A/N : No hard feelings Guest II. And thanks for defending me Cherry and Gaia.

Chapter 24

"Come on, we should go."

He stands and towers above me for a second. His hand stretches out to mine, and he pulls me to my feet. I'm grateful for the help, because I feel a new wave of sickness roll through me. My legs feel unsure on the inclined floor of stone, and Jack takes it upon himself to fly me out of the cave after watching me stumble around like an injured animal.

I'm soaked through my clothes, and feel cold and clammy. Changing my clothes isn't the best option though, it takes concentration to do that. I just want to sleep. Wind picks up as Jack flys out of the cave's mouth and into the national park. My clothes begin to dry in the sunlight, and Jack lands near a bench off of a pathway. I recognize it, we passed it on the way here hours ago. Jack walks over, carrying me bridal style, and sets me down. I feel exhausted and fight to keep my eyes open. The warm sunlight, the slight cold coming from Jack, my muddled mind, my aching body, all of this makes me want to sleep. I feel guilty when my eyes droop though. I should be awake, to show Jack that I'm fine.

I must've zoned out, because the presence of bright blue brings me back to reality. Jack was saying something to me, but I've been staring blankly ahead into his face. He waves a hand in front of my eyes. He is crouching in front of me, waiting.

"Heeeelo? Hey. _...?"

"Sorry. What'd you say?"

"I asked if you were too tired to fly. I guess I have my answer though."

A lopsided grin and concerned eyes present themselves. He worries too much.

"I can fly."

He seems unconvinced and raises his eyebrows.

"Let's see it, then."

I become competitive suddenly, ready to take on his challenge. I put my exhausted thoughts on hold. My body rolls its eyes in disbelief at my decision. I stand up and sidestep him. It takes enormous determination to bound forward into the air. I hear his feet leave the ground behind me as he follows. Only seconds after supporting my weight with my wings, I realize how heavy they are. They're still burdened with water. I pump them up and down, hoping to dry them and fling off the water. My muscles burn and strain instead. I feel myself sink in the air as the trees get dangerously close. My mind is shutting down, definitely not the best thing to happen while attempting to fly. I remember countless scenes from movies where the altitude meter of an airplane flashes red or shouts a warning at the pilot.

Mine shouts frantically "YOU'RE TOO LOW YOU IDIOT! WHY WOULD YOU EVEN TRY FLYING AFTER DROWNING MINUTES AGO?" I answer back in my delusional, exhausted mind "Ha ha. I'll be fine."

I somehow manage to keep my eyes open, though barely. I brush the top of a scratchy pine tree with my shin, then my thigh. Just as my body starts to pitch forward into the tree tops, Jack pulls me up and away by my arm. He shakes his head and looks at me.

"What'd I tell ya? How 'bout I just carry you the rest of the way?"

"The rest of the way where?"

"Wherever you want to go."

I'm quiet for a minute.

"Your training is done. You've learned everything you need to know. You can take a break."

An opportunity presents itself.

"I should build myself a place to live. Like how Sandy and North and Bunny and Tooth have."

He pulls me closer to him in the air, and holds me bridal style so that I can rest.

"That sounds like a good idea."

"But where... I don't know where I would build it."

"What's your favorite place?"

My eyes close as I try to explain.

"The pond. The pond where I met you. It was so beautiful and clean and sparkling. And cold. I'd rather be cold than hot."

I catch him smiling to himself when I open my eyes a bit. I close then again.

"What if I built it... I dunno."

"What? Where?"

"I was just thinking, what if I didn't even want a place to live. Like a new place. I could just go back to my cabin occasionally to rest. It's already my home. I like it there, you know?"

"I know."

I drift off thousands of feet in the air.

When I wake up, it's dark. I can tell that I'm indoors, though. It smells similar to my cabin, but not quite. I run my hand over whatever I'm lying on in the dark, and feel rough, but comfy, cotton. Once I'm leaning back on my elbows, I feel the cotton give. Must be a mattress. The ground is cold, smooth wood. My toes curl at the chilliness. I cautiously shuffle my feet forward, hoping to avoid a stubbed toe. My hands find a doorframe, and I walk into a hallway. There's a dim light from outside that glows against the walls. They are plain except for the windows. The dulled floorboards spread the light as far as its dim surface can before it reaches me. I go down the hallway, and materialize a baseball bat in my hand. Jack is always there when I wake up. I strain my ears for his sounds, his heartbeat. Nothing but crickets chirping in the night. I pass a window, and stop at the next one on my left. There are dark, looming trees that block my view. A cabin in the forest. An old cabin. The floorboards creak in protest as I put my weight on them. I found a corner and turn right. There's a medium sized room with a rocking chair and fireplace, and an old rug spread on the floor. Cute. A woman's touch. There are kerosine lanterns on the table in the next room. Unlit though. I assume it's a dining room of some sort. Very old style of furniture, though. Something you only see in history books. Behind me sits a large pot bellied stove. It's black and heavy looking. I'm starting to get the feeling that I've left my time period behind once I've explored the rest of the cabin. Everything seems to have come from the colonist days. A butter churner, a contraption covered in thread (possibly a loom), unscented candles, a bow and arrow, an axe, homemade quilts. The house is full of strange things. I like it, but feel uneasy at the same time. Everything is obviously old, but well preserved. I don't feel like I should be here, and Jack still hasn't made an appearance. I decide to step outside onto a porch at what must be the front of the cabin. The whole thing creaks, but feels sturdy and solid under my feet. There's a sign stuck into the ground beside the path leading away from the cabin. I go over to it, and read the white letters.

