{"sf1_id":818352,"sf2_id":null,"title":"The Wandering Shadow: Chapter Eleven","author":"LucarioZer0","words":4914,"posted_at":"2015-02-11T04:21:00.000Z","tags":["Angst","Character Development","Clean","Human","Magic","Plot Development","Vampire","Wolf"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/818352-the-wandering-shadow-chapter-eleven","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/818352","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=818352\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"","content":"\n11\n\n\n\"So, remind me\nagain what it is we're hunting down here...or rather, why don't you tell me\nperiod?\"\n\n\nWill turned back\nto look at David, who was trailing a few feet behind him. He could only just\nmake out the outline of the illusionist in the darkness of the ship's cargo\nhold. After spending the past couple hours on a relatively thorough sweep of\nthe decks above they had moved below, deciding that the shadowy bowls of the\nship were the most likely place to find their quarry. Unfortunately for Will,\nthe cargo area was so stacked with boxes and crates that it bore an unsettling\nresemblance to the warehouse where he had confronted Silas and his cult.\n\n\n\"Look, the less\nyou know, the better. This is a case were ignorance is bliss. It's also a case\nwhere ignorance keeps me from revealing sensitive information.\"\n\n\nDavid's voice\ndripped with sarcasm when he replied. \"You know what mate, you're right? It's\njust a\nlovely idea to wander around\nin the dark, stumbling after a killer, all the while not having the faintest\nidea of what the killer actually is. I just feel\nso safe.\"\n\n\nJenna--who could\nsee a bit better in the dark than they could--looked back and forth between\nthem, then decided to sit, figuring this argument would probably take a few\nminutes.\n\n\n\"I get that\nyou'd like to know more, but I've already told you about things I'm not\nsupposed to--\"\n\n\n\"Exactly! So why\nnot just tell me? You've already broken what ever rules I.O.M.E. has about this\nshit.\"\n\n\nWill sighed in\nexasperation. \"Fine dammit. You wanna know? We're hunting a vampire.\"\n\n\nA tense silence\nfell as both David and Jenna tried to come to terms with that revelation. Jenna\ncould do nothing but wait for more to come, but David wasn't so passive about\nit. \"Are you barking? You can't be serious!\"\n\n\nWill gave a\nhollow laugh in response. \"Don't be naïve. You were willing to accept their\nexistence before. Why act shocked now?\"\n\n\n\"Because it's\njust...hard to swallow. So...what do we do then...stab it through the heart?\"\n\n\nWill shook his\nhead. \"You don't get it, do you? These things aren't the way people think of\nthem. They aren't seductive or suave. They're vicious predators that feed on\nhumans. Smart as they are, they can't be reasoned with. One won't hesitate to\nkill you if it gets a chance.\"\n\n\nDavid nodded,\nthough Will couldn't see in the darkness. \"Right...so then...what are we dealing\nwith? I mean, how much of the lore is accurate?\"\n\n\nWill motioned\nfor them to start moving, not wanting to stay in one place. He talked as the\nother two followed after him. \"Well, that depends. The more recent depictions\nthat started appearing in the early 1800's and popularized in Stoker's work\nare...highly inaccurate. But if you go back far enough, to the old folk tales,\nyou'll find a decent amount of useful information.\n\n\nAs far as\nweaknesses go, don't expect a cross or Holly Water to save you. You'll be dead\nbefore you have a chance. Also, though a stake through the heart can weaken\nthem...don't expect it to kill. The only true way to kill them is to completely\ndestroy the brain.\"\n\n\n\"Why? Couldn't\nyou just decapitate them?\"\n\n\n\"That would make\nthem...harmless, but the head would live on. See, they aren't actually alive, so\nthey don't need the same things we do to survive. We need air, food, sleep,\nwater, and blood pumping through our veins. They don't need any of that. They\nlive on energy that they 'suck' out of the living.