"I want you to sing for me again," he said as soon as I entered the room. I felt myself blush and I shook my head quickly.

"I only sing lullabies," I said self-consciously and knelt by the couch once more. Demon flopped onto the ground next to me and rested his head on my lap.

"Fine, then tell me a story," Castiel ordered gruffly and I blinked my eyes in surprise.

"A... story?" I asked and Castiel closed his eyes.

"Yah, you read all the time so you must know lots. Just don't tell me a boring girly one." 

I chewed on my lip thoughtfully. What kind of story would Castiel want to hear?

"Ummm... Do you want me to tell you a fairy tale?" I asked and he snorted then coughed. After a quick drink he gave me a withering look.

"Is that all you know?" he asked hoarsely and I smiled.

"I think I might have one you will like."

I started rehearsing my favorite book for him. It was called A Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale and it was about a poor girl known as a mucker who came to live in the city as a lady-in-waiting to royalty after her mother died. When she finally got out of training she was sent to serve the third daughter of their kingdom, but the princess was refusing to obey her father and so she was sentenced to seven years bricked into a tower. The mucker girl agreed to serve her lady in her imprisonment and the story explains all of the trials they had to endure.

I had only barely gotten to the part of the story that explained why the princess had been locked into the tower in the first place when I heard the sound of a door opening and then slamming shut. Castiel winced at the loud sound and Demon raised his head but didn't move from my side.

"Kate?" Lysander called out.

"We're in here, Lysander."

I heard footsteps headed for us and moments later Lysander stood in the entranceway, taking in the scene before him. His eyes rested on me and then traveled to Castiel lying on the couch with a cloth on his forehead. He frowned and walked into the room.

"What are you doing, Castiel?" Lysander asked and Castiel huffed.

"Lying down," he stated sarcastically and I looked up at Lysander.

"He has a high fever." 

Lysander looked down at me and I felt rooted to the spot by the intensity in his gaze.

"You missed Economics to help Castiel?" he asked and I nodded. "Did anyone see you leaving together?" he asked harshly and I blinked in surprise.

"I... don't think so, but why..."

"Come on, Lysander. You know me better than that," Castiel growled.

I turned to him in confusion but Lysander retorted, "I do. But most of the school doesn't. You shouldn't have put Kate in such a compromising situation." 

It sounded like Lysander was scolding Castiel, but I was struggling to figure out what for.

"I told her to leave me alone but she wouldn't. What was I supposed to do?" Castiel asked gruffly and coughed. I gave him his water bottle and took the cloth, dipping it in water and wringing it out.

"What's his temperature?" Lysander asked, kneeling on my other side.

As he sat down Demon stretched, placing his forelegs and head onto my lap and effectively trapping me in place. I chuckled and rubbed his ear affectionately before looking up at Lysander.

"It was at 103.2 degrees last time I checked, but he actually ate something a little while ago. Shall we take it again?" I asked Castiel and he shrugged moodily. I took that as a yes and stuck the thermometer once more in his mouth.

"Are you planning on being a nurse?" Lysander asked me and I shook my head.

"No, I don't think so."

"Do you know what you want to do when you graduate?" he asked and I shrugged.

"Not really." The thermometer beeped and I pulled it out, sighing with relief. "It's down to 102.5 degrees. That's still high, but at least it is dropping."

"Good job, goody-goody," Castiel said mockingly and I smiled brightly at him, ignoring his tone.

"Thanks. I'm glad I've been helpful." Castiel turned away from me and an awkward silence fell between the three of us.

"Ummm... did you know that it's Castiel's birthday, Lysander?" I asked and he blinked.

"It is?" he asked, looking over at Castiel. Castiel glared at me and I looked down at Demon, away from his angry eyes. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"It's not a big deal," he muttered darkly and I stroked Demon's back, wondering why Castiel was so angry. Did he dislike birthdays? Maybe it had to do with his parents and that phone call from earlier...

