See You Yesterday

Chapter 62: Mac

Wringing the wet towel over the sink, I shout, "One minute!"

I shift my black hair out of my eyes and shake the towel one last time before heading back upstairs to Jay's room, pushing open his door and sitting on the bed he is lying down on.

He has his eyes closed and he is grimacing in pain. "Be gentle," he pleads.

I place his head on my lap and reach down to dab at his half-ruined face. "You must take me for a monster, Jay Lancaster," I say with a laugh.

"If anyone is a monster here, it's me," he whispers.

"Don't be stupid," I say, still dabbing.

"So where is Rydian? He isn't still in Xenia, is he?"

"No. Nobody's seen him. He's gone for good," I assure him.

"Good," he says, sighing in relief. "And Leonardo?"

"Wherever he is, I don't care. It's his fault that the war ever happened. He's the one to blame for you being in so much pain."

"He killed Alex," Jay breathes, finally opening his eyes.

"Yes. He did. But don't get worked up about it. You just need to rest," I say, finally placing the towel down beside me and stroking his hair.

"You aren't going to go after him, are you?" Jay asks.

I don't offer him a reply and only kiss his forehead.

"Mac," he says softly, sitting up.

Throwing my hands up in frustration, I answer, "I have to, okay? He's on the move. Someone needs to track him down before he hurts someone else."

I decided I was going after him when the new rule was made by Elvin. I kept telling myself that Leonardo is a fire that is just going to move and spread, and anyone who stands in his way is going to go up in flames. That's why he needs to be put out. I told myself that for motivation when I maybe tried to make myself change my mind about leaving Xenia and about leaving Quinn. About leaving Jay...

"When are you leaving?" Jay asks.

"Day after tomorrow," I reply. "My parents already know."

"What did they say?" He asks.

"They... They said they were proud of me, and that they're sorry if I've ever felt like they didn't love me; because they do."

"Can I convince you to stay?" He says, taking my hand.

"Probably not."

"Well... Can I convince you to let me come with you?" He presses, giving me half a smirk.

"Jay," I sigh, "It's too dangerous. I'll need to go alone."

"I can handle myself," he says defensively.

"Of course you can. I know you can. But you're really not in the right state right now, and Rydian might be with them."

"Well then I have to come. So I can get my own back," he says.

"No," I say firmly.

Jay laughs. "If I follow you, you can't stop me."

"I can if I have a very big sword," I threaten, although I know it is an empty threat.

"Don't leave me here, Mac. You're the only one here who won't look at me like I'm a monster. Either you stay or I come."

"Jay, I don't know. What would your dad say?"

"He'd tell me to follow the path of righteousness, because that's the kind of guy he is. That's the kind of guy I am," he explains.

"Will you do exactly as I tell you?" I ask.

"No," he replies.

"Good. That's all I needed to hear, that you can think for yourself."

"So I'm in?" He says hopefully.

"Like I have a choice," I snort, nodding my head with a laugh and wrapping my arms around him.

"How are we going to find them?" He murmurs.

I reach into one of my back trouser pockets and pull out a piece of paper, pulling away from him. " I checked all the remaining files, and it turns out your gift isn't as useless as you think it is," I tell him. "You don't just sense danger. You also sense large amounts of power. That's how I was high on the scale, and that's why Rydian was. If a person is dangerous and powerful at the same time, they will be high up on the scale. Carmen may be a normal, but we're now dealing with two of the most dangerous, most wanted and most hated supernaturals known to anyone. It'll be like they've given us a map."

"How have you planned all of this if you didn't want me to come?" Jay asks suspiciously.

I shrug. "I knew you'd follow me."

"Rubbish," he retorts.

"Fine," I sigh. "Gale knew you'd follow me. She read your mind to see if you were telling me the truth about your pain, and you- being the over-thinking little boy you are- were thinking about how much you would risk to follow me."

"Then Gale must have told you how much," he whispers.

"No, she didn't," I tell him.

"Everything," he answers.

"You'd risk everything for me?"

"I would. Over and over again till the day I die," he admits.

I feel my smile growing wider. "Then we leave in two days time."

"In a way, I'm glad we're leaving this place behind," Jay confesses.

"I guess home really is where you make it. But you can't change your origins and what you are."

"And what are we, Mac?"

I stand up, heading towards the door, but I stop with my hand on the handle. "An unstoppable force."