The Seasons

Chapter 15

Wing got tired of waiting after Thorne had disappeared for over twenty minutes, so he went and raided his fridge. There were many drinks, from energy drinks to cold coffee, but what Wing wanted was in one of those thermoses. So, he grabbed one of the black ones and returned it to the couch. He played his episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine and opened the thermos, slowly sipping.

His eyebrows shot up when he realised this blood tasted different than the one he usually drank at Cairo’s. But he quietly enjoyed the difference and continued drinking.

Ten minutes later, Thorne walked out of his room, his hair was still wet from his shower, but he was in a black shirt and joggers. “Let’s go,” he muttered, holding his backpack.

Wing sighed. He knew he couldn’t have an attitude; being a university student was hard, and soon, he would be holed up in his room, having meltdowns over essays, lab reports, and more. They saw Cairo walking out of the elevator as they left the apartment. Wing heard his best friend scoff but said nothing.

“Where are you two going?” Cairo asked, his hazel eyes narrowing on them.

Thorne didn’t say anything. “We’re going to The Seasons,” Wing replied instead.

“Ah, I see. Keep an eye on him, Thorne, don’t let him wander around.”

“Don’t treat my best friend like a pet,” he spat.

“I’m not. But he’s newly turned; just keep an eye on him.”

Wing frowned as he stared at him; Cairo looked down at him. His amber eyes glinting in the light. “Oh, you’re not coming with us?”

“No, I have some work I need to do for Rex. I’ll be home if I get this done, and you're still there. I’ll come to pick you up.”

Wing grinned. “In your fancy car?”

Cairo smiled. “Yes, in my fancy car.”

Thorne scowled as he dragged Wing past Cairo and down the stairs instead. “What happened between you two? You told me your father was dead?”

Thorne snorted. “He is dead. He’s a vampire.”

“You know that’s not what I mean.”

“I just don’t get along with him.”

Wing didn’t feel like it was right for him to pry anymore, well, right now. He would get to the bottom of whatever was happening between them, sooner or later. “Okay, fine. Why did you never tell me you were taken too?”

Thorne groaned as they continued walking down the street. “It was before we had met, and you didn’t know we existed. No point putting so much pressure on you.”

“Why did you change majors?”

Thorne bit his lip as he stopped walking and turned to stare at him. “Wing, I know. A lot has changed since you were taken, and you’re overwhelmed, but,” when he placed his hand on Wing’s shoulder, it was smacked away. Both men froze as they stared at the hand.

“Oh, no. I'm sorry, I didn’t mean to.”

Thorne interrupted him, “It’s okay. But you need to give yourself some time to adjust, Wing. You’re not human anymore. And there’s a lot you still don’t know. You can’t expect to know everything in just under two weeks. Just take it slow, and do it bit by bit. You have four months before you start university again; use that time to learn everything. Slaine is helping you and I’m sure if you have any questions, Neo, Warren or even Blue will be happy to answer.”

“Okay. Then tell me this. Why did you change courses?”

“I snuck into a biochemistry lecture. I was bored and had nothing to do, but I didn’t want to go home, so I wandered around campus. I saw the PowerPoint slide, and it looked interesting, and after sitting in, I realised Biochemistey interested me more than Astrophysics, so I changed.”

“Why were you halfway across campus?”

“I was bored.”

The two arrived in the alley. During the day, the whole vibe was different. The purple lights weren’t on; they were blue and looked more friendly. The cafe sign was outside, and they slipped inside as the bell jingled. Winter smiled, but it dropped when he saw who it was.

“Oh. If you're sitting in, buy something.”

“Hi to you too, Winter,” Thorne muttered as he sat in a corner booth against the window and opened his backpack.

Wing, however, walked over to the counter. “Hey, Winter. Can I talk to you?”

Winter frowned, his ice-blue eyes raking over his body. Wing flinched away from the gaze as the shorter man ran a hand through his pale hair. “Yeah, follow me. Jem, man, the counter.” Jem, who had been talking to a customer, nodded. He spotted Wing and smiled, waving. He waved back before he followed Winter into the back room. “What’s up?”

“I was wondering, if you needed any part-timers?”

Winter stared at him for a whole minute before speaking. “You want to work here?”

If vampires could blush, Wing was sure his face would be bright red. “Yeah. I owe Slaine and Cairo money, and I can't keep leeching off Cairo, but it would only be part-time. I have uni work to think about too.”

Winter eyed him. “Do you have any experience in this?”

Wing nodded. “I was a waiter at Cafe Nero for a while, well, I was until I disappeared. I don’t think I still have my job.”

Winter sighed as he ran a hand through his pale hair; Wing’s eyes landed on a braid in his hair. “I like your braid.”

The shorter man frowned. “What braid?”

Wing frowned as he pointed it out. Winter’s face went red as he muttered something under his breath. “I’ll speak to Summer, Autumn and Neo, and one of us will let you know, but don’t keep your hopes up.”

Wing nodded and thanked the man before he left the room, ordered a drink and sat across the booth from Thorne, who was head first in his work. He couldn’t help but smile. While he was held, he was sure he would be killed, and he was. But he was still here, with his best friend, and although there had been some changes, he could adjust.

But one thing would be for sure. Wing would find out who took him, and kill them with his own hands, even if it meant he would die again.

~*~