"Why did you get sick?" Lysander asked and I almost giggled. The way he had asked was like he thought Castiel had chosen to get sick.

"I wasn't thinking straight last night," he muttered. "You didn't have to come, Lysander. Opal's doing fine on her own."

"And what if one of your neighbors see you alone with a girl in the house?" Lysander asked and I frowned, wondering why that would be seen as alarming. It was broad daylight, after all.

"My neighbors don't pay attention to me," Castiel growled.

I frowned at his angry tone and looked between the two boys. Did something happen between them? I wondered sadly. They don't seem to be treating each other normally.

"Opal, could you keep telling me your story?" Castiel asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

"You write?" Lysander asked in surprise and I shook my head fiercely.

"Oh, no. It's just a book I've read before." 

Lysander nodded slowly with an obvious interest in his expression."May I listen too?" 

I flushed with embarrassment but shrugged in acceptance. Taking a few minutes to quickly explain the background to Lysander, I then plunged back into the story. I had read this book almost a dozen times and the words seemed to float out of my mouth like they were my own. Lysander would interject every once in a while with a question about a certain character's traits or details about a particular scene, and he even demonstrated what he thought the prince should sound like; giving him a deep, rounded voice.

"Stop interrupting and let her finish. I want to know what happens with the wolfman. He eats the whole village, right?" Castiel asked with a savage grin and Lysander shook his head. 

By the time I finished the story, my voice had gone dry and the sun had set.

"Well, I guess that wasn't too girly," Castiel said gruffly and Lysander graced me with a half-smile.

"You are a marvelous storyteller, Kate," Lysander complimented with a look of approval and I grinned happily.

"Thanks, Lysander. I need a drink, though. Are you getting hungry, Castiel?"

"If there's more porridge I could eat, I guess," he said with a shrug.

"There is. Would you like something, Lysander?"

"Oy, don't go offering him other people's food," Castiel snapped and I blushed. I had almost forgotten this wasn't my house with how comfortable I had made myself taking care of Castiel.

"Am I not allowed to eat?" Lysander asked and Castiel smirked.

"Since you asked I guess I have no choice," he quipped. 

Lysander raised an eyebrow at him but smiled slightly. I tried to stand but Demon, who had fallen asleep, whined pathetically.

"Demon? Demon, wake up," I said softly, rubbing his ear.

"The big oaf. Get off her." 

Castiel reached out to shove Demon and suddenly pitched forward. Lysander caught him and I gasped in shock, leaning forward.

"Castiel, what happened? Are you okay?"

"Ugh," he moaned, resting one hand on Lysander's shoulder and the other on his head. "The room just started spinning."

Lysander placed him back on the couch with a frown and I pushed Demon gently off my legs, crawling closer to him.

"Do you need anything? You haven't drank any water in a while. I'm sorry; I should have been paying more attention," I fretted, picking up the water bottle. Castiel took a sip and then smiled up at me with more kindness than I had thought was physically possible for him.

"You've been amazing, Opal. Thank you." 

I froze and blinked in utter shock. Robotically I reached out and felt his forehead; it was still warm to the touch.

"I think you need some more medicine," I stated. "Lysander, will you take his temperature again and freshen his face cloth? I'll be back with some food."

Without waiting for a response, I dashed out of the room and towards the kitchen. As I opened the door to the kitchen a familiar tune rang out. Turning around to search for the sound I looked at the counter where my cell phone was ringing away and I picked it up, placing it next to my ear,

"Hello?"

"Finally! Do you realize how many times I have called you, Opal?" I held the phone away from my ear as Auntie yelled.

"I'm sorry, Auntie. I got caught up with entertaining Castiel," I explained guiltily. Cradling my phone against my shoulder and ear I walked over to the rice porridge and placed it back on the burner to heat up.

"That's okay, sweetheart. I was just worried that something had happened. How is he doing?"

"His fever has started to go down but he's still hurting."

