Five

Chapter 5

 

     The tip of the leaf started quivering as it picked up the beginning of the draft of the oncoming wind. Soon, the leaves brushed against each other, creating a crisp rustling sound. The wind carried a sharp chill to it through the air. The metallic yet sweet smell in the air continued throughout the whole area and intertwined with the yellowing leaves.

     There was a pounding sensation in her head and it pumped painful ripples throughout her body. From the corner of her eye, she saw something orange. It was smooth and round, not geometric and rough.

     The feathers started snowing down again, getting heavier and heavier as they landed on her body. She struggled to keep her breath steady and started struggling for air. The soft material of the feather tickled her nose but constricted her throat. She coughed and gasped for air, and soon enough, her vision blurred and she rested her eyes.

     When she opened them again, the feathers were gone, but she still had trouble breathing. She was surrounded by darkness. Her hair floated this way and that and she realized that she was underwater. After realizing where she was, the feeling of choking returned. She clawed at her throat and stretched her neck upwards, looking for the surface. As she kicked her way up, she noticed there was a dark blur in the water next to her.

     She immediately regretted noticing, however, since she recognized the two innocent faces of the Tryst boys. What was left of her air supply escaped her mouth into bubbles and they rose to the surface. Her vision blurred again and the two human shapes in front of her faded away. Slowly, her eyes closed as she floated into the darkness of the murky water.

     Hazel kicked her feet in the air and sat up with such force that Moose jumped off the bed in startle. She gasped for air, which desperately rushed into her lungs. Her throat burned from the lack of oxygen and there was a sharp pain in her chest. Hazel shut her eyes to calm herself down and she scrunched up her face in pain. After a few minutes of remaining still, Hazel opened her eyes again and looked at Moose, who was staring at her from the cold floor.

     “Sorry Moose,” she said and he perked his ears up. “Didn’t mean to scare you.” She patted the soft blankets next to her and he jumped up again and rested his head on his paws. Hazel smiled slightly and she held a hand up to her chest to see if the pain was gone or not. Even though she had slept for more than eleven hours, she still felt like she had just had ran a marathon. Her body felt shaky and she held up a hand in front of her to see. It shivered back and forth and she was unable to steady it. With a sigh, she laid back into her pillows, face down. Her brain was fuzzy from confusion and exhaustion and was unable to clear itself up.

     A few minutes later, there was a slight knock on the door and Eva came peering in. “Hey sleepyhead,” she came in and put her hands on her hips. “Still not up yet?”

     Hazel remained face first into her pillows and grumbled in response. Moose picked his head up and barked slightly at Eva. She came by the bed and sat at the corner of it, petting his head.

     “Hazel, we have that faculty meeting today, you know that,” she said, poking the big mat of blankets that hid Hazel.

     “Idnnnofgred.” A voice came from under the mass of blankets.

     Eva just shook her head and sighed. With one pull, she lifted the comforter off of the bed and Hazel immediately scrunched up into fetal position, hugging her knees to her chest.

“What’s wrong Hazel?”

     “I don’t feel good Eva,” she said clearly this time.

     “How do you not feel good?” Eva asked, with a worried expression. Hazel shrugged and started to pull the blankets over her legs again.

“Come on, let’s not play Doctor.” When Hazel didn’t move, she put a hand up to the girl’s forehead. “Your burning up,” Eva said with a frown. Hazel rolled onto her back and looked up at Eva. Eva was wearing a worried expression and her hair was in a messy ponytail. She had stress written all over her face.

     “It doesn’t feel like I have a fever though,” she replied.

     Eva opened the drawer of the nightstand next to her and pulled out a thermostat. Hazel took it and stuck it on her tongue and waited. She looked at Moose, who was now lying on his back in a comfortable position.

     “I think you should take a day or two off,” Eva said, crossing her arms and looking at Hazel. “We’re just having a meeting today about employment issues and everything, you won’t miss anything that important.

