Chapter 37

Mason

The clattering business of the kitchen irritated me as I washed the cooking dishes, kitchen rotation was my least favorite chore. I wasn't allowed to cook after a few too many accidents involving some fire and a few screams. I guess the pack didn't appreciated overcooked food. But that didn't spare me from getting kitchen duty, I was just relegated to dish washing the whole time.

I wished bitterly that I could bring Kieran to the house to keep me company. But it wasn't that simple. If I did that everyone would be affected, my parents hadn't decided how often it should be allowed and under what conditions.

At dinner I sat at a smaller table rather than the long one, Lily found me there.
"How was work?" I asked as she took a seat.
"Blah blah, work was boring. How was school?"
"What do you mean? It was just school."
"Ah!?" Her jaw dropped comedically, "Just school? What happened to the excitement from this morning?"
"Um what do you mean?"
"Oh my god, how dense are you? I'm asking what happened with– your mate."
"Oh, I mean, I was happy to see him and everything..." I trailed off not knowing what she wanted to hear.
"I already know that!" She was growing exasperated with me, "was he like, happy to see you? Was he rude at all?"
"No, not rude." A blush crept up on me without warning. "Well actually, he asked if I would go on a date with him."
"Oh no! How cute! You haven't even been on a date yet?" She wasn't really mocking, but her questions were getting on my nerves regardless. And regrettably Liam found us then.

"Damn, you beat me to it, I came over here to grill him."
"Well have a seat, the griddle's hot." She narrowed her eyes at me playfully.
"What's this now?" Liam asked, I thought of Jesse and James from Pokémon as I rolled my eyes anticipating the antagonation I would receive.
"His boyfriend asked him to go on a first date." She answered for me smugly.
"Mason, you haven't done that yet? You don't know how to make a move all of the sudden?"
"That's not fair! First of all we've only been back together for like four days, before that we couldn't be seen together in public for fear of his brother, and anyways he doesn't even eat real food so why would we go out?"
"Wow, that's a lot to unpack. I might just switch tables actually." Liam looked around dramatically as if he was going to leave, they were both laughing at me.
"Listen, trust, we didn't forget that your boyfriend is a vampire. So really, where will you guys go?" Lily was so interested it made me slightly embarrassed.
"Well I don't know, he said it's a surprise."
Lily's playful expression fell into one of annoyance, perhaps it was jealousy. "Sickening. I'm done with you now. Making me feel old and single. How was your day Liam?" To my relief she turned her gaze to my brother.

At social hour I headed for the community room but my dad stopped me in the doorway,
"I actually wanted to talk to you privately, let's head to the study." I tried not to be nervous as I followed him. I wasn't sure what he wanted with me, he didn't seem mad but he had a serious look.
"How was school today?" I already knew I didn't want a repeat of the conversation I'd suffered earlier.
"It was good, did you change your mind about me being in practice this week?" I hoped to lighten the mood.
"No, and we're not talking about that. I want to talk to you about Kieran." He said as he made himself comfortable in his favorite arm chair. For once I wasn't surprised, I'd been afraid of that.
"What about him?" I stayed standing with my hands in my hoodie pocket.
"I want to know how he's doing. What has he been like? Do you think he's been... Emotionally stable after what happened with his brother?"
"Oh. That..." I had to think about it for a minute. "We did talk about what happened, and he seemed to be handling it well. But, that doesn't mean I'm not worried about him."
"You should be. Regardless of how happy you two are together, it's going to be difficult for him to process. A trial of will. And likely a burden of guilt and grief that he will carry for life." I sobered at his words.
"What can I do for him?"
"Well for one you should pay attention, no offense but I fear you may not always be, aware. If you notice anything troubling his father needs to know so he can get help. Otherwise, grief is grief, even if the one you lost was estranged. The best comfort is simply to not be alone."

Kieran

I woke up in my bed, it was still night and there were no sounds. I stood up and left my room stepping into the shadowy hallway, no one was in it,
unusual.

I searched through the house, moving from one room to the next, each more stifling than the last,
confined,
stagnant.

A sense of disquiet grew in me, I knew there were supposed to be people here but the rooms stretched on,
empty,
dim.

No moonlight penetrated the oppressive black drapes that hung over every window,
airless.

I finally found myself faced with a towering pair of ornate double doors, pale against the shadows. I tried to open one, struggling with it's hostile weight, scrapping painfully along the floor, forcing it open against it's will with a mournful groan.

I stepped through, a bitter gust of wind attacked me wildly,
disorienting.