"The poor boy. Did you make him the okayu?"

"Okayu... you mean the rice porridge? Yes, I did and he actually loved it."

"Oh, good! Well, I was just wanting to know when you needed me to come get you."

I chewed on my lip as I glanced at the meals in containers on the bottom shelf. Remembering Castiel's comment about offering his food though, I decided against taking one of those and instead rummaged through the fridge and took out a carton of eggs and a block of cheese.

"I'm not sure, Auntie. Castiel's fever has started to go down but I don't really want to leave him until I know that he won't relapse. His parents aren't home and he doesn't seem to take care of himself very well."

"Aaawwww, it's like you're his girlfriend!" Auntie exclaimed.

I gasped, almost dropping the eggs. I set them and the cheese carefully on the counter and tried to keep my cheeks from exploding into flames.

"Auntie!" I hissed, glancing over my shoulder as if someone might have been listening in. "You know it's not like that!"

"I know, sweetheart, but I wish I could have seen your expression when I said it," she cackled with a wicked tease in her voice.

"Thanks to you I almost dropped a whole carton of eggs," I huffed hoping she could tell how unamused I was by my tone.

"Oh, calm down, Opal. What would be so bad about being Castiel's girlfriend, anyway?"

"I have to go, Auntie. I'll call you when Castiel is feeling better," I said, praying that she couldn't hear the embarrassment in my voice. I could hear her chuckling softly as I disconnected the call though, so I figured she probably had a good idea of how I felt. 

Sighing, I patted my flaming cheeks for a moment, trying to quelch the heat that was radiating from them. Shaking my head, I got a bowl down from the cupboard and began searching for a cheese grater.

I located a grater and began methodically running the block of cheese up and down as I let my mind wander. What would it be like to have a boyfriend? I wondered, never having actually considered it before. If I wasn't a mistake... if I had been born as Auntie's daughter and not my father's... would I have wanted to date Castiel? Nathaniel's face flashed through my mind, then Lysander's, and then Kentin's. All four of these boys had become important to me for different reasons, but could I have fallen in love with any of them? Would they even have wanted to date me if I wasn't a mistake?

I sighed and began cracking eggs into a bowl. It was pointless to think about stuff like this; it was just making me sad. Opening a radio app on my phone I began humming along to the beat of a random song as I whisked the eggs together and added a little milk. Within ten minutes I had two plates of cheesy scrambled eggs and another bowl of honey porridge ready to go. I balanced the dishes carefully in my arms and walked into the living room where the two boys appeared to be in a heated discussion.

"I keep telling you, it's not like that!" Castiel growled angrily at Lysander's impassive calm.

Demon barked and came up to me, raising onto his back legs and placing his forelegs on my hips so he could look at the food.

"Down, Demon! Silly doggy, this isn't for you. But you're probably hungry, huh? Castiel, what do you usually feed Demon?" I asked as I tried to keep the food away from Demon's inquisitive nose.

"May I help you, Kate?" 

Without waiting for a reply, Lysander stood and took a plate of scrambled eggs and the bowl of porridge from my hands.

"Thank you, Lysander."

"You can feed Demon after me," Castiel said with a smirk and I smiled down at him. He seemed to be doing better than before.

"Okay then. Lysander, I'll switch you," I said while reaching for the porridge, but Lysander pulled it away from me.

"You're going to feed Castiel, Kate?" Lysander asked with a strange expression. I could feel my cheeks warm up but I nodded.

"He's sick so..."

"I'll do it," Lysander said promptly, sitting down next to Castiel and putting his plate of eggs off to the side. He scooped up a heaping spoonful of porridge and held it out for Castiel, who gave him a murderous glare.

"I can feed myself," he snapped, taking the bowl and spoon from Lysander's hands.

"Are you feeling better, Castiel?" I asked excitedly, seeing that he was no longer trembling. He ignored me though, focusing on his porridge, so instead, I turned to Lysander and asked, "What's his temperature?"

