Born To Die Part One - The Case Chase

Yen Again

Ashton seems to be in a place he doesn't recognize. It seems like a green park, empty and full of birds. The trees are covered in picturesque pink and magenta flowers, surrounded by lush jade-coloured leaves. He's sat on a white metal bench, spring rain falling on his face softly. He unfurls his wings, wrapping them around him to warm his slender figure. He feels the sweet, warm sunset caress his skin.

'Ashton,' A voice he recognizes comes from behind him. He turns his head and sees Kristoffer. Warmth spreads up his cheeks. He has an umbrella over his head. The rain begins to pour. Kristoffer holds out his free hand, 'Come with me.'

Ashton arises, taking his hand and moving under the umbrella with him.

'I love you,' Ashton whispers, placing his arms around his back, 'It might not seem like it, but I do.'

'I know,' He whispers back, placing his hand under Ashton's chin. They pull themselves closer to each other, nearly brushing lips...

'Ashton! Wake up!' Alexis shouts. Ashton groans and squirms under his covers, 'It's ten in the morning. Please wake up?'

'Shut it, Alexis,' He kicks her from under the covers, 'I'm sleeping.'

'All right, just get up. We're visiting Yen. Even Kristoffer's up,' She says.

'What? Since when?'

'I've told you for the past two weeks, Ashton,' She sighs, leaving his room and shutting the door. Ashton groans, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He places his glasses on his nose, scrunching his eyes up. He recalls the odd dream, feeling rather uneasy. He hadn't had a dream like that in years. He pulls himself from his sheets, looking at himself in the mirror. He unfurls his wings from his back, brushing any haphazardly feathers back into place with his hands. After he got ready, he flew down the stairs, submerged in his thoughts. He looks around, seeing nobody to scare with his ghost-like presence. Ashton decides to go to where any sound was coming from; the living room. The sound of a Spanish rom-com comes from the living room. It sounds rather dramatic. He pokes his head around the door, to see Alexis focused on the show and Kristoffer focused on his phone. He seems to be sending a rather lengthy text to someone. Two months he'd stayed, and Ashton hated to think it, but he enjoyed his presence. He had been starved of his company for too long. It was painfully wonderful to see his face again. He places himself on the gap on the sofa between the two, keeping his head down in thought.

'Are you okay?' Kristoffer asks. Ashton's eyes dart furiously toward him.

'Yeah. I'm fine,' He stutters, 'Why do you ask?'

'Well, your shoulders are all held up high,' He explains. He raises an eyebrow, examining anything else to prove his point, 'And you have that look on your face. You know which one I mean.'

Ashton opens his mouth to comment, but Kristoffer looks back at his phone. He grumbles to himself, instead asking Alexis, 'What's going on?'

'Basically, Elena is getting married to Jose. But Daniela, who's her twin sister, is the real bride,' She continues to speak about the show, Ashton nodding to show his understanding. She loses her train of thought to look at the clock on the wall. She shrugs, 'Best get going.'

*

Alexis rings the doorbell to a small bungalow. Kristoffer wonders how a house could get that small. Excited shouts come from inside.

'Kids! It's Alexis, be nice to her!'

'We are nice, Momma!'

'Yeah, sure.'

The door opens, and Yen pokes her head around it. She smiles, attempting to hold three rather rambunctious children inside. The smell of baking escapes the house.

'Hey, guys! Nice to see ya,' She ushers them inside, attempting to get the door shut as quickly as possible. Cheri pokes her head around the door frame, a huge smile on her face.

'Cheri lives here too, Kristoffer. Just hope it didn't shock you.'

*

'Yen, can you tell us a bit more about what happened with the AMI?' Ashton asks, still keeping his eyes away from Kristoffer. The pair hadn't shared a glance since three hours previous. Kristoffer's stomach plummets.

'Ah, that,' Yen rolls her eyes, placing her cup of tea down stiffly, 'Somebody must've seen me use my powers, I guess. Telekinesis is rather obvious, I guess. I got one of the most feared assassins on me.'

Alexis raises an eyebrow, 'What's their name?'

'Niall Trenton. The guy sucks, his ego's bigger than the planet itself,' Yen sighs. Kristoffer's hands begin to fiddle with themselves, attempting to distract himself, 'But, of course, the only logical option is to shoot me in the arms. Hurt like mad.'

Alexis and Yen carry on talking. Ashton notices Kristoffer's nervous state.

'Hey,' He whispers. Kristoffer looks at him to show his attention, 'Are you okay? You seem off.'

'Well, I knew that guy,' Kristoffer whispers back. A lie, though. He still does know him. He was the one he had texted, 'And it's awful what they do. That's one of the reasons I quit.'

Ashton takes his hand, flashing him one of his rare smiles.

'You're better now though, huh?'

'Yeah,' The pang of guilt he gets when he lies smashes through his body like a hammer.