Chapter 15
Fifteen
After a brief visit with Lori where I brought her the amulet and she made a minor fuss over my hand, Theo and I made our way down Main Street.
We walked toward the dreaded path that probably had my blood splattered all over it like a murder scene.
Honestly, it was probably appropriate decoration as the town had started getting ready for Halloween.
The path now had a giant banner across it with bats and swirls that read, Portal to Another Realm.
“Is this what the portal really looks like?” I joked, but Theo didn’t hear me.
His jaw was locked and his gaze was out of focus. I hesitated for a moment before grabbing his hand with my good one. His eyes jumped from where he was zoning out straight ahead, down to me, then to our hands.
When he gave it a gentle squeeze, something inside me lit up.
Then he pulled to the side. A bench was there, right at the beginning of the path. It was wet, but that didn’t stop him from collapsing into it.
“Can we sit for a second? I’m feeling dizzy.”
Concern ripped through me. “Are you okay? Do we need to go back to the doctor?”
“No.” He shook his head violently, as if repulsed by the question.
I sat down next to him, trying not to grimace as I felt the wet seat immediately seep into my jeans. My sweatshirt was already stained, might as well get my jeans dirty too.
“Sorry.” He shook his head. “I shouldn’t have rushed in like that and freaked you out.”
“You’re fine.” I knocked my knee into his.
“The last time…” He dragged a hand over his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. “The last time I was at a healer’s, it was to find out my grandfather had passed.”
“Oh, Theo.” I reached down and took his hand again, squeezing tight.
“I thought it wasn’t a big deal. I was at work when it happened. It was just a fall… then he was gone. I know he was old but I still wasn’t expecting it.”
“I’m so sorry. No one should have told you about me. It wasn’t a big deal.”
“No. I’m glad they did. I shouldn’t have overreacted like that.”
“It’s sweet knowing that you care,” I said.
“I guess I just…I also wanted to make sure…” He sighed as if coming up short each time. “I don’t have any family left and my friends are few and far between,” he finally said, eyeing me warily, as if worried I might judge his loner status. “I guess I don’t have many people to worry about.”
“I-I don’t have many people to worry about either,” I admitted. “I’ve always preferred being alone.”
“I don’t know if I’ve always been like this, or if it started at some point. Like there was a clear defining moment or something. Even before my parents left for good, I was still always alone.”
That made my heart splinter.
“I think my defining moment was in the third grade when Matt Johnson stole my backpack and scattered my sketches around the playground and the rest of the class picked them up and made fun of me.”
His eyes narrowed. “What an ass.”
I laughed. “He was quite the ass for an eight year old.”
A car drove by, hitting a puddle in the road that made a large splash. The droplets should have reached us, but Theo must have stopped them short because they came crashing nearly straight down.
“I spent time in between realms with my parents growing up,” he said. “When we were here, we were isolated or traveling—I always hated coming here, but back home wasn’t much better. They homeschooled me and it was hard to make friends. I was on my own a lot.”
“What did you do with all that alone time?”
He paused before staring over at me. “A lot of observing.”
“I always spent a lot of time people watching too. Easier than communicating.”
He smiled softly. “Yeah.”
I lowered my voice as some teenagers in all black walked to the path entrance and took pictures with the banner. “So even in your realm you don’t have anyone?”
He shrugged. “Matteo is one of my oldest friends. His family worked at the institute too. We’re roommates back home. He keeps me sane for the most part. But…he’s got a whole life and it’s much more full than mine.”
There went my heart, hurting again. “You have plenty of time for a full life. We’re still young.”
His brow furrowed. “No we’re not.”
“Yes we are,” I insisted. “How old are you?”
“Twenty-seven.”
“That’s young.”
“Everyone I know has a family and a stable job.”
I laughed. “Really? No one I know has that. You need to spend some time in New York.”
He smiled. “I’ve seen the skyline before. It’s massive.”
“It is.” I nodded eagerly. The skyline was one of my favorite things to paint. “What’s your skyline like?”
“Less energy. Quaint.”
I tried to picture his world that I’d never see. I’d grown used to his constantly hovering and his silent comradery fit into my life easier than anything else ever had.
“Sounds like you,” I said.
“You’d think I’d fit in better, then.”
“I think you fit here. Lori likes you.” I like you, I wanted to add, but the words caught in my throat. Even though he’d alluded to hating this realm, I wanted him to feel wanted here.
He didn’t say anything as we watched the group of teenagers climb on each other’s shoulders to take more pictures of the sign.
When it was clear he wasn’t going to respond, I sighed and assessed my sweatshirt. “Bummer this is ruined.”
“I can get that out for you,” he said absentmindedly.
“With magic?”
“Yes.”
“Blood magic?”
A soft chuckle escaped him. I wished I could bottle the sound.
“Cleaning magic,” he corrected.
“Doesn’t sound as cool.” I stood up and offered him my hand again. “Ready to walk back?”
“Let’s go.”
It was like his entire energy enveloped me when he took my hand without hesitation. It occurred to me then that I never wanted to let go.