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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Feb 24, 2021 19:27:07 GMT -5
(Lol, okay!)
~*~*~
At first, Anya wasn't going to respond. She knew he would only argue that it wasn't her fault, but it was was. She hadn't been able to control her magic. Had she had the control, she would have done something else. Try to push Seth out of the way if she could, or throw even used magic to simply stop the rock and let it fall to the ground. But no, she had let the anger from the men become her own, fueling her own anger at the fact they had done something like this in the first place. She could have found a better way to handle things, but she had tried to hurt the man who had thrown the stones. She wanted to hurt him. "Everything isn't 'not my fault,' Seth," she muttered instead. "I used magic. I threw the stone back. I caused you to choose between letting it hit him or saving him. It is my fault."
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Feb 26, 2021 11:48:38 GMT -5
(Okay!)
The day passed by in its usually, busy fashion. The elder Dorreh brothers led the way through the town, stopping at the best of the games, challenging Seth in a couple of competitions, and finding Aidan some activities and games to take part in as well. Food was got at some point, but they were more focused on keeping up a steady flow of activity. Partly to distract from the earlier mess of the archery contest, and to get Anya to cheer back up. She had already started the day with negative emotions, and they wanted to get her to see that it wasn't gong to be all bad.
It wasn't until late in the afternoon when the group took the time to stop and rest. They had wandered just outside the town. Having already participated in all the festival had to offer, now all they had to o was wait until tonight for the party. The siblings had found spaces on the ground, Ryner even stretched out on his back to enjoy the sun. "Well, I call this a productive day," Ryner commented, idly tapping his foot against his sisters back just to annoy her.
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Feb 26, 2021 14:38:50 GMT -5
Despite his worry for Anya, Seth had fun throughout the day. Maybe it started as an attempt to prove to Anya that losing the archery contest truly didn't bother him, but it didn't take long for the fun to be nothing but genuine. Aidan's enthusiasm and excitement never failed to make him laugh, and the friendly competition and banter between himself and Anya's brothers was... nice. It was almost like hanging out with Morgan, just without the strong bond forged by shared history. It was nice nonetheless, though it also had Seth missing his best friend more strongly than he had in days.
After they had done everything there was to do — multiple times, in some cases — Seth was content relax and to wait the hour or so until the party that night. He hadn't thought much about his upcoming performance that night, so as he watched Aidan play fetch with Star while sharing some cotton candy with Anya, he let his mind drift. Not just toward music, but also some of those thoughts and feelings that he had ignored for too long.
It wasn't until Aidan came and plopped down at his side that he blinked, pulling away from his deep thoughts. "Hey, buddy. Have fun?"
Aidan nodded, suppressing a yawn. "Yeah. Star's as tired as you guys now." He pointed to where she lay a few feet away. She was panting heavily, yes, and looked glad for the break, but she didn't actually appear to be all that tired. Unlike Aidan. Star had been with them all day, of course, but as she was a dog there wasn't much she could do to participate. That was why Aidan had decided to play fetch with her when they stopped here, so she wouldn't feel excluded from the fun.
"I see that," Seth said casually, watching out of the corner of his eye as Aidan slowly leaned his weight into Seth's side, suppressing another yawn. Seth smiled, but didn't mention it. If he did, Aidan would just jump back up and prove him wrong. "So what are you doing now?" he asked instead.
Aidan shrugged, peeking around him to see what Anya and her brothers were talking about. "Letting Star take a break." He looked up at Seth. "What are you doing?" Smart kid. He'd noticed that Seth wasn't participating in the conversation.
He ran a hand through Aidan's slightly damp hair. Part of it was probably sweat, but most was leftover from the water-balloon fight he had participated in with the other kids. Seth's shirt was still wet too, from the balloon Aidan had snuck out afterward and nailed him with. "I'm... thinking," he answered at last. But that was the simple answer, and Aidan didn't care for simple. Seth could already see him gearing up to ask, so Seth chuckled and beat him to it. "I'm working out my song list, for tonight. And also..." He looked up, to where the setting sun had painted the sky and clouds orange and red, pink and gold. Seth's fingers itched to draw it.
"Also what?" Aidan asked softly when Seth's silence stretched.
He let his gaze return to Aidan. "My past," he said quietly. "All the things I've done to get here, good and bad. I've been avoiding too much of it for too long." He leaned back on one elbow, and Aidan didn't even try to avoid going with him. He just made himself more comfortable with Seth as his pillow.
"Why?" Aidan asked, voice growing sleepy but still alert enough that avoiding the question wouldn't work.
