Just here to say I love you, and I hope life is going good!

Playlist: 

Long Trip Alone by Dierks Bently 

Signs of the Time by Harry Styles 

Beautiful Things by Benson Boone

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"Take a walk with me?" Milo turns and heads towards the path in our yard. Without waiting for my response, I follow behind him.

We walk in silence until they were covered by the trees. "Everything okay?"

I can make out the shape of him nodding. "Levi has decided to do the mass compulsion."

"Yeah, I figured."

"I talked him out of it." This causes me to stop moving, he turns to me, a dark figure with bright green dots. "What?"

"Why? You hate my idea."

"I still do, but I went downtown last night. Having lived here for nearly three decades, I can attest to the fact that this small town goes all out for Halloween. It would be strange if they cancelled it when it should be safe." He takes a step up to me. "We can come up with a plan soon. By tomorrow soon."

"I have an idea."

"I'm not risking you." He takes another step towards me. "I'm not going to put you in danger."

"Milo."

"Columba, I would rather risk going against them without a stake than put you in danger."

"Why?" This time I take a step towards him.

"Because, because there's something about you. My understanding of Levi's actions is lacking, and unfortunately, no matter how much I inquire, he adamantly refuses to reveal any information. A sense lingers that you are the solution to a mystery, but the exact motive remains elusive; all I understand is that I have a responsibility to keep you safe."

"I don't want to be weak or defenseless. I prefer being proactive over running from people in the hallway."

"What? Who are you running from? Are people chasing you at school?"

"No," I sigh. "No. It's nothing."

Every fiber of my being is fixated on my home. All lights are faded dim, at least from this vantage point. "I want them safe." Taking my eyes off the dim lights, I turn back at Milo. "I want to be the one to keep them safe. All of you, watch me, make sure I'm not in danger, but what about my family? My mom, my dad, my brothers? I need to make sure they're okay over me."

"That's very noble of you."

"They're my family, who else is there for me?"

My heart races and my breath quickens as I feel a surge of fear, realizing there's something he's desperate to tell me but can't. Not of him, but of his words. A wave of terror washes over me as I brace myself for the impending words that could alter everything. But the moment breaks, and he turns his eyes back towards my house. "They are fortunate to have you."

"I believe that any reasonable person would do the same for their family. You would for Nya and Levi." I turn back to my house. "Nya told me about the kite ruling system, about how they mostly go to war over territory."

"That's a gross oversimplification of it, but yes, most of the wars that do break out are dealing with some sort of territory dispute, but not all."

"Did humans ever experience being in the middle of it?"

"In the past, yes, nothing recent, though. Mostly hunters, a few times civilians."

"Do... did they ever survived?"

"I don't think you want that answer."

I close my eyes. "Do I stand a chance?"

"If there has ever been a human to stand a chance against an army of kites, I am of the opinion that you could be that human."

I glance towards him, yet his eyes were upwards. He could not gaze at the stars, not amidst the thick trees. "I am know that it's not true, but I appreciate your words."

He nods, finally releasing his gaze from the stars, and those beautiful green eyes find me. "It's late." He approaches me. "I do believe it's true."

I'm aware he could see the blush on my cheeks, even under the shadows of the trees. My attention is brought to one stump where on the inside initials are carved in the soft wood. "Milo," I snicker. "Who is M.M.?"

"What are you talking about?" He steps up to the stump, and his shoulders slump, causing his arm to bump into me. "That's not mine."

M.R. + M.M. was carved into the tree that has been faded and smoothed out. I try to picture of him hunched over this stump, craving meticulously his and girls' name into the tree. "Well, it might have been a human girl that you forgot about."

He snorts in his irritated way. "I doubt that."

I turned my eyes up to him. "Have you ever been with a human, you know, since you been what you are?"

He has his head turned down the darker part of the path. "Certainly, I have, not frequently, but I did."

"Did you turn anyone?"