"It's still around 102 degrees, but as long as he stays lying down then I think he'll continue to get better," Lysander said and I sighed in relief, sitting down cross-legged on the ground next to him.

"Sorry dinner isn't super exciting; I just whipped this up quickly so we could all eat at the same time," I explained and then gasped, "I forgot to ask if you're allergic to anything! Can you eat eggs and cheese?" 

Lysander's mismatched eyes crinkled slightly and he smiled at me soothingly. "I don't have any allergies. It's kind of you to be concerned though." 

Castiel snorted sarcastically but didn't look up from his porridge.

"Do you want me to leave you the recipe for that?" I asked and he shook his head.

"I don't cook," he said simply and I thought of the premade meals in the fridge.

"Then who makes those meals...?" I asked quietly. Castiel furrowed his brow before understanding flitted through his eyes and he shrugged.

"Mom hired a personal chef to come and cook for me every Monday. She leaves meals for the whole week in the fridge and then restocks the next Monday," Castiel explained before swishing another scoop of porridge in a rivulet of honey and popping it in his mouth.

"This is good, Kate," Lysander remarked and I smiled.

"Thank you. Have you two been working on any new songs?" I asked then scooped some eggs into my own mouth. 

Lysander shrugged and Castiel didn't look up from his food. We ate in silence for a while and I was just thinking that maybe I should go home after all when Castiel handed me his empty bowl.

"Thanks," he said gruffly and I smiled.

"Can I take your temperature again?" I asked. Castiel sighed roughly but nodded. After the beep sounded I looked at the reading and grinned. "101.8. You're going down, Castiel! Here."

I shook two aspirin into my hand and held them out for Castiel. He took them and I was surprised at how rough his fingertips were. It must be from playing his guitar, I thought as Castiel popped them into his mouth, reaching down and getting the water bottle himself.

"I'm glad you've gotten some of your strength back. How is your cloth?" I asked, reaching over to feel the damp cloth that was already starting to feel warm to the touch.

"You are very attentive, Opal," Lysander commented as I removed the warm, slightly sticky face cloth and rinsed it in the bowl of water. I frowned slightly when I noticed that the water was becoming lukewarm instead of a refreshing cold temperature.

"All anyone wants is to be taken care of when they're sick," I said to Lysander with a smile, wringing out the cloth. I replaced it on Castiel's forehead, covering part of one eyebrow that he had quirked up in what looked like a silent disagreement. "Even tough guys need to be taken care of when they are sick," I said while trying to keep a straight face. 

Castiel rolled his eyes and looked away from me, but I thought I saw one corner of his mouth twitch up in the semblance of a smile.

"Do you often nurse your friends who are sick?" Lysander asked and I couldn't help but chuckle slightly at that.

"No, this is the first time I've had the chance. My friends all seem to be blessed with good health," I replied happily and then took the bowl of water in my hands and stood up.

"Where is Demon's food?" I asked. Castiel pointed down the hallway, explaining how to get to Demon's room.

Demon trotted alongside me happily as I poured the water into a bathroom sink and left it there so we could continue our trip to the door Castiel had described. Opening the door, I took a step inside and felt my mouth drop open; I had never seen so much black and red at one time. The walls were painted a blood red with chains stenciled all over, and the carpet was black as night. There was a large dog bed in one corner with a skull design and all of the toys scattered around looked a little scary. I glanced down at Demon who was looking up at me, panting expectantly.

"Not exactly what I pictured a dog's room would look like," I said, but shrugged and opened the closet door where all the food was kept. 

Demon pranced around excitedly as I heaved the large bag out and towards the dog bowl on the other side of the room where I filled it to the very top. The big dog began digging in with eager gusto and I laughed and stroked him for a while. As I watched Demon eat, I propped my chin in my hand and wrapped my other arm around my knees as I pulled them up to my chest.

"Hey Demon, did you know that I'm a mistake?" I asked quietly. 