\"\n\n\n\"Not blood?\"\n\n\nWill shook his\nhead. \"No. Not blood. They do need access to bare skin, because they need to\npuncture it. That tends to draw blood, hence the blood drinking myths. Instead\nwhat they do is drain every ounce of every kind of energy from their victim's\nbody. Heat. Electrical. Cellular. We may not know much about the energies in\nour bodies, but we're relatively certain that vampires feed on them all. It's\nwhy that poor girl who died felt so cold to the touch when I examined her.\"\n\n\n\"Yeah...about\nthat. Are we going to have to deal with a second vampire because of her?\"\n\n\nWill rolled his\neyes, partly glad that the darkness was hiding his irritation from sight. \"No.\nIf you fall prey to one, you're dead. No coming back.\"\n\n\n\"Then where do\nthey come from?\"\n\n\nWill hesitated\nfor a moment then said \"Well, it's the result of someone tampering with death.\nWhen someone with enough power tries--and succeeds--in reanimating a corpse, that\ncorpse becomes a vampire. And sometimes, if a vampire is strong enough, they\ncan create a new vampire themselves. Though they usually won't because they're\nrather...territorial. They tend to stay in one area, and feed off the population\nthere. They won't move unless they have to. It's a bit odd that there's one on\na ship, just because of that.\"\n\n\n\"Alright...so what\nabout sunlight? Does that do anything to them?\"\n\n\n\"Actually it\ndoes, though not as much as you would hope. They tend to avoid sun, for two\nreasons. One, their eyes are sensitive to light. The second is that--even though\nit won't kill them--their flesh is severely burned by exposure to the sun. In spite\nof the research we've done, I.O.M.E. doesn't know why sunlight affects them so.\nWe just know that it does. Speaking of light...\"\n\n\nWill trailed\noff, coming to a stop, which caused Jenna to bump into him, and David to nearly\ntrip over her. After regaining his balance David asked, \"What is it? Why have\nwe stopped?\"\n\n\n\"David, you're\nillusions can be partly done with light energy, right?\"\n\n\nHe nodded into\nthe darkness. \"Yeah. Why?\"\n\n\nWill smiled, as\nan idea formed that might give them at least a slight advantage. \"Tell me, can\nyou do anything with it here? Something to give us some light?\"\n\n\nDavid blinked in\nsurprise. \"Er...I can give it a go, but I don't usually work with light in that\nsense. I just bend it around things.\"\n\n\n\"Just try.\"\n\n\nAll went quiet\nas David focused his mind on bringing what little light was available under his\ncontrol. It started with a few small sparks trailing through the air, like\nfireflies on a summer night. More points of light appeared every second, coming\nfrom every direction to swarm around the trio. As they gathered they moved about\nas if being pushed by a gentle breeze, ebbing back and forth at a peacefully\nserene pace.\n\n\nWill shook his\nhead, awed by the sight. \"I had no idea you could do anything like this.\"\n\n\nJenna nodded in\nagreement. Even if she could speak, she wouldn't dare disturb what she felt was\na beautiful moment.\n\n\nThe moment came\nto an unceremonious end when all the floating points of light rushed into a\nsingle point a few inches above David's outstretched palm, coalescing into an\norb several inches across, casting a circle of light around them. None of them\nspoke for a moment then David cleared his throat. \"We should get moving again,\nyeah? We've got a vampire to hunt down, and I can only keep this thing going\nfor so long.\"\n\n\nAt that moment a\nlaugh emanated from the darkness. \"Yes, your light, like your simple human\nlives, is fleeting.\"\n\n\n\"I think that\nhunt is coming to a close.\" Will unholstered his gun and handed it to David.\n\"Take that. You'll need something to defend yourself with if we have to fight.\"\n\n\nDavid hesitated,\nbut took the weapon, knowing it was likely for the best. \"What'll you do then?\"\n\n\nWill didn't\nanswer directly, simply drawing his sword instead. Calling out into the shadowy\nrecesses of the room he said, \"Why don't you make this easier on all of us and\ncome out where we can see you?