Promises: Ripping Wings off of Butterflies

By: ParamoreXO

A/N: KEVIN'S POV! (Thought I'd give it a try)

Acting was something I'm more than decent at. Heck, I've practically got a whole freak show of actors stacked to my abilities. Pft, I would never be a drama nerd or anything, I've still got my rep to keep up. All I'm saying is I've got the talent….and a certain charm I know my girlfriend can't resist. It's amazing, though. Gwen's the only person I know who can see straight through my act. Whenever I'm with her, I can never cover up all the dirt of truth with pretty little, glittery lies to distract her. She's got me all figured out and it's driving me crazy. I can honestly say I know a whole lot about that hot redhead, but I don't know every dirty little secret she has. That's why when we have those special moments and actually talk about stuff; it means the world to me that I hear her out. Sure, the physical stuff isn't bad at all. When you have someone you can actually talk with about practically anything, it's a good feeling. One I don't experience too often, myself…

I want to know more about her, all the information I can get my hands on I want now. But what's the point? I'd never get it all, she's so confusing! It's crazy; she has me chasing after her all the time. Right when I think I have her all solved, she turns and does a one eighty on me and I'm standing there probably resembling a whole lot like Ben. That's probably the most horrifying thing in the world…being compared to Benji.

So, whenever Gwen and I get into a little argument, I know I'm gonna lose half the time. If I try to explain to her that I just don't completely get her and probably never will, why waste time on more confusion? One thing I can tell about her, however, is when something is bothering her. Even when it's just a certain noise that makes her tick, I know.

"Gwen, I know you're not okay so spit it out."

Watching her twist a strand of that beautiful, fire red hair between those fingers I've held countless times, I tried to catch her eye in the rear view mirror again. She was avoiding all eye contact. Something was definitely up.

"Verdona just told me to stay away from Ben."

Wait…what? The nighttime scenery was becoming too much, so many shadows were whipping by and merging into another. It needed to stop. Bringing down my foot on the brake, I winced as Ben's dad hit the back of my seat, jolting me forward so that I slammed against the steering wheel. "Sorry, Gwen, but—" I managed after the horn blasted from my impact, still ringing in my ears.

"Oh that's quite alright," Ben's dad said. Blinking, I realized he was talking to me…and I wasn't exactly sorry for slamming the brakes. Clearing my throat, I turned around to face Gwen, "Verdona told you? Last time I checked, she was in a whole other system."

"Anodite connection, I think?" She shrugged at her conclusion.

I nodded, still slightly confused. There was always a mystery with Gwen. That would explain her total zombie-faced zone out, "Makes sense."

"But we have to go!" Carl screeched at an octave that made me question his gender. "He's my son! I'm not going to listen to Verdona no matter how dire the situation is!"

Gwen's dad nodded in agreement but Gwen looked unsure, "Verdona sounded pretty firm about not wanting us to go."

"Well," I broke in before the others could argue with her, "We're almost here, so you might want to decide fast."

Watching her bite down on her glossy lips, I felt a sudden urge to kiss her. I couldn't though, not now, no matter how much I wanted to…but she just looked so damned beautiful right now. Not that she never did but this moment was different. Maybe it was the fact that I could taste that familiar fruity flavor crawl up on the back of my tongue that she covered her lips with all the time.

"Fine," Gwen broke, "But I'm not letting you two, mom, or Aunt Sandra near the church!"

"Fair enough," Ben's dad said quickly. What a wuss. If that was my son in there, I wouldn't stop at anything.

XOXOXOXO

"Where's mom?" Gwen asked, dropping my hand and leaving my side, running up to Max. The old man was stepping out of the Rustbucket and despite the current situation, his blue eyes were shining like usual. I could always see the relation to him and Ben whenever I looked each of them in the eyes. They always had that annoying little glint in them that just seemed to make them happy all the time no matter what. I don't know why but I really resented that.

"She and Sandra went to get Julie so they could take her home. She must be pretty shook up."

"Yeah," Gwen turned towards me, grabbing for my hand again. "I think he's going to be alright, though."

Smiling as I gazed into her impossibly green eyes, I squeezed her hand to let her know I was there for her, "What was it that Verdona told you, exactly?"

Unable to help myself, I snickered as Max perked up at this, "Verdona?"

