Kristofer had pretty much vanished. I didn’t blame him. He was given a second chance at a life he didn’t want to live. I was worried for him. Vlad didn’t take well to being shut down like that, yet he was shut down by the one person he cared about. He was most likely very angry and ready to lash out at the world, Kristofer first. I really didn’t want to know what that looked like. I had thought about trying to find him and offer him the vampire cure, but I had learned my lesson about approaching potentially dangerous people without at least saying something to Caleb or Morgyn, and the thought hadn’t come up yet.
I laid down on the couch, covering my face with my hand as teenage laughter echoed through the penthouse.
Morgyn walked over and crouched beside me, an amused grin on his face.
“You could just go to bed.”
“Go away,” I groaned.
He laughed and took my hand off of my face. “Go to bed.”
“It’s too early,” I covered my eyes with my other hand. “And too bright.”
“It’s midnight,” he said.
“I’ll sleep here.”
“Why?”
“To listen for them to make sure they’re okay.”
He stood up and rested his knee on the couch, leaning over me, “Jade,” he said quietly, moving my other hand away from my eyes. “They’re teenagers, not toddlers.”
I stared up at him. “What kind of guardian would I be if I wasn’t um, guarding, no wait, protecting them?”
He laughed softly. “You don’t need to. I think maybe you’re not stopping to realize that they can handle themselves. You don’t need to be just around the corner.” He let go of my hands and brushed some of my hair away from my face. “You can go upstairs and sleep. No one will hold it against you.” He stood up again and held his hand out for me to take. “Besides, Caleb’s around here somewhere. I’m sure he’ll be around to keep them safe.”
I sighed and took his hand. We went upstairs to go to bed.
“So,” he said quietly as we turned off the light. “You’ve been acting strangely since your meeting with Amber, and neither of you have really talked about it.” He gazed at me as the city lights flooded into the windows. “What happened?”
I sighed. “The meeting itself went kind of well,” I said. “And she met up with us later and said she would consider what we said to her.” I left out the part about Vlad, as I didn’t want Morgyn to know what I had done.
He didn’t take his eyes off of me. “There’s more,” he said quietly.
I rolled over.
He rested his hand on my shoulder and leaned over me. “Jade.”
“I…” I swallowed. “Vlad captured me again. He threatened to kill Amber. I gave him what he wanted.”
“You what?” Morgyn sat up.
I sat up as well. “What was I supposed to do?”
He looked away. He knew I was right. “How did it go?”
“Kristofer immediately got angry with Vlad about it,” I explained. “He ignored Amber, Caleb and I.”
Morgyn glared at me. “Caleb was there too?”
“He came when he realized what had happened,” I explained.
“Why weren’t you going to tell me this?” He continued glaring at me.
“I know you didn’t want that spell done, but I had no choice. I didn’t want you to know.” I looked down. “I know that was stupid.”
“Where is he now?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “He walked out of Vlad’s house. I haven’t seen him since.”
Morgyn looked down and shook his head. “But he didn’t seem dangerous?”
“To anyone other than Vlad? No.” I placed my hands on his shoulders. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”
He sighed, reached up and rested his hand on my arm. “I’m sorry I made you feel like you couldn’t tell me. I don’t like it, but I understand. I would have done the same if someone I cared about was in danger. Let’s just hope Kristofer doesn’t become a problem.”
I laid back down. “Something tells me he won’t be.” I watched Morgyn as he laid down as well. “I can’t really place it, but I don’t think he will be an issue.”
He put his arm around me. “Come here.”
I rested my head on his chest. “If he becomes an issue, we’ll handle it. But I trust your judgement.”
I smiled and closed my eyes.
“He’s angry,” Ruby said.
I immediately knew she was referring to Kristofer. “I know. I wish I could help him.”
She thought for a moment. “Beyond the woods of Glimmerbrook, there is a clearing by the water. Kris loved it there. Said he would live there one day.”
“A man of nature,” I smiled.
She nodded. “I had hoped he had found shelter in those woods to stay safe from the hunters.” She sighed. “But the hunters found Caleb and I in those woods. They were thorough.”
I looked away, remembering the memory she showed me.
She changed the subject. “Ambrosia is lovely.”
I smiled. “Yes. She is.”
“I’m glad she’s giving us a chance.” Ruby hugged me, “Thanks to you.”
