The Last Well

"Come on, Skye, aren't I getting a little old for you to be carrying me around like this?" I complained, resting my head atop Skye's as he carried me through the streets of Tears, a loving nickname for Teardesh, the city where we lived. "It's not nearly as dangerous as it was when we were little," I paused knowing the statement was partly untrue, "Well, it wouldn't kill you to put me down."

"No, I am not going to put you down and yes, it would kill me."

Frustrated, I tightened my neck hold on him. 

"Not until we get home, Air."

I groaned, Air. What started as a way for him to tease me about my name had become a habit now that we were older. It was possibly the most annoying of his habits next to his need to carry me if not walk way too close to me when we were out. I didn't mind it when I was little but now it was getting old. 

Annoying habits or not he was my best friend, he had been for as long as I could remember. One night my father carried him into the house, all I could smell was smoke. There had obviously been a large fire somewhere and the boy in my father's arms was gasping for--

"Air, Air, Ari?" He patted my head, bringing me out of my thoughts and back to present day, "We're almost home. Do you want to walk?" He smiled, it was a sad smile, always just made with his lips, there was never a spark in his eyes. 

I smiled, "Yes." 

Skye and I walked shoulder to shoulder through the small park that separated the city from the woods where the humans lived.  The pink cherry blossoms were leaving their places on the trees and scattering across the ground. I looked up into Skye's indigo eyes, so dark compared to the pink petals. 

"Air?"

I looked down at my feet and twirled a few strands of my black hair, hoping the question I had in mind wouldn't upset him. Skye's pale finger curved around my hand and pressed it to one of the larger scars, the one that reached from this collar bone to his jaw. I didn't know why but it forced me to talk. 

"Ari?" He asked again. 

I swallowed hard, here went nothing, "Why do you insist on carrying me, I'm not a little girl anymore." Skye squeezed my hand so hard it hurt. 

"I'm sorry," he apologized, releasing me, "I've lost a lot already." His voice barely above a whisper.

The rest of our walk continued in a silence that I didn't break until we entered the house.

"You don't trust the people of Tears, do you?" I asked as Skye removed his coat revealing the many burn scars that adorned his arms, "The people here may be vampires, imps, and other assorted created but they're still people." I walked over to him and placed my hands over two of the scars on his right arm, "Is it because we're the only humans here?"

I clamped my teeth over my tongue as soon as the words left but it was too late, I couldn't take it back, "Skye," I was too late for that too, he slammed his bedroom door. 

"Don't bother following him, Ari." My sister, Cho, instructed plopping down on the couch, bowl of popcorn in hand, "Ha, I knew you could smell this stuff Mittens."

Mittens was a kitten we found a few years ago and begged my father to let us keep him. As it would turn out, he was not a kitten at all. He had the ability to transform into an imperfect human form. He was a sort of cat-demon, they had a name but I was in no way able to pronounce it. 

Mittens transformed from a sleeping black cat into a fiery-haired boy, retaining his black ears and tail, "Oooo, it looks like Skye is being the lord of darkness again." He mocked, is silvery eyes flickering in beat with his tail.