"She, um, contacted me through our powers. Since she's so far away it didn't last long. She told me to stay away from Ben but I don't see why we shouldn't. At least, I don't think Uncle Carl is going to let us not save his only son." Her fire red hair brushed against my chin as a refreshingly cool summer breeze blew across us. I had to resist the urge to rest my lips on the top of her head and whisper those sweet thoughts she made crowd up my mind. Logical thinking was becoming harder to do.

It was like I could see the wheels cranking and turning inside Max's head as he paced in front us, still clinging together like any teenage couple would. Strangely, I was comfortable with Gwen leaning against me in front of Max. Heck, I even had my arm slung around her. That's something I was just getting used to doing around Gwen's 'rents without worrying about what they might think. Around Max, though, even though he could really put the spotlight on me whenever I wanted to hide in the shadows, he felt more like family to me. I guess it was because he accepted me more easily than Gwen's parents. I'm pretty sure he's told them about my not-so-great history, though. He also knows what it's like to date a girl with Gwen's capabilities, having married Verdona and all. I wasn't so sure that Anodite inheritance was all Gwen had gotten from the old woman. She seemed just as stubborn. All in all, he's a good guy.

Pulling Gwen tighter into me, I couldn't help but smile as she rested her head against my chest. I loved it when she did that. It felt good to know I could protect her. To feel her breathe against my skin was one of the best feelings in the world. I know it may sound dense, but to feel her breathe on assured that she was well alive. Taking in the crisp apple scent of Gwen's shampoo, I almost missed what Max was saying, "Come here, lovebirds, I've got some gear for you to try."

See what I mean? The spotlight suddenly turned to us right when I was all settled in and comfortable. Our clasped hands swinging freely for the world to see, we followed Max into the Rustbucket. Looking back at my car, hatred boiled inside me at a blistering temperature. It made me sick to know that I had left both Gwen and Ben's dads in my car, parked right behind Max's. Then I realized just how muddy my car had gotten. Those two owed me at least four hours of cleaning out my spinners to washing and waxing the rest

XOXOXOXOXO

"I can see why you call it the Rustbucket," I couldn't help but comment on the endless piles of tech gear, roadmaps, empty (I hope) pizza boxes, and tools strewn across the whole interior.

"Kevin!" Gwen elbowed me in the ribs, the pain not even mounting up to that of a bee sting.

"Oh, he's fine, Gwen. Honestly, this place could use a little fixing up," Turning to us; I could see Max's annoyingly cerulean blue eyes dancing as if they were laughing themselves, "Wait here."

As Max headed down the cramped walkway, Gwen pulled me along to one of the booth-like seats. "Wow," her voice sounded awed, as if this were one of the Seven Wonders of the World. As she slid onto my lap, I couldn't help but crinkle my nose at the smell of mushrooms and a mix of some other spices that seemed to leak from a discarded pizza box on the table in front of us. "I haven't been in here in forever. It brings back a lot of memories."

"The Summer I met you," I whispered into her hair, thankful for the refreshing scent.

"Yeah, it was a wild one. But I think this one is going to be a whole lot more interesting," she turned to face me and planted a quick peck on my lips as if it were a taste test.

Nodding, I began to play with her hair, the silky strands falling through my fingers, "Only a few more weeks until we're out. Don't make any plans for the last day, okay?"

"Who's to say I haven't already made some?" I saw the playful fire crackling in her eyes, challenging me.

"Clear them. I'm not going to let you miss anything that I've got planned."

"It might not be that easy…" her lips were on my neck now, finding their way to my ear all while explosive shivers shot up my spine. Tightening my grip on her hips, I pulled her closer to me, slightly tilting my head back.

"Mmm, Gwen—" I never got to finish my sentence, though, because Max's approaching footsteps were closing in on us. Sliding smoothly off my lap, Gwen straightened out her bunched up shirt and ran her hands through her tangled hair. Grinning, I tried not to let those lingering kisses escape my skin, not wanting the ghost of their soft touch to fade away.

"I'm pretty sure you can handle this, Kevin," Max tossed something that resembled a gun over to me. I caught it easily, surprised at its light weight considering it looked as if it could be classified as "heavy artillery". I ran my fingers over its cool metal coating, trying to get a feel for what exactly it was.

