I was about to cross the street to get to the other side-note the lame pun-when Carter showed up out of the blue. I had prepared for a battle, but not for this. I wasn't any good with goodbyes-no pun intended this time.

All those years of having to move over and over again, my rule had been 'disappear without a trace'. That saved me from all the call-me, let's-get-in-touch stuff which wouldn't actually work. That was just junk people say to make themselves feel better. It was easier for me to delete everything and start over again with a clean sheet in a new place.

But here he was, standing in the sidewalk, his back leaning on his beetle car as he waited patiently. I kept my gaze forward, pretending I hadn't seen him. To my dismay, he practically barricaded himself between the street and me when he saw I wasn't stopping for him. Now, how could I ignore that?

It was just over a few days since I last saw him-that night we both got our first tattoos-but it seemed like a lot had changed about him.

Carter wasn't wearing any glasses today which would take a bit of getting used to for me. His sandy hair was cut short and intentionally dishevelled. Plus, he wasn't wearing a dress shirt like the usual. Instead, he was in a midnight blue Sean John T-shirt that made the color of his eyes paler than normal, paired with faded jeans and sneakers.

"In a hurry?" he asked, stepping sideways as I did a quick turn to shirk him.

"Yeah, actually," I said resignedly. One upsetting goodbye was enough for the day. "I have to go."

Carter barred my way again, catching me by the arms before I could bump onto him. "You need a ride? Isn't your Dad going to pick you up?"

"No. Not today. I..." My eyes fixed on the setting sun, a sick feeling slowly creeping its way up to my chest. "I don't mind walking."

With my eyes downcast, I shrugged his hands off of my arms, turned away and took the sidewalk instead. I hastened my steps, just to avoid being confronted again. There weren't any right words to make things sound easier than they were. Lindsay had to do the goodbye for me. She had to explain to Carter how I had been an ungrateful friend. How I had left with no say at all. Because I couldn't deal with it myself.

"Aramis, wait up!" he called as he tried to run after me. "Please, listen for a second. I was thinking, maybe we could-Ugh. Are you avoiding me?"

"No," I lied, almost running now. "I really have to-"

"Aramis Rayne," he said, cutting my words off, finally catching up. He took a hold of my left arm, making me stop. For a while, he paused to catch his breath. "If you're avoiding me, please don't. Because I... I really like you."

Slowly, I turned to him, my mouth parting a bit like an idiot would. Honestly, I would just like to check if he was kidding me.

Please make it a joke. Please.

My fingers were literally crossed behind me. But the sincere look on his slight, boyish face told me otherwise. It was only then that I noticed how his jaws were a bit stronger now, made defined by the tan. Summer, I guessed. He was almost a head taller than me now, his build slightly prominent under that shirt. Slight was not a term that would fit him anymore. He wasn't the skinny kid I knew from first semester and I had only started to notice this.

No. Carter wasn't a boy anymore.

It was sad how I imagined that he would always look the same. The same pushover wimp who always needed someone else to look out for him. And that was my job-fend off bullies and throw cursed stares at every airhead girl who planned to make him a homework factory. But he didn't need me now. He had grown into a man. Unlike me, who would stay this way forever.

My hair and my nails still grew. Other than that, I couldn't fear wrinkles and gray hair like all the other girls. I couldn't wish to grow a few more inches. Or hope to wear a B cup someday. With my plans to save Vincent from his all-powerful Daddy, I couldn't even imagine making it through the next year. How sad.

"I... like you," he repeated when I didn't respond. "A-and I mean not as a friend."

How sad indeed. "Let's go for a walk," I said to him as I forced a weak smile.

For some reason, I was happy that Carter had grown up. I wouldn't have to worry about him or Lindsay after all. They would do well on their own. At the same time, it made me strangely sad for the both of them. At first, I thought it was just a lucky guess when I told Lindsay that I knew he liked Carter. But maybe, I had been seeing it all along-the way they cared for each other, the way they watched each others' backs. It was pretty obvious, now that I thought about it.

How could Carter feel this way about me? I couldn't understand at all. It wasn't fair. This was why I didn't like attachments. This was what I had been avoiding for the past ten years.

