Anything For Rachel

Chapter Twenty Nine.

Logan and I picked up our pace and made our way to the cabin, making sure to open the door as little as possible to keep the light from coming in. Walking in was striking, the way that everything was exactly the same as we left it. The big room with the open kitchen off to one side, the large poster bed in the middle, and our big stone fireplace with the bear skin rug laid out in front of it on the other side. It felt like it had been ages since I'd last been in this little rustic cabin, but also like it hadn't been long at all. The only thing missing was Calvin.

Octavia was standing off to the side of the room, leaning against the bathroom door that was shut.

"Is he ok?" I asked her as I cut across the room.

I tried to push by her to go check on him myself, but she held up her arm, stopping me. "Give some space for a minute." She whispered. "He's very weak already, and that didn't help." She shook her head, looking towards the door.

"The sun wasn't even all the way up yet." I said, turning to lean my back against the bathroom door too and Octavia nodded her head.

"It doesn't have to be direct sunlight to drain us." She told me. "As soon as the sun's light starts to touch the sky, just the slightest touch of it to us is very uncomfortable." She explained. "It isn't like we combust or anything silly like that, but it's more like we have an aversion to the sun. It can't technically kill us, although the pain of it on your body is enough to keep any of us from trying it out, but it zaps the energy right out of us, and since Calvin hasn't eaten..."

"It really did a number on him." I shook my head and swept some of the stray hairs that had fallen from my bun back behind my ears as I looked up at the low ceilings. "How's he going to make his announcement?"

"Speaking of that," Cromley interjected, coming over to us. "Did you get the camera and the cords to wire it up?" He asked Octavia.

She nodded and pointed over to Logan who was sitting on the foot of the big bed, the bag lying beside him. "I grabbed it when I went to get Logan." She told him. "Go ahead and be getting it setup so we can do this as soon as he's ready." She dropped her eyes down to the thick rug and she frowned to herself. "He's only going to get weaker, and I'm not feeling so great right now either."

I reached out to put my hand on her shoulder. "You go sit down." I told her. "I'll wait for him."

She nodded faintly and went to sit beside Logan and he put his arm around her shoulders while she leaned into him, resting her head against his and closing her eyes. I knew it was an odd reaction, but the sight made me smile. As strange as it felt, I really just wanted him to be happy, and I love Octavia, so if she could be the one to do that for him, then I am happy for them both.

I waited for a few minutes before I finally grew impatient and turned towards the bathroom door and knocked lightly. "Cal?" I said softly. "Can I come in?" I heard a rustling behind the door, and then the sound of the little lock on the doorknob turning. I pushed the door open slowly, and peeked around. My heart ached for him.

Calvin was sitting on the floor, his long legs stretched out in front of him and his back pushed up against the counters, his head hung forward. "I'll be ok in a minute." He muttered. "We need to make the announcement before there's any more unrest." He told me as he nodded his head. He looked up at me and I could see the pain on his face. His eyes looked sunken and his complexion that is usually so warm, was flat and pale like a sheet. Even his hair seemed to have less of the perfect Calvin shine to it. "I'm sorry." He whispered.