"That there is a very special tool," Max mused, sitting across from Gwen and me.

"A gun?" Gwen questioned, eyeing the object in my hands with uncertainty.

"Far from it, Gwen. It's actually a piece of alien tech specifically made for half or full bloods like Kevin. They're very rare and hard to find but I really don't have any use for it." Motioning to the tip of the contraption, he explained how it worked, "You slide your arm through here and it automatically activates it. It should mold around your body so when you absorb material, it makes it three times harder to penetrate and strengthens your abilities."

Staring up at Max, I could see a smile spread across his face, making his eyes crinkle despite the wrinkles around his face. "Thank you, Max." It was all I could say. I really didn't' think I deserved this at all. "Thanks…"

"As long as you get my grandson out alive, you're welcome."

I gulped. Yeah, thanks for the vote of confidence old man.

"And for you, Gwen," Max reached into the pocket on his usual, irritating Hawaiian print shirt, "I have something that belonged to your Grandmother."

Clutching for my hand, I watched Gwen lean forward, clearly intrigued. I swear, her eyes looked as if they were about to bulge from their sockets they were so wide. "Grandpa…it's amazing."

I watched as Gwen held out her hand, Max gently settling the object into her open palm. It looked like a small pendant clearly resembling a butterfly, made purely of magenta crystal. The instant it made contact with Gwen, it burst to life, manna illuminating it, swirling inside the glassy chamber. Sticking it on her shirt, she looked up to the man generations before her, "Thank you grandpa but what does it do, exactly?"

Drumming my fingers on the plastic-like surface of the table, I stared at the radiating pendant. Hey, it wasn't my fault she had placed it right on the neckline. By the way Gwen was squeezing my hand and blushing a little, though, something told me she wanted it that way for a reason. "I know you've had troubles in the past with your manna being drained—"

Unable to help myself, a grunt escaped my now frowning lips. Memories of Darkstar flooded my mind, making me feel like wringing the lowlife's neck.

"—whenever you wear this, you'll always have a little burst of manna with you. It's impossible for anyone but the beholder to extract the manna from it."

"Wow," Gwen fingered it tenderly, as if it might crack under the pressure of her flesh, reminding me of the way she would always touch my cheek, "How do I use it?"

"You have to channel its energy with yours," Before I could stop myself, the words escaped my lips. They both gave me a look as if I had just spoken in Japanese. "Um, I've learned a few things in the trading business." Not too long ago, I made a deal with some plumber's kid that had gotten a hold of a necklace made specifically for Anodites. Now that I think of it, the centerpiece did look a lot like the pendant. You see, the necklace had a crystal shaped butterfly that looked an awful lot like Verdona's. The only difference was that it was at least three times larger and had five orbs made out of some alien rock. I guess each slot held manna?

"Trading," Gwen muttered while rolling her eyes. I dropped her hand, knowing it would upset her.

Grinned, Max shifted in his seat, "You can only use it once so be wise about how you use it."

"Thanks, Grandpa, I—"She froze, the color in her cheeks draining completely. Green flashed to pink as her eyes began to glow, scaring me to death like every time she had a vision.

"Gwen?" I put my hand on her arm. The instant my hand made contact with her skin I wished I hadn't tried to comfort her in the first place. It was as cold as ice, nightmares of a dead Gwen surfacing with my rapid heartbeat.

Her mouth hung open, no words spilling over her soft lips. The pulsation of manna within the butterfly pendant had intensified, practically blinding me just by looking at it. Outside, I could hear the horn of my car blaring, making the blood in my veins churn with my anger. If those two scratched my car or damaged it in any way humanly possible…

"They're coming!" Gwen screamed, her eyes taking back their normal, dazzling human color. She clutched my arm tightly, her eyes piercing mine as if she could see my very soul.

"Ow! Hey, Gwen! Calm down, what's coming?" Max jumped up and ran out the door, no doubt heading for Gwen's dad and uncle.

Taking her distressed face in my hands, I tried to keep her still. God, she looked as if she'd watched another flick among my horror movie collection. "Gwen, please," Panicking, I could see tears start to form in those rings of emerald. "Shhhhh," the first thing that came to my mind was to smooth over her cheeks with my thumbs. It seemed to be working because she let go of my arm, nails detaching themselves from within my punctured skin. "Its okay, Gwen, just tell me what you saw."