Demon continued devouring his food and I smiled sadly.

"I haven't been able to tell any of my friends. Even Auntie doesn't know. I'm so scared that they'll hate me like my parents do if they find out; besides the fact that Father told me not to tell anyone... But I read once that dogs will love you no matter what you do or who you are. That's why I've always wanted a dog, so I could have someone to love me for who I am..."

To my astonishment, Demon looked up from his food and padded over to me, nuzzling my cheek with his nose. I wrapped my arms around his big neck and held onto him tightly. He stayed still, letting me hug him for what felt like hours, but was probably only a couple of seconds. Eventually, I pulled back and rubbed his ears gently.

"You're the best doggy in the whole world, Demon. You don't care that I'm a mistake do you?" I asked and he woofed then licked my face. I laughed and wiped off the dog drool. "I'm sorry I interrupted your dinner, Demon, but thank you."

Demon barked again and turned back to his dinner. I shook my head in amazement. Can he actually understand what I am saying? I wondered as I watched him eat. 

I sighed with relief and happiness, realizing that there was someone in this world that knew what I was and accepted me in spite of it. Even if that someone was a dog, I still felt like I had just gained something valuable.

"Kate?" I heard Lysander calling from what sounded like upstairs. Although I had no idea what he was doing up there.

"Lysander, I'm down here!" I called.

"Where is here?" Lysander called and I could have sworn I heard a suspiciously loud snicker.

"Just go back to Castiel, I'll be right there," I called again.

Rubbing Demon's head one last time I walked out of his room, leaving him to enjoy the rest of his dinner in peace. Stopping in the bathroom to fill the bowl I had left there with cold water, I then walked into the living room where Castiel was still lying on the couch wearing a mischievous grin.

"Where's Lysander?" I asked, surprised that I had beaten him back. Castiel's eyes glinted with mirth as he looked up at me.

"I told him I saw you go upstairs and that he should see if you were lost. I guess he forgot that he's the one that always gets lost in my house," he chuckled wickedly and I blinked in surprise.

"Why would you do that?" 

Castiel shrugged. "It's fun to mess with him," he said with a wicked glint in his eyes. I blinked mutely for a second then sighed and turned to try and find him.

"Aw, forget him. He'll find his way back eventually," Castiel said, reaching out and snagging one of my fingers. I looked down at his attempt at a puppy dog face and I tucked my lips in between my teeth to try to keep myself from smiling.

"Are you feeling any better?" I asked, squeezing his fingers gently before moving my hand away to set the bowl of water I had been carrying down on the ground.

"If I say yes will you leave?" he asked with a frown and my eyes widened slightly in surprise. 

I sat on the ground and wrapped my arms around my knees, bringing them to my chest and leaning my chin against them.

"Well, I just thought that since Lysander was here I'm not really needed anymore. Besides, Auntie is waiting for me," I admitted, glancing at the clock that showed it was now almost 7:30 pm. Castiel stared at me and I met his steel grey gaze, waiting for him to respond.

"What if my fever comes back?" he asked petulantly.

"Just keep taking aspirin every four hours until your fever is gone and you should be fine. And make sure to remember to eat and drink as much as possible. There's still another serving of porridge left on the stove, you can heat that up if you still don't feel like eating something more substantial."

"Give me your phone," Castiel ordered suddenly and I stared at him.

"My... phone?" I asked and he held out a hand to me that only shook a little bit.

Hesitantly, I took my phone from my pocket and handed it to him. With lightning speed, Castiel typed something into it and tossed it back to me just as his own phone buzzed next to my foot. I handed it to him and he wordlessly typed a short message as I sat awkwardly next to him. A second later my phone vibrated in my hand and I looked down to see a text message from Castiel lighting up my phone.

"Now we have each other's numbers. If I get worse you have to come back and fix me," Castiel demanded haughtily.

I looked down at my phone and opened the text. 

