Where Tears Fall Like Snow

10

-Oli-

"Oh, so Luna can be pretty stern but she's fine once you get to know her." Ash says, "Stella's ok. Don't bring up family around any of them."
"Ryan goes by he/him, Luna and Stella, she/her." Ivy says
"Luna gets angry easily." Ash says, "Oh, and her birthday is soon, she'll be extra tense."
"Isn't that the opposite of birthdays?" Shelby asks
"Luna can't stand her birthday." Bolt says, "It's a little personal, don't ask her."
"And Ryan is terrified of fire." Ash says, "So Callum, keep your flames under control."
"There's something else..." Ivy says, "What was it?"
"Ok, we have to let them go eventually." Rain says
"Oh, Ash, what were you thinking about the cuff last night?" Bolt asks
"What about it?" She asks
"You do know what the cuffs do, right?" He asks
"Block powers." She says
"Not just that." He sighs, "We'll talk more later."
"You used a cuff?" Rain asks
"Ok, why do you all get in a fight right before people leave?" Ivy asks
"Ok, ok, we'll talk later." Rain says, "Bye!"

"Remember our conversation last night?" Lauren asks, "Can we go back to that?"
"I would prefer not to." Scott says
"But like, the spacing and what happened at the party-"
"Yeah." He says blankly
"So like, do you remember what's happening when-"
"No."
"And the thing-"
"I don't know." He sounds slightly irritated, "I don't remember it, I just remember what happened after. Can we not talk about this anymore?" We walk awkwardly for a few minutes.
"The Town of Secrets is the one after this one." Yammy says
"Town of Secrets?" Shelby asks
"It's Et ex purpureo et Aurea Puer Natus, but for people who can speak Latin or can't be bothered to." I say, "You'll hear it more often."
"You know, Scott, in the town they can figure out how to help you with your... situation." Yammy says
"Ok." He says sounding less enthusiastic that any of us expected.
"We're almost there." Shelby says eventually.
"Good, the sun is setting and being on the road at night is dangerous." Yammy says
"Especially since some of us give off a trace now." I add
"Traces?" Callum asks
"Well, pure-races always give off a trace, so, Yammy and me, half-races start giving off a trace when their powers develop more and the infected give off a trace during castel periods." I say
"What's a castel period?" Scott asks
"Well the people with the gene that makes them one of us are connected with spirits." Yammy says, "Sometime they borrow your body-"
"Like, possessing you?" Lauren asks
"No, they just use you to get around." She says, "The infection transforms people and gives them the 'mutation' which allows spirits to connect with them."
"But while they're still transforming they can't block out castels, which are like evil spirits that do want to possess you." I say, "The blanking out and the other stuff is a castel period, where the castels take control."
"So Scott is being possessed?" Lauren jokes.
"I think he spaced again." Callum says. I poke him. He looks at me and before he can do anything a vine wraps around his wrist.
"Welcome back." I say, "We're here."

-Yammy-

We walk into the small town and look around.
"This place has change since the last time we were here." I say
"Obviously, you guys haven't been here and a year." A familiar voice says blankly.
"Luna, good to see you." I say
"I remember what Ash, Rain, Ivy and Bolt forgot to tell you guys." Oli says, "Yammy and Luna aren't the friendliest with each other."
"Hey Panda Hat." Luna says
"Hey." He says
"You must be Callum, Lizzie, Shelby, Scott and Lauren." She points to each of them as she says their name.
"Ooo, she's good." Shelby says
"Yeah, I'm good at reading minds." She says, she look at Scott.
"You're like Alex." She says
"In what way?" He asks
"They haven't told you yet?" She asks
"Told me what?"
"Never mind." She says, "C'mon, we don't want to be out when it's dark."

"Stella, Ryan, we're back!" Luna calls.
"Hey." A girls says from the kitchen counter, "I'm Stella." A boy appears in the doorway.
"And that's Ryan." Luna says. He waves.
"We have one spare bedroom so if all of you want to stay in it you can but the guys can sleep with Ryan and the girls can have the spare or vise versa." Stella says, "The spare is pretty big anyways, it would definitely fit all of you." We all look at each other.
"We'll take the spare." I say, "Everyone ok with that?" All my friends nod.
"Ok then, Stella will show you the way up." Luna says

"What do you think Luna says when she said I'm like Alex?" Scott asks
"I dunno." I say "Luna says a lot of weird stuff."
"She could've meant your powers." Oli says
"But I don't have the same powers as them." He says, "They're kinda a mix of Ari and Alex's powers." 
"I can always ask." I say
"Ask Luna?"
"No, I can ask Alex." I say, "We heave telepathy, remember?"
"Oh yeah." He says, "I guess."
"Alex?" I ask
"Yeah?" They say back eventually.
"Do you know what Luna was talking about earlier, with Scott being like you?"
"No." They say, "I have to go."

"Do they know?" Scott asks when I open my eyes.
"No." I say.
"That's gonna bother me now." He says
"Luna just generally bothers me." I say, "I'm not trying to be rude or anything, but she just... isn't my kind of person."
"Why do you guys hate each other anyways?" Lizzie asks
"That involves some of her history." I say, "I'd ask her."