\"\n\n\n\"Now why would I\ndo that? I see no purpose in it. I'm certainly not going to answer to the\ncommand of a mere human...well, at least not a human as weak as you.\"\n\n\nNot looking back\nat the other two Will whispered, \"I think this is a young vampire. He seems too\narrogant and sure of himself to be very experienced. Older ones tend to be more\nsubtle and secretive.\"\n\n\nDavid brightened\na bit. \"So he might not be too tough then?\"\n\n\n\"I didn't say\nthat.\" Calling out into the darkness again Will said, \"If you don't come out\nwe'll just come find you. Why not save us all some time?\"\n\n\n\"And why so\nintent on hunting me down?\"\n\n\nWill frowned.\n\"Because you killed someone, and I can't let that pass.\"\n\n\nMore laughter\nwas the response. When that faded the voice came again. \"All I did was act as a\npredator should when met with hunger and abundant prey. She was so vibrant and\nfull of life. Perfect for my first meal as a hunter of man.\"\n\n\nJenna growled\nand David opened his mouth with a vindictive reply in mind, but Will held out a\nhand, telling both of them to be quiet. \"Don't react. It's what he wants. He's\ntrying to unbalance us. He wants us to act recklessly.\"\n\n\nReturning his\nattention to the expanses of the room Will said, \"So then, are you going to\nshow yourself, or just keeping skulking in the shadows? I'd rather not keep\ntalking to empty air.\"\n\n\nSilence\nfollowed. They all tensed, waiting in their circle of light. The shadows seemed\ndeeper and darker. All three looked about, trying to detect the slightest hint\nof movement. There was no sound but that of their breathing, and the occasional\nwhisper of air and fabric, betraying movement the eye could never see. A chill\ncrept into the air. Will felt a tingle run down his spine. He gripped the hilt\nof his sword tighter. He could hear the other two shifting uneasily. He didn't\ndare to look, unwilling to drop his guard for the briefest of instants.\n\n\nAs the seconds\nticked by they began to wonder if anything would ever come from the shadows.\nEach minute passed like an hour, the tension skewing their sense of time.\nEventually the silence was broken by laughter. The sound came from everywhere\nat once, as though the cargo hold itself were laughing. \"As much as I like how\nafraid you are, today is not the day for me to kill you, even if I were hungry.\nStill, I think I'll leave you with a parting gift.\"\n\n\nThe only warning\nthey had was a whoosh and a whistle before a bolt of black energy shot out of\nthe shadows, striking the hull in the middle of the trio, sending out a\nshockwave that knocked them all off their feet. They were plunged into\ndarkness, David having lost his hold on his ball of light.\n\n\nWill felt sore\nand bruised, but pushed himself up, standing quickly. \"Is everyone alright?\"\n\n\nDavid groaned.\n\"I've been better...but I should be alright.\"\n\n\nJenna struggled\nfor a moment to think of what sound she could make that would be a positive\nresponse, then settled for walking over to Will and bumping into his leg. Will\nbreathed a sigh of relief at the contact. For just a moment he had though...\n\n\nHe shook his\nhead, trying to chase those thoughts away. He cleared his throat and said,\n\"Alright then, we're getting out of here. David, can you give us our light\nback?\"\n\n\n\"I er...shit I\nthink I'm bleeding. Just give me a moment here.\"\n\n\nAs they had\nbefore, the motes of light came from all corners of the room, casting a gentle\nglow before forming a brighter orb in David's hand. David was indeed bleeding,\na gash on his cheek showing how he had landed. Jenna was favoring one of her\nforelegs, possibly sprained. Will seemed to have made out the best of them,\nwith only a few sore spots and bruises.\n\n\nWill knelt down\nbeside Jenna, gently picking up her right for paw and feeling along her leg.\nShe let out a quiet whine when he pressed a spot about two thirds of the way up\nher leg. He sighed. \"It's probably sprained. I'm guessing you landed on that\none before the others?