"I t-thought you're in a hurry?" he stuttered, pocketing his hands to prevent them from shaking.

I nodded lightly, keeping my eyes on my feet as they stepped unhurriedly. "But I still got time."

It couldn't be helped. The least I could do was try to sort things out before I left. Breaking my friendship with Lindsay was one thing but breaking Carter's heart was another. I had to make sure they would stay together and help each other mend.

"Have I told you I really like strawberries?" I told him, my hands clasped behind my back. I didn't wait for his answer. Of course I hadn't. I wouldn't tell anybody anything. Sighing, I continued. "But I'm really allergic to it. I was five when Dad brought home a basket of it. It was Mom's birthday, I think. The scent coming from the basket was... unbelievable."

Innocently, his eyes lingered on my face, making it kind of hard to keep my calm. "Yeah. Strawberries are... nice."

"I sneaked one." I finally mustered the courage to face him and was a bit surprised that I had to look up to him now-he used to be a couple of inches shorter than me. "Just one and I almost died. Mom said I turned blue and stopped breathing."

"You're joking," he muttered, a wry smile spreading across his face.

"No. Seriously. They rushed me to the hospital and the doctor had to give me loads and loads of medicines so I could breathe again," I replied, watching his reaction. "And I never ate strawberries again even if I really, really like it."

Carter paused, thoughtful as though he was trying to make sense of what I was telling him. "Ever?"

"Well, maybe I tried once or twice," I admitted with a wistful smile. "And Mom screamed at me for hours after that. She is... was such a nag."

Lightly, he chuckled, raising a brow. "That's what I thought. And you weren't sent to the ER anymore?"

I shook my head. "Just as long as it's not more than a bite. But I would get itchy everywhere and my face would get all red and really swollen. Like this." Out of impulse, I puffed my cheeks and narrowed my eyes.

Carter's laugh filled the air. As self-conscious as I had suddenly become, I laughed with him if it was just to hide the burn in my cheeks. When the laughter subsided, Carter stayed silent for a while, giving me a meaningful look as if he wanted to say something. Casually, I stepped ahead of him. The way he looked at me made me uneasy.

"It was like I wasn't born to eat strawberries after all," I mumbled, my voice trailing off.

"Aramis," he said my name again, and this time, there was a hint of hurt in it. A hint of understanding. "Are you saying you're allergic to me? Because I know a whole lot of antihistamines," he attempted to make it sound like a joke, but there was no real humor in his tone.

With a heavy sigh, I stopped, keeping my eyes fixed on the pavement. "I'm saying Carter, that maybe we don't get something just because we really like it. Sometimes, what you really need is the one that's been right in front of you the whole time. You just don't take the time to see."

There was no immediate answer. Secretly, I was grateful for his silence. I wasn't really sure how I felt about Carter or his confession. But I did know that he was more than a friend to me. Like the younger brother I never had, perhaps. That was all I could decide for now. I never would've said it to his face anyway. It was like saying 'I don't like you the way you like me. Not at all,' because that would hurt him more. It was all so confusing and depressing that I had to leave, with so little time to make amends.

Before he could get a chance to say something back, I took his hand in both of mine and met his blank stare searchingly. Then, with an encouraging smile, I said, "Take care of Lindsay."

Seizing the opportunity, I ran off into the dark while he was still too perplexed to move. While I still had my self-control. Why me of all people? Why did it hurt more to think that I was hurting them than the other way around? I couldn't get what was so good about friendship at all.

As soon as I was sure I was out of Carter's sight, I draughted straight to the trees bordering the other side of the road. I kept my stance low, my upper body slightly inclined forward as my hands dangled freely behind me. The contents of my sling bag made a clinking noise but I didn't pause to bother myself about it.

At my current speed, the wind whipped fiercely on my face. Twigs and branches grazed the exposed areas of my arms and neck. The scars would be gone by the time I get there and that cheerless thought gnawed on my insides.

No matter what I did, I would never change like Carter or Lindsay. I wouldn't grow old, get a normal job and meet someone I would spend the rest of my life with. Or have kids, just like my mother would've wanted. I had no choice but be this teenager for god knows how long.

