her to the other people, she'd been amazed at how many of them were day walkers like herself. They were all here, banding together, to fight a prophecy of the four wild powers. In the first time in her life, Mare felt like she was part of something so much bigger than herself.

She had come to make a lot of friends as well. Many of the involved were still out doing recons and research. From what she heard from people around the mansion Ash's cousin… James, wasn't it? She heard that he was coming back today along with his soulmate Poppy North. That itself would be an interesting meeting.

It was finally the second round of stretches that got her out of the warm covers and crept into the next room. There enough was Ash, the tuffs of his hair peeking out from the arm of the couch. Mare remembered the first day, the back of her mind wondering over the fact that there was only one bed in the room. But Ash had done it in one swift motion, without asking or questions had picked up her bag and brought it to the back room and came back with sheets and a pillow for himself.

We had spent the next 20 minutes arguing after that….

The knight had one the battle and lady was sent to the bedroom. Though her bed of clouds made her feel guilty but bringing it up always issued out more fighting. That seems to be the only thing we excel at in this relationship. She sighed.

It was hard to believe that anyone could sleep longer then her, but here was the prime example. His head was buried in the pillow and the sheets were all but thrown off him, Ash was like a sleeping cat, the danger and power that he always carried seemed to melt away when he slept. The first time she saw him sleep she'd only been able to admire him, how little he changed through time. But now that she could see his face almost every morning…. She saw other things that she had once over looked. Like the color of his eyes when he first opened them, they seemed to match hers that were constant; they were stern and deep as if she were looking into a mirror of her eyes. Or the fact that he was even more stubborn of a sleeper then she was and crinkled his brow when she tried to wake him.

It was a side of Ash, of an Ash that wasn't part of the nightworld. After he went to sleep and before he opened his eyes again she could pretend that his wasn't a vampire and that all the problems didn't exist.

The bells and chimes of her cell phone brought her out of her drooling stupor enough to quickly head back into her room and grab her cell phone. Ash didn't stir and for a brief moment she felt the urge to chuck something at him, a pillow or a piece of brick.

At least until she saw what the ID read.

Mare groaned inwardly, it was the fourth time this week that he'd called her. Sooner or later she'd have to face it and answer that phone. Mark could only fend off their father for so long before something really bad happened… like taking a trip up to the college that she was supposed to be at right now. How was she going to explain any of this to him? What could she say that could possibly make him understand without having to mask everything off with lies?

I need to walk around, she decided. Something to just get my mind off of everything… the garden.

Out of everything at this mansion her most favorite place had been the gardens. A whole green room dedicated to endangered plants and ones that were from all over the world. That room was truly amazing, almost as amazing as the stars that she watched.

Lately the halls had been more quiet then usual, others have left, going the on to do some assignments for Thierry. I wonder when I will be called to help out? In a way she was kind of hoping that she would be of use to circle daybreak. That was why she was here after all, to be of some good and, of course to be with Ash.

"Ah well I see you wake up at a more reasonable hour then your counterpart." She turned finding a kind smile belonging to the figure at the door.

"Oh, um Good Morning." She smiled back.

Mary-Lynnette had been so preoccupied with her thoughts that she had walked in without recognizing that someone else was in the sunroom that led out into the gardens. Lord Thierry smiled back at her, "How have you managed to get settled in? Everything to your liking?"

"Yes! It really is an amazing place you have. It's so beautiful, especially the gardens. Thank you for letting me stay here."

There was something about him, whether it was because of time or by the knowledge of watching for so many years, whatever it was there was this sense of age-old kindness about him. A friendly smile with eyes that seemed to grow more sincere the longer he is around these people that are working for this cause. When Mary-Lynnette first met him he had only shown her kindness and a warm welcome. He had even let Ash free of all assignments

The smile changed then, still kind and welcoming, but now there seemed to be some amusement to it. In a sense there was a different light to his eyes. "You really are a unique human. Ash was right, you truly are like Hannah."

What could she say to that? This man was a Lord and oldest vampire, giving her a compliment in the same honor of his soulmate. It didn't seem just. She could feel that her mouth was opening and closing like a fish begging for water.

Lord Thierry only laughed waving her worries away, "It's not a problem. You probably don't know about this but Ash would always talk about you. There was always something that reminded him of you or always question about if there were any assignments that were near where you lived. Needless to say your name is known by many of the circle daybreak members."

