The big city.

Mason sighed. He knew it was wrong to tease her like that. He knew how she felt about him. But he couldn't help it. He already loved to tease her long before he liked him. He felt slightly guiltly. He looked down at his hands, and just stared at them. He didn't understand. Why did she like him? He was fargile and broken. He didn't even think he could protect her from her own demon! He would end up hurting her no matter what, and he hated himself for it. She desevred better then her. He looked up, and looked at Chip . . . 'Better then me . . .' Then he quickly looked away.

~!!~
Lance shock his head. "I don't believe you."

Ashlyn didn't understand why she liked him, either. Perhaps because he was the first one she had opened up to after so long. But it had only hurt her, and she had vowed never to do that again. So why was she going on a date with Chip? It was all so confusing, but she just wanted to start over.
~!!~
"I see that," Laurinda mumbled. She closed her eyes for a moment, but ended up falling asleep instead.

Ivory always had her breakfest on this Cafe. And she always sat at the table in the coner. The table which Mason was now sitting. Now she wasn't known for her kindness, quite the oppiste. She would of have shrugged and sat somewhere else, but the little cafe was already busy, and Mason wasn't even eatting anything, just sitting. She sighed. The table could fit two. So she walked over to it, and slid in the other chair. "Don't say anything, or I'll punch you." SHe said and set her laptop down, she had work to finsh first.

~!!~
Lance smilked at her, and left. He came back a fewminutes later, and set a bottle water, and something for her fever down on his end table for her.

Ashlyn frowned as she glanced over at the table, and saw a girl. Suddenly she felt an emotion that she hadn't had in a very long while; jealousy. She shook it off and instead walked over to her.

"Can I get you anything?" She asked, giving her a fake smile.
~!!~
Laurinda opened her eyes a few moments later, her forehead covered in a thin layer of sweat. She looked at him, tilting her head slightly, confused.

Ivory frowned and looked at Ashlyn. "Coffee, dark, and a blueberry muffiun." She said quickly, and went back to her laptop.

Mason frowned, and laid his head down.

~!!~
"Something the matter?" He asked.

Ashlyn nodded. She didn't bother to ask Mason. She turned and walked back to the kitchen, handing the order to Chip, who looked at it, then at her 'brother'.

"Who's the chick?" He asked.

"Beats me," Ashlyn mumbled.

"You don't sound so happy about it," He observed. Ashlyn shrugged.
~!!~
"No, nothing," Laurinda said quietly. She sat up, closing her eyes tightly. "I just always seem to be here lately," She joked lightly.

Ivory brushed her hair out of her face, and kept typing. Mason soon started to annoy her. But he wasn't doing anything!

~!!~
Lance smiled at her. "I don't mind, I keeping a bill any ways, oe day you'll have to pay me back." He joked as well.

Soon Ashlyn came back with her coffee, and muffin. She set them down on the table, smiling at her. "Anything else?" She asked, not even giving Mason a second glance.
~!!~
Laurinda laughed lightly, which sent her into a coughing fit.

"No." Ivory said simply, yet shraply.

Mason smiled at Ashlynn.

~!!~
Lance handed her the water bottle.

Laurinda took the water and took a drink quickly. "So-" She paused to cough. "Sorry," She said.
~!!~
Ashlyn didn't smile back. She just nodded at the girl and turned back to another table.

"So . . ." Mason said, bored.

"So what?" She looked at him angery. She paused for a moment. He was kinda . . . cute.

~!!~
"For?" Lace asked.

Laurinda shook her head. She took another sip of the drink, closing her eyes tightly. "I always seem to need help," She coughed.
~!!~
Ashlyn continued with her orders, but she kept glancing over at Mason and the other girl. She was still jealous, and it was making her angry.

Lance smiled. "It's okay to rely on others for things."

~!!~
Ivory started to talk to him. He smiled and anwsered her qustions.

"But I told myself that day I left," Laurinda coughed. "That I would be able to take care of myself. That I would never rely on others again," She started coughing again.
~!!~
Ashlyn groaned. Chip came over to her. "What's up?" He asked. She jumped.

"Ah, nothing," She said quickly. He frowned and followed her gaze to her 'brother' and the girl with him.

"But thats just silly." Lance said. "Would never be able to survive that way."

~!!~
Mason looked and smiled at her softly, and went back to telking to Ivory.

"I did for a long time," Laurinda said in between coughs.
~!!~
Ashlyn quickly looked away as he smiled, and went back to work.

"Yeah, but it was bond to end sometime." Lance said. "You couldn't last like that forever."

~!!~
Mason sighed.

"I have to," Laurinda coughed.
~!!~
Ashlyn ignored him.

"No you don't!" Lance said, standing up. "You don't have to."