If I didn't die early, I would witness people as they grow old, see them pass away; all those I had learned to care about dying before my very eyes. And it would happen over and over again. People passing and me being left alone. It was nothing close to miserable. The feeling was a lot worse, indescribable to the point of driving me insane. Like nothing would make it better than the idea of death.

Right then and there, I found my answer. I didn't have to become Hector's test subject. Once we're out of the Halo, Vincent would have to take the Helcium from me. He would be safe, undetectable. And I... I would have to do what should've been done before everything turned so messed up.

My time had long been up anyway. And Nirvana didn't seem so bad. I just wasn't sure if my original soul wasn't tainted enough for Nirvana's forces to annihilate it. Either way, it seemed like a sensible option. Or maybe I was really losing it.

As was settled, Millie was standing there at the exact same spot she had stood on the last night, motionless like a human-sized doll. And it wasn't an exaggeration this time.

She wore a frilly Nysmic dress-I could tell by the minute ever-changing inscriptions on the material-with a puffy skirt similar to silk that stretched just above her porcelain knees. Her knee-high draughting boots had lots of red crisscrossed straps on it, matching the color of her hair which was now up in tiny elaborate braids and folds. A wide black ribbon secured the end of the fold, its lose ends falling on her neck, down to the back of her waist.

I winced. If Hector planned to doll me up like this, Nirvana would certainly not seem so bad at all. I would rather be caught dead than wear that dress.

He's a maniac and a big perv! Ugh!

"Aramis Rayne." Millie moved for the first time, her face awkwardly turning to my direction as if she had just awoken from a deep sleep. "You have made your decision."

It wasn't a question but I still nodded. "I agree to Hector's terms," I said, stepping closer to her. "But he should swear never to harm Vincent or any other member of my cabal."

All of a sudden, Millie's eyes turned blank again for a few seconds. When she came to, she said, "My master swears on the honor of the Reapers."

Like all other familiars, it seemed that Millie had a direct communication link with Hector-an ability I didn't possess. Still, even if it wasn't in person, a Reaper's oath is every bit better than nothing. It could not be broken. Or so I was told. Given the circumstances, that sounded good enough for me.

"I have another condition," I told her, making my face as expressionless as possible.

Without giving her the chance to refuse, I began heading where the trees and the street met. Judging by the light tapping of feet over damp grass, I knew she was following me. I pushed aside the saplings that hindered our view and did a quick check on the area. A police car kept patrolling in Fountain Springs, making rounds to and fro the main streets every now and then. The residents probably thought the burglar who broke into Jim's house would try to victimize others.

"There's a group of wraiths in one of those houses. Do you know how many?" I asked, glancing at my phone to look at the time.

Dutifully, she nodded. "Ten wraiths and a Swarth."

"Do you have a scythe, Millie?"

"Yes. I do," she replied, her wide dark eyes giving me something close to a meaningful look. "But may I suggest another method of eliminating them?"

It looked like she had planned way ahead of me. Frankly, I expected her to turn down the idea of taking on wraiths two to twelve. Make that one to twelve. I would be virtually useless without my weapons. I was thinking that maybe she would be all wound up on getting her mission done-not that she had let on any sign-so she could finally bring me to Hector. I wanted to hurry too, to get to Vincent as quick as possible but my conscience would see to it that I would lose some sleep if I didn't do something to get rid of the wraiths invading Jim Lowry's house.

Wordlessly, she beckoned me back to the safety of the darkness where she told me her plan. It wasn't that much complicated as I had expected. All I had to do was play bait. If everything went according to plan, we would be able to get to the Halo with flying colors.

Before we initiated our move, she handed me a change of Nysmic clothes. The last thing we needed was human interference. I was very reluctant to accept the clothes at first. But seeing that it wasn't as flashy and girly as the one Millie was wearing, she finally convinced me. It wasn't much-a long straight black dress with a white band cinching just below my chest.

