Post by StoryGirl83 on Jun 27, 2011 0:11:41 GMT -5
Chapter Twenty-Seven – Behind the Mask
“Ben!” Toby exclaimed, taking a step toward his best friend.
“Are you okay?” Brianna asked concerned, almost at the same time. “Can I help?”
“No,” CT shook his head as he walked backward into the couch. “No, you can’t help.” He allowed himself to fall against the couch and closed his eyes still clutching his stomach.
“Have you been feeling like this all day?” Toby asked, worry in his voice as he walked over to the couch.
CT shook his head. “No, since January off and on.”
“January?!” Brianna exclaimed startled. “Why didn’t you tell us?”
“Aka would have just worried and fretted,” CT informed them. “Max has too much on his mind. You have Devia to worry about. And I just didn’t want any of you to know.”
“We can’t help you if you don’t tell us something is wrong,” Toby reminded him.
“My dad’s dying.”
Toby and Brianna stared at him stunned. The subject of CT’s pain was forgotten.
“What? No,” Brianna protected. “He can’t die. He can’t.”
“He’s human, Brianna,” he reminded her. “No one’s meant to take what he’s taken all these years, but least of all a human.”
“How long does he have?” she asked as she sat down next to him. “Do you know?”
“He still has some time, a year, maybe two, but then what?” He dropped his head down. “He says the average guardian lives about twenty-five years. He’s been there twenty-two. I’m going to lose my dad.”
“We’ll fix it,” Brianna decided.
“You can’t fix it,” CT argued. “He gave his word. He made a binding contract for me. He can’t get out of it. And you can’t help him get out of it. He won’t let you.”
Brianna scowled. “He should have found a different way.”
“And leave me to the “tender” mercy of the demons that kidnapped me?” CT gave her a look. “No thanks. They did enough damage in the time they had me. You think I want this?” he asked as he held out his hand and fire streamed from it. He closed his hand and the fire evaporated before it hit anything. “You think I want to be a demon. No, thanks.” And then he flamed out.
“Is he crazy?!” Toby exclaimed, staring at the spot where his best friend had vanished from. “They’ll trace him.”
“And do what?” Brianna retorted. “Follow him home? What demon in their right mind would follow him there?”
“This one,” Toby announced before he dark orbed out.
Brianna sighed and walked over to the map. She picked up the crystal. “Looks like it’s just me. And I don’t think three demons are all going to be in an isolation chamber, so I’d better see if I can find the other two. And then I am going to have a long talk with his dad. I suspect he knows what’s wrong with his son.” She looked down at the map. “Now how do you find a demon who doesn’t want to be found?”