He makes an apparent effort to look at me, his head makes small twitches until our eyes meet only for a second before he drops him. "No, I would never curse anyone to live this life, immortality is a curse, a constant painful condition that never has relief."

"Have... have you turned anyone?" My voice trembled with uncertainty.

With his head turned, he watches as stars fade in the overcast sky. A surge of empathy takes control for an instance as my arms make their way around his waist, my head resting against his chest. I sense his desire to push me away in the shock of it all, but his body eases into my embrace, and he envelops me with his arms. Initially, it's a gentle touch, one arm around and the other patting my back, but his own emotions overwhelm him, the suffocations he frequently experiences, the burden of all he carries, the numbness he allows to dominate so he didn't need to consider, the love he seldom displayed. Nowhere near his actual strength, but still tight, his arms pull me all the way in.

"You can let go of it, release the pain, take a step back."

And that he, almost shoving me, grabs my shoulders and takes a step back, his eyes on me.

"How?"

"I've had the ability to identify your emotions, just like Abe, and now I'm starting to do the same with Nya."

"Don't, please." He can spare me even a glance nice his hand rubbing at the spot on his chest where he got stabbed.

"I'll give it a shot, even though I have no control over it." My hand finds its place against my chest, my other hand cradling it. I intended to apologize, but as I open my mouth, something inadvertently escapes. "Were you scared you would die?"

His brow knits for a second but relaxes as his fingers clutch his shirt. "No, I had no time to contemplate."

"Did the idea of dying ever cross your mind?"

He releases his shirt. "Yes, plenty of times, especially with Jude."

"If you ever must meet him, you won't suspect that, he's extremely...eccentric. But when he gets mad, you could understand."

"Did he hurt you?"

"Yes."

A sick sensation gnawed at my stomach, and my mouth instinctively veers away from the topic. "The guy that stabbed you, he was a body worker?"

"Unfortunately."

"Are all body workers like that?"

He smirks with a small snort again. "Once more, regrettably not, I have encountered numerous intelligent body workers, but they all appear to work for Jude, and never in that bulky manner. The weaker ones are the ones in the nest, and some will try to be bulky to make up for lack of work."

"Thank you for helping me. Also, I'm sorry about losing my temper on you the other day and storming out. I let my pride get the best of me, and I didn't mean to be like..." I want to tell him, but I thought it was too mean.

"Me." It wasn't even a question, but he is grinning. "I'm sorry too, for being how did you put it? An asshole?"

I chuckled, wiping my eyes. "Sorry about that."

This time his hand rises, and with keeping the same distance, his fingers brush against my cheek. "It's okay." His fingers drop. "I should walk you home."

I grin. "Okay." But neither one of us moves.

"Columba?"

"Yeah?"

"Happy birthday." He reaches into his pocket, holding something out to me. I open my hand, and he places it in my palm. I struggle to discern the object in the darkness. "So, you don't lose your way."

I try to reconnect eye contact, but he walks past me back towards the house. I slip it into my pocket and follow him out of the woods. He's right at the tree line when he comes to a sudden stop. "Not going to walk me all the way to make sure I get inside?"

"No." I can see him now, his expression soft. "I can see from here."

I smile at him, taking my first step back into the moonlight. "Good night, Milo." I make the short walk take longer than necessary, waiting for him to respond, but he never does. Once at the back door, I retrieve his gift and reenter. It was a small circular box, a sun painstakingly carved into the front, the rays coming off it like jagged daggers. I click a little button, and it opens. It wasn't a box; it was a compass. A deep crack split the glass in the middle, hand-painted directions covered in wax to prevent smudging, the arrow resembling a dagger or rays of light. On the top, read in a language I didn't know, three words: Pulchra sicut dies.

All I see are Milo's eyes. I wave back. I go back inside, shutting the door behind me. Once the lights are off, I go to my room, lay on the bed, and admire the stars and moon through the window.