     Hazel nodded and tried sitting up by moving her pillows into an upright position. After a few minutes, she checked the little device and read aloud, “101 degrees.”

     Eva made a ‘tsking’ sound with her lips and shook her head. “Alright, you stay put, I’ll go make a phone call and get you some medicine.” Hazel nodded and lied back into her blankets, her hand unconsciously petting Moose’s head.

     “Stupid fever…” she grumbled and closed her eyes. Her arms fell by her side and she closed her eyes. The fuzziness of her head had created a sort of humming noise in her ears and soon she found herself drifting off into another sleep.

***

 

     Her face burned red from the icy slashes the snowy wind threw at her. It was like fighting an invisible force, not knowing where the next blow would come from; fighting an unfair battle. She pulled her thin jacket around her cold body and trudged on through the dark snow.

There was a street lamp a few feet away, and she aimed her destination to it. Once she got there, she looked up, squinting her eyes from the snow and noticed the flickering of the light. Any kind of lighting would be better than the cold darkness that surrounded her and she thought she could feel herself become warmer by a fraction of a percent. She rubbed her numb hands together and felt how hard it was to bend her fingers. She blew on them, but her warm breath turned to an icy breeze as soon as it had left her lips.

“He-h…” From somewhere, someone was whispering something and she immediately jumped from fright. She looked around, scanning the dim environment. All she saw was the dark snow that had the faint glow of the street light around her.

“He-help.” The voice came again and it raised the frozen hairs on her neck.

“Wh-who’s there?” She called out into the darkness. Her lips cracked from dryness and drips of blood dried up in an instant as it hit the cold nights air.

“Help m-me.” The voice came from behind her and she turned to face the direction she thought it was coming from. She took a step forwards and then another. Cautiously, she walked around into a dark alleyway and she had to squint to see anything at all.

“Hello?” She called out, trying to find whoever needed help. There was no response, however, and she froze in place, listening for any sign of movement or breathing.

“Help me!” The voice called out and this time, it came from her left hand side. She jumped in startle and nearly fell over into the deep snow below her feet. She backed up and turned to see a young girl, wearing hardly anything besides a tattered sweater. Her face was covered with dirt and her brown hair was hanging rigidly from her head. Her blue eyes competed with the icy blue of how the snow felt. She was a skinny girl with extremely pale skin. Her lips were turning a slight blue from the coldness in the air.

She gasped as she saw the little girl sitting on the ground, shaking from the weather. She ran towards her and bent down on the ground, taking her thin jacket off to wrap around the little body. “What are you doing here?” She asked, sounding worried.

“I-I’m cold,” was all she said.

“Where are your parents?” She wondered. She, herself, was starting to get even colder since she had given away her only long-sleeved jacket.

“With the butcher.” The little girl’s icy blue eyes froze onto her and she shivered at the hallow stare. ”Can you help me find them?”

She scrunched up her face in confusion. “What butcher?”

“I’m s-so cold.” The little girl’s lips were trembling and her eyes were starting to close.

“Okay, lets get out of here.” She picked the little thing up in her arms and started to look around in wonder. What butcher?

She decided to take a left and walked down the quiet street. The little girl grew heavier and heavier in her arms, causing a burning aching in her biceps.

“Where’s the butcher’s place?” She asked, not expecting an answer.

The girl’s breath materialized in the air as she breathed shallowly. “Be-behind you...” Her whisper sent shivers up her spine and she slowly turned around cautiously.

Like the girl said, right behind her, there was a small store front that was lit up by a dim greenish white light. The windows were blurred but the sign was lit up bright enough that she could read “Butcher.”

With a deep breath that felt like cat scratches on her lungs, she took a step towards the small shack. Her heartbeat quickened as they approached the abandoned-looking place. With her foot, she opened the plastic curtains that hung at the doorway. There was a stale smell in the air that made her nose cringe.

“H-Hello?” Her voice shook with nervousness and fear. There was no response, however, and she walked further into the room. Her arms at this point were completely numb and shaking. The little girl in her arms had her blue eyes wide open and a finger at her lips.

