Something Lost, Something Gained (BEING EDITED)

Chapter 30: Time to Hit the Books

Bastian and I stand on the porch, our arms wrapped around each other as the wind blows. The smell of a bonfire catches my fancy, so I break away from Bash to follow my nose. In the back yard Elan stands to the side of a great fire. He has tears in his eyes.
"What is this?" I ask. I see a charred wooden Triskelion in the fire.
"It is for your mother and sister. It's is tradition that when one of your kind dies to offer this to those who have passed on." I see him wipe away his tears. Leland sits on the edge of the porch, swinging her dangling legs. She has a lollipop in her mouth.
"Who gave you that little miss?" I ask. She points at Elan. I smile at him and mouth a silent thank you. I take the grey plastic bags to Leland. "Pick out what you think will fit, and then I can return everything else."
Thank you sissy, she projects into my mind. I catch her pink eyes trailing after me. I see a strand of hair that hangs in front of my face. The purple no longer able to stay in my dying hair. It had all but gone back to the white color it was before. I brush the strand out of the way and head into the house. Bash waits for me at the top of the stairs. Trailing after him, I stare at his muscular back. His black shirt clings to him in a way that would make you think he was a male model. He wears his jeans low on his hips, but always wears a belt. The black on black attire works well with his pale skin, with out him looking goth. I hadn't realized he had stopped walking until I rammed into him. Bash spins around and catches me with lightning fast speed before I could tumble down the stairs.
"You should really be more careful Miss O'Connell." A smile dances on his face.
"You shouldn't randomly stop at the top of the stairs Bastian..." I trail off but then begin laughing. He pulls me against him and brushes his hand down the side of my face. I let my fingers trace the muscles of his lower back. He smiles and kisses my forehead. "You're so beautiful," he whispers.
"Haha, thank you," I laugh awkwardly. I lightly push him away and turn back to the book shelves in the attic. The books are similar to the ones in the basement but these are more dust covered. I take out a slightly smaller book than all the other ones. I turn to blow the dust off it but I blow it into Bash's face which causes him to sneeze uncontrollably. For a while I stand laughing at him until I start sneezing as well.
We search through book after book but none of them contain the information we need. I put the latest book I had been reading back on the shelf before standing up. I grab Bastian's hand and lead him downstairs. The clock in the kitchen reads 9:00 p.m. I head into the living room to see Leland and my dad passed out on the couch watching a college football. Bastian chuckles.
"This stuff makes me fall asleep too," he points at the T.V.
I walk over to the sleeping six year old and pick her up. She's surprisingly heavy so I hand her over to Bash. He holds her in his arms as we walk to my room trying to be quiet. I switch off the Television and cover my dad with a blanket before leaving. When I enter my room I find Bash tucking Leland in, he brushes her hair out of her face and smiles at the little girl with pink eyes. Bastian looks up at me and smiles. "She looks like you."
We both walk out of my room and then to the basement stairs. Bash turns all the lights out on our way down. The stairs creak but we don't care. Both Elan and Leland sleep deeply. He grabs my hand while we walk and squeezes. I reach foreword to open the door to Sebastian's room. I then realize that this is the first time I had seen it. The room was neat and tidy with grey and navy blue walls. He smiles shyly as I walk around inspecting every aspect of his sanctuary. I see a journal laying on the corner of his desk.
"What's that?" I ask slyly.
"Oh um, that. It's my journal." His face begins to turn red.
"You're cute when you blush." I laugh out loud. His bed is large with dark silk sheets and a huge feather duvet. I pull the covers back and climb in the bed. Bastian still stand at the door. His eyes widen as I pat the bed next to me.
"Won't you come join me?" I ask.
I see Bash nods vigorously before shutting the door. He turns off the lights, I hear the jingling of his belt and then the sound of clothes hitting the floor. Bastian climbs into the bed with nothing but his boxers on.
"Don't get any bright ideas," I whisper before curling up next to him. And then we just laid like that, my hand resting lightly on his chest and our bodies only slightly touching, until the sun came up.