\"\n\n\nShe nodded. It\ndidn't hurt terribly, but it was still painful, throbbing ever so slightly.\n\n\nWill stood back\nup, rubbing the back of his neck. \"Alright love, it'll be best if you keep off\nthat leg for now. It's not too bad I think, but you shouldn't stress it too\nmuch.\"\n\n\nJenna grumbled\nand picked her paw up, holding it aloft.\nWonderful.\nAs if this body wasn't bad enough, now I have to walk around on three legs.\n\n\n\nWill looked over\nto David. \"You on the other hand just need to have that cut cleaned and\nbandaged.\"\n\n\nDavid reached up\nto the warm spot on his check, his fingers coming away slick with blood. \"Easy\nfor you to say. If this leaves a scar I'll be pissed.\"\n\n\nWill chuckled.\n\"We're all fine. Just be glad for that. Come on, let's move. I get the feeling\nthat trying to find him again wouldn't be a good idea, even if there was a\nchance we could.\"\n\n\nThe two of them\nfollowed behind Will as he led the way through the maze of containers and\ncrates. David, after a moment or two, said, \"Alright, I'm sure I'm not the only\none bothered by this. You said that thing would kill us if given the chance. So\nwhy didn't it?\"\n\n\nWill shook his\nhead. \"I honestly don't know. I've been trying to piece it together but...I only\nreally have two theories. First, is that he was full of bravado and didn't want\nto risk actually trying to fight us. That's the one I'm hoping for.\"\n\n\nDavid gulped.\n\"And the other one is what then?\"\n\n\nWill stopped,\none foot on the stairway that would lead them up out of the hold. \"He said\nsomething about not taking orders from humans. Then he corrected himself,\nsaying that he wouldn't take orders from humans as weak as us. The only human a\nvampire would see as their equal or superior would be the human that created\nthem, and even then that's not always the case. Which suggests to me that\nmaybe--and I can't stress how much I hope I'm wrong--the person who created this\none didn't die when he was created, and is pulling this vampire's strings,\npossibly even commanding him not to kill us.\"\n\n\n\"But why? What\nis there to gain by leaving us alive? Aren't we just witnesses at this point?\"\n\n\n\"I really don't\nknow. That scares me too. I'm used to knowing more about the situation I have\nto deal with.\" Will gave a hollow laugh. \"It seems that's never the case\nanymore.\"\n\n\nJenna felt a\npang of concern. She wasn't used to hearing Will sound so cynical. It wasn't\nlike him. True, she was generally the more optimistic of the two, but he wasn't\nexactly they type to look at the negative.\nIt\nseems we're both changing lately. Will we even be the same us when all of this\nis over?\n\n\n\nDavid\nsighed. \"Great. This is just a\nlovely situation\nwe're in. So what now?\"\n\n\n\"We\nwait 'til morning. It's all we can do. Once we reach Alexandria, I'll file a\nreport with their I.O.M.E. office. After that, we continue on.\"\n\n\n\"That's\nit?\"\n\n\nWill\nnodded. \"That's it. We're not equipped to handle this, and even if we were, we\nhave other things to deal with.\"\n\n\nDavid\nnodded. \"Fair enough then. Didn't think you would be putting yourself first,\nbut if it keeps us out of that thing's way, I won't complain.\"\n\n\nWill\nshook his head and started walking up the stairs thinking,\nI'm not putting myself first. I'm putting Jenna first.\n\n\nOnce\nabove deck the three of them headed aft to the Summer Wind's dinning hall,\nwhere the crew and passengers had gathered. With their search amounting to\nnothing but failure, Will convinced the captain that it would be best to keep\neveryone there for the night, if only for safety. It was there that they spent\nthe night, crowded into the room, sleeping in shifts until the sun peaked over\nthe horizon.\n\n\nDawn\nbrought some relief, but Will knew better than anyone that as long as the\nvampire was alive then there was a very real danger. So, true to his word, once\nthey arrived in Alexandria--and retrieved Vincent and their cart--he made for the\ncity's I.O.M.E. office.