She gulped down a dry swallow of saliva and wandered to the murky counter. She tiptoed to look over the scratched display window to see what was within. She regretted it immediately however at the sight of the thick red liquid that rested at the bottom of the crate.

She held in her disgust and horror and backed away slowly from the counter. “Why are your parents with the butcher?”

“Because they did something bad.” The blonde, little girl shivered and put her hands together neatly on her lap.

There was an entrance that led to the backroom where the meat was usually processed. With a deep breath, she slowly made her way over and peered into the darkness. There was a dripping faucet coming from somewhere in the room.

A chill ran down her body as she got the feeling that a pair of eyes was fixed upon her. Slowly, she walked deeper in and rested against the nearby metallic table edge.

“Is anybody here?” She called out with a shaky voice. The sound echoed through the stale air and there was a shuffling noise, as if something was being dragged on the cold, hard ground.

She got off the table and looked around, still carrying the little girl in her arms. There was a metallic scraping sound all of a sudden that made her jump. She turned around in startle and looked deeply into the darkness. She could hear her own heart pounding and she tried to control it, but she was far too focused on figuring out what had made the sound.

There was a soft thump on the ground before her, then another, and then another. Footsteps were coming closer and she backed away slowly. In the faint spot of light, a face came into view and smiled. His teeth were crooked and yellow as the smirk ran up the sides of his cheek. She gasped and backed away, but stepped onto something wet. Her foot lost grip of the ground and she fell backwards onto the cold ground.

Heavy darkness resurfaced again and this time, when she opened her eyes, she was underwater again. The butcher shop and the little girl had disappeared, and instead there was peace and stillness as she floated in the water. Everything was calm and serene as her long brown hair floated around her, slowly waving back and forth from the gentle sea current. But when she felt a tightness in her chest, she realized that she needed air. When she began to swim for the surface, none of her limbs would move. Sudden panic arose out of the peacefulness in an instant and she struggled for survival. Her brain screamed at her legs to kick, but her legs remained still. The tightness in her chest grew and her mind grew blurry again. The tightness soon escalated into a sharp pain that was desperate to be cured.

Hazel sat up gasping for air, and woke so fast that her head didn’t keep up. Her vision blurred into darkness and she rested her head on her hand to wait for her head to clear up. There was a sudden push of a chair in the room followed by quick footsteps.

“Hey, Hazel, Hazel, its okay.” A voice came out of the confusion.

She still gasped for air as her vision slowly returned. A hand reached out and rubbed her back, comforting her. A few minutes later after she calmed down, Hazel looked up and saw a familiar face.    

“Castiel, what are you doing here?” She asked. She noticed that the pain in her chest had disappeared.

“Eva called me to keep an eye on you while she was away at the a meeting. She told me you had a fever?” He crossed his arms in the chair next to her bed and looked worried. “How are you feeling?”

Hazel felt a slight breeze pass by and she shivered, realizing that her covers were pulled back and that all she was wearing was a tank top and shorts. Suddenly, she felt self-conscious and she pulled the covers back over her, still remaining in a sitting position. “A little better I guess.”

Castiel reached for the nightstand and grabbed the thermostat and handed it to her. She quickly took it and placed it on her tongue. “Eva mentioned that you fell back asleep before she got back with the medicine.”

She nodded, “That’s right,” she said, remembering now. A shudder went up her back as she remembered her nightmare as well.

Her friend sensed it and sat forwards in his chair. “What was,” he paused, “What was that all about?” When Hazel didn’t respond, he continued. “While you were sleeping, you were tossing and turning and your breathing…” He trailed off. “It sounded as if your were having trouble breathing.” He looked at her with his deep green eyes.

Hazel looked away and fidgeted with her sheets. “Bad dream I guess.”

“Does it happen often?” He asked.

She paused for a couple of seconds but then nodded. “It hasn’t been as bad as this time though.” She looked down at her hands and noticed that they slightly trembled even though she was calm. The worried expression did not fade away and Castiel remained still, looking at the window behind her.