"~HISTORICAL COLONIST CABIN~

Most likely constructed around the late 17th century by English colonists in the Burgess area. Preserved by the state of Pennsylvania and the city of Burgess."

Burgess?

This could be Jack's home. The cabin sits comfortably among the towering pine trees up the path. Jack has to be nearby. I decide to go looking for him. I don't know the area, but go down the main path that winds away from the cabin. There's a full moon out and white, dim light sifts through the trees onto the path. Everything is beautiful. I continue walking, but feel like I'm going the wrong way. Why would Jack use a path? In the air I glide back towards the cabin. There isn't much to see from up high, except the thick forest encompassing everything but the roof. After flying in a circle I see something far off in front of me. Closer up, it appears to be a flat plot of cleared land. I can see someone down there. They're just standing in the field, perfectly unmoving. It seems eerie, but I glide silently downwards to get closer. The person is tall, and has a hood up. I recognize the hoodie immediately, it's Jack. He has his staff stuck in the ground directly behind him. He hasn't seen me yet, so I decide to land behind him a good ways off. He doesn't hear my heartbeat either. I walk forward on the dirt and grass past stones sticking out of the earth. I don't realize what they are until I see Jack crouch down and put something on the ground in front of him.

I'm in a graveyard.

These are tombstones. I become a little stiff, and stop. Does he want to be alone? He stands up again, and returns to his silent stance. He must have finally heard my heartbeat or footsteps, or maybe he's heard them all along, because he speaks out loud.

"How was your rest?"

I walk to him without replying. His arms hang slack at his sides. Once I'm standing beside him, I look at his face. Who cares about my nap. The moon light shows me watery blue eyes and a splotchy pale face. His nose is red, and his eyelids are drooped down in an expression I could only describe as sorrowful. He's clearly been out here alone and broken, and he wants to know how I am.

At his feet are four tombstones. The names are long gone, weathered away from hundreds of years of rain and wind. I can guess who they are. His father, mother, sister, and himself. Two are tall, but modest, and two are shorter.

"I wish you could've know them, _."

I nod without a word. He misses them. Then I find something to offer.

"I'm sorry."

The crickets chirp in the tall grass surrounding the graveyard.

"You don't need to be. People who've done something wrong, they say sorry."

His voice sounds different. It's rough and strained. His eyes look down at me. A white rose forms in my hand. I crouch down and gently place it in front of the four tombstones. Words come to me.

"Human life cannot be lived completely in the present. Being human means being forced to remember the past. Memory makes it hard to be happy in the present moment. Death can stop the remembering. But death also destroys life and the present moment. This is what it means to be human."

His eyes close when he speaks.

"Friedrich Nietzsche. The Use and Abuse of History, written in 1873."

"You've read it."

"Unfortunately, yes. It was very boring."

"Really? I thought it was... Insightful."

"It was."

The wind blows through the grass and trees. Silence passes between us.

"_, do you think we're human?"

I consider the question for a moment.

"We used to be, and people sometimes claim to be what they were in the past. So I think we are."

We stand silently side by side, looking at the moon. Jack breaks the silence again.

"I'm glad he saved you."

I smile to myself and lower my eyes to the white rose. Jack puts his arm around my shoulders, and holds me to his side. The ground is left behind as he takes me away from the graveyard. We fly back towards the cabin, past it, and further. Jack stops, then lowers himself to the ground below.

I land beside him, and we walk together through the trees without using any pathways. He leads me forward by my hand and seems to know where he's going. Water is running faintly in the distance, and the sound grows stronger as we continue on. The trees thin out abruptly, and I find myself standing at the edge of a pond. The air is humid and cool at the same time. The moon reflects in the black water, and so do the stars. It reminds me of home. I get caught in the moment and continue to take in the beauty. Jack looks out over the water and smiles sadly. I notice his expression, and feel my eyebrows draw together. Is this where he saved his sister?

"This is the pond, _."

My eyes prick and sting without warning and water up. Everything blurs and smears in the moonlight and I blink hard to rid myself of the tears. Here I am, standing at the shore of the pond where Jack died. He turns to face me, and I wipe my eyes quickly. He notices though, and without a word, pulls me to his chest in a hug.

"I'm sorry. I thought I should show you."

I don't cry, because he's alive and hugging me. I don't have a reason to. I take in the moment and faintly smile into his hoodie, happy that he's here.