Devil Take The Hindmost •Sequel To Life Is But A Dream•

•The Hounds Of Baskerville: Part Five•

Chapter Sixteen: The Good, The Bad, and A Lost Bet

Whilst John was making his call, I decided to take a look around. Find my inner peace and all that. I adjusted my grip on the cup, and took a sip of the warm beverage. Once swallowed, it sent a sensation of warmth through me. I trembled as I leaned on the wall of the lodge, taking deep breaths and finally feeling at home. The sky above was a brilliant blue, not like back home where it had two shades: the light grey or dark blue that storm clouds brought. No, the sun shone here, and made everything a bit brighter. I however, was in the shadow of the building. The thought suddenly depressed me, that I was in this darkness away from the people talking in the light.

"Pst." I heard, disrupting the pattern of my thoughts. I glanced to the side, and saw a young man hiding behind the bushes. He was looking in my direction, but I just brushed it off. Until my head turned again to see, oh god no.
"Aspen!" Wyatt called.
My eyes widened, and I almost dropped the cocoa. He ran over to me and hugged me tightly. It sent some stimulus to my head that consisted of fear and relief.

"What are you doing here." I stated, my tone completely serious.
"I had to see you. To make sure you were okay." He said, and pulled away, only to go to my side, leaning against the wall as well. I rested my head in frustration, and slid down, into a sitting position. He followed.
"What-how-" I began.
"I kind of... followed you out here. It it wasn't completely intentional. I have relatives out here." He said, which sent an alarm in my head.

"What the hell, Wyatt! You're such a stalker! What makes you think you were even going to be welcomed here?" I asked. This only brought back the memories of what had happened those weeks ago. I knew I shouldn't believe anything he says. Nothing. Nothing he says is real.
"Aspen, don't say that. You know you missed me." He told me, and put a hand on my shoulder before planting a peck on my cheek.

A chill went down my spine, and not the good kind. I moved away from him, and put down my cup.
"Don't." I demanded, and stood up. I wasn't going to let him get in my head again.
"I'm sorry." He said, "you haven't been at school. It's like you've disappeared. Even Dakota-if you even remember her- she's died down on her harassing. What's the matter, Aspen? Please tell me. I'm here for you." He pleaded, only to make me put my hand on my forehead.

"You can't be here. You just can't." I said to myself. Just something about his presence made me feel uneasy.
"Aspen don't worry I am here. Just for you. Are you okay?" He asked.
"I'm fine, Wyatt, if that is your real name. What last name is Roman anyway?" I asked, now not even paying attention to if I was hurting him or not. It didn't matter.
"Aspen stop." He insisted. "This isn't you."

"You don't even know me." I said, putting my hand on my forearm. Part of it stung.
"I know enough." Wyatt sympathised, and took my hand.
This was just frustrating me now.
How could he continue this, to continue being kind to me, after all I've done, all I've said to him. Was it who I was, what I do, that invokes some kind of pity, because I wanted none of it. I hated it, and him for throwing that label on me: pitiful.

"J-just leave me alone. Please." I said, my voice just feeding his idea of the pitiful creature. I let go of his grip and walked over to John and Sherlock.

I wiped the tears away before they fell. I didn't want to admit it, but I knew I was pitiful, and that what I did was wrong, but something about it just felt like the right thing to do... I don't know anymore. Looking behind me, he was gone. Of course.

The two were talking to a man several years older than me, who looked very much immersed in what he was speaking of.
"...in the labs there, the really secret labs, they had rats the size of dogs, and dogs the size of horses." The man said, and pulled out the cast of a giant paw print, easily the size of my head.

"Well, we did say fifty." John said, and looked to Sherlock. They had made a bet over this. He looked behind to me and I twitched a smirked at him, and he winked. Yeah, if only...