Hazel saw this and smiled slightly, “Don’t worry about me, I’m fine, really,” she said reassuringly. As she said this, the thermostat beeped and she read the little device. Her smile faltered and she handed it over to Castiel.

“99 degrees,” he sighed and set it back onto the nightstand. “You should take some medicine just incase. I’ll get some right now,” he said, getting up from his seat. Castiel opened the door but turned back. “Try not to fall asleep while I’m gone,” he smiled.

“I’ll try my best,” Hazel said as he closed the door gently behind him. There was silence again in the room as he left and Hazel sat back quietly against the wall. Moose was resting his head on the blankets, staring at the door, waiting for Castiel’s return. Hazel felt the goose bumps rise on her arms and she slowly slid out of bed to grab a sweatshirt. She reached her brown desk and touched the soft rim of the black sweater that Luke had given her and a wave of sadness washed through her. Hazel turned away and opened her closet to pull out one of her sweaters. Satisfied and giving one last look at the black sweater hanging on her chair, she shuffled back to her bed and slid in the warm blankets.

The brown door to her room opened again and Castiel stepped in, holding a bottle of Dayquil. She frowned at the sight and sighed. He sat back down in the chair and set the bottle on the nightstand with a soft thump. When she didn’t say anything, Castiel broke the silence, “What’s the matter?”

“I don’t like Dayquil,” she said and made a face at the mention of the word.

Castiel gave her a look and slightly smirked. “What are we, seven years old?” He opened the bottle with a cracking sound.

“No, I’m ten times plus one older than that,” Hazel said and took the bottle from him, “I can do it myself.” With that said, she poured the pills out and slipped them into her mouth followed with a drink of water. He had an amused expression on his face as he watched her swallow the pills with an expression of disgust.

After sitting still for a couple of seconds, waiting for the medicine to settle, Hazel looked over at Castiel. “You know, you don’t have to stay, I can take care of myself,” she said matter-of-factly. “I’ll even tell Eva that you stayed.”

He leaned forwards in his chair, the tips of his brown hair glimmered in the stretch of sunlight in the room. “I gave Eva my word that I would stay. Especially around these times, I’m pretty sure Eva would want you to be safe. Plus, you probably wouldn’t mind my company,” he said. Hazel remained still in her bed.

“Debatable...” she smirked.

His rough laughter filled the air. “You hungry? Want some breakfast?” Castiel asked.

“Yeah that sounds good,” she nodded and got out of bed. Moose’s ears perked up and he jumped off the bed as well, excited by the movement in the room. The three went downstairs and into the kitchen. Moose wagged his tail as Hazel filled his red food bowl.

“What do you like? Eggs? Bacon?” Castiel asked as he started rummaging through the white cabinets in the kitchen. Hazel straightened up from petting Moose’s ears and gave him a strange look.

“You’re going to cook?” She asked, bewildered.

He turned around from his search of kitchenware. “Yes I am, now what would you like?”

“You know how to cook?” Hazel asked, still standing there with her hands by her side.

Castiel wandered over and stood right in front of her. “I am nineteen you know,” he said. When she didn’t move, he directed her towards the large brown couch. “Just sit and watch some TV while I make some food, okay?”

She sat down on the comfy couch and nodded. “Since you’re here, can you get me some blankets?” Castiel noticed that she was shivering from wearing only a sweatshirt and shorts.

“Sure thing,” he said and was gone.

Hazel blinked and reached for the remote on the coffee table in front of her. Her head still felt fuzzy and everything was lagging like a slow computer. Her fever was still burning but only so slightly. She surfed through the channels and settled on some Spongebob reruns.

There was a shuffling sound and a few minutes later, Castiel was back with a whole waddle of blankets of different colors. Hazel was still turned towards the screen when he dumped the heap upon her, covering her with the heavy quilts and blankets. There was a muffled “Castiel!” as Hazel squirmed around under the mass.