I shook my head. “She wouldn’t have been in harm’s way if-“
“Stop,” she held up her hand. “Maybe you could say it’s fate. She doesn’t hold it against you. She was thankful you were willing to save her.”
I nodded without a word.
She smiled. “Let her come to you again. I think she will. When it comes to Kristofer though, you should find him. Talk to him. If he still wishes to be free of the vampiric curse, tell him about the cure. Caleb knows how to make it.”
“He does?” I asked, intrigued.
“Yes,” Ruby said. “He’s just never needed to make it. Kris may be his first.”
I don’t remember the rest of the conversation. I simply woke up the next morning.
I rubbed my eyes. That was weird. I sat up and felt Morgyn stir next to me. I smiled and stroked his hair.
“Good morning.”
He smiled groggily at me. “Morning. Feeling better?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“Good,” he rested his head back down.
I continued stroking his hair, twirling strands around my finger.
“Mmm,” he sighed, closing his eyes. “You’re going to put me back to sleep.”
I smiled and laid down, cuddling close as I rested my head on his chest. “Then I’ll go back to sleep too.”
He laughed.
We were silent for awhile.
I finally sat up. “I should get up.”
“Awww,” he groaned, pulling me back down. “No.”
I giggled. “I can’t stay in bed all day!”
He wrapped his arms around me. “Not leaving.”
I gazed at him. “Fine, I’ll accept my fate.”
He laughed. “Good.”
We got up a little bit later. I made breakfast for everyone. But there was silence in the penthouse.
Caleb jokingly tiptoed toward me. “Shhhh, the crazies are still asleep.”
I laughed. “Long night?”
He smiled warmly, looking toward Jewel’s door. “Let’s just say, I think they had a good time.”
I also smiled. “I’m glad to hear that. She deserves it.”
Caleb leaned against the counter as Morgyn came in. “Got any plans today?”
I nodded. “I need to go to Glimmerbrook.”
“Why?” They asked together.
“Ruby told me there’s a place Kristofer liked to be,” I explained. “I want to go talk to him.”
“I’d like to come, if that’s alright?” Caleb asked. “He never was great at opening up to new people. You might have more luck if an old friend is nearby.”
I nodded. “Sure. We can go after Jewel’s friends go home.”
Morgyn waved his hand. “I can watch them.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”
He shrugged. “How hard could it be?”
I mean, he was right. They were teenagers. Shouldn’t be too hard, right? “Okay,” I agreed. “I’ll try to be quick.”
“Take your time,” Morgyn smiled reassuringly.
I nodded to Caleb, and we headed out. We made our way to Glimmerbrook and Caleb led me through the dense forest. We came across a log and he stopped, sighing deeply.
I looked around. Had it been snowing, it would look exactly like…
“Oh,” I said aloud. I looked at him.
“Yeah,” he sighed again, sitting on the log. “This is where I found her.”
I sat beside him, and I felt him tense. I rested my head on his shoulder. He took my hand, closed his eyes and bowed his head.
“So you remember,” we heard. We both looked up to see Kristofer looking at us. He had a blank expression.
Caleb nodded. “How could I forget?”
“I’m pretty sure you didn’t come here to see Ruby’s final resting place,” Kristofer said dryly.
“No,” Caleb admitted.
“I’m not going back to Forgotten Hollow,” Kristofer furrowed his brow.
“We weren’t going to ask you to,” I said.
Kristofer bowed his head. “Thank you.” A slight smile crept across his lips. “And, I don’t hold what you did against you. I know Da- erm, Vlad told you to do it.” He sighed. “That old man will do anything to get what he wants.”
I nodded, recalling my unwanted stay at his house. “Yeah, I know.”
“So, why are you here?” He asked.
“To talk to you,” I said.
He sat on the ground, his back against a tree. He looked up at the sky through the branches and leaves above us. “I’ve never been one for conversation.”
Caleb looked at him. “That’s not true, Kris.”
Kristofer smiled slightly at him. “No matter.”
I sighed. “I’ve seen memories.”
He looked at me, studying me. “Memories?”
“Memories that belonged to Ruby.”
He looked me up and down, his expression shifting to shock. “I thought you died?”
“I did- she did,” I shook my head as I fixed my mistake. “But her spirit found me.”
