The Seasons

Chapter 22

“I heard you the first f*****g time. And I also said f**k right off.”

“Slaine,” Jasper groaned down the phone. “I know it’s annoying, but Neo and Cairo are both having hissy fits and we all have to be there.”

“Says who?” he snapped as he stared down at a student's test paper, scowling. He had taught this in class, and he knew he was a damn good teacher, so why was Michael f*****g getting all of the questions wrong.

“The f*****g King. That’s who. Everyone is expecting you at The Seasons tomorrow evening, at 8 pm. Dress smart. It took the man two weeks to make time to visit, and if your not there, of with all our heads, probably. Don’t be late, Slaine. Atticus and Kevin can’t die!”

Slaine hung up as he slumped against his white couch, tugging on his hair and groaning.

“Are you okay, Slaine?” Slaine stared at the mirror on his white coffee table to see Chaos sitting beside him with the red hue surrounding them; their long pale hair was tied up, their red eyes were lined with Kohl, and their dark skin seemed glowing. He never could see what they were wearing.

“I’m fine.”

The deity smiled a little. “I know when you’re lying to me, Slaine.”

He scowled as he glared at the reflection. “I’m annoyed. Good to know I still feel annoyance.”

“Annoyance is a feeling, not an emotion, and may I ask why?”

“Because Cairo is having a b***h fit about Rex Superno coming here, his boss and f*****g Micahel is so close to failing my class and if the rat fails he can’t graduate this year.”

“And this annoys you.”

“Yes.”

“Why don’t you take a break? Have some blood, you haven’t drunk. And you can also check up on Wing.”

“Why would I check up on Wing?”

Chaos smiled; Slaine felt a shiver run down his spine as he saw Chaos’s reflection but their hand on his shoulder. “You turned him. Do you not remember the first night after?”

“I remember. I just don’t think he wants to see the monster who ruined his very human life.”

“You’re not a monster, Slaine.”

“I live of blood,” he deadpanned.

“Irrelevant. Now, drink some blood and let’s go check up on Wing.”

Slaine grumbled something under his breath as he stood up, walking to his fridge. He grabbed a pack of blood and sat back down on the couch. “Slaine, we should check on Wing.”

“I don’t want to; he has Thorne and Cairo with him. He doesn’t need me.”

Slaine stared at the circular mirror on the table to see Chaos looking at him, a slight frown on their face. “You have changed in these five years, Slaine.”

“Well, no s**t. I drink blood to survive. That’s a pretty big change.”

They smiled a little. “Yes, there is that, but that is not quite what I meant. You have changed. You are distant from everyone, even Jasper. There’s a wall around you. I know you said you would prefer not to, but have you considered turning your emotions back on?”

“No.”

“But you have said you have gotten rid of your feelings for Levi. I see no reason for you to leave them off.”

“I may hate the wanker but that doesn’t mean I’m over the fact that he lied to me and if push had came to shove, he would have let me die.”

“Slaine, I know it hurts to be betrayed; I do. You will live a very long life, and you cannot live it without your emotions. Have you not noticed the lack of snakes in your apartment? After William died, you did not get another one despite your love for snakes.”

“I don’t care for them.”

“That right there is a problem, do you not see that? Slaine, you adore snakes. You always have, but does it not worry you that you can’t feel that love?”

“No.”

“Slaine, when William died, you did not cry. Despite the fact that we both know, you loved that snake more than anything in your life.”

“And look at where love has gotten me.”

“Love is not a negative emotion, Slaine. And I think she would be heartbroken if she knew you saw her that way.”

“Love is a goddess?” he asked, frowning.

“Yes, she is. Extraordinary and powerful.”

“But I don’t want to feel,” he whispered, his shoulders slumping.

“I know you are scared, Slaine. But with the way you are, yes, you won’t feel any negative emotions; you won’t feel any of the positives. You won’t feel happiness, love, excitement. And while I may not be human or vampire, I don’t think that’s a very healthy way of living.”

“I don’t want to feel.”

“You went through the majority of your life alone, Slaine. I understand, but you won’t be alone this time. You have all your friends, you will have me.”

“You will leave.”

“I will not. I haven’t left you in these six years, and I don’t plan to do so.”

“You say that now, but something will change, and you will leave. And you act like you’re sound all the time. You disappear too. Sometimes for days at a time.”

“Slaine,” Chaos whispered. Slaine saw through the mirror that the deity had rested their pale hand on his own. “I will not leave you permanently. Yes, I may disappear, but sometimes I must deal with certain situations. But I always come back.”

“Fine,” he snapped, standing up. “I will turn them back on. But only after we have seen Wing.”

Their face lit up with a smile. “You’re going to see him?”

“Yeah. I’ll give in. I’ll see him.”

“You should text him. Ask him where he is.”

Slaine groaned as he binned his blood packet, grabbed his phone off the table, and texted Wing, who, to his surprise, texted him right away with his location. He grabbed his phone, keys and wallet and slipped his shoes on, he saw Chaos in the circular mirror beside his door, and the deity smiled. “I’m proud of you.”

~*~