| I lay out in the grass, still keeping my human form, looking up at the galactic explosion with every bit of awe and wonder a child would have. 'I knew it would be incredible to see something like this up close but this...this is just incredible!' I thought to myself and rolled over to my side to see Will standing there, watching me. "I didn't hear you come out," I said, sitting up. My ponytail hung limp with dew from the grass but I didn't mind since it wasn't drenched. "You looked...peaceful. I didn't want to mess with you," he replied, looking off towards the forest. "I'm sorry I disturbed you." Smiling, I patted the patch of grass next to me. "The clearing is big enough for both of us. Come on, sit." Will hesitated but sat down, folding his muscular legs beneath him. "This must be your dream," he said looking up. "All those stars and supernova and stuff." "It is...how did you know?" I asked and Will colored slightly. "You did say you wanted to be an astronomer," he said softly. "I...didn't know you were paying attention," I said softly. Locking eyes with me, he let the ghost of a real smile trace his features. "Tasha, I always pay attention to what you say, even if it seems I don't," he said in a low voice and I could do nothing but stare back at him. "Will...if I asked you something, will you tell me the truth?" My friend looked lost. "I always try to tell you the truth. Sometimes, I can't though." "Why not?" Will looked down and then back at the sky. "It's..." his voice hitched but then he swallowed. "It'd be for your own good, honest." I regarded him closer. 'What could be for my own good?' "I'm not a little child, Will," I said evenly. "I can take anything you say." Suddenly, I felt something curl inside me. It felt like power but also like sorrow and it wasn't me: It was Will sitting next to me. Forest green met deep brown and we blinked. "I...I can feel you," he whispered. "Inside, in my head, my body." "I can too...but tell me, what are you not telling me?" I replied. I could smell his scent, like cinnamon and strawberries that played in my nose and I swallowed hard, knowing that he could feel what I felt, that something inside me wanted him in ways that I didn't totally understand. "Natasha..." Will's voice was a shattered whisper and I shuddered from the sensation. "It would hurt both of us...don't ask." Something akin to need gripped my soul but with it was pain; pain that stabbed deeply enough to burn my eyes with tears. It took everything in me to nod and not push the issue. 'If he used your whole name, then it's serious. You can hear about it later. Right now, there are bigger problems.' "Can you still feel me?" I asked and he nodded. "Yeah, just not as...strongly as before," Will said and his eyes flicked to the ground and then back up to meet me. Something passed behind them and I swallowed again, clamping down on what I felt. "Good...I'll have to ask Grandfather what this is." My voice sounded cool, neutral. Thank God. The older boy regarded me with a haunted expression that made me want to run and hide. "Yes, you do...before it kills both of us." |