\n\n\nHe\nwent into the unobtrusive building without his cloak, not wanting to seem too\nout of the ordinary. He also went in alone, figuring David and Jenna probably wouldn't\nbe the best people to bring in with him. Once inside it took a few minutes to\nproperly communicate who he was, and for the local officers to find someone who\ncould speak English.\n\n\nSo\nit was that Will wound up seated across from one of the office's translators.\nIt was a requirement that--as I.O.M.E. was an international organization--every\noffice have at least three officers on hand who were multilingual. This\nnaturally made it easier for traveling officers or people from other countries\nto communicate with any I.O.M.E. office they could find. Unfortunately for Will,\nthe ability to speak a language and the ability to speak it fluently were two\ndifferent things.\n\n\nSuch\nwas the case with the short, dark skinned officer who sat before him. \"You say\nyou are being Lieutenant at American I.O.M.E. office, this is right?\"\n\n\nWill\nnodded. \"Yes.\"\n\n\n\"It\nwas Keller, your name yes?\"\n\n\nWill\nbit his tongue to hold back the acerbic remark that came to mind. These\nquestions had already been answered. The man was just wasting time.\n\n\n\"Good.\nBut not so good yes? You say Mr. Keller that you are wishing to tell us of\ndanger, yes?\"\n\n\n\"That's\nright.\"\n\n\nOver\nthe next few minutes Will explained the events of the previous night aboard the\nSummer Wind, the other officer taking notes all the while. He started with the\ndeath of Violet Erics and his examination of her body then described his\nencounter with the vampire in the cargo hold. He specifically left Jenna and\nDavid out of the story, not wanting to have to answer any questions about them\nif he didn't have to.\n\n\nWhen\nhe finished he waited quietly while the Egyptian officer made a few last notes.\nThe man then shook his head and said, \"This is sad thing, but not cause for\nconcern. Even if vampire comes here, we have much sun yes? Not good for him.\"\n\n\nWill's\njaw dropped. \"So you're just going to ignore the threat this represents?\"\n\n\n\"Is\nnot a threat. He will not be living if he stays here long. He leaves, it\nbecomes other region's problem. We will file reports, and then nothing more is\nto be done.\"\n\n\nWill\nsat quietly for a moment, clenching his fist. He then stood up without a word,\nleaving the man's office, slamming the door behind him. He made his way out of\nthe building, making no effort to hide his irritation, drawing the stares of\nsome of the local officers.\n\n\nLeaving\nthe building he stalked down the stone steps to the street, where the cart was\nwaiting, David standing beside it. As Will approached David looked him over and\nsaid, \"I'm going to guess it didn't go well then.\"\n\n\nWill\nshook his head, laughing in a slightly manic way. \"No it didn't go well. Those\nidiotic bastards are totally ignoring what I've told them!\"\n\n\nHe\npunctuated that thought by yelling in frustration and kicking one of the cart's\nwheels before slumping over the side of the cart. While David tried to calm\ndown Vincent--who had been disturbed by the noise--Jenna popped up from inside\nthe cart, where she had been hiding under Will's cloak to escape the unforgiving\nheat of the sun; her fur was not meant for this weather.\n\n\nLike\nthe grey Shire colt she had been surprised by Will's yell, though mostly because\nshe had never heard Will so angry before. She whined and nuzzled him, wishing\nshe could offer more comfort than that.\n\n\nWill\nsighed and turned his head up to look at here.\nHow odd, he thought, that she\nshould be concerned about me with all that's going on.\n\n\n\nWill\nsmiled in a reassuring manner, patting her on the head. \"It's alright. I'm just\na bit frustrated.\"\n\n\nShe\ntilted her head with a bemused sort of look on her face that seemed to ask, \"Just\na bit?\"\n\n\nWill\nlaughed. \"Alright, really frustrated. But I'll be fine.\"\n\n\nDavid,\nhaving calmed Vincent, said, \"Lovely. So what now?