He smiled happily. “Now all we need is Lilith.”
Caleb laughed a little.
Kristofer looked at him. “So, why are you so depressed then, Cay? You’ve got Ruby sitting right next to you. I mean, she even looks like her!”
Caleb shot him a glare.
“Oh, right. You don’t like ‘Cay’. K.” Kristofer grinned playfully.
Caleb glared at him again, but not for long, as he started to laugh again.
I grinned. I was starting to learn more about the dynamic between them. Very playful.
Caleb’s expression turned serious again. “There’s a lot of guilt. A lot of things I wish I had done differently.” He looked away. “She was in labor. I shouldn’t have left her.”
Kristofer’s eyes widened. “She was in labor when she died?”
“No,” Caleb and I said together.
“She had the baby right before she was killed,” I explained.
“Don’t you mean you?” Kristofer narrowed his eyes.
I didn’t know how to respond to that.
“We had a daughter,” Caleb explained.
“Oh, wow,” Kristofer looked at him apologetically. “And…she died as well?”
“No,” Caleb shook his head. “She was actually there, at Vlad’s house.”
“Oh she was that cute lady?”
Caleb glared at him again.
“Calm down killer, it was just a question.” Kristofer smiled. “I didn’t recognize her.”
“Why would you?” Caleb asked. “None of us ever met her.”
“Except me,” I said. “In my past life.”
Kristofer nodded. “Right. So you’ve been reunited?”
“Not exactly,” I clarified. “She was raised by yours and Ruby’s killer, Jack Bet- um, Smith.”
Kristofer tilted his head. I sighed and decided to explain. “Jack Smith started going by Jack Betancourt after you died.”
“He what?” Kristofer asked angrily.
“So our daughter’s legal name is Amber Betancourt.” I looked at him, worried. “But her name was Ambrosia, then Jessica.”
Kristofer shook his head, clearly frustrated. “That bastard.”
I nodded in agreement.
Kristofer looked at Caleb again. “But seriously. If Ruby is with you again, just maybe in a different body, then why are you so guilty and sad?” He raised his hand, gesturing toward me. “Not to sound harsh, buddy, but isn’t that a little unfair to, erm,” he paused. “I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name.”
I smiled. “I’m Jade.”
He stood up and took my hand, kissing it in a chivalrous gesture. “Pleasure to meet you.”
I admit, I blushed. The only other person who acted like that toward me was Caleb. I smiled at Kristofer. “Likewise.” I immediately looked at Caleb, hoping he wasn’t jealous. He sat, staring blankly, but didn’t seem offended.
Kristofer sat back down under the tree. “It’s unfair to Jade to have to live in your fiancé’s shadow, no?”
Caleb looked down at the grass and leaves at our feet. “I’ve never considered that.”
I turned my attention to Kristofer. “I’ve never really felt that way.”
He shrugged. “Well, good.” He sat forward. “Does Ruby hold anything against him?”
I froze. The last time Caleb and I talked about this, I told him Ruby didn’t blame him. He broke down into tears. He was already vulnerable, sitting here where she died. I didn’t want to do that again.
“N-no,” I said quietly.
Kristofer looked at Caleb, who was deliberately studying a nearby fern, trying to ignore the conversation. “Hear that, bud? She doesn’t hold it against you. No more guilt, okay?”
Caleb was getting more and more agitated. “Yeah,” he said, his voice hoarse. “I heard it.”
Kristofer scoffed playfully. “Then why not just let it go?”
I saw Caleb clench his teeth, his face becoming angry.
I held up my hand. “Kristo-“
“Do you really think it’s that simple, Kris?” Caleb shouted angrily at Kristofer.
“No, I don’t,” Kristofer responded calmly. “But I think those words should be reason enough for you to start the healing process. I mean, Jesus Christ dude, you’ve been living with this for over a hundred years?” He shrugged and looked away. “I’m just saying. There’s no reason to hurt anymore.”
I had to admit, he had a point, but it wasn’t my place to decide that. I stayed silent.
Kristofer looked at me. “Also, you can call me Kris. I prefer it.”
I smiled and nodded quickly. I didn’t dare look at Caleb. I didn’t know how he was taking this all in. This was definitely a sensitive topic for him.
“You’re right,” he said quietly.
