Abby's head was swirling, a thick fog beginning to cloud her vision. Her shoulders slumped and she fell back to the dirt as she finished healing Ace's other palm. This was weird. Usually she would be a lot worse than this. A lot worse. Basically, unconscious. Dead to the world. Abby inspected herself through the grey haze. Apart from a few cuts and bruises from Ace's power surge, she was totally unharmed. The only rational explanation Abby could think of for this was that she had just past her Coming. It was the time in which all Healers doubled their power. But that was impossible. Her seventeenth birthday wasn't until tomorrow, so it made no sense. Unless… Abby couldn't help wondering if all this Demon activity and Healing could have triggered it earlier. This had never been heard of before though. Not in all the 1500 years real Healers were around.

She rose cautiously to her feet, experimenting with her stability. Despite her trembling hands, the rest of her body stood firm, not wavering at all. Abby glanced around the barren plain, surprised that the opposing men had not come back to again. Her eyes fell on the battered group; the distant houses shimmering in the morning heat. Roarke was tending to Rem's apparent lack of control over his arms, and Rem refusing to comply, his hands flapping at his sides. Ciri was mumbling something about a failed ambush; betrayal. Ace was finally coming to his senses at Abby's feet, groaning and clutching his middle tightly. Abby reached down, meaning to help him up to his feet. Roarke was suddenly at her side, appearing out of thin air. "Don't touch him," he said angrily, his teeth clenched together. "I'll help him."

Abby arched her perfect eyebrows, but didn't say anything. Just a moment ago, Roarke had been off himself because of Ace's statement. And now he wanted to help? Abby shook her head, disbelief of her friend's actions threatening to take over. Being a Healer, Abby was always in touch with others' emotions. Subconsciously, she was pulled into one of her memories.

"Roarkeee," Abby whined, tugging playfully on the older boy's shirt. "You promised!"

"Fine." Roarke lifted the petite Abby onto his broad shoulders, carrying her towards the garage. "But only for a few minutes. I have to get back to work on that essay."

They were young, juniors in high school. Roarke had just turned 16, making the gap between their ages a rare time of two years. Abby was still a child, Roarke, however, more man-like than anything. He could've been 18 in most people's eyes; his arm and back muscles going beyond what most would expect in a grown, average human man.

back muscles going beyond what most would expect in a grown, average human man.

"Okay, do you want me to hold it for the first few times?" Roarke looked at Abby with an amused expression.

"Um," she replied uncertainly, "yeah?"

Despite being 14, Abby had never learnt to ride a bike. Having Roarke around like the big brother she never had, she had decided to try.

Roarke helped her swing her leg over the pink bike which, embarassingly, had pink tassles on the handlebars. "Let's just stay in the drive, shall we?" Roarke laughed. Abby mumbled a reply.

"I'll give you a bit of a push, to get started, then you start peddling, okay?" He demonstrated by giving the bike a shove, while holding on the the back of the saddle.

"Roarke! Roarke!" Abby panicked, despite the warning. Roarke guffawed, steadying her.

"Right. You ready? You have to keep peddling, or else you're gonna fall off, okay?"

He seemed to be saying 'okay' a lot. To Abby, it was not 'okay'. She took a deep breath and balanced herself as best she could. "Ready."

Abby snapped back into the present. Ace was up on his feet and she took pride in her skills of healing. Glancing around, she caught Roarke just as he was shifting into his Eagle. He was most likely going to scout around, to see if their attackers were gone. Although, Ciri was mumbling something about a failed ambush? Did she know those men? Abby frowned, not liking all the secrecy maintained by the girl. It was Abby's nature, however, to look past that. She hardly knows us, after all, she reasoned. Abby gazed upwards, squinting her eyes against the harsh sun and dust still swirling around. Roarke's magnificent Eagle form soared above, just coasting on the air currents; an image of ease. Roarke had that calming presence around him, one that made you trust him, and let you feel safe when near him. Abby subconsciously touched her stomach, where a crystal hung from her belly ring. Set in a flawless, clear quartz stone, was a soaring silver eagle token, given to her by Roarke, last year. Abby was transported back in time; the school dance, one which Roarke had been forced to attend due to his shifty school record.

"Why'd ya ask me again?" Abby looked to Roarke for an explaination. They were sitting at one of the tables on the edge of the dance floor, Abby watching with a transfixed expression as the 12th form danced, all swirling colours and laughter.

"Who else would've come with me? I'm sure none of the girls in my grade would ever even consider saying yes to the guy with a criminal record." He smiled tightly. "You look beautiful, by the way," he added on, wrapping an arm around Abby's slight shoulders.

Abby's heart skipped a beat, and she smiled at him, taking in all of his tux-clad body, rippled with his musclular arms. His tanned skin shone in the low lighting, his gold eyes sparkling with emotion. Suddenly her eyes widened, and she shook her head, attempting to clear it. Roarke is my friend. My brother. My brother.

"What?" Roarke said, looking concerned. "You do. Absolutely. Better than all these old girls." He laughed, misunderstanding.

"I'm getting a drink," Abby said, standing up hastily.

"Okay." Roarke frowned, seeming confused.

