Lost In Temptation

17. Final Stops

Elizabeth

There were a few thing that I had left to do alone, so I set up my brother doing something I knew would distract him. Warhammer, painting and making mini's, re-enacting his favourite films. Who knew that would actually work? I'd set him up three months ago and he hadn't even noticed how long it had been while I did my last few bits, checking on the people who I knew, and doing what had to be done to protect them and my brother once I was gone. 

When I left, he had been some strange Lord of the Rings type thing with a bunch of giant birds. Apparently he still got annoyed that they didn't just use the giant birds, but I had no idea what he was talking about.

Telling him was something I had to do. It locked it all in, because the more people who knew about a fixed point kept it that way, and this had to happen. As much as I would love to live, it was safe for everything for me to die. So I made him take it all in his stride, like I'd been given a terminal diagnosis and we were just making the most of the time we had. It would end when I was gone, and suddenly all those feelings would surface again, but by that point it would be too late. I'd be dead and no one could bring me back.

But I was now on the end of my list of people to check on, and this one was only because he was an idiot and she needed a break. Someone needed to make sure he actually got off the sofa. "I'm coping on my own!"

"The fact that you're saying that, makes me think you're really not, Craig." I informed him, leaning against his porch as he opened the door. I was not my brother, and I did not just walk into another's house. "Hello."

"She didn't." He groaned. "How could she phone you?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Well, there's the fact that I told you I was checking in, and I may have felt a wave of panic from her as she headed out. I like your new home, by the way."

Craig was not happy about this. "Bethy, what are you doing here? What happened to your mask?"

"No longer needed, the scarring on my face was healed and therefore wasn't at risk of infections. This is predominantly a social call, anyway, I'm taking a leaf out of my brother's book and trying them at the end. How are you?"

"You're a telepath, you already know the answers."

"This is true, but people seem to get angrier if I just go into peoples heads. Craig, why the hell is your house a mess right after Sophie leaves, and why-" The lights flickered. "What's wrong with your electrics? Oh, no."

I pushed past him and began up the stairs just as there was a screaming cry from one of the rooms, finding a little boy of about six months having spat up all over himself. "Oh, I just got him down, I thought he was fine-"

Seriously? You fed him and put him straight to bed? "Did you burp him and release all the wind trapped from his bottle?" Craig hesitated. "That's a no. He spat up because he was trying to do it himself, and therefore brought up dinner with him. Oh, it's okay, I've got you Storm, don't worry. Lets get you cleaned up."

Which I did, while Craig went to make up another bottle, as he no longer had anything in his tummy. So I went to ask him after if he thought he was actually ready to look after another human being for the weekend. Making him defensive. "Ye. Because no one thinks I can cope on my own. Which is so unfair," I raised my eyebrows at him, absently playing with the crying baby as he waited for the bottle to now cool, because Craig made it too hot, "because I can't cope on my own with him. I can't. He just cries all the time. I mean, do they have off switches?"

"Human beings? Yes, but normally that involves turning them into vegetables. With telepathy"

"No, babies."