Well, that was unexpected. However, it taught me more about their relationship. Kris was wise. Very wise. And he had no problem being harsh if it meant he got his point across. Caleb accepted it, even if he didn’t like it. Kris made him look at things from another angle. Like a big brother.
Kris stood up. “Caleb,” he said. “Come here.”
Caleb also stood up. Kris pulled him into a hug. “Man, it’s so good to see you again. And please, just consider all of this. You’re happy with her. I can see it. Let yourself be happy. Jack Smith can’t hold you hostage anymore.”
Caleb nodded in agreement, hugging Kris tighter. “Thank you.”
They pulled away and Kris smiled warmly. “Anytime, buddy.”
Caleb also smiled. “So you’re not mad about being brought back?”
“Eh,” Kris turned his head. “Sure. Still resentful of Vlad, but honestly, seeing you after all this time reminds me of all that was good in my life.”
Caleb seemed taken aback. “R-really?”
“Really,” Kris nodded, smiling admirably at Caleb. “You’ve always been like family. I suppose you were going to be,” he winked.
Caleb laughed. “Yeah, it’s a shame that-” he stopped.
“That I was killed,” Kris nodded. “Yeah. She gave me new life.”
I realized they were talking about Lilith.
“How is she these days anyway?” Kris asked.
“She’s doing well,” Caleb replied. “Just being…Lilith.”
Kris laughed. “Well that’s good. I would think it would be hard for her to be anyone else.”
Caleb laughed with him.
“I don’t know if I want to see her,” Kris continued. “I feel like maybe it would be too painful. Does she know about me?”
“No,” Caleb said quietly. “I didn’t know how to tell her. So I didn’t.”
Kris nodded.
“Why would it be painful?” I asked.
Kris sighed. “Just in case…my time here is limited.”
“But why would it…oh.” I stopped. Was he thinking about ending it all?
He turned away from Caleb and sat back down by the tree. “Those feelings are going away,” he said quietly. “Well,” he looked at Caleb with a half smile. “Now.”
Caleb bowed his head with a slight smile.
“But I just don’t want her to see me in such a dark place,” Kris continued.
“I understand,” Caleb responded. “But please, consider what you’re saying right now.”
Kris put his hand up. “I know, Caleb. People care about me, blah blah. I appreciate it, but I just need to pull myself out of this before I see her.” He looked out into the vast, dense forest surrounding us. “And I will. It just may take some time.”
Caleb nodded. “I think we can all understand that.”
I couldn’t help it. I got up and knelt beside Kris, hugging him.
“Oh,” he said, chuckling softly as he hugged me back. “Thank you.”
“We may not know each other, but I’m here for you too,” I said quietly.
As we pulled away. “No, we know each other. You’re Ruby in a different body. You’ve always been a great friend to me.”
I smiled.
Kris smiled at Caleb. “She’s much warmer than Ruby.”
Caleb laughed. “She’s human.”
“I’m a spellcaster.”
“She’s a mage.”
“Jeez,” Kris’ eyes widened. “That’s impressive.”
I blushed and smiled, sitting back down on the log beside Caleb. He took my hand. I looked at him and scooted over to rest my head on his shoulder.
“Do you need a place to stay?” Caleb asked quietly.
Kris shrugged. “Technically yes, but I won’t stay with you.” He looked up at Caleb. “No offense, of course, but I run the risk of seeing Lilith.”
Caleb nodded, understanding.
“For now, I just spend my time here. No one will find me.” Kris looked out again.
“We did,” I said.
“No, no,” Kris smiled. “I found you. Don’t take all the credit.”
I laughed softly.
“But, you knew where to look,” he continued, grinning at me. “Ruby.”
I nodded. “Yes, she guided us here.”
He nodded as well. “I told her that-“
“You wanted to live here,” I finished his sentence.
He let out a “heh”. “I’m glad she remembered.”
“Me too,” I agreed.
We were all silent for awhile.
“So, how did you two find each other again?” Kris asked.
Caleb shrugged. “We’ve been good friends for about ten years. We only recently started dating.”
“Do you think Ruby knew you two were destined for each other?” Kris was intrigued.
“Yes,” I nodded. “She made it clear to me that she chose me because I was destined for greatness, and I would be the one to find Ambrosia. I assume she knew I would meet Caleb along the way.”