You are not allowed to ignore anything I say – Castiel

I put a hand over my mouth to keep myself from laughing and looked up at Castiel. His face looked a little flush so I reached over and placed a hand on his head.

"It does feel like you're getting cooler," I remarked happily and Castiel remained silent.

"I'm sorry, Kate. I got turned around upsta... did his fever get worse?" Lysander asked, walking over quickly and sitting next to me. He pushed my hand away, replacing it with his own. As our fingers touched a small shock went through my hand and I gasped in surprise.

"Ah, I'm sorry. Did I shock you?"

I looked at my hand in awe; I had read about getting shocked by other people but I had never experienced it for myself; no one had come close enough to shock me before I had moved to Sweet Amoris. Looking at Lysander, then at Castiel, I smiled, realizing that I was happy here with my friends. Maybe... maybe one day I could tell them what I really was and maybe they would be like Demon.

Yah right, but I suppose I can dream, I thought to myself.

"Did you have any plans tonight, Lysander?" I asked him and he cocked his head to the side slightly as he seemed to consider the question.

"Not that I am aware of. Why do you ask?" he asked calmly. I glanced over at Castiel who was frowning and looking at me from the corner of his eye.

"Auntie was asking when she should come get me, but I don't really want to leave until Castiel is feeling better," I explained. Lysander's eyes narrowed slightly before he smiled kindly at me.

"I will stay with Castiel until his fever breaks," he announced magnanimously and I smiled up at him gratefully. "I'll just sleep in one of your guest rooms again, if you don't mind, Castiel," he said and Castiel shrugged moodily.

"Do what you want," he growled quietly.

"I'll stay for another 30 minutes to make sure you take your medicine on time," I said and Castiel flicked his eyes over to me and nodded in understanding.

With that decided I called Auntie and gave her directions to Castiel's house. Demon padded into the room a few minutes later and sniffed Castiel's face, sticking his wet nose into Castiel's ear and causing him to yelp in disgust. I tried to keep from laughing too loudly as I pulled gently on Demon's chain collar. Immediately he turned away and circled me a few times before laying down next to me, giving a large doggy yawn and whapping his tail against the ground a few times.

Lysander, Castiel, and I chatted and I continued to rinse Castiel's face cloth every few minutes in the bowl of water until it was time for Castiel to take more Aspirin. I explained to Lysander how many pills to give Castiel as I handed the little white pills to Castiel's waiting hand. My fingertips brushed his open palm as I dropped them into his hand and he smiled at me, causing me to look away and grab for his water bottle before I could blush. Just as Castiel was swallowing down the pills, a loud knock came from the front door.

"Oh, that's probably Auntie," I said, shifting to get up. Suddenly Demon sprang up from his lying position and tackled me, pushing me down to my back.

"Ack! Demon!" I laughed as he licked my face over and over. 

Lysander pulled Demon off of me and I stayed on the floor for a few seconds, trying to stop my laughter.

"Seriously, did you bewitch my dog?" Castiel asked with a cocked eyebrow. I shook my head, sitting up and wiping off my face as another knock came from the door.

"I've got to go, buddy. But, I love you too!" I said to Demon, rubbing his ears affectionately and pulling back before he could give me another lick attack.

"Get better, Castiel. Thank you for looking after him, Lysander," I said in farewell, but surprisingly Lysander stood up as I did.

"I'll walk you out." I blinked and smiled in agreement. We began walking out of the room but I stopped as I was about to walk into the hall. Taking a deep breath I turned to look at Castiel.

"Happy Birthday, Castiel," I said and then walked quickly out of the room.

As we walked down the hall, Demon came up and nudged his head under my hand so that I would scratch him. I obliged, and just as we reached the door Lysander reached around me and opened it, revealing an impatient Auntie.

"Oh, there you are... Lysander? I thought this was Castiel's house," Auntie said in confusion and I giggled.

"Lysander came after school got out. I'm sorry it took so long, Auntie."