Mare blushed embarrassed. Lord Thierry shut the book then, "I'll be on my way now. I told Hannah that we would have lunch somewhere together. If I don't hurry then I won't be a lord anymore. "

They said their good-byes. Even it was for a brief moment, the conversation that she had with the man was pleasant. Lord Thierry, in general, was pleasant. With all this kindness he was trying to undo what the nightworld had done. Ash had told her that between a past life of Hannah and him had promised each other something. With the help of witches and the money that he had gathered over the many years had formed circle daybreak. Even through misdeeds had cursed him he had already made up for it.

…All while Hannah had, through lives and love, had staid by his side.

There was still a lot of thinking that she needed to do and needed to think about. That especially applied to Ash and everything that stood with him.

The gardens stood with its colors vibrant and beautiful against the greenhouse glass. And even though on another day she could let herself get lost in the wonder of it all, there were things that were bothering her. The biggest being the most important of them all; it was bothering her the most.

Have I ever told Ash that I loved him? Had he ever told me? It was obvious that they both loved each other, they were soulmates after all and those times that they shared together, their souls flowing in and out of each other, there was nothing like it. It was clear that she loved him; she would have done anything for him. He knew that…right?

But did I ever say out loud "I love you" to him?

It felt like gravity felt heavier than it ever had before as the facts came flooding back to her. She should say it, but when? When would be the perfect time…if any time? There weren't many places or times that she could say it; not for the first time at least.

She groaned, pressing the bottom of her palms into her eyes as if that could fix everything. She had never been in a relationship before; Ash had been her first kiss even, so how was she to know how to go about any of this.

I could ask one of the others around here… Hannah maybe? No, she was lady of the mansion anyway; there were too many things going on, things far more important than her love issues. So what should she do?

"I wonder if they have books on soulmate relationships that I could look into? Maybe there's a whole chapter on the Redferns."

"I highly doubt that there would be."

Mary-Lynnette looked up, her eyes stinging slightly from the shock of the sunlight. What she met wasn't quite what she was expecting. This boy in front of her, the same one that stared at her on the first day that she arrived on the steps of the mansion.

He stood over a far ways away, that look that felt like she was under a microscope. There it was again, that same feeling that there wasn't something quite right about this child. Those eyes were haunting and, in a sense, filled to where he was almost too young and too old as well. There was something about this child that was just wrong.

But she tried to smile…what should she say?

"You moved in here a week ago" He stated

"Um, yeah I did actually. I'm still trying to get use to everything. What about you? Have you been here long?"

"Why are you here?" He asked instead.

I don't quite like how he's talking to me, "Well because I want to help out with circle daybreak."

Then he smiled, a twisted smile that sent chills down her spine, "Your attempts are foolish."

Her brow furrowed, " Excuse me?"

"Why are you trying to attempt to 'fix' something that is inevitable? The fact that circle daybreak is made up of nightworlders and lesser beings proves that things aren't as stable as the empire that the nightworld has set up."

He stared back at her smug and confident in his analysis about the circle. What he said was true. She should know that the being she is would only make herself an easy target for the nightworld community. It's because of that fact that there is little to no chance that they could win against the superiority of the empire.

She blinked, "I would imagine, though, that is our strongest point."

"What?" he asked.

Even she was confused by what she was saying, but she had to think about what she was saying and choose her words carefully because this boy wasn't only a child, "I think that it means that you work harder to protect something else. I've watched many others around here and heard stories. You must have too because you've been living here at the mansion about the people that change through the people they meet. They change for the better. So they fight for their better halves, the people who are responsible for making them feel… Happy."

The boy didn't seem to understand, "Change?"

She sighed hoping that what she would say would make sense, "I changed when I met Ash. I was very closed off from people except for my family and I always had my heads in he clouds about what I wanted instead of being grounded and worrying about more then just me. I can't say what that change is for others…."

Mary-Lynnette looked over at the boy, the one with the raven hair and emerald eyes, "I'm sorry I'm not really making any sense here am I?"

"No you aren't." He sniffed. He turned on his heels and started to walk away.

"Hold it!"

The boy froze and looked back at her incredulously, "What?" he demanded.

Oh he is playing with fire, "You keep demanding all these answers out of me and your lucky because I don't answer people that demand things from me. So you get to answer a question I ask."

He looked at her warily, "So ask."

"I want an introduction. What's your name?"

For a moment he looked like he wasn't going to answer, the boy looked like he wanted to run away as fast as he possibly could.

"Timmy."

A smile, "I'm Mary-Lynnette. I'll see you around Timmy."

She watched him run off after that brief moment when all they could hear was the birds that had started to sing in the green house.