“Smart gal,” Kris nodded. “Though, I’d expect nothing less from her.”
The way he spoke so highly of Ruby made me smile. They were obviously all very close. Even closer than her memories showed.
Kris sat up again. “So what has been going on with you? We have a lot to catch up on.”
Caleb thought for a moment. “Well, as I said, Jade and I got together, she became a spellcaster and helped the other mages in a dragon war. Then we all got trapped in the realm for months with some guy named Marco who made it his kingdom. He held a grudge against the mages for trapping him in another realm. His revenge was becoming all powerful. We fought him and got out. Then we began searching for Ambrosia. We only found her the other day.”
“We took in a teenager who was being treated horribly by her parents,” I added. “She’s at home with our other partner right now.”
“Wait,” Kris tilted his head. “Other partner?”
Caleb laughed. “He’s another mage in the realm, Morgyn Ember.”
“You are all together?” Kris asked, in disbelief. “And with a man? What do other people say?”
Caleb smiled warmly. “Kris, times have changed. Most people are accepting of things like that.”
Kris smiled happily. “That must be good for you, then, huh? I know you tried to hide your attraction to men.”
Caleb looked shocked. “You…knew?”
“I saw the way you looked at some of them, Cay.” Kris grinned.
Caleb glared. “Caleb,” he emphasized.
Kris laughed. “Either way, that’s awesome. Perhaps living in this time will be much better than living back then. Are there other changes I should know about?”
Caleb thought for a moment, then started explaining everything that had happened in the last hundred years. Kris soaked it all in. As Caleb spoke, Kris really seemed to be excited about this new world.
“I’ve been frozen in time,” he said when Caleb was finished. “All of this is so different.” He looked away. “But I see Vlad is still the same as he always was.”
Caleb nodded. “Sadly, he’s never changed.”
“Does he still fight with you and Lilith?” Kris asked.
“Not with me anymore, no,” Caleb shook his head. “I live in San Myshuno, away from him. But even before that, he only fought with us when provoked.”
Kris laughed. “You provoked him?”
Caleb shrugged with a smile. “Call it what you want. I call it educating him on plasma fruit and plasma packs. It always seemed to rile him up though.”
Kris rolled his eyes. “He is a demon.” Something suddenly seemed to resonate within him. “I think maybe my disdain for life may have been due to him.”
“I mean, I can understand that,” Caleb said. “I don’t doubt it for a second.”
“He’s so powerful that even his presence can make people want to die,” Kris laughed, but I saw the pain in his eyes. “But, as long as I stay away from him, I think I’ll feel better.”
There was silence for awhile.
“Do you ever think about you outliving Jade,” Kris asked quietly.
“Yes, but hopefully, I won’t,” Caleb replied.
“But she’s human,” Kris looked confused.
“There are potions,” I said. “I can reset my age with potions, and I have protections against death from old age if I do get that far. But as you’ve seen, there are spells to bring people back from the dead as well.”
“But, if you’re dead, how will you cast the spell?” Kris tilted his head.
“Morgyn knows those spells as well,” I explained.
Kris nodded. “I see.”
There was another long silence. Finally Kris sighed.
“Well, I shouldn’t keep you.”
“We’ll stay here as long as you’d like,” Caleb said.
“Well, I have some things I need to take care of, I think,” Kris smiled. “Good things, in case you were worried.” He stood up. Caleb followed.
“Are you sure you don’t want to stay with us?” Caleb asked, hopeful that Kris would say yes.
Kris shook his head. “I really do appreciate the offer, and I may take you up on it later. But for now, I think it’s best if I’m here.”
Caleb wrote down our address for him. “Please, don’t hesitate to visit. I would give you our number, but I’m sure you don’t have a cell phone, right?”
“A what?” Kris asked.
I pulled out my cell phone. “This.”
Kris looked at it, confused. “I had heard of the telephone, though I never owned one, but this is far different!” He held out his hand. “May I?”
I handed him my phone, and he turned it around in his hand. “It’s…I mean you can’t…it doesn’t even have a place for your ear?” He looked at Caleb, who was highly amused at this point. “It’s just a rectangle with a screen.”
I snorted, trying to hold back my incoming laughter. Caleb smiled, took my phone and put it up to Kris’ head to demonstrate how it should be held.
“Like this,” he said.
