Luna Raine

XI. Half Off

Helen blew her nose into a tissue.

"Why are you acting like someone died?" Cory asks.

Helen sniffs before she glares at Cory. "I'm feeling sad-" she smacks his arm, "that my good friend-" she hits his arm again, "is leaving!"

Cory runs his hand down his arm, "Ow! Is this how you say goodbye to a friend?"

Right now, Helen and I are seeing Cory off at the airport. Another plane beam passed us, and I exhaled deeply. Cory looks at me and smiles, then messes up my hair. "I'll call you when I land."

Helen dramatically gasped, "I'm the one that's crying here. Why does Raine get all the comfort?"

"Because she didn't smack my arm a gazillion times." He grabs a tissue from Helen's packet and stuffs it up her nose. "Stop being dramatic. I'll come back during the holidays."

"I'm proud of you, son," Mr.Wengret, Cory's dad, said.

Mr.Wengret pats Cory's shoulder, and Cory offers a tight smile in return. I can see it, regret. "Yeah. I'm awesome."

"The awesomest," Mrs.Wengret, Cory's overly preppy mother, replies. She inhales sharply before embracing him once more. "Be safe. If something happens, don't be afraid to tell an adult and-"

Cory pats Mrs.Wengret back. "Yes, mom. I understand that if I were to go home, no one would pick on me."

Helen hands Mrs.Wengret a tissue. She dabs it near her eyes, but not close enough to smear her exotic makeup. "It's just there are werewolves there. You know those creatures."

"He'll be fine," Mr.Wengert reassured his wife again. He turns towards Cory, "Got protection?"

Regularly, a dad would refer to a condom. You know, like when you go away for college, the dad would ask their son if they're well equipped with protection so they will bring home a degree instead of a grandson. Well, here, when a hunter parent says protection, they meant weapons.

Cory lifts his coat to reveal a silver gun, "Got em pops."

I cannot believe the airport would allow a teenager to carry bare arms inside. Yes, it's completely legal to carry a weapon on a plane here. God forbids it from happening in my world.

My left eye twitches when I see a young woman sitting on a broom passes us. I always thought it was ridiculous to see a person flying on a broom, but it's the real deal here. Brooms. Carpets. Flying cars. All a means of transportation here - well, unusual in the human community. Helen told me those types of transportation are generally more for the witches since they practiced magic. But, they prefer to fly with airplanes because magic does dispel - it's a usage of internal energy or some s**t like that.

"Enough silver on yah?" Mr.Wengret questions.

"Enough to put em dogs down." Cory usually doesn't talk like that, but he does whenever he hangs out with other hunters. Not so surprising, hunters aren't really on good terms with a lot of creatures, particularly vampires and werewolves. I guess some myths in my world are the truth in this world.

"Never assume enough is enough. I'll send you more." Mr.Wengret pats his son's shoulder.

"Don't worry about him. He's a strong boy," Mr.Andronica, Helen's dad, said.

Mrs.Andronica smiles, "I'm proud of you."

Wengret and Andronica are close to each other. Mrs.Wengret was the one who helped Andronica leave the Witches Community. Mrs.Wengret and Mrs.Andronica met online and became long term penpals. Throughout their lives, they met each other a handful of times. Despite the minimum amount of contacts, they became terrific friends.

Mom would've liked them.

I lean toward Cory, "Do you need that many bullets?" I question in a low voice. He checked in a suitcase filled with just bullets. If I didn't know any better, I would've thought he wanted to shoot the airport down.

Cory shook his head, "Heck, no, but whatever gives them peace of mind."

I smile, "You're sweet."

Cory's cheeks went pink, "Aw shucks."

"And amazing."

He scratches his head, "Thanks."

"And super handsome."

"Shut up," he grumbles.

I continue to smile.

He rests his fists against his waist, "You may continue to compliment me."

Helen rolls her eyes and hits his head. "Come back with gifts." She winks the wrong eye.

"Why are we friends?"

"Because you have no choice but to hang out with me." Cory and Helen are like siblings with different parents. Or so I would assume. No one knows what may happen. Friends turn into lovers with time. I said that once and they spat sodas on my face. I quickly learned never to mention it again.

Cory smiles, "We'll make sure you get to go home."

I return his smile, "Don't try too hard. If something happens, drop it and come back." I would love to go back to my world, but I wouldn't know what I would do if something happens to Cory.

His smile still rests on his face as he closes the distance between us. He wraps an arm around my shoulders and pulls me close, gently rubbing my back. "Don't feel bad. I choose to do this."

I sunk into the warmth of his side, appreciative of the gesture. His touch made the place warmer somehow, "You're too good for any world."

What I said wasn't a lie. Cory Wengret is a good person, too good for both worlds. I met many people before in my life, and I understood that even my friends wouldn't lay their lives for me. He told me not to worry, but everyone knows that a human on the grounds of beasts is highly concerning.

He laughs, his chest increasing and decreasing with each humorous release. "Well, maybe, free donuts whenever I return?"

"Half off," I wink.

He laughs, but the laughter dies the moment he looks at Helen. With her head facing down, the grey clouds were apparent around her. Cory pulls her into embracement. "Be careful," she muffled into his chest.

Cory kisses the top of her head, "I will. Stay out of trouble and make sure to go home every day before sunset."

She nods, "I will."

"I want to see you here whenever I return."

She nods, "I will be here."

With a deep breath, Cory grabs his handbag and hugs everyone. His mother read the checklist for the fourth time today. The first, during breakfast. Second, before we entered the car. Third, before we went into the airport. And finally, now.

The tears arrive.

I hate saying goodbye.

With each step Cory took, his body seemingly got smaller. His grip tightens on the handle of the brown bag. He stopped at the check-in and turned around, giving us a final wave and the biggest smile he can muster. But I can see it. The fear. The hesitation. The doubt.

Helen held my hand, "You didn't force him. He chooses to do this."

I went on my toes, to bypass the crowd of people. Then, the motion began, left to right, and then repeats. He kept on getting smaller.

Without any warning, Helen screams: "Be careful!" I turned my head, and I saw it in her eyes. She's scared. She cupped her hands over her mouth. "Come home safely!" Helen bounces on her shoes and rushes towards the other side. "If someone hurt you. Call us right away!"

Cory smiled and gave us two thumbs up. With a few more steps, he steadily disappeared among the crowds.

We stayed until the airplane left.

But we still stayed.

I look at Helen, who was staring at the blue sky. My hand lifted and held hers. "He actually left." She looks at me with teary eyes. "That i***t actually left." And with an uneven breath, she fell into my chest. She sobbed unceasingly, hands clutch at my jacket. A light hiccup caught her, but it didn't stop the pain.

My head motions towards the sky once more. I lift a hand and caress her hair, giving the best comfort I could provide.