In the Light of the Moon

22: A Game of Back and Back Again

Getting back to the mill with many more people than last time made you very aware of how smooth this operation could go. Operating like army militia, sneaking through the halls and whispering orders, you felt rather excited about the job ahead.

Everyone gathered a few feet from the entrance of the mill. Plans were talked through one last time before being put into action. Refining details as well as going through a few backup plans because there's rarely anything that goes completely to plan. Dean was trying his best to lead, but he seemed extremely distracted at the same time.

"Hey, Y/N, Charlie. You haven't seen Cas.. have you?" his tone of voice broke and betrayed him as he made his way over to your car. He was worried. It suddenly dawned on you, you had seen Cas at the beginning of the get-together yesterday, but you didn't see him again once everyone started talking to you. Where had he gone?

Your own worrisome expression gave Dean his answer.

"I hope he's okay. When did you realise he was gone?" you asked, trying to gauge if you were correct.

"About half an hour into the party yesterday. I thought maybe he noticed everyone was occupied and maybe went to run an errand, but he didn't come back. I tried calling him, but he didn't answer. I haven't seen him since." he stopped for a second. "I did wake up to this, though." Dean reached into his pocket and pulled out a feather. A thick, black, long-stalked feather. He passed it to you and you examined it. It had been a long time since you had seen one of these.

"It's Castiel's." You reluctantly handed it back to him. Dean now looked more worried. "No, no. It's not a bad sign, don't worry. The long-stalked feathers are the most difficult to get to when they aren't your own, so he definitely left this for you to let you know that he's alright. He probably is just running an errand. Seems like a big one for him to leave without letting anyone notice and then giving you this, but he'll be back." The worry from his eyes left a little, now he just seemed wary. You knew he didn't trust the leading angels in Heaven very much and you didn't blame him. He thanked you before putting the feather away again and regrouping with everyone else.

On the journey to the mill you had only began feeling worse and you were entirely sure it was no longer just a hangover, it felt more like a really bad case of the flu. Your entire body felt like melted, creaking steel, as if your body were collapsing on itself and every bone was breaking and bending. You felt as though you would throw up with the tiniest movement, which is why you hadn't yet moved from the car. You had been wheezing slightly throughout your conversation with Dean and had to force yourself not to cough, so he didn't realise that you didn't feel great. You needed to be a part of this. It meant too much to you. Since Dean had walked away you had been coughing and sneezing and folding over in pain. Charlie had even put her hand against your forehead and quickly pulled it away on contact, her eyes wide. She had tried to reason with you, multiple times, but you would have none of it.

"Mornin', buds. You ready for this?" It was Jodie. You closed your eyes and hoped for everything to stop, but it didn't. She said her part and you replied in throat-tearing chokes and groans of pain. She rushed over to your side of the vehicle. "Y/N? What's wrong, sweetie??" She asked, distress evident in her voice. She raised her hand to your head, but pulled away before even making contact, hissing in pain. "Something isn't right. What's going on? Do you feel okay?" You were confounded by your own state, so you couldn't really do much but shrug. "Do you feel sick?" You nodded, looking down at your feet before groaning at the pain in your neck. What were you meant to do? You hadn't been sick the entire time of being a human. Even at your weakest moments, you had a strong immune system to keep you safe from simple bugs and colds, so how was this happening?

"If this is how humans feel when they get sick, then I want to get my grace back." You meekly reported. Jodie looked unsure and turned to Charlie who just sat there in disbelief.

"Maybe you need fresh air. It could help." Jodie carefully inserted her advice.

"You mean stay here? I want to help... I don't want.. to stay behind."

"You won't be staying behind. We need people out here to help get the kids we find out of there and into the cars so they are safe. It's important they're looked after, okay?" You thought about it and decided it would be for the best. Maybe the fresh air would do you good and at least you would still be a part of the team.

I'm excited as hell to write the next chapter. Watch this space!