So Seth took a deep breath and told him, "Because I'm not proud of a lot of it, and facing that would have just made it harder. So I ignored it instead." He didn't look to see if Anya or her brothers were listening. He kept his gaze on the sky, memorizing the color patterns for later.
Aidan mumbled something, then blinked rapidly and said more clearly, "Are you proud of what you're doing now?"
Seth looked down at him, surprised by the question. But it only took him a moment to find the answer. "Yes," he said quietly.
Aidan yawned, eyes falling shut. "Then just keep doing more of that. I like you this way way anyway."
Emotion threatened to choke him. Seth blinked several times and looked toward the sun again. A faint smile curved his lips. "I like me this way too," he whispered.
But Aidan was already asleep.
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Feb 26, 2021 23:24:59 GMT -5
"Productive is one word you could use," Felix replied. He sat with his legs outstretched, more than happy to let Aidan do the running around and playing with Star.
"And what would you use?" Ryner asked.
Anya listened to her brothers go back and forth with each other, idly picking the grass that was by her legs. Her attention flickered back and forth from her siblings to Aidan and then to Seth before going back to her brothers. Try as she might, the woman had never been good at faking a cheerful mood. She had done her best to keep up with the others, if only to not ruin the fun for Aidan, but she just wasn't in it. The boys did the most participation while she stood back, looking around at the faces of the people around them, both to see if anyone might have been around to witness her display of magic and keeping an eye out for the one person she just didn't want to see. So far, no one had confronted her about the contest, nor even seemed to look her way. It was a good thing but it also made her wonder just how long that would last. Rumors spread faster than wildfires in small towns after all.
But she at least wasn't the only quiet one. She had noticed Seth's distracted state since they decided to rest. Every time she glanced his way, he appeared lost in his own thoughts. Part of her wanted to move closer and ask what was on his mind. To apologize for their conversation before the archery contest, to ask if he was okay. She should have done it. However, she had wanted too long to do anything. Aidan flopped down by Seth before she could even move, and it decided for her. She wasn't going to intrude on their conversation. They spoke to quietly for her to hear them over her brothers, but she could tell that Aidan was very close to reaching his energy limit. It didn't take long at all for the boy to crash.
"Maybe you should take him on home," Anya spoke up, pausing the Dorreh boys' conversation. "Poor thing has run himself empty."
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Feb 27, 2021 3:08:34 GMT -5
Seth, still smiling faintly, turned to Anya as she spoke to him. He blinked, returning fully to the here and now. Aidan had pulled him from his thoughts, but their conversation made them linger. But as he brushed them away for later, he wondered if, the next time he faced those things that had gone ignored for too long, there would be one or two less.
The possibility made him smile for real. "For today, maybe. After falling asleep this early, he'll be unstoppable tomorrow." But he sat up carefully, and gently maneuvered Aidan into his arms. He stood in one fluid motion. "I'll be right back," he told them. He whistled for Star, who got up and trotted after him, unconcerned even as he stepped into a portal dimension.
He stepped out in the foyer of the Dorreh house. He had considered going right to their bedroom, but in case Aidan woke up before Seth and the others returned from the Festival, he didn't want Maria or Marcus unaware that the boy was under their roof.
☆~☆~☆
Now That night, Andy escaped solitary confinement.
The Rebels didn't have a prison, and like Lawrence said, kicking out rule breakers wasn't an option for fear of them falling into the Order's hands. So Andy had been on house arrest, stuck in his tent with an armed guard to await further judgment.
But in the dead of night, when there was little to do and nothing to see, the rest of the camp asleep in their beds, guards liked to gossip. And that night's conversation had gotten a little too loud.
The Ghost Rider was among them, and rumor claimed he was there to mete out justice.
That was all Andy needed to hear. He was out of bed and silently packing essentials, and within moments he was slicing through the tent fabric at the back of his tent and slipping away into the night.
If he were smart, Andy would have left the camp as quickly as possible. No one knew he was gone, and they likely wouldn't learn of his absence until morning. He had time.
And it was that thought that damned him: he had time.
So instead of fleeing as he should have, Andy changed directions and went on a hunt of his own. He had loose ends to tie up and unfinished business to see to.
~ • ~ • ~ Gordon had been assigned last minute to the three a.m guard shift for Andy Fordyce.
