THE WARD

Slowly I turn to him and find him fiddling with the napkin I forgot to throw away this morning after breakfast.

" If there would be only a problem. But this is just one of many," I lean against the counter and watch him fold the napkin into a tiny little square.

" True. I believe you noticed that someone has been following you," The pinch of his brows mildly alarms me. If he knows about my mystery man then that means he has me followed.

" Yes. Is Louis following me?" He nods and heaves a heavy sigh.

" He tries, but something changed. You are not travelling the normal way anymore, and he has a hard time keeping track of you," I smirk at that. The traditional way of keeping tabs on me wouldn't work anymore unless I'm at a standstill.

" Yes, I have, " There is no point in hiding it from him.

" You're manipulating the reality. Bending it to your will," Sort of speaking, yes. I guess you could call it that.

I say nothing in response, so he continues, " Your powers are evolving faster than I expected. I assumed that after the forced slumber you'd slow down," He gives me a puzzled look while I shrug.

" I don't know what to tell you, Mase. It just happened that day at the temple, when I slipped into the pocket," He nods in agreement. My ire has diminished greatly over the two weeks and each time he comes to find me, it cools a little bit more. I'm inclined to believe that indeed there are no more secrets between us.

" What else can you do, apart from bending the laws of physics and shattering them," He smirks at that and I mirror the smirk.

" So far that's it. I haven't pushed myself enough to find out. I haven't been in the mood either," He gives me a frazzled smile, and I notice the dark circles under his eyes.

" I would never hurt you, Lily," He changes the subject," Deep down you must know this," He licks his lips trying to find more to say but fails.

" You could have said something, Mase. You had plenty of opportunities. Yet you chose to lie to me. I can't trust you. It took an enormous effort to put all my faith in you the first time around, you know this and then you go and pull this shit," Exasperation and anger bleeds into my voice. His head drops, and his shoulders sag, dejected.

" It was the only way we would have been successful in weakening Micah," He says as a way of explaining. I understand that much, but the knot in my stomach doesn't.

With a deep breath, I blink away the tears pooling in my eyes and regain what little control and dignity I have left. After all, this charade has gone on for long enough.

Even if I forgive him and find a way to trust him again, there is everything else standing out way. His engagement to Ava, the academy that has been nipping at my heels just waiting for the right opportunity to kick me out. Deep down I know that the only reason I'm still haunting these grounds is for the sake of my safety.

If the threat of Micah has been eliminated then they have no reason to let me stay. The eternal stain on their pristine record.

" He is not dead isn't he?" I just need confirmation even though everything inside me is screaming that the cockroach is still alive and truly well.

" No. I don't think so. Micah has been around for quite some time, and he has his means of survival. He would have made arrangements in the eventually of a confrontation. He knows what he is doing," I figured as much. After all, he is goal-orientated, so the man knows how to keep his eyes on the ball even if he has dropped it.

" I'm not afraid of him," Not anymore anyway.

" I know," Mason says quietly, staring down at his clasped hands.

" You can hold your Lily," He lifts his head and looks at my desk.

" I know that whatever you set your mind to you'll succeed. Think about my offer," He rises from his seat and takes a deep breath, " You know where to find me. Until then farewell, Canim," He pushes the chair under the table with a muffled screech and throws his head back to look at the sky.

" Goodbye Mason," That is all I have to say. He jumps up and climbs the frame still as nimble as a cat without looking back. He sprints on the roof kicking up a few tiles while I'm left to reflect on our conversation.

It will be a matter of time before Micah regroups and comes after me, until then I have one more record to set straight.

And that would be Graham. I don't know whether he is avoiding me or giving me space, whichever it is I want to know where we stand.

I finish unpacking the groceries, take a scorching shower, and get ready for yet another confrontation.

By the time everything is done night has fully set in over Morston. It's so peaceful that I can hear the crickets sing their songs, the hum of a moth's wings as it tries to get closer to the light bulb in the lamp. It is eerie and somewhat terrifying knowing that in four years, I will be deprived of all of this. And God knows what how the world will be like when I wake up.

With a deep breath, I chase away all the insidious thoughts and call for Shay. It takes longer than usual for him to appear and I already know that from where I've dragged him is nowhere near Morston or Takkara.

Shay blinks into existence at my feet, but he doesn't take me away to where he came from as he usually does.

" Take me to Graham," And with that, we both disappear in a ball of blinding light and for the first time, I feel how the journey rearranges my insides. Probably why I feel faint and queasy if I do it far too many times in one day. There is only so much a girl can take.