\"\n\n\nWill\nturned and leaned his back against the cart. \"Well...I hate to leave without this\nvampire issue being properly dealt with...but...I suppose they'll deal with it when\nit becomes an issue for them. So where do we go from here to find Greyson?\"\n\n\n\"Er...wait\na tic.\" David started digging through his pockets, pulling out Max's note after\na moment. He read through it twice then said, \"Cairo. He's staying in Cairo\nright now, working at the er...Museum of\nEgyptian Antiquities.\"\n\n\n\"Good. Then we'll get some supplies and head out.\"\n\n\nDavid quirked a brow. \"Supplies? For what?\"\n\n\nWill climbed up into the cart, looking over his\nshoulder as he said, \"Can't speak for you, but I'd rather not cross the desert\nwithout some things. Water, for example. But, if you want to die, that's up to\nyou.\"\n\n\n\"Don't have to be such an arse about it.\" David\ngrumbled as he stepped up to the driver's bench, taking the reigns and urging a\nless than enthusiastic Vincent forward to find somewhere in the city that they\ncould find what they would need.\n\n\n***\n\n\nIt was six in the morning, and the sun was rising. Quentin barely noticed\nthough as he sat hunched over his kitchen table. He had already been awake for\nan hour or two. He hadn't really kept track. Not that it mattered. He barely slept\nanymore, evidenced by the dark circles under his eyes.\n\n\nHis life was nothing but stress anymore. He dreaded each day, fearing the\nworst. He worried about what would happen if I.O.M.E. discovered that he was\nworking under Carmina. He worried more about what she might do to him.\n\n\nHe reached up a hand to his chest, feeling a dull pain. That always\nhappened. It never failed that when he thought of Carmina, the five ragged\nscars on his chest would ache, as though his flesh wanted to remind him of what\nshe was capable of doing.\n\n\nThat pain was even worse on the days like that one, where he had to go to\nreport to her. He had spent a good amount of time gathering information for\nher. Like the information she wanted on the sewer systems, or how many officers\nI.O.M.E. had in the area. Then there were other, odder bits of information she\nwanted him to find.\n\n\nFor instance she wanted him to try to figure out how many people in the\ncity were living on the streets. It was no easy thing to accomplish, and when\nhe had asked why she wanted to know she had simply smiled cruelly and said, \"You'll\nknow when the time comes.\"\n\n\nSo went his encounters with her. He never got any information out of her,\nand he was always afraid that his information for her wouldn't be enough.\n\n\nHe hated his own cowardice, but at the same time felt it was justified.\nWho wouldn't be afraid of someone like her?\n\n\nQuentin sighed. He couldn't understand how someone so vile could even exist.\nHe held no delusions about himself--he knew he was no saint. He had done some\nthings that would never appear on any official record--truly horrible things--all\nin the name of research. But even then, he knew where to draw the line. He had never\nbrought harm to innocent people. He had never threatened the safety of\nthousands of people.\n\n\nCarmina didn't care about innocent people. If anything she reveled in the\nchaos and pain she caused. It made him feel as though he would be sick just\nthinking about it.\n\n\nHe tilted his head back, staring blankly at the ceiling. \"How do I get\nout of this?\"\n\n\nNo answer came but the steady ticking of a nearby wall clock. Quentin\nturned his head, looking at the clock. He needed to start getting ready for\nwork. He didn't want to, but he had to.\n\n\nHe forced himself to get out of his chair, staggering out of the kitchen\nto his room, thinking to himself,\nI hope\nthis all end soon.\n\n\n\n***\n\n\nAs the sun set David pulled Vincent to a stop just off the side of the\nmain road, trying to avoid parking the cart on any loose sand that would make\nit difficult for them to move when morning came. Will set to making a fire\nwhile David fed Vincent, with Jenna watching all the while, unable to provide\nany real help.