Twenty- two - Ash

took long enough! Now only two chapters to go through until awesomeness! :D

Chapter 22

Ash

About fifteen minutes after Air and I got home from training I get a text from Ray.

Hey, you know Wren from school? Nox thinks hes 1 of us (no idea how he knows...) so if you see him around, try 2 let him know... gently. Also, u know that girl who got into a car accident? Her parents died? Nox thinks she's one 2, nd there living 2gether, keep an eye out 4 her 2.

Okay. I reply.

I plop down on the couch and just sit there, bored. There's nothing really to do. Air groans from the love seat.

“Air, you okay?” I ask. Her hands clutch her stomach and her teeth are clenched. I do the same thing, to keep myself from throwing up. “Oh, why don't we get you to the bathroom.” I say, standing up and helping her to her feet. She convulses then bolts into the bathroom. I follow her and hold back her hair while she vomits into the toilet.

Throw up doesn't bother me much, Rob did it all the time, sometimes on me, so I've built an immunity to disgust. Beads of sweat form on her upper lip and forehead and her hands grip the edges of the toilet, sometimes slipping off and leaving grease marks. Her legs shake in terror, when I'm sick I'm always scared, I may not be grossed out by throw up, but that doesn't mean every time I'm sick I don't pray it's the last time. Finally she stops retching and I help her to her feet. Her hands shake and she looks exhausted so I put toothpaste on her toothbrush for her, the slip it into her tiny hand. I stand next to her, watching her in the mirror as she vigorously scrubs her teeth, foam dripping out of her lips. I tower over her, even though I'm not the tallest person ever, only being 5'10, which is pretty short for a guy, but that's still a foot taller than her. A few white drops of toothpaste land on the ends of her black hair as she rinses and spits.

“I'm going to bed.” She croaks.

I nod and get a pot from the kitchen. “In case you wake up.” I explain. She takes the pot and shuffles to her room, where I can hear the springs bouncing as she collapses on her bed.

I wonder why she's sick, she only had three Oreo's, Bry did tell us there could be side affects. But Air hasn't had this before, maybe it's the whole meditation thing, she didn't seem to be struggling but I could be wrong.

The yin yang thing Ray and Nox did was really cool. They were completely concealed but their eyes, the fog clouded around them and then took shape, it was really amazing. It's kind of interesting how Light and Darkness have such a reaction but Air and Earth don't, even though they're opposites.

Reading Latin was... amazing. At least I'll get A's in one class next year. I want to try it again, but I don't have the book. I sit up and open my laptop which I retrieved from my house a few days ago when no one was home. I type into Google “Latin Phrases” and open a Wikipedia page. A table of words and phrases opens up. “A” in Latin apparently means from and “ad” means to, which if you think about it, makes sense. I'm learning more from this, and reading it without the key, more than I would be able to in a lifetime of Latin classes. I open Word and start typing. When I'm done, the top of the paragraph explaining what I am is completely in Latin, but the last few sentences every other word is in English, like the Latin-ness wore away.

Air's dad gets home from work.

“Where's Air?” He asks, taking off is shoes.

“She got sick, she's in her room.” I answer.

He nods and walks into her room, not closing the door, I hear their conversation.

“Hey hun.” Mr. Casey says.

“Hi Daddy.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Not so great.”

“Did ya puke?” He asks in a weird voice.

“Yeah.” She laughs. “Ash held my hair back which was nice.” All in a day's work, lighting things on fire, reading Latin, and making throwing up more comfortable.

“You know, if he wasn't gay, I'd say he had a thing for you.” He teases. What?!?!?! I don't think so, being gay or having a thing for her. I mean, she's pretty and all, and I think short girls are adorable, but Air's my friend, it'd be weird.

“Dad!” She laughs.

“Night honey.”

“Night.” He walks out of the room, holding the pot away from him like it's diseased, which it sort of is.

“I'll take that, I'm not grossed out by that.”

“Thank you.” He sighs, relieved. I clean the pot and return it to Airborne's room, she's already snoring softly.

“So, Ash, would you like some dinner?” Food! I think to myself happily.

“Yeah, that'd be great.”

Mr. Casey and I sit at the table eating chicken, broccoli, and mashed potatoes.

“Ash, do you have a gir- I mean boyfriend.”

“Huh?” I ask, looking up. He makes the best mashed potatoes.

“Are you dating anyone?”

“Oh, no.” I answer. He nods. Well this is awkward. I hear a door open and the shuffle of slipper-ed feet.

“Hey.” Air says.

“Hey hun, how are you feeling?” Mr. Casey asks.

“A little better.” She rubs her eyes, stretches, and yawns. I notice she's wearing pajamas with clouds on them and a blue tank top. Her straight black hair is tangled, her face rosy with fever, but her teeth are unclenched. “Can I have something to eat?”

“Sure, what would you like?” Her dad replies, pushing back his chair and walking over to the cabinet next to the fridge, the hinges squeak when he opens it. “Crackers, soup, apples...” He trails off, noticing the faces she makes in disgust.

“What about peas?”

“Peas?!” I ask incredulously. “Ew.” Peas, spinach, and brussel sprouts all disgust me.

“Yeah, why not?” She says. Her dad plops a bag of the green things on a table. “Oh, you mean cooked! Cooked is gross, here, try one.” She reaches into the bag and pulls out two pea pods, one for me and one for herself. She cracks her open and eats the peas inside. I mirror her and chew. These are actually really good. She eats the pod afterward and I do the same, I reach into the bag and grab a handful, eating some like we just did and eating some just whole.

After we finish the bag she manages to keep the peas and some water down as we watch Wall-e. We're both huge Disney and Pixar fans. She's starting to fall asleep and I reach over to feel her forehead, it's hot. I wonder... Her dad has retreated to his room, I place both my hands on either side of her head. Her eyes open.

“What are you doing?”

“Getting the fever out of you.”

“Can you do that?” She asks. I can feel muscles moving in her face as her jaws move, it's weird.

“Maybe?” I reply. I focus on the heat coming from her and imagine it flowing onto my finger tips, then I move my hands away and small flame follows, all the extra heat in her body condensed. The rosiness in her cheeks fades quickly and she kicks the blanket off her, done shivering.

“Thanks.” She says, smiling sleepily.

“No problem.”

Author's Note

please point out any grammar issues you see! Most are probably just typos but yeah. Air is based a lot off of me in this chapter (minus the shortness) and her dad off mine, just minus the fleeing and I have a mom lol

Reviews

[Amanda]

I can see the resemblance. I also totally forgot about Ash being feaux-gay. STill loving this story

[Victoria Elizabeth]

LOVE IT!!!

[Tamelia Jade]

Beautiful :) you described everything really well and made the characters really natural and real. Oh, but one thing, when Air goes for the peas, you wrote that she 'cracks her open.' But that's all I could see at any rate :)

[emman]

Great! :)

[Sylvana]

Ah, peas. Something I haven't had in a while... maybe that will cease my undying boredom. O.o This chapter was lovely, just as the rest. I wonder how soon it will be until they find Wren and Marina...

[Lina Grey]

Mmm, uncooked peas are yummy and now I want some! The story was great, didn't see any errors, keep going, I really want to see how this turns out! Thank you.

[Abbie]

I don't see any mistakes, but there probably are some in there. Really good chapter by the way. I love it. Please finish te next chApter soon! I really like this book!!!! Oh, by the way, do uncooked peas really taste good? I've never tried it...