Her eyes were closed, lips trembling, wobbling as if searching for balance. "I…I saw Ben. He was bloody and h-hurt and there was this thing that…that…" she shook her head, not wanting to go on.

"Gwen—" I wanted to wrap my arms around her and kiss all the tears away. Whenever she felt depressed or hurt, it was as if my whole world were falling apart with her. At that instant, though, Max was bursting through the door, a dead serious look on his face. Was it me, or did he have a hint of fear in him, too?

"Kids, come on! Get out now!"

I wasn't about to question that tone. Scooping up Gwen in my arms, I followed Max out of the Rustbucket and into the humid night air. It felt like an oven as I burst into the inky night, so why did I have goose bumps all over my body? Setting Gwen down on the hood of my car, I ran my fingers in circles all over her back, hoping it would help calm her down. Gwen's dad rushed over to me, his glasses bent at an odd angle, "WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY DAUGHTER?"

"Frank!" Max's shouts weren't enough to pry his son off of me because before I knew it, I was on the dirt covered ground, all air trickling out of my lungs, "Hey! Gerrof me! Ow! Mr. Tennyson!"

"DAD!" I heard Gwen scream as I tried to push her deranged father off of me. HAD HE LOST HIS FREAKIN MIND?

"FRANK!" Thankfully, Max had managed to yank him off, leaving me on the ground to let his pounding punches and sharp scratches sink in. "Gwen, can you keep—him—still?"

As I began to check for any broken ribs, a sickening crrrrrack reached my ears. Wincing, I lifted my head up from the hard earth just in time to see Gwen's dad fall to the ground, his daughter's energy beam quickly releasing him.

"Kevin!" Flashing my best grin, I watched as Gwen raced up to me, newfound panic detailing her face. "Kevin, are you okay?"

"Never better," I leaned over and kissed her hard, firmly fitting my lips over hers. Lost in the rhythm of her slowly parting lips, I remembered we weren't alone when a sharp cough made Gwen and I jump apart.

"I need help over here!" Glancing over at Max, he was bent over his son's limp form, fingers against his hopefully pulsing neck. Once I helped her up, Gwen turned to me, a dangerous look smoldering in her eyes. Bringing up a hand to my face, she traced her fingers lightly across my jaw. Then, before I could stop her, she swung it back and smacked me. Blinking, I put a hand up to my stinging cheek where a red mark in the shape of a hand was probably forming. I couldn't help but snicker as she turned away in a huff to tend to her father. That's my Gwen.

GWEN'S POV

That fuzzy feeling that had been bubbling inside my whole body from Kevin's intense kiss instantly vanished as I placed my hands over my father's and uncle's bruised foreheads. I dove into their past feelings, overwhelmed by uneasiness. Their moods were contagious in my body as I felt on edge from the very core of my soul.

They didn't like being alone together in the middle of nowhere, left for the pitch black night to suffocate them. Despite the sticky summer air, there was a chill hanging in every breath they rasped in.

Curiosity. It was toxic, the feeling crawling under my skin and sank into my bones, bleaching them with the emotion.

A flash of electric blue caught in the corner of their eyes. It was as blue as the summer sky would allow, yet it was nighttime. What could possibly be as eye catching in the dead of night?

The air turned deadly cold. It was summer. How was it possible? It was as if shards of ice were cutting into their skin, layering over their bones, drawing gashes until they reached their very core.

Intensify. Just when he thought he would die, when he couldn't take the bitter chill anymore, heat erupted within him. It circulated from his heart through his veins, his blood steaming, feeling alive.

Hunger. He craved it. The thought of it made his mouth water, drooling all while he hungered for the feeling of need within his mind. Longing to cause pain, spill blood, mangle flesh, ripping scars…he wanted it all. Chaos was in the air…

Terror. He saw it in the man's eyes, reflecting off the lenses of his glasses; weak shields hardly protecting the passage to his emotions. It was just what he wanted.

Unable to handle it anymore, I'd decided I'd seen enough. I felt dirty inside to feel those emotions, hear the uncontrollable thoughts rushing through their possessed minds. Reality was sucking my senses back, the taste of blood still lingering on my tongue. "They were attacked," I told Kevin, looking into his eyes dead on. "The same thing I saw from back inside the Rustbucket took over their minds."

