Counting Stars

Chapter 27

Back to Clarence, now, guys. Temporarily.

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➹ Chapter 27 ➹

Clarence

            "Corin?" I call out, as I step onto the rocky surface of the moon. Corin suddenly emerges a few feet in front of me, dressed in his usual white t-shirt and pants. But his face is a little grimy, given that he's been training hard these past few days.

            "You got a minute? I need pep talk," I mumble the last part.

            Corin rubs his hands, getting the dirt out of his palms. "Actually, mom and I are done for today."

            I look at him blankly, "So you call her mom now?"

            He rolls his eyes but there's no trace of annoyance in his expression. "What? I'm not allowed to call my own mother that?"

            I shiver voluntarily, "I don't even see Selene as a mother material." I take a seat on one of the bigger stones, dusting my outfit. The hunters had opted for short sleeves because of the summer heat. Speaking of the hunters, mom's with them now.

            Artemis came back in full condition a year ago, much to my relief. But although she's managing her responsibilities now, I get to share the duty of guarding the stars. And I'm basically my mom's assistant. She made me choose to be immortal or not, and I chose to keep it because I know demigod life would we hard for me to come back to. But like I promised Jennifer, I make time for them at least once a week.

            Corin sits beside me and we look at the planet Earth in its glory beneath us. "What are you doing now?" he asks me.

            I shrug, "Nothing you don't know about." I tell Corin everything. He's like a live diary for me.

            "But I remember Calvin mentioning to Lou that Ash and his friends are coming for a visit." He stares at me pointedly.

            "I'll just hope they won't recognize me. It's only Ash and Jed who knew Clover." I tell him.

            Corin raises his eyebrows, "And what? You're not going to do anything about it? If they find out, the whole thing is blown over."

            "Well I can't ditch, can I?" I say, "I have to do it for Calvin."

            Calvin and my alias – Lou Beckert who is simply me – have been hanging out for about a month now. It's actually in the middle of July, the midsummer. Calvin and I are more attached now, me as Clarence and Lou.

            "You're becoming closer to him. Feeling something yet?" Corin asks.

            I remember Calvin telling me – Lou – Alex and Liam's story which I told Corin. "Funny, it's becoming Vade, Scarlet and Aven all over again." I tell him.

            I think twice before saying, "But I'm not going to stop myself if I feel something for him."

            "And what if your mom finds out?"

            I scowl at nothing in particular. Artemis has no idea I'm doing this. "I'll face the consequences. I'm not going to hurt Calvin and leave him."

            "Sounds to me you're pretty laidback about this."

            A smile flickers on my lips, "Maybe he's rubbing off me."