One solitary street lamp cast a circle of weak light on gray pavement, trembling in the darkness that threatened to overtake it. I walked down the steps, one after another, and another, another, another... Too many steps,
uneasy.

My feet touched the pavement with a chill, I felt cold sweat on my skin. In the distance I saw an orange light. I moved toward it, wind blew at my clothes making no sound.
The light was small, couched in darkness.

I walked.
No end of the desolate steppe existed, no distinction between the vast concrete plain at my feet and the inky, starless void above; only the distant glare interrupted their unity. I tripped over a branch and stumbled, catching myself with a hand that I couldn't see. The pavement left a biting sting of cold on my palm.
I walked.

The orange flicker began to take shape even as it moved, dancing in the tempest, it was a fire. I approached to see that it was larger than it had looked,
taunting,
enraged.

Flames filled my field of vision and a gaping yawn of fear swallowed me.
Panic gripped my throat, I opened my mouth to scream but couldn't make a sound.
I turned to run, and tripped over broken bits of rock, my feet slipping and sliding frightfully on a crumbling, churning pile that fed the flames. The shards were slick and wet, in the wicked orange glow I saw they were covered in blood.

I began to crawl, to flee the dreadful mound, the only sound was my own breathing, shallow and constricted.
Without warning I fell from the pile of rubble, tumbling down rapidly and landing on my own clenched hand, I rolled over and saw clutched in my fist,
a graphite pencil,
blood ran down it to my fingers,
my other hand reached up and felt my chest–

My eyes shot open as I hit the floor, I scrambled to my feet and looked at my hands. They were clean, but trembling. My shirt and hair clung to my body drenched in sweat, I stood there shivering and panting. It was a dream, I knew that, but my chest was so tight I could only gasp and place my hands on my knees for support.
Slowly I sank to the floor and sat with my head on my knees trying to clear my mind. I couldn't shake the anxiety, my stomach knotted painfully.

For a long time I sat that way, indecisive. I didn't want to be alone but I was a bit too unnerved to repeat the actions from my dream by stepping out into the hallway. I leaned my head back on the mattress and listened. My ears were met with the sound of distant voices downstairs yet I only felt lonelier, I wrestled against the pit of fear but couldn't find a single thought to soothe myself.

I reached for my phone, hesitating with my thumb over the call button, I'd just about changed my mind but the shaking that hadn't yet left caused me to tap the screen inadvertently. The phone rang quietly in my hand.
Four times, and went to voicemail. I was frozen not knowing what to do next.
Then the auto message was interrupted,
"Kieran?" At the breach of quiet the spell was broken, part of me returned to myself and I let out a breath I hadn't known I was holding.
"Um, hey." I felt stupid and relieved at the same time.
"What's wrong?" Mason sounded anxious despite the grogginess in his voice.
"Nothing. Well. Nothing is actually wrong, I just... Had a nightmare." I clenched my teeth with embarrassment.
"Oh shit. I'll be right there."
"What!? No! That's not necessary."
"How is it not necessary? Why did you wake me up if you don't want me to help you?" His tone was annoyed and I could hear movement on the other end like he was already out of bed.
"Mason please, I'm embarrassed enough. I just needed to talk. I feel better already anyways."
"Feel better already my ass. Too late, you can't stop me."
"Please listen Mason, I just needed to hear your voice," it was true, as soon as I'd heard it I felt grounded, "To break the silence. People are awake downstairs, I can go there. Now I can I mean. And I'll be fine." I spoke confidently now that my breathing was more steady.
"What do you mean, 'now I can'? What did you dream about?" His words were less rushed, calmer, as if he was really listening now. I sighed.

Most of the time my dreams were hard to remember, good or bad. Not this one though. It had been real, I'd moved through it with thoughts and emotions, every seamless detail in acute focus; it was stamped on my heart but strangely it felt like it had already been there, patiently waiting to reveal itself the moment I loosened control of my thoughts.

"Kieran?" I startled at Mason's worried voice.
"Yeah. It was. About death I guess."
"About me?"
"No, actually. About Cedric. And myself."
"Was it, like, gory?"
"Not really... It was mostly empty."
"Yikes, that sounds worse."
"It was the worst." I laughed feeling some relief at naming it, "No one was home and the house was all empty and dark with these huge doors I've never seen. When I opened them it was like a huge empty parking lot or something. It was cold and dark, windy but silent, there was a pile of like bloody rocks on fire and then I stabbed myself on a pencil."

There was a long pause. "What the fuck Kieran, that sounds terrifying. You're freaking me out with your spooky vampire dream."

