have al-ready done it.
The bond was supposed to improve power. With Cassie and Finn, all it was doing was killing her. No one had come right out and said it, but I could feel it in my soul. She was slipping away from me, and nothing was worth losing her. If she had a human lifetime to live, I wanted to make sure she could do it. Even if Finn went back to the mortal realm with her, it would be preferable to the alternative.
I couldn’t think about Cassie dying, especially with my own immortality so new. She’d lost too much al-ready — or at least the illusion of what she’d had with her mom and Nigel. I wouldn’t ever call that man her father again. I hoped Heath had good news for us. I wished for so many things, but what I really needed was something to lift Cassie’s mood.
Instead of answering me, she sighed, looking out into the distance. The light was fading, and the land had begun its transition from cool to awesome. When night fell in Faeresia, everything came alive with color. Each plant and most animals glowed with iridescent brilliance. The river near us looked more like a lit up six-lane freeway at full speed. The trees showed varying shades of purple veins that webbed up the bark and through the leaves. Even the stars twinkled a little brighter in the darkening sky.
I waited for Cassie as patiently as I could. The last thing I wanted to do was rush her. She had enough going on for the both of us, but her hesitance to answer right away made me wonder how bad her condition really was. Not knowing what else to do, I leaned closer to place my arm around her shoulders. She rested the top of her head near my ear. Her words were soft but strained. “All they can seem to figure out is what I’m not capable of. When it comes to telling me what I can do, they suck.” I laughed, sending her a sidelong glance. She smirked. “Not much has changed, except they think I’m still aging.”
Giving her a squeeze, I released her to get a better view of her face. “How can you be bound to Finn and still get older?” The bond had a few side effects, but stopping the aging process was one of the major changes an Elemental went through. Aging wouldn’t continue until the bond was broken. I shook my head. “Nothing makes sense.”
“That’s what the doctors keep telling me. I baffle them, which is kind of cool, but for once, I wish I could be average.” At least she could joke.
I grinned. “Give it up. You’ll never be normal.”
Her laugh sounded like a goose barking. “Aren’t you supposed to be making me feel better?”
I smirked. “Hey, just keeping it real.”
“Yeah? Since when do you know what’s fact or fiction?”
I shrugged, kicking at some pebbles by my shoe. One sailed off toward the river, barely making a splash when it hit. “I’m still working on that one,” I said matter-of-factly.
“Uh-oh,” said Cassie. “What’s wrong?”
“No way.” She was not going to turn our conversation around. “We’re talking about you. You haven’t told me everything, and I know it.”
Her lips flattened. “I hate you sometimes.”
“Yeah, yeah, just tell me.”
“Fine. I started my period, and it’s like my body is making up for lost time. My cramps are outrageous, and look at this!” She pointed at a spot left of her nose. Not much chance of making out what the big deal was in this light, but I improvised. “It’s not that bad.”
“Don’t patronize me! I don’t get zits, Rayla!” Her voice twisted into something almost unrecognizable. “It’s like I’m prepubescent all over again.”
When a chuckle slipped out of me, she punched my arm. Hard. My fingers cradled the area. “Ow,” I said, giving her a sideways smirk. “What a way to treat your best friend.”
She rubbed her neck. “You started it.”
“No. What I started was a conversation. You’re the one who flipped out because you’re menstrual again.”
“Don’t be gross.”
“It’s a fact of life, or
The bond was supposed to improve power. With Cassie and Finn, all it was doing was killing her. No one had come right out and said it, but I could feel it in my soul. She was slipping away from me, and nothing was worth losing her. If she had a human lifetime to live, I wanted to make sure she could do it. Even if Finn went back to the mortal realm with her, it would be preferable to the alternative.
I couldn’t think about Cassie dying, especially with my own immortality so new. She’d lost too much al-ready — or at least the illusion of what she’d had with her mom and Nigel. I wouldn’t ever call that man her father again. I hoped Heath had good news for us. I wished for so many things, but what I really needed was something to lift Cassie’s mood.
Instead of answering me, she sighed, looking out into the distance. The light was fading, and the land had begun its transition from cool to awesome. When night fell in Faeresia, everything came alive with color. Each plant and most animals glowed with iridescent brilliance. The river near us looked more like a lit up six-lane freeway at full speed. The trees showed varying shades of purple veins that webbed up the bark and through the leaves. Even the stars twinkled a little brighter in the darkening sky.
I waited for Cassie as patiently as I could. The last thing I wanted to do was rush her. She had enough going on for the both of us, but her hesitance to answer right away made me wonder how bad her condition really was. Not knowing what else to do, I leaned closer to place my arm around her shoulders. She rested the top of her head near my ear. Her words were soft but strained. “All they can seem to figure out is what I’m not capable of. When it comes to telling me what I can do, they suck.” I laughed, sending her a sidelong glance. She smirked. “Not much has changed, except they think I’m still aging.”
Giving her a squeeze, I released her to get a better view of her face. “How can you be bound to Finn and still get older?” The bond had a few side effects, but stopping the aging process was one of the major changes an Elemental went through. Aging wouldn’t continue until the bond was broken. I shook my head. “Nothing makes sense.”
“That’s what the doctors keep telling me. I baffle them, which is kind of cool, but for once, I wish I could be average.” At least she could joke.
I grinned. “Give it up. You’ll never be normal.”
Her laugh sounded like a goose barking. “Aren’t you supposed to be making me feel better?”
I smirked. “Hey, just keeping it real.”
“Yeah? Since when do you know what’s fact or fiction?”
I shrugged, kicking at some pebbles by my shoe. One sailed off toward the river, barely making a splash when it hit. “I’m still working on that one,” I said matter-of-factly.
“Uh-oh,” said Cassie. “What’s wrong?”
“No way.” She was not going to turn our conversation around. “We’re talking about you. You haven’t told me everything, and I know it.”
Her lips flattened. “I hate you sometimes.”
“Yeah, yeah, just tell me.”
“Fine. I started my period, and it’s like my body is making up for lost time. My cramps are outrageous, and look at this!” She pointed at a spot left of her nose. Not much chance of making out what the big deal was in this light, but I improvised. “It’s not that bad.”
“Don’t patronize me! I don’t get zits, Rayla!” Her voice twisted into something almost unrecognizable. “It’s like I’m prepubescent all over again.”
When a chuckle slipped out of me, she punched my arm. Hard. My fingers cradled the area. “Ow,” I said, giving her a sideways smirk. “What a way to treat your best friend.”
She rubbed her neck. “You started it.”
“No. What I started was a conversation. You’re the one who flipped out because you’re menstrual again.”
“Don’t be gross.”
“It’s a fact of life, or
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