Laurinda looked up at him, blinking in surprise. She had finally managed to stop coughing, and just looked at him silent, eyes uncomprehending.

Lance sighed, and left the room.

Laurinda looked down once he had gone, hands folded in her lap. She hated how she always seemed to push him away. But she couldn't help it. Letting anyone close again was something that she just couldn't do.

Lance left the bedroom door open, and he entered the study. He sat down, crossing his arms. He was only trying to help. But she didn't want it. He didn't understand.

----That Night----
Laurinda was pretending to be asleep. She was laying on her side on the bed, focusing on keeping her breathing low and even. She didn't want Lance to know she was awake if he came back in. Why, she didn't know. She was scared to talk to him again, afraid she'd say something wrong. It'd been far too long since she'd talked to anyone.

She knew she was sick, but that didn’t mean a thing. Any other time she would have had to deal with it alone. Was he her friend? It felt strange, to say she had a friend. She didn’t know what to think of it.
~!!~
Ashlyn was getting ready for her date.

She was in her room, changing into a pair of jeans and one of her few nice shirts, that didn’t have any stains on it. She didn’t know what she was supposed to wear; the last date she had been on was when she was 14, and things sure as heck were different now.

She finished changing and combed her hair, letting it hang loose for once. She kept her contacts in, hating her natural eye color. Then she walked into the living room.

She couldn’t stop thinking. Was this wrong of her? No, she was doing this to get over Mason. But….seeing him with that girl today….

No. She was being silly; he didn’t even know her.

She sighed, and looked at herself in the mirror. She smiled, but it was obviously forced. But she did like Chip; she shouldn’t have to force herself to smile.

She grabbed her wallet and looked around the empty room.

“I’m serious, Mason,” She called. “Follow me, and I won’t talk to you ever again.” Yeah, there was a real threat.

She rolled her eyes and walked out, shutting the door behind her. She walked down the stairs slowly, and soon was outside. His car was already there, and she felt a grin making its way to her face. She walked over to his car and got in the passenger seat.

“Hey,” He said. She looked at him, and laughed.

“You combed your hair!” She said. He laughed. “I thought I should,” He teased.
~!!~
Lenora was on the couch downstairs, thinking. The drawing was complete now. It showed Dust in the middle, Jade on the left, and Dawn on the right. She had worked hard on it, and thought she had captured them well. But she always thought her drawings were horrible.

She leaned her head back against the couch, closing her eyes. She wanted to help James, too, with Alice. But she didn’t know what to do. He was just too stubborn. She was angry at him, but felt bad for him at the same time. And she knew that if he knew that, he’d only be all the more angry.
~!!~
Cora hadn’t moved from the bed all day. It was as if she had fallen into depression. Which perhaps she had. She didn’t want to move ever again. She was sitting by the window, staring out at the moon. It was around eight o clock. She wanted nothing more than to see him, but she knew she had to stay away. It would hurt more if he was gone. But the wondering of weather or not she had made the right decision remained, and haunted her each night, along with images of his death. It was killing her.
~!!~
Ava was on the couch, sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest. She was worried about Cora. She had been so happy that Nick was gone, that she hadn’t even stopped to think about her. She had tried to talk to her, but she didn’t want to talk back. She had eventually given up, and come down here, where she now sat.

She frowned, and picked up Angel. She was silent once more, as was Demon. She couldn’t get rid of them, however. She wondered if Blake still thought she was crazy.
~!!~
Hymn was in the underworld, thinking. Chris hadn’t come back yet, and she had given up on finding him, now sitting in his cavern, alone.

The way he had spoken to her before he left made her think. What was going through his mind? He was acting like he was saying goodbye for good or something.

Before she knew what she was doing she had her cloak on ,hood up, and was walking through the underworld again. She wasn’t looking for him now; she needed to think. Soon she was in the darkest parts, and just kept walking deeper. She just wanted to be alone right now.
~!!~
Sable was in heaven, looking for Raven. His sister was on earth again, and he was going to go back to her soon. They had spent the last few hours talking.
~!!~
Raven was in the park, alone. Thinking. She was finally starting to get over her life, and all that had happened in it. She was letting go. She only wanted to look to the future. But what exactly did that hold for her?

She had her brother, sure, but she felt as though something was missing. She didn’t know what, however.

Lance walked back into his room. He smiled at the girl. "I hope you get better soon." He said sitting down watching her 'sleep'.

~!!~
Mason rolled his eyes. "Yeah whatever." He said. Moments later he was invisable, following her.

~!!~
"Boo." Dust whispberd in her ear, leaning over the back of the sofa.

~!!~
Blake knocked on Cora's door, and walked in. He had a worried look on his face. "Cora . . ."

~!!~
Jade was under the crow tree. She was thinking.

~!!~
Aden suddenly appeared next to Raven.