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Second Chances

Mark couldn't help but feel uneasy as Keme led him through one of the dark curtains and into a rough rock-walled hallway.

"Why are you here?" asked Keme, his voice clear and calculating. "No, let me rephrase that. "Why are you here?"

Mark was taken aback. He had envisioned this scene while traveling to the mountain cave where Keme made his home, but he hadn't imagined this. Keme was being cold and unfriendly, not acting mad or even welcoming, as Mark had dared to hope.

Mark stopped, turning to look at him. Somewhere deep inside him anger began to boil. "How dare you."

Keme blinked, looking confused. Surprise flickered across his face then he glared at Mark with equal anger. His eyebrows scrunched together in the familiar way he distantly remembered, and his eyes pierced Mark's red ones. Mark barely remembered how to breathe, let alone speak. But that was okay, because now it was Keme who was doing the talking.

"I cannot believe you. You parade in with your new friends that have objected to the right of magical or mythical beings and request favors, rather large ones, have conversations behind my back, then insult me? I thought that if you'd ever return, it would be to apologize."

A strike of intensified anger struck Mark. "If you're making this about me being a werewolf, about me making a mistake, stop right now. I have no reason to apologize. You were the one who ignored me after I turned. You blamed me, and couldn't stand to be around me for the week that was requested while they tried to find a suitable guardian. I was stuck with terrible people, and that was due to you. If I could have came back to 'apologize' I would've. But by the time I had the chance, it was too late.

"So it should be you apologizing, especially since you're accusing me." Mark's voice had been rising into a shout, but at the last sentence, he spoke in a whisper.

Keme didn't apologize. He didn't even speak. Mark pressed his lips together angrily, and began pacing around the still spirit-speaker.

"Oh, I see how this is. Too proud to say two words. But that's not what this is about." Mark stopped pacing right in front of him, and pointed at Luma, who was still levitating in the air beside them. "She is the reason I am here."

Keme's oddly colored eyes flicked towards the redhead, and he sighed. "I will put our past behind me, if only to save her. But first, I must know if she's worth saving."

Mark breathed out a slow breath of relief.

"Luma is worth saving. But not because she's anything spectacular, because she isn't. She's human, and that's what makes her worth it." Keme raised an eyebrow questioningly. "I'm not referring to her species. I'm referring to her character.

"She's open-minded. She's naive, but she's smart enough to figure out some of what's going on. She accepted me, and she tried to help. She came from far away, but she keeps her homesickness to herself. She's bold and brash and blunt, but she can be sweet and forgiving." Mark looked at Keme. "But most important, she's hurt, and you can help her."

Keme sighed. "She is with the Vitae, who are my current political enemies."

"No, she isn't. She was kidnapped by one of their hunters because of me."

Keme got a look of understanding in his eyes. "So, she's your... master? Leader? Director? It was Timorous's fault, wasn't it." The last question wasn't a question, Keme knew.

Mark just nodded. "He didn't know, but it was destined to happen regardless of him. But I'd like him to believe it's his fault he lost his most useful servant."

"What?" Keme looked confused.

"There was a prophecy... Massourina did it, you know?"

Keme paused, looking lost. "Wasn't she your friend?"
"Girlfriend, for a time. A powerful witch with an independent spirit. But people knew she was a weakness of mine, and..." Mark's hands balled into fists and he took a big breath. "Spirit and Sacrifice interfered. The meddling idiots threatened Massourina, and she was forced to choose her own freedom over mine. She secured my punishment with a spell, but ended it with another spell that those two idiots hadn't approved. They screamed at her and demanded she remove it, but she said nothing." Mark paused. "She was killed later that night." The boy closed his eyes for a moment as regret washed over him.

"I was never told directly, but just a few days later I saw a paper of Timorous's. It had a prophecy on it, and under it was written 'Phoenix.' That was when I learnt that she saved me."

"The prophet?" asked Keme.

"Must have been. But what it said gave me enough hope to live." Mark began to speak the prophecy reluctantly.

"At Nevermore's dark shore,

He shall work for eons,

A girl knowing not of werelore

Shall take him free,

Thus ending his inner war."

Keme's eyes widened. "So... She saved you."

"Yes. I haven't thanked her. She only realized after Phoenix began to take control."

Keme was looking even more shocked at every word that came out of Mark's mouth. "Phoenix spoke the prophecy, and is now possessing the girl he foretold to save you. And now the Vitae introduced themself into this mess? How? Why?"

"As I mentioned before, it was Timorous. He broke contact with the Vitae, who had taken it upon themselves from the beginning to keep on eye on me. This made both of us 'wanted' for questioning. I suppose they thought that we were conspiring or something. So I was taken by one of their Hunters in Lalaland's Underneath, and upon reaching headquarters, I accidently revealed that we had been traveling with each other, despite what they had originally thought."

"I see. But they are helping her? The girl? And she is very much human?"

Mark sighed. "Yes. They have all been... better, lately. I think the Vitae's flaw is simply that it is so big that orders get muddled, and if a few people develop opinions that oppose to a certain cause, that is what some people focus on. I... I've come to the realization that they really do want to help, but they try and focus on the bigger things when there are so many other small problems that they could fix no problem. Paired with that and the opinions thing, they just don't fit in right."

"Is that what happened with the magical rights debate?" Keme asked curiously. As an official magical being for a few millenia, Keme took offense at the jabs made at those with powers. But he hadn't considered that the ones objecting were not acting on behalf on the Vitae.

"I'm not sure. But that's another story. Please, Keme. I've told you most you need to know. She's in danger."

Keme nodded. "I will try to. I don't know if I am strong enough, it's been so long since I extracted a spirit. But I will try."

Mark nodded gratefully, and the two continued down the hall, Luma floating behind them, asleep, unknowingly."

"And Match... I'm sorry for not being there when you needed it most." Keme paused, turning his head to look Mark straight in the eyes. "I won't let it happen again."

Mark cast his eyes to the ground, hiding his uncontrollable smile as Keme spoke again.

"After all, I believe in second chances."

 A/N: I just realized that I legit have eight folders and probably 30 documents dedicated to this story. And yet it's so full of plotholes it's amazing. Also this was supposed to come out sooner but Wattpad has been giving me crap.