"That's okay, sweetheart. How is Castiel?"

"He's recovering well, thanks to Kate's care," Lysander said, giving me a half-smile that seemed to hide an emotion that I couldn't place.

"That's my Opal," Auntie said with obvious pride and I smiled up at her. "Shall we go?" Auntie asked and I nodded. I gave Demon one final pat and slid through the door, leaving him behind.

"Thank you again, Lysander. Have a good night." I turned to follow Auntie but suddenly came to a halt when a hand rested on my arm gently. I looked back into Lysander's entrancing eyes and gasped as I realized that in the moonlight they seemed to glow.

"Sleep well, Kate," he whispered and I felt shivers go up and down my spine. 

Slowly he let go of my arm and nodded in Auntie's direction. I glanced over and blanched when I saw a familiar gleam in her eyes. She began to open her mouth and I quickly dashed over to her, linking my arm through hers.

"Will do. Bye!" I called over my shoulder hurriedly and steered Auntie towards the car quickly.

"Bye bye, Lysander! Take good care of Castiel!" Auntie called and Lysander waved before closing the door. 

Once it had been closed firmly, Auntie spun me around so suddenly I thought I was going to fall down.

"Oh, Opal, how wonderful! You have two handsome boys fighting for your affections! Oh, it's just like a romance novel," Auntie sighed dreamily and I looked back at Castiel's house nervously.

"Auntie, they might hear you. And it's not like that!"

"Whatever you say, Opal," Auntie said and even in the moonlight I could see the gleam in her eyes. I sighed wearily; sometimes it was a lot of work to keep up with Auntie and her boundless energy.

"Let's get you home, Opal. Shin Woo said that since you canceled today you get to pull a double lesson tomorrow to make up for it, so you're going to need a good sleep." 

I nodded vaguely when Lysander's gentle farewell floated through my mind and I felt my cheeks warm up. Why did he have to have a voice that makes everything he says sounds enchanting?

I sat down in the passenger seat and sighed with relief, settling in happily. This is WAY better than driving, I thought to myself. Just as Auntie started the car I heard my phone vibrate in my purse and I pulled it out.

Lysander says my dog is sitting by the door whining. What did you do to him?

I chuckled slightly and typed back,

I didn't do anything. Go to sleep, you need to get better.

"Why are you laughing?" Auntie asked. I opened my mouth to reply when my phone vibrated again.

You have to come back tomorrow if I'm still sick.

I rolled my eyes. "Demon, Castiel's dog, is sad that I left," I told Auntie and she grinned widely.

"You and Castiel exchanged phone numbers?" she asked excitedly and I groaned exaggeratedly. Auntie laughed and smiled gently at me. "Sorry, sweetheart. So you like dogs?" she asked and I nodded.

"I love all animals, but especially dogs," I said and quickly typed,

Go to sleep and make sure you take your medicine. If you need anything, let me know.

"I've always liked animals too," Auntie said.

We spent the short drive talking about the different types of pets we would like to have. Later that night I had just finished my nightly push-ups and sit-ups when my phone vibrated on my desk.

I need a lullaby.

I stared at the text and felt my cheeks warm up. I desperately hoped that Lysander hadn't seen that text and I quickly replied.

Lysander has a better voice than me. Why don't you ask him?

I stretched my arms out and got changed into my pajamas when I got another text. I blinked and opened the text message from Castiel.

I like your voice better.

An unexpected rush of accomplishment and happiness went through me as I read the text but I shook my head quickly. Don't get a big head, Opal. He's sick, he probably won't even remember me singing to him once he gets better.

Thank you... Good night, Castiel I typed in reply.

I turned to crawl into bed when my phone vibrated again and I looked at it with amazement. The only person who had ever texted me this often was Auntie... Would Castiel keep texting me once he wasn't sick anymore? I slowly picked up my phone and laughed. I put it back on the desk and lay down, curling up in my blankets.

Stingy goody-two-shoes. Thanks for today