Kris reached his hand up to hold it. “Strange,” he said. “Perhaps I need to purchase one?”
Caleb nodded. “It’s the most common method of contact,” he explained. “Going to people’s houses unannounced is generally frowned upon at this point.”
Kris scowled. “I feel that would be more personal.”
Caleb shrugged. “It is, but we’re in an age where people value personal space.”
Kris nodded. “I see.” He handed me my phone again. “Then I’ll look into obtaining one.”
“If you need help, you know where to find me,” Caleb smiled.
Kris also smiled and stepped closer to Caleb. “Thank you brother,” he said, hugging Caleb again.
“Anytime.”
As they pulled away, Kris pulled me into a hug. “I’m not sure if I should say it was nice to meet you or nice to see you again.” He paused. “But either way, it was nice.”
I giggled softly. “It was nice to meet you and see you as well.”
Caleb and I headed back home. I took his hand and stopped as we got onto the streets of Glimmerbrook.
“What he said back there,” Istarted, gazing at him apologetically. “I don’t want you to think that I feel resentment toward Ruby. I don’t. And I don’t want you to think that you have to move on.”
Caleb smiled. “He was right though. I have lived with guilt and grief that I don’t need to have anymore.” He leaned in and kissed my forehead. “And I’m going to get better about that.” He squeezed my hand. “I promise.”
I smiled as we kept walking. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” he said, also with a smile on his face.
When we got home, Morgyn greeted us at the door. “Hi!” He exclaimed.
I tilted my head. “Hi?”
“I’m glad you guys are back,” he said with a smile.
We walked in, Caleb and I giving each other confused looks.
“Are you okay?” Caleb asked Morgyn.
“Yeah!” Morgyn exclaimed. “I feel maybe a little jittery since drinking some coffee that the girls made, but I’m alright.”
Coffee that the girls made? I was confused. As Caleb talked with Morgyn, I headed to Jewel’s room.
Knocking on the door, I immediately heard laughter. Jewel opened the door. “Hey!” She smiled happily.
“Hi!” I smiled back. “I heard you made coffee?”
“Yeah!” She exclaimed. “Hope you don’t mind. We needed some serious caffeine, so I made super high test coffee!”
I giggled. So that’s what that was about. I knew Morgyn would crash soon enough.
“Alright, well be careful with the caffeine intake,” I warned.
Jewel smiled. “Okay!”
I headed back into the living room, where Morgyn was lying on the couch, resting his head in Caleb’s lap. Caleb stroked his hair.
“They made high test coffee,” I explained with a smirk.
“That explains it,” Morgyn said.
Caleb laughed. “Yes. So now we know why you’re jumpy.”
Morgyn closed his eyes. “You’re calming me.”
Caleb smiled warmly at him. “Good.”
I giggled and mumbled, “What could go wrong?”
Morgyn laughed. “I didn’t think about the coffee!” He sat up and snuggled with Caleb. “So, did you find Kristofer?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“How did it go?”
“It went well. We had a nice chat with him,” I smiled. “Though, the location was less than favorable.”
“Oh?” Morgyn asked, interested.
Caleb sighed.
I watched him, but explained, “We stopped at Ruby’s….resting place.”
“Oh,” Morgyn looked at Caleb, who was still. “Are you alright?”
Caleb nodded solemnly. “Yes.”
“Kris actually approached us,” I continued. “But we had a nice talk. He’s only resentful of Vlad. In fact, we gave him a more positive outlook.”
“He really enjoyed Jade’s rectangle with a screen,” Caleb smirked slightly.
I giggled. “He wasn’t aware of cell phones.”
“He’s never owned any type of phone,” Caleb added. “At the time of his death, phones were around, but not as common in households yet.”
“Ah,” Morgyn smiled. “Does he plan to buy a rectangle with a screen?”
Caleb nodded, his smirk turning into laughter. “Yes.”
Right on cue, Caleb’s phone rang.
“Hello?” He answered.
There was a pause, but I saw Morgyn’s eyes widen.
“Whoa, whoa, calm down Lily. You’re frantic. I can’t understand you.” Caleb pushed his hand down as if she was in front of him.
Another pause.
“You saw him? Are you sure?” Caleb asked, clearly trying to hide the fact that he knew Kris was alive. “Did you approach him?” He waited for her response. “Oh, I see. Well, maybe your eyes were playing a trick on you.” He waited again. “No, I doubt that. Where did you see him?”