Once she found air, she poked her head through and looked up at a smiling Castiel. “Are you trying to suffocate me or something?” She scolded him but there was the hint of laughter in her tone.

“You caught me,” he said and tilted his head to the left. “You get settled, I’ll make you an omelet.”

She nodded and fidgeted around with the blankets to make them more comfortable. Moose was now done eating and he jumped up onto the couch next to her, enjoying the mass of blankets.

Outside, the air was cold and the clouds were grey. It was a gloomy day with the slight, constant drizzle. The wind picked up and rustled the leaves so that it tapped against the windows of the house. Hazel looked out the window and noticed that the trees were bending from the strong wind. She was glad that she was indoors with blankets and a warm feeling grew in her chest.

Out of curiosity, Hazel peeked around her shoulder to see what Castiel was doing. Her friend was digging through the fridge, scrambling for eggs, tomatoes, cheese, and other ingredients. Every few seconds he found an item and placed it on the counter only to return to the scavenger hunt. A small smile appeared on her face and she turned back to the TV. 

After a few episodes of Spongebob, and the sounds of chopping and sizzling, Castiel came over with two plates of food. He set them down on the coffee table and grabbed the orange juices that were left behind on the kitchen table. Moose lifted his head up at the smell of cheesy eggs and vegetables and stuck his tongue out in craving.

“You had your breakfast already Moose, shoo!” Hazel said as he tried jumping up onto the table.

Castiel smiled and sat down on an adjacent couch. He raised an eyebrow at the yellow sponge on the screen. “Again, how old are you?”

“Eighteen,” she replied proudly.

Castiel looked down with a small smile and shook his head. He leaned forward and handed Hazel her plate. “Eat up.”

She cautiously looked at it and examined it in every direction. She gave it one last look and gave it a smell. As she did this, Castiel observed her with a confused expression.

“I didn’t poison it if that’s what you’re looking for,” he joked. He picked up his fork and stuffed a big portion of eggs in his mouth. A smile appeared on his face just to prove to Hazel that there was nothing wrong with it.

“I wasn’t looking for poison…” she muttered back and started eating as well. After a few chews, her eyes lit up. “This is pretty good,” she nodded and took another forkful.

“See? I’m not an assassin,” he joked and rested his feet on the table, making himself comfortable. Hazel ignored him knowingly and had her eyes remain fixed on the television.

After a while, she set the plate on the table in front of her and put her feet on the table as well. She looked over at Castiel who was sitting comfortably in the couch. So comfortable, it was as if he were sinking into it.

“Where’d you learn to cook?” She asked, breaking the silence.

He looked up all of a sudden, pulled out of his own world. His eyes focused back into present time and he opened his mouth. “I taught myself,” he replied back.

She tilted her head in confusion. “Seriously? Why? Didn’t your mom or dad ever cook for you?” She asked, curious. She lifted her glass for some sweet orange juice.

“Yeah,” he said, his voice growing slightly softer so that Hazel noticed. “My dad did.” He looked away at the window to his right hand side, hiding his face. Hazel felt the tension in the air and didn’t push on, waiting for him to go on his own pace.

“My mom passed away when I was eleven,” he said quietly. He turned back to face her.

Hazel’s face fell and her orange juice lost some of its sweetness. She set it back on the coffee table and crossed her arms. “Oh, I’m sorry,” she said sadly. Guilt welt up inside her as she blamed herself for bringing it up.

Castiel shook his head, “Its okay, not your fault. It was a very long time ago,” he said and his tone made it clear that he didn’t want to go on with the subject.

“Well, I just wanted to say that you can make one mean omelet,” she smiled and looked at him. Castiel’s face brightened up in an instant and he was back to his old, laid back self.

“I know,” he smirked and everything was at peace again. “If you ever get sick again, call me and I’ll be right over with more omelets,” he joked.

“You mean it?” Hazel’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Your word?”

Castiel laughed aloud and nodded, “You have my word.”

She smiled and said, “Good. It almost makes me want to get another fever.”