He had been trying to covertly get that shift for days, ever since his meeting with the Contact. He hadn't expected it to pay off, and part of him had hoped it wouldn't. He didn't want to kill anyone, even an asshole like Andy. Yet at the same time, he desperately wanted to be rid of that damning vial of poison he'd been carrying around in his pocket. If anyone caught him with it, he'd be instantly outed as a spy, a traitor. And Gordon couldn't get caught. Too much was at stake.
So he went for his shift, and as the chatty pair he replaced meandered off, Gordon offered to check on Andy. His shift mate just shrugged. Gordon didn't know the man, Samson, well — there were too many Rebels in this camp to know everyone — but he did know the man wasn't a big talker.
As Samson took up a position on one side of the door flap, Gordon slipped into the tent to "check on" Andy. Really, he intended to dump the vial of poison into Andy's private alcohol stash and be done with it. But as he inched across the dark space to the small cupboard he knew housed Andy's drinks, he cast a glance at the cot in the corner.
And found it empty.
Gordon froze, then spun around, willing his eyes to adjust faster as he looked around the dark tent. But no matter how much he blinked, he saw no sign of Andy. The tent was empty.
He cursed silently but didn't hesitate to call in his shift partner. He lit a lantern just as Samson burst in, and the sudden light blinded them for a moment. When their vision returned, it took only seconds for them to see it: the rip in the back of the tent.
Samson immediately set out to track Andy down, ordering as he went for Gordon to sound the alarm. Gordon nodded and started for the front of the tent, but stopped. Looked back at the cabinet of alcohol, that vial of poison a leaden weight in his pocket.
He hesitated a moment longer, then with another curse moved toward the cupboard. He had to get rid of the vial.
He had to.
~ • ~ • ~ Andy had just reached his destination when he sensed a presence behind him. He spun, dagger already raised.
Callum, half shrouded in darkness, merely smiled. "Good luck cutting me with that again. I never make the same mistakes twice."
If Andy was surprised by Callum's presence, he hid it well. He sneered. "Oh, I won't be cutting you with it. I'll be gutting you."
And he lunged forward, carried by fury and a need for revenge as much as skill. He did indeed try to gut Callum with his blade, but Callum easily evaded. He dodged the next strike as well, and the two after that, steadily leading Andy away from Cami's tent. He never struck back, only dodged and avoided Andy's attacks.
Until he heard it: the sounds of approaching footsteps and, farther away, shouting.
Andy didn't hear any of it, too caught up in his mounting fury as his attacks all failed to make contact. As his fervor intensified, Callum smiled.
Let the show begin.
~ • ~ • ~ Gordon had just dumped the last of the poison into the fourth and final bottle of Andy's stash when someone burst into the tent behind him.
Startled and already on edge, Gordon jumped so hard the vial shot out of his hand and landed on the ground by the lamp. He spun around, eyes wide, and found Alice Fordyce, Andy's sister, staring at him with a similar shocked expression.
She recovered first. "Andy," she gasped. "Where is he? Someone told me he was attacked. Is he —" But she stopped, her gaze finding the vial she had seen fly, her mind finally registering what it was.
All the blood drained from his face as Alice's wide stare shot back to him. To the open bottles of alcohol on the table behind him. She took a single step back. "Gordon," she whispered. "What have you done?"
Gordon said nothing, could say nothing. His mind was empty of words. He had been playing this game of spy for years, and he was good at it, yet now, in his moment of greatest need, every single skill and lie and excuse abandoned him. He had nothing left.
His silence was answer enough, his expression the evidence that damned him more than the alcohol or the vial. Without another word, Alice spun on her heel and ran to alert the camp.
Only now, their target would be Gordon.
~ • ~ • ~ Andy lunged, a snarl on his face. Callum side stepped, but this time he was a breath too slow. The dagger sliced across his bicep, the blood coming fast and soaking his sleeve within seconds. He let out a hiss of pain, the sound like music to Andy's ears. He attacked again, and again, faster and faster, until his dagger again made contact. A gash opened up along Callum's ribs, but this time he gritted his teeth and refused to make a sound. That only made Andy grin with savage triumph.
Andy came at him again, a slash that almost followed the exact path of the still-healing wound on his chest from their fight in the training ring. Callum leaned back enough to avoid most of it, but at the bottom half of the strike he felt the blade cut open his shirt, then the wound beneath it. More blood spilled from him, enough that even a human could scent it staining the air.
Andy's eyes gleamed with malicious satisfaction. He pressed his advantage, coming at him faster now, his dagger a red-stained blur.
In the next moment, two things happen simultaneously:
Gordon's shift partner, Samson, rounded the corner of a tent, his eyes going wide at what he found unfolding.