Morgyn looked at me, holding his arms up, confused.
I moved to sit beside him. “Kris doesn’t want her to know he’s alive,” I whispered.
“Well, if you see him again, just try to talk to him. I’m sure it’s s-someone else.” Caleb skipped over his words. He had always hated lying.
Morgyn nodded. “I see.”
“Alright. Yeah, you can stop by.” Caleb looked at Morgyn and I. We nodded at him in unison.
They hung up, and Caleb stood up, beginning to pace. “I hate lying to her.”
I sighed. He was stuck. On one hand, he wanted to protect Kris’ secret, but on the other, he didn’t want to lie to his sister. I understood why he was frantic.
Lilith was at our house in record time. She immediately ran up to Caleb and hugged him. She was far more distraught than I expected her to be. Lilith was strong. She didn’t seem to have a side of her that could be like this. Yet, here she was, hugging her brother close and trying to fight back all of the emotion welling up within her. She was losing.
“It had to have been him, Caleb!” She looked at him, her hands still on his shoulders. “I could never forget him. It wasn’t someone else!” Tears streamed down her face.
Caleb shrugged. “I don’t know, sis.”
“It had to be,” she said quietly, covering her face with both of her hands as she cried again. “It had to be!”
Caleb sighed and walked her to the kitchen. As they stepped away, I gave him a shrug, implying that maybe it would be okay to tell her. He shook his head and kept walking.
Morgyn looked around cautiously and turned to me as I sat back down. “Why doesn’t he want her to know?” He was whispering so she wouldn’t hear.
“He was…is in a bad place mentally,” I explained. “He didn’t want to reunite with her only to…disappear again.”
“Oh,” Morgyn looked down.
“He seemed to be in a better place after Caleb and I got done talking with him,” I continued.
Morgyn smiled slightly. “Well, that’s good at least.”
I nodded.
We were silent for awhile. Finally, Lilith and Caleb came into the living room. Lilith was calmer now.
“I’m sorry,” she said quietly.
Morgyn held up his hand. “None of that,” he smiled. “You don’t need to apologize to us. We understand.”
She nodded and looked down. “If it was him, God, I don’t know what I’d do. I still miss him so much.”
I hung my head. She was clearly just as devastated by her loss of Kris as Caleb was by his loss of Ruby.
Caleb looked mortified at best. I knew he was really upset that he had to lie to Lilith, but we all knew that right now, this was what Kris wanted, even if it was painful for everyone.
“Hey, Lilith,” I spoke up. “Let’s take a walk.”
She looked at me. “Y-yeah. That might help.”
“We have the whole city at our fingertips,” I smiled. “Maybe we could do some shopping.”
Lilith smiled. “That sounds nice.”
I saw Caleb’s eyes brighten slightly. I nodded to him happily.
Lilith and I headed out, walking further into the fashion district to go shopping.
“I’m actually not much of a buyer,” Lilith laughed softly. “But I love looking.”
“Oh no, no, Lilith,” I held up my hand dramatically. “Today, my dear, you aren’t buying.” I held up my wallet proudly. “I am.”
She laughed again. “You don-“
“Hush!” I held my finger up to her lips. “Yes I do.”
“Okay, okay,” she grinned. “Now, get your finger away from my mouth or I’ll bite you.”
I moved my hand quickly, but covered up my sudden movement with a joke. “Pff, not like I haven’t been bit before.”
She snorted, holding back her laughter. Of course, I was referring to when I rescued her and Caleb from their capture by Marco.
We shopped around some until dusk approached. I bought her and I matching dresses. They were short, long sleeve, form fitting dresses that were black. Our dresses were practically identical, but had slightly different designs.
“Thanks so much, Jade,” she smiled happily. “I really appreciate it.”
“Of course,” I bowed my head.
Suddenly, she stopped. “Jade,” she said quietly, staring off.
I followed her gaze and saw what, or who she was looking at. It was Kris. He was unaware of her presence, standing by the food stands, staring blankly at a cell phone. He tapped it from time to him.
I couldn’t help but smile. Well, he got one. I hid my smile and looked at Lilith, who had started walking toward him. I followed.
She stepped closer. “Kris?”
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