“That would make you very desperate,” he pointed out. He paused. “Speaking of fevers, how is yours?” He asked.

She put a hand up to her forehead but shrugged. “I don’t know, I don’t feel a difference since it’s my own hand,” she said and frowned. Surprisingly, Castiel managed to find his way out of the couch and got up to walk over to her. She was about to ask what he was doing when he put his cool hand against her forehead.

“Your still a little warm,” he said, removing his hand. He didn’t sit back down and instead, he gathered up the plates and glasses.

“Wait, no, let me do-“ Hazel started but he calmed her down with a wave of his hand. She smiled slightly as he walked to the sink. She turned back to the TV, which was now playing Madagascar.

Castiel came back a few minutes later and sat back onto the couch. He put his hands behind his head and crossed his legs. “I can see that you enjoy cartoons very much,” he said as he noted the movie that was playing on TV.

“Yes, I do enjoy them. Is there a problem with that?” She asked.

He shook his head, “Nope. No problem there,” he replied in a relaxed tone.

“Have you lived here for your whole life?” Hazel suddenly asked. Curiosity pulsed through her veins as she realized that she didn’t know much about him.

“Pretty much, yeah,” he said. He sat up straight again and faced Hazel. “What made you move here anyways?” He asked.

She sighed inwardly to herself. “I don’t really know, it just happened.”

Castiel paused and waited for her to go on, but when she didn’t, he nodded. “Okay, not much of an explanation, but okay.”

“There’s not much to say, Eva’s family and family stick together,” she said. Her head was swimming with thoughts again and wondered where the conversation was going if he were the one who asked all the questions.

“Well, what about your parents?” Castiel wondered aloud and looked at Hazel.

“That’s not fair, it’s my turn to ask a question,” she said in a rush.

“Are we playing some kind of game?” He asked and when she nodded, he gave in. “Okay, shoot.”

“The reason why you’re training to be a cop, is that because of your dad?” Hazel sat crossed legged on the couch and removed some of the blankets off of her lap.

“Basically. I mean, it would make sense for me to go into the same field since he is the head of the department here.” He replied. “Ever since I was young, that’s all I remember him doing.”

Hazel nodded, “That makes sense.”

“My turn,” he said triumphantly. He looked up at the ceiling in thought and Hazel’s heart raced quickly in anticipation of another question. “What do you plan on doing in the future?”

She paused in thought when she heard the question. “I’m not sure,” she said slowly, thinking of what to say. “I’m looking into zoology, but,” she paused and looked at Castiel. He was listening intently with interest showing on his face. “Okay, I haven’t really told many people this before, but I want to write. Journalism sounds interesting to me,” she finally finished.

     “What made you interested in writing?” When Hazel didn’t answer his question, he looked up and realized that it was not his turn. “Oh sorry, ask away,” he joked.

     Hazel smiled at him and looked around the room, as if she would find the question sitting on the bookshelf next to the TV. “Do you plan on living here in the future?”

     “Probably,” he replied. “If I do take my dad’s place later on, I would have to stay.” He looked at his shoes in thought. “But moving around doest hurt either. It would be interesting living somewhere else.”

     She nodded in agreement, “It would be like a great adventure.” She stated.

     “Isn’t that what life is in the first place?” Castiel asked, leaning back into the couch again.

     “That’s exactly what life is,” she smiled at him.

     “Is that why you decided to move here?”

     Hazel looked over at her friend. “Yes, it is.” He nodded from understanding and looked back at the television.

It was already the afternoon and the sun was already lowering from its highest point in the sky. The winds had died down to a slight breeze and silence filled the outside air.

Castiel reached for the remote. “Is there anything else on?” He asked once the credits of the movie started rolling.

Hazel shrugged and let him flip around the channels. There was an Italian man cooking on one channel, two girls arguing on another, and a reporter holding a microphone on the third.

     “Wait, go back,” she said quickly. His face grew with nervousness as he continued changing the channels.

