âYeah yeah, just⊠donât go spreading it around, okay? I have a reputation, you know.â
Maybe thatâs because she was looking for human interaction. Apparently, it was just that much easier for her to get along with demons and fallen angels. Go figure, right? That kind of thing had been just what sheâd been running from the whole time. Maybe⊠maybe sheâd had it all backwards. Even Carlisle the worldâs most annoying poltergeist was more a friend to her than most of the people sheâd ever willingly spent time with. It was like something was always missing or off. But not here, not with them. With him.
But her thoughts were turning in strange circles, and she had no idea where they were even trying to go, so it was almost a relief when it was her turn to be pulled along behind him, led deeper into the park as the darkness fell around them like the snow. Morgan did something with his particular talentâcryokinesis, it was called, which was honestly a pretty awesome word. Apparently, it could also do pretty awesome things. She stared at the shifting lights numbly for a second before her face broke into a smile and she crouched to get a better look, one of her hands still enfolded in his. She hadnât really realized it was there, even, but⊠it was hard to say if sheâd have done anything differently even if she had.
Her other elbow was propped on one of her knees, and she placed her chin in the corresponding hand, watching the light hues shift and dance like the real Northern Lights. âHuh. Thatâs really something. Beautifulâwhoâd have thought?â She paused, then tilted her head to look up at him, standing from her crouch and grinning. âSomeday, Iâll have to make you freeze a pond so we can all go skating. I kinda want to watch As fall down.â Her eyes carried the glint of humor, though she did not quite laugh.
âWhat, I don't look like anybody's brother to you?â
âYou know,â he said with a raised eyebrow and a hint of playfulness, âIt isnât really fair to ask a teacher a question and then tell him not to answer it. Itâs kind of what we do.â He smiled though, to show that he didnât actually mind, and tilted his head slightly to one side. She was observant, especially when it came to the people she cared about, he would give her that. But he wondered if it had really passed her by, just how different she was as well. Or perhaps sheâd always been this way, and he was the one that was simply brushing back her layers like an archeologist trying to get at some precious artifact.
The metaphor was an apt one, he thoughtâthe human soul was a very precious thing. He could feel a little bit of anxiety emanating from her, and heâd been at this long enough to guess the source. Reaching over the space between them, Cass placed a large, callused hand on her head, ruffling her hair with some affection. âDonât worry so much about it,â he said, his tone surprisingly gentle and understanding. âThese things have a way of working out in the end. It may sound unbelievable coming from me, but itâs possible to overthink things. Sometimes, you have to have a little faith in the people around you.â
That was a lesson heâd learned a long time ago, but he hoped dearly that her lesson would not be as harsh as his had been. Sheâd asked if heâd ever had any siblingsâthe answer, in the clearest terms he knew, was yes. Not older ones; he himself was far too old for that, but plenty of younger ones. Morgan was predominant among them, but he was not the first, nor the source of Cassâs lessons in faith. That had been another, thousands of years ago now. But those lessons had resounded throughout his entire existence, down to this very moment. He only hoped they would be enough to carry him through this.
For he was no fool, and this was not going to be easy.