\n\n\nBy the time it was fully dark and the land was cooling the three of them\nsat around a cheery blaze that would keep them warm in the cold desert night.\nAs they lay in the sand, dyed orange by the fire, they all had their own\nthoughts on what the next day would bring.\n\n\nFor David, the only thought in his mind was that of bringing an end to his\ntraveling with Will and Jenna. Though he had come to like them to a certain\ndegree, he also missed traveling alone. The ability to go where he wanted when\nhe wanted seemed like a distant memory after all he had seen. The world seemed\ndifferent now. Women could be changed into wolves. Vampires stalked humans from\nthe shadows. If nothing else he had learned how little he really knew about the\nworld, and that he should be more cautious than he had been in the past.\n\n\nStill, he couldn't shake the feeling, somewhere in the back of his mind,\nthat he would miss Will and Jenna when they were gone. He would never admit\nthat aloud though. He shook his head and rolled over, closing his eyes, falling\nto sleep but a few moments alter.\n\n\nJenna saw him move out of the corner of her eye, briefly taking her attention\naway from the fire. Her eyes then flited back to the hot, orange entity. She\nwas no stranger to fire certainly, but somehow through lupine eyes it looked\ndifferent--more powerful perhaps. It was almost like an instinct to stay near\nthe fire, as though it represented some sort of protection, something from deep\nwithin her ancestral memory.\n\n\nBut wait, that couldn't be right. She shook her head, trying to drive the\nwolf instincts from her mind. She wasn't going to let that beast win. She wasn't\ngoing to become some feral hunter if she could help it. She gritted her teeth,\npraying that the next day would finally give them some results. She wiggled\nback and forth a bit as the happy thought crossed her mind that at some point\nin the very near future she could be back to her old self.\n\n\nShe sighed contentedly then turned away from the fire, crawling across\nthe sand to where Will was lying on his back, staring up at the sky. She nudged\nhis arm aside, snuggling in against him. He chuckled and looked down at her\nwith a playful smile. \"Comfortable?\"\n\n\nShe had an equally playful gleam in her eyes as she tilted her head, as\nthough considering it for a moment before nodding in a way that seemed to say, \"Yes,\nthis will do.\"\n\n\nHe laughed again. \"Well as long as you're happy.\"\n\n\nShe laid her head on his shoulder with a contented sigh, and--after giving\nher a quick kiss on the nose--Will returned his attention to the sky above.\n\n\nWill loved looking at the stars. He had ever since he was a child. Though\nin the city he could ever see many, he had always looked forward to trips out\ninto the country. There stars filled every spare inch of sky, looking for all\nthe world like clouds of shining diamonds. In a way they made him feel small,\nand made him feel as though the rest of the world were small too. Even as a\nchild, he looked up at those points of light and felt as though all the\nproblems in the world were suddenly insignificant.\n\n\nBut that wasn't the case anymore. Not when it came to the problem's he\nand Jenna faced. Even as he looked up at the stars, those problems still\nweighed heavily upon him. He was far from optimistic about what the next few\ndays might bring. He knew there was a slim chance of getting her back. But he\ncouldn't bring himself to be hopeful. Too many things had gone wrong for him to\nbe willing to hope anymore.\n\n\nHe was broken from his thoughts by a soft snore form Jenna. He bit back\nthe urge to laugh.\nI'm wrong, he\nthought,\nI can't get her back, because I\nhaven't lost her. Not yet.\n\n\n\nHe kissed her again, this time on her forehead then he laid his head back\nand closed his eyes. It didn't take him long to join his companions in sleep,\nleaving the stars to sparkle unseen and the fire to burn unwatched through the\nrest of the night.\n"}