As nightfall came, we took the road leading to the Lowry's. Millie's draughting was steady, precise but she fell back a little. Whether intentionally or not, I couldn't tell. Perhaps, she was still wary that I would change my mind and try to escape.

Finally, we reached the pale green house, its face sallow against the vibrant green and yellow of the lawn. The garage door was left open, a car parked at a dangerous angle inside it.

"Tsk," I chewed on my lower lip. "That's a major drawback."

The lights inside the first floor were turned on this time. Even with the Nysmic outfits, making the mortals unable to see us, it would still be more difficult to coax the wraiths out of the house while preventing them from hurting the people who lived there.

"We must rush," Millie blinked, unfazed by the obstacle.

Like a cat, she darted across the lawn and bounded onto the roof without much effort. It amazed me how she could jump so high. But since I barely had time to gape, I followed her and heaved myself onto the roof. I lurched, face-first against the attic window on the side of which, she waited for me. As I got up, I noticed a small dimple on the area where one of her feet landed. You had to be maybe more than two hundred pounds to do that and with Millie's petite stature, it seemed impossible that she had left that hole on the roof.

I pushed the window leading to the attic. It didn't budge this time.

"It's locked," I told her. No surprise. We had to find another way to enter. "What now?"

Millie tilted her head to the side, stepping closer to me. Her small hand reached for my chest and before I could cringe, I realized that she was just touching the Helcium's pendant. For a few seconds, she blankly gazed to the south, so still except for her dark eyes that seemed to shift rapidly from left to right.

The whole town was now consumed by darkness, tiny dots of lights flickering from the houses. Dad must be worried now that it was late and I wasn't home. I hoped he had already seen the vague note I left on my bed. Most of all, I hoped he believed me when I said I would be fine.

"Six minutes," she finally said as she turned to me. "Using my full draughting speed, I calculated that we can reach the borders in average time-six minutes and twenty two seconds. Once the wraiths follow, we must not stop."

When she said 'borders', I knew she meant Sinclair Mansion. That was our goal. I had to lure the wraiths to the woods and as near as the mansion as possible. According to Millie, the more wraiths, the better. It was the only way we could get past Vincent's barriers.

"I... can do that," I said swallowing hard. "But how can we make the wraiths follow me if they can't even see-" I almost bit my tongue. The answer came to me before I could even finish asking. My heart was racing when I looked down on my chest, my eyes resting on the teardrop diamond pendant.

Before I learned how to use a Transference Link, wraiths always seemed to find me. Vladimir said it was because I wasn't properly Resurrected. Whenever a candidate is chosen, a contract is agreed upon by the both parties-the master and the familiar-before the candidate expires. The candidate must die and his soul must crossover to Nirvana before a Reaper could perform the ritual of Resurrection; that is, to place a portion of the master's soul into the familiar's lifeless body.

In my case, my soul and a portion of Vincent's were still inside me. And with my body unable to contain both, wraiths became attracted to me. Problem solved. All I had to do was remove the only thing keeping wraiths and other immortals from knowing that I was still existing-the Helcium.

"You mean..." Reluctantly, I held the pendant in between my fingers. It was also the only thing that was keeping Alessandra from taking full control of my body. I didn't dare voice that out to Millie. Of all people, her master, Hector should be the last person to know that I was brewing a wraith inside my body.

Six minutes... Would my power over Alessandra last that long?

Millie nodded gravely, her dark eyes boring into mine like a foreboding. "You will be detected. The Grand Master would only need a full minute to know that you are back on the map. It would take at least five minutes to deploy and send a search unit. Any error can cause the failure of this mission. Once you are found, there is a high possibility that you will be-"

"I know," I cut her off, stepping beside her to take in the view of the town. I knew the risks. But being captured by Pilgrim Reaper wasn't in my list-to-do-before-I-die. "If that's the case, I guess I'll just have to draught faster."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi! It's me again as usual. Sorry for the late update. It's been hard to write while keeping 2 jobs. Not that I'm complaining. I love doing all of them. I know you miss Vincent. We all do, but we'll see more of him soon enough :) So, yeah. Thanks to everyone who voted for Reapers in the Watty's.

Free hugs and shoe shines,

~shim :)