Among Us: A Supernatural Novel written by Carver Edlund

Deleted Scene: In Her Dreams

While this scene could only work within the story from Cass's POV, I thought it might be fun to see it from Aya's as well . . .

..::~*~::..

". . . I'm really sorry for the late notice, my family moved to an earlier flight so they're coming in tomorrow morning instead of Friday . . . Right, Matt said he could cover my shift . . . Thanks, Rika, I really appreciate it . . . I know, it's almost over . . . 'Kay. Bye. Thanks again."

Aya couldn't keep her voice steady at the end. Lying wasn't a foreign concept for her but lying to Darika was a whole new low. She closed Dean's phone and gave it back to him.

She wished it were true. That her parents and her older sister were coming to visit her for graduation. That everything was still normal. That everyone she loved was safe, here, with her.

"I'm sorry we had to ask this of you," Sam said softly, as though giving her the option to ignore him if she wanted. As of right then, she was on lockdown. No work. No graduation. Nothing to do and nowhere to go.

"It's fine," she said, sounding small and sad even to herself. "I get it."

Aya turned off her bedroom light with a savagery that almost knocked the lamp from the nightstand. How could she even think something like graduation was important when so many people's lives were at stake? Her family had not planned to attend in person, anyway. Mio was off putting her wildlife biology degree to good use in Alaska. Papa had decided to attend the wedding of one of his boss's daughters with Mama this weekend.

It was crucial to observe these occurrences, he'd said. Appearances were everything, his career was on the line, Mio-san understood, so he knew that his Aya-chan would, too.

She'd heard such excuses all her life. It wasn't anything new.

Making up for what was lacking back home, Lemara and Paulie had planned to film the whole ceremony for her mother. Their idea, because they knew that her mother, a gentle, dutiful wife, was probably suffering in silence for missing out on her little girl's big day.

Burrowing into the safety of her bed, away from discussions about demons and the number twenty-two and how much self-defense she knew, Aya couldn't help thoughts of her loved ones from crowding in with her. The future that she'd worked so hard for seemed uncertain, hanging above her in a fragile bubble.

Inside the bubble, she lived somewhere nature-y. Somewhere her loved ones could come and visit her, with space to breathe. Somewhere she could quietly continue to help the souls that came to her for help. Somewhere she could live in peace and make people smile.

Cupcakes. Fresh-baked cupcakes in designer flavors and with swirled frosting that towered high would make people smile. Lemara, and Paulie, and Darika loved her cupcakes. Maybe Sam and Dean would too, considering how many of her maple bacon cinnamon rolls Sam had put away.

Oh, and Castiel, too. Did he like sweets?

The only reason she was safe now was that Castiel had saved her from that demon. Maybe he'd do it again and save Lemara for her. The thought filled her with a certainty of comfort, of peace. Like the time Mama had taken her and Mio . . .

A breathtaking blue seascape stretched over her head and out to the sides. Seaweed and coral and water sparkled in the sunlight. Schools of silver fish whirled together in a funnel and then broke formation, darting away from the ominous shadows of a pair of smooth sharks patrolling the water. The tunnel stretched out, abnormally quiet, frighteningly empty.

She was alone, except for one other person. A middle-aged man stood next to her, his blue eyes widening with a childlike earnestness that made him look years younger. He watched, with apparent delight, a sea turtle skim the sand. Castiel.