And Callum tripped on a well-placed rock, barely recovering his balance in time to stay on his feet.
Andy didn't notice Samson, and he didn't hesitate. While Callum regained his footing, Andy lunged forward once more —
And plunged his dagger into Callum's chest.
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Feb 27, 2021 20:48:40 GMT -5
Seeing Seth travel via magic was still a little unsettling for Felix and Ryner, but the two didn't make comments about it. Seth had done it enough to where they knew he would be back in one piece, so they weren't too concerned. It just took them a bit to get used to him just disappearing and reappearing at random times. When he was gone, the topic of discussion changed.
"So, Anya," Ryner said, poking her with his foot again and again, "have you thought anymore about coming along to the party tonight?"
Anya sighed and half-heartedly pushed his foot away. "I don't know, Ry, I feel worse now than I did this morning." And it was the truth. Her display of magic had drained a bit of her energy, and really, the fear that someone was going to stop her and ask about what had happened was crowding her already instilled fear of running into Daniel.
"And that's why you need to go," Ryner said, sitting up so he could look at her better. "Cricket, you can't let this get to you. You're a Rider, one who can fend for herself. Look at how you handled things this morning? Anya, that was amazing. You could kick that man's ass with a lift of your finger. We'll still be there to help you, don't get me wrong, but you can't let these things keep you from having fun."
"That isn't -"
"He's right," Felix interrupted her protest, a little more gentler than Ryner. "What better way to get back at him than by showing him you've moved on? That you're no longer scared? I know we're not Parker, but we will be there, watching your back. Besides, I don't think Seth would let anyone so much as look at you the wrong way."
Anya sighed again. She knew they were partly right, but how could she tell them her side of things. How could she make them understand the fear that she could forget until someone touches her the wrong way, or surprises her, or even looked at her with less than friendly intentions? Yeah, it had been years, but the memories still lingered, try as she might to drive them from her mind.
~*~*~
(Welp, there goes another life. He's got seven more, use them well. XD)
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Feb 27, 2021 21:49:03 GMT -5
Seth didn't linger for long on the main floor. After assuring Maria that Aidan was fine, just tuckered out, he carried him up to bed, removed his shoes, and tucked him in. Since no one complained, he let Star stay, curled up at the foot of Aidan's bed. He also lent him Anya's toy dragon, so he'd feel less alone if he woke up before they returned. "Sleep tight, kiddo," he said quietly.
He slipped from the room and went back downstairs to bid Maria and Marcus goodbye. He stepped out onto the porch before walking into a portal dimension and coming out at the grassy spot, right where he'd disappeared. He missed their conversation, but one look at Anya had his worry for her rising to the surface again.
Seth glanced past her to her brothers, then sat down beside her. "I can take you home too, if you want," he told her, and meant it. Try as they might, being here just wasn't making her happy. And even if it meant him missing out on the rest if the night's fun, and not singing, he would bring her home and do whatever she wanted for the rest of the night.
☆~☆~☆ Morgan wasn't sure what woke him.
He was still in Kyra's bed, fully clothed but wrapped around her as if they'd done more than just sleep. He stayed still, watching her sleep and listening to her breath, as he waited to see if whatever woke him up revealed itself to him. He was on the verge if falling asleep again when he heard it: shouting. In fear and anger.
Morgan was fully awake now, and he quickly disentangled himself from Kyra and rolled out of bed. She'd likely be up and following him within seconds, if she wasn't already, so he didn't feel bad about leaving her as he burst out of her tent.
Someone was running by, a night guard by the look of him. Morgan ran into his path and stopped him. "What's going on?"
The man looked Morgan up and down quickly, then glanced past him to the tent he had come out of. Morgan wasn't sure which assessment finally had the man saying, "Andy escaped, there's a traitor in our midst, and one of those newbies is hurt, maybe dying. Don't know, but I've got to alert the boss." And without another word he was off, running through the darkness with ease.
Morgan stood froze, eyes wide and face pale. "One of those newbies" could only be the Veras. And if Andy was free...
"Damn it," he whispered, just before he took off in the direction the messenger had come from.
☆~☆~☆ By the time Andy yanked his arm back, Samson was on him, wrestling the bloody dagger away and pinning the man's arms behind his back. Andy struggled half-heartedly, too busy gloating to really register or care that he'd been caught, to notice the other Rebels running and shouting around him.