Grandpa Max stood up from his crouched position beside Uncle Carl, gaze scanning over the black scenery engulfing us. "What did it look like?"

"They…" I bit my lip, still gazing into Kevin's earthy eyes. He was staring back, trying to tell me something. What? I wondered. "Um, they didn't really see it. It was really bright, though, and blue. Electric blue. And fast, very fast. It seemed like it was made out of liquid…it's motions were really flowy. Almost graceful."

"It's still here," Kevin whispered so softly that I had to strain to hear his words. Then I saw it. The reflection in his eyes resembled that of the ocean; crystal clear singing azul.

Before I could react, he lunged at me, pinning me down to the ground, thrusting his body into me so hard that the wind nearly flew from my lungs, "K-Kevin!" I wheezed, but didn't go on from there. If I blinked I would've missed it, a flash of electric blue soaring over our flattened forms.

Bang!

Either a gun had gone off or the Rustbucket had flipped over on impact of the monster that had overtaken my dad, Uncle Carl, and Ben. Kevin rolled off of me and lifted me to my feet, not caring to brush the dirt covering my body off. I whipped around to the source of the crash that was still ringing in my ears. Then, I wished I hadn't. I wanted to turn around, squeeze my eyes tight, and wish everything away, praying this living horror was all a dream. But it wasn't, this was reality. I couldn't change the fact that Grandpa Max was on the ground, collapsed and broken. My eyes shifted to the large his-sized dent in the side of the Rustbucket. Ouch, that had to hurt.

"Gwen, get behind me," Kevin's voice was no-nonsense, something I knew not to mess with. As I backed up slightly Kevin slipped his arm through the gadget Grandpa Max had given to him just moments ago. First it started at his hand; the alien tech material plastered itself to every rise and fall of his body, growing on him like vines. He looked as if he had just materialized into stone but I knew better. "Kevin, he's my Grandpa, I'm not backing up."

He didn't flinch, didn't turn to face me, "Stay behind me, Gwen, or he's going to kill you."

"Me? What about—" I stopped short, my Grandpa was rising from his spot on the ground, body parts moving at twisted angles. He was facing us but I knew it wasn't him, not the real him. The look in his eyes was unmistakable; he looked like he wanted to do unthinkable things to me. Not only that, his skin wasn't flesh, it was as if he was made of azul, radioactive, glowing liquid. "Kevin?"

"Stay. Behind. Me." Even I didn't want to argue with the snarl in his voice.

We stood there, face to face with whatever had possessed my grandpa. My heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest it was hammering so hard. I had to face it, though, had to help my Grandpa. Whatever we were up against, it was going to pay for messing with my family.

Manna forming around my fists, I took a step closer towards Kevin, waiting for his signal. His muscles were locked tight, teeth gritted to the max. I watched as his eyes locked with the alien's deranged ones…

"NOW!"

At his command, I blasted forward, Kevin a little ahead, charging full speed at the alien. Manna from all around me gathered at my hands, burning in my eyes, mounting up to unleash upon the sick, twisted possessor. Just when Kevin was about to strike him, he lashed out in my direction. I saw it all before it happened; it was as if he was glidingacross the ground below us, smoothly and swiftly preparing to pounce. He was really quick, whatever powers he now had had increased his speed to be as fast as Kevin dared to go on a country road (which was pretty fast). Kevin and I were trained, though, and often underestimated by our opponents. So as I nearly barreled into the floating figure of water-like liquid in the form of my grandpa, I wasn't too surprised that Kevin had gotten to him before he could get to me.

Just as quickly as relief washed over me, though, a new wave of anxiety crashed into me, hitting me full force. With one punch to the gut, Kevin was soaring through the air like an eagle making a dip, "KEVIN!" I screamed, whipping around in his direction. Before he could hit the hard earth, manna bursted from my hand and wrapped around his hurt body securely. Settling him gently on the ground, I whirled around, my long red hair whipping me in the face. Some strands stuck to the beads of sweat that were forming at my forehead. Anyone who hurt Kevin was going to get it, family or not. No one messed with my boyfriend.

A/N: Okay, so sorry it took a while to post this! It might take a few days for the next chapter, too, because I have a ton of finals coming up! But be ready for some intense action! :D