If he was good for anything it was definitely lightening the mood, I laughed again, "Are you feeling intimidated by your goth core boyfriend? Can't keep up?"
"Yeah I'm just too basic for you."
"I know." I quipped dryly.
Mason spoke through a chuckle, "That's so rude. Now I'm gonna go back to sleep but first you're gonna go find your dad and tell him about this."
"For what reason?"
"For the same reason you called me. Or, alternatively, to get me to leave you alone."

I was reluctant to listen to him but for some reason I did anyway. He didn't hang up until he heard me talking to my father.

When my father dismissed me I decided to stay awake on a couch in the game room, one of the louder rooms in the house at night time. That's what I decided anyway, but I found myself waking up to my alarm for school.

I hesitated at the front door, for the first time that morning I thought about my dream from the night before.
Our door was normal, just a single door by itself, white, with a little frosted glass window, boring. Nothing ominous about it. Still I had to shake off my unease to open it and step out.
As I crossed the threshold a blarring noise erupted, I lept into the air and tripped down the stairs with my heart in my throat grabbing the railing for support, through ringing in my ears and blinded by the sun I rubbed my eyes processing slowly that the sound had been a car horn.
Although who would have reason to honk out here was a riddle beyond my current capacity to solve.

I finally opened my eyes and squinted. Mason was at my house, his car idling in the road directly in front of me across the lawn.
What the fuck is he doing here?
I stormed down the steps and ripped open the driverside door to see Mason absolutely overcome with laughter, doubled over, tears on his cheeks, howling with it.
"There are no adequate words to articulate my hate for you." I spoke in a low voice, with as much contempt as I could possibly load into it.

Mason only seemed to laugh harder. He was gasping for air. I was too angry to be moved by it so I shut the door and started walking. I knew I wasn't going to refuse a ride to school together, but I would make him apologize. I made it almost a whole block before I heard Mason's car start to follow me.

When he caught up he rolled the window down and leaned out,
"Hey there little lady."
"Read the room!" I shouted, pleased with myself for keeping a straight face.
That finally set him into beg mode, "Wait, Kieran please. I came to be cute so we can ride together, don't be like this."
"You are making me like this! You and your honking!"
That was a mistake because he started giggling again. But he managed to compose himself and try again, "We'll be late if you keep walking, just get in the car you sore loser."
"You piss me off so bad. You should be apologizing."
"But I'm just not sorry, it was so funny. You jumped so high." He giggled again. I walked faster threatening to leave him behind, he knew I could.

The car stopped and I heard his running footsteps behind me, I chose to let him catch up and he grabbed my arm. "Please Kieran, I came all this way for you."
"Ugh, try harder."
"Really, I wanted to take care of you and make sure you were alright after last night, I've been worried about you all morning."
"Before you scared the shit out of my fragile soul you mean? Because after that you transformed into a selfish beast, laughing at my pain." I had stopped walking to say it and he knew he had already won me over.
"Yes, before I was transformed by your dramatic display of fear."

With that I walked away from him and got into the car. As he hopped in he said,
"Hey I have a question. How much can I tell Blake about why we're back together?" I slumped in my seat with a groan.
"The hits just keep coming with you today. Blake? Really? What do you want to tell him?" Mason was giving me a calculating stare, taking an unusually long time to chose his words, unusual for him at least.
"I want him to not be suspicious of you but also I want him to know what a badass you are." I wished I could stop myself from shamelessly perking up.
"A badass?"
"Yeah, for surviving and like protecting me and everything."
"Well I guess you can tell him a bit. But the motives aren't safe, how will you explain that?"
"I was just thinking about saying it was because he was homophobic."
"Wow. He wasn't you know. And this isn't very sensitive to my whole nightmare recovery."
"Oh. I didn't think about it that way."
I finally let myself laugh at him. He was such a hopeless dumbass, I was going to be stuck with him forever. And I would like it.

When we got to school my phone buzzed with a text, it was from my father.
You have a therapy appointment this afternoon.
"My dad made me a therapy appointment thanks to you!" Unbelievable.
"Wow, so he does love you." Mason was giving me his signature smug grin.
"What's that supposed to mean? And don't be so pleased, it's for today so you won't be seeing me after school."
"What? How did he get one so fast?"
I shrugged, "He has gargoyle connections."
"Huh?" He was thoroughly confused, I guessed werewolves and gargoyles don't cross much.
"Lots of old money in the gargoyle world."
"You're truly expanding my horizons." He said sarcastically.