Most ignored him, seeing as he was held securely by Samson, who was a big guy and not easy to beat in one-on-one combat. No, their concern was Callum, on the ground and covered in blood. Someone called for a healer, another ordered a messenger to send for Lawrence. Several shouted questions, demanding to know what happened, but Andy wasn't speaking and Callum...
Well, no one really knew. There were so many people crowding around him now that only those closest to him could see him. There were shouts asking if he was dead, asking who had bested him, and how. At that, Andy wanted to crow that it had been him, he had bested Callum Vera. But it was in that moment that he realized what he'd done. Specifically, what he'd done with witnesses.
And now he was trapped again, and the odds of him talking his way out of this one were slim.
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Feb 27, 2021 22:05:31 GMT -5
Anya glanced up when she heard Seth beside her. Seeing the concern on his face made her feel worse. She hated making people worry about her, and she hated the idea of making Seth miss out on what was probably the best part of the Festival. She couldn't ruin it for him either, for she knew if she went home, he would stay and miss out. So she shook her head. "No, it's okay," she told him, plucking more grass from in front of her. "Maybe a drink or two is what I need. It certainly can't make things worse." Then, with a faint smile, added, "Unless, of course, I'm stupid enough to let you order the drinks."
~*~*~
It didn't take Kyra long to wake up. Trained to be a light sleeper, she was woken a few seconds before Morgan left the bed. At first, she wondered if he was leaving because he never intended to stay, but the way he was rushing for the exit had her thinking otherwise. Without thought, she was up and out of the tent in time to hear the guard's brief explanation of what was going on. Well wasn't this an interesting turn of events? The woman ran after Morgan, doing her best to keep up, but he was faster than he used to be. She never lost him, but keeping up was near impossible.
~*~*~
(You bet your ass that you're not getting out of this alive, boy! You a dead man. XD)
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Feb 27, 2021 22:47:29 GMT -5
Seth wasn't sure he believed her, but he grinned at her anyway and told her, "I happen to have excellent taste in alcohol, thank you very much. It's not my fault you're a lightweight."
☆~☆~☆ Morgan heard the crowd before he saw them. He changed course slightly so he was running right toward it. He was almost there when he heard Cami scream.
"Callum!"
Morgan put on a burst of speed, and suddenly he was there, in a small open space between tents, made smaller by all the people gathered there. His eyes darted over all of them until he found Cami. She was on the far side of the crowd, with Cresseida, being held back by a couple Rebels. Morgan looked them over closely, reassured himself that they were all right, and followed the line of their sight. He couldn't see Callum, just a tight cluster of people and —
Andy. Looking a little worried, but completely unrepentant and... smug. Triumphant, as he too watched that tight group of people. Some of whom, Morgan realized, were kneeling on the ground.
A tightness filled Morgan's chest. He moved, began shoving forward through the crowd. He had to reach Callum. Had to do something to help him —
A booming, authoritative voice, enhanced by magic, suddenly spoke up, startling the crowd: "What the hell is going on here?"
Morgan spun. Ghost was stalking out from between the tents, his eyes glowing white hot with the magic he covered himself with. He wore the magic like a cloak, making him look otherworldly and ethereal, almost... see-through — ghostly.
This was the Ghost Rider, the only being in their world who had gone up against the Order and walked away alive. Of course, the story was told differently among the Riders of the Order, but to the rest of the world, Sebastian Accio was a legend. One of the most powerful Riders the world had ever seen. Some said be had even conquered death itself.
The sight of him had quiet falling upon the clearing, upon the whole camp. The Rebels stared at Ghost, wide-eyed, some with wonder and awe, others with trepidation and fear. No one spoke, but they moved, clearing a path to where a figure lay on the ground.
Ghost took all of one step toward him before Morgan snapped put of his awed stupor and ran forward. The figure on the ground was indeed Callum, and he was covered in blood. His eyes were closed. He didn't seem to be breathing, so Morgan put a hand on his chest.
Callum's eyes shot open. With a pained hiss, he rolled away from Morgan and tried to push to his feet. Morgan grabbed his shoulder and forced him onto his back again. "Callum, you idiot. Stay still."
Callum batted his hand away. "Leave me alone, Reilly. I'm busy."
"Doing what?" Morgan snapped. "Dying?"
Callum opened one eye to glare at him. "No," he said, and left it at that.
Morgan sat back with a low growl, puzzling it over. Did that mean he had already died and come back? Or did he simply not want anyone to know he could die and come back? Whichever it was, Morgan knew he wouldn't get a straight answer out of Callum, not with all these people here. At least he was alive. That was all that really mattered.
☆~☆~☆ ( xD )
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