“Castiel, I said go back,” Hazel repeated with a sterner tone. He looked at her with a worried expression but didn’t argue and flipped to the channel she knew she was talking about.

The newswoman was standing in front of the Seashore Aquarium with a serious expression and pointing at the dock right next to it. There was a crowd of people standing around the pier with signs.

“As you can see, there are groups of protesters here against the event that is about to happen.” The lady said and the camera closed up on the medium sized group that was yelling in all different directions. Some of their signs read “Innocent!” and “Save the Shark!” There was another side of the group that was yelling back at the protesting group and Hazel’s heart froze up.

“Hazel, maybe you shouldn’t watc-“ Castiel started but he was cut off with a stern wave of her hand. He remained still on the sofa and continued watching with her.

“As you know, Seashore Aquarium’s oldest Tiger shark has been sentenced for its death today at 4:00pm.” Hazel quickly looked at the clock in the kitchen and her heart sank to the bottom most pit in her stomach as she read 3:55pm.

“They can’t do that!” She yelled helplessly at the TV. Castiel remained quiet, knowing that things were now beyond his control. He finally got up out of his seat and sat himself back down right next to her. Hazel didn’t even notice and kept her eyes fixed on the screen. The screen closed up on a familiar face. She was yelling with her hands in the air.

“Eva?” Hazel asked, bewildered.

“Hazel, I really don’t think we should watch this.” Castiel tried again, putting a hand on her shoulder.

“Cas, they’re going to kill Tessie!”

He flinched at the name but didn’t say anything since the television was growing louder and louder. Police were surrounding the perimeter and some tried holding the group back by creating a boundary around the edge of the pier. The back door of the aquarium opened and a couple of men stepped out carrying something. Hazel’s heart skipped a beat and forgot how to breath when she saw what it was they were carrying. The crowd roared with anger and police stepped up their security. Signs were thrown in all directions and at this point, Castiel turned the TV off.

Hazel’s sobs were hiccupping and she turned to face the pillows. Castiel reached his arms and out and instead of turning to the pillows, she accepted his arms. He comforted her as she laid her head against his chest.

“Hazel, you listen to me okay?” He said gently. “Everything is going to be fine.” The words coming out of his mouth didn’t even make himself feel better and there was a sudden regret in him for uttering fake reassurances.

“How? Your saw what happened, Tessie is dead,” she sniffed. Her eyes were pink from crying. “She didn’t do it.” He rubbed her back slightly and they sat silently for a few minutes.

“She wouldn’t have done it,” Hazel whispered. She started to calm down in her friend’s arms and she took a deep breath and untangled herself from him. The warmth between them slowly grew cold and there was a small part of her that wished she didn’t pull away.

“How do you know?” Castiel asked.

“I just do,” she replied confidently. “I’ve swam with her before, and I know it was just two times, but I felt the calmness in her.” Her face sunk at a sudden thought. “Oh, what’s the use, trying to convince someone the harmlessness of a Tiger shark? Its ridiculous.”

Castiel didn’t reply immediately, but looked at her for a few seconds. “Okay. I believe you.”

Hazel looked up at him immediately and thought she heard wrong. “Your believe me?”

He nodded. “So do something about it.”

She looked at him strangely. “Like what?” She asked.

“Prove to them that they’re wrong,” he replied. He took a deep breath at the memory of their conversation. “You said so yourself that life is a great adventure. Well, this is your adventure, go find your story.”

Author's Note

Sorry for the late post, I really wanted to finish this before or around Halloween, but obviously, that didn't happen. Deadlines are just not my best friend...Anyways, its a short chapter, but hopefully chapter 6 will make up for it! Thanks for the views, any questions, feedback, critiques, suggestions etc, are all accepted! Thanks!

P.S: I'm going to go back through ch 1-5 and do a whole editing sweep because my gut is telling me to do so, and I've learned that its a good idea to trust your gut. Anyways, chapter 6 may be delayed a little because of this, but don't fret! I'll try my best to speed edit!