"I'm just thirsty." Abby walked off, towards the table holding a mixture that looked suspiciously like punch. She took deep, steadying breaths, not trusting herself to glance backwards. She didn't need to. Roarke's strong grip encased her upper arm, and he spun her towards him.

"What, Abby? What's wrong?" Always so perceptive. One of the annoying things about him. In fact, the only. He was perfect, otherwise.

"I'm just," she hesitated. "I'm just feeling a bit, like, out of place?" She covered up the truth with a half lie.

"What? No. Come on. Dance with me." Roarke moved his hand from her arm and grabbed her hand, pulling her towards the dance floor of squirming bodies.

Roarke twirled her around, before wrapping his arms around her. They swayed in unison, at a friendly distance. Depsite the lack of intimacy, having Roarke's body this close to her was messing with her head.

Roarke cleared his throat, drawing Abby's attention away from where she was staring at a cute couple dancing next to them. "Abby, you're my best friend, my sister." Abby glanced away from his piercing gaze guiltily.

"Yeah, well you're mine too. My brother, though." She looked back at him.

Roarke chuckled softly. "Well, I was going to give you this at your Coming, but that's like, ages away."

"It's only a year," Abby cut in.

"Still," Roarke countered. He drew his hands away and went digging in the pocket of his jacket. He pulled out a small blue box, and Abby's heart jumped, for the second time in the space of a couple of minutes. She had to get that under control. "Here. I hope you like it." He smiled, and passed it over to Abby, who took it delicately in her petitie hands.

"What is it?"

"You have to open it, silly." Roarke closed his massive hands over her's, and helped her open the box. Lying on a pillow of blue velvet, was a silver token, intricately shaped as a tiny soaring eagle. Abby stared, not trusting herself to speak just yet.

After swallowing hard, she said, "It's- It's beautiful, Roarke." She stretched up on her toes and pecked him lightly on the cheek. "I love it."

Roarke was looking at her with wide eyes, an unfathomable expression on his face.

"I- I'm sorry." Abby glanced down at her heel-clad feet. "I didn't mean-"

"No." He cleared his throat. Twice. "No, it's fine. Really." Roarke grinned widely. "You want me to keep that for you, until we go home?"

"Um, yea, thanks." Abby handed the closed box back to him.

"Come, let's just dance." Roarke took her in his arms again.

Abby was suddenly feeling extremely tired…

Abby's cheeks warmed, ignoring the fact that it was extremely hot and may have just been the heat getting to her.

"Magnificent," she said aloud, referring again to Roarke's beauty.

"What?" Abby jumped as Ciri walked up behind her. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, er, nothing." Abby looked away, back up to the sky. "Just, you know, the sky, and the amazing, um, clouds."

"Okay." Ciri must have thought Abby was on something. "We'll be moving on soon, just thought you should know."

"Cool, thanks."

Roarke breathed in the tangible freedom he felt when he was in his Eagle form. High above the plain, he could see everything. His sharp Eagle eyes could even detect his house, far away on the other side of the plain, nestled high up in the cliffs.

The was no sign of their offenders, and Roarke admired them for their ability to conceal themselves on such a barren stretch of land. He looked down on his wary, damaged group.

Ace was perciptively moaning about something, gesturing wildly to Ciri with his injured hands. Ciri was doing her best to- wait. Well. That was new. Roarke sensed a bondage between Ciri and Ace, although the two didn't know of it yet. Which brought him to Abby. What was he going to do with her? She was sitting alone, gazing up at him as he soared high above. Even since that dance last year, he could not stop thinking about her. In that way. You know. They'd been friends for so long, and the death of Roarke's father had brought them even closer. How could he possibly show Abby how he feels? It would just be awkward. He knew she didn't feel that way. She saw him as her older brother, nothing more. Telling her would most likely destroy their close friendship. Roarke heaved a sigh and lingered in the air before beginning his decent. Scratch that, he thought, and pulled his wings in tight, launching into a spiraling dive, and leveling out a few metres above the ground. He shifted when he was floating 2 metres above the hard-packed dirt of the plain, and fell the rest of the way down, landing lightly on the balls of his feet, like a cat.

"We need to get moving," he said, risking a glance at Abby. She looked up at him, before going back to grinding a rock against the ground.

"Just what I said," Ciri commented, attempting authority. "We should aim to get to a friend of mine's place. She's on the Council. She'll know where to go from there."

"Where does she live?" Roarke asked, curious to know of other Demons in permanent residence.

"Other side of your town, actually."

"Oh. Why don't I know of her then? All Demons in this town should report to me."

"Like I said, she's on the Council. She doesn't have to abide to the Law of Location."

"Great."

"Cyrilla, my girl!" Patrisha opened the door wider, providing more room to enter the quaint house. "And you've brought friends, I see."

"Yes." Ciri replied slightly stiffly, knowing that Ace was well sought-after by the Council. She was wary of what they may do to him, and she wanted to keep his identity a secret for now.

"Ooh, he's a handsome one, this one is," Trisha commented, looking at Roarke.

"Who is?" a voice asked, emerging from the shadows behind her.

"Takoda!" Ciri launched herself towards the boy, knocking the breath out of him as she gave him a constricting hug.

"Yes, Cyrilla, I should have called you to ask you to come visit. Takoda's staying with me for a bit. Work duties, and things.

"Exactly why we're here."