The Fragile the Broken and the Brave

60. The Future

11.21.20

Mikey's POV

The cold winter air battered my cheeks, yet I didn't mind the feeling. In fact, I loved the bitterness of the wind as it gusted into my face. While I didn't agree with their idea to bring Benji to school, I could understand why it had happened. He was a free spirit; all he ever wants in life is to have his own place in the world. Of course, all I want is for him to be happy with whatever choices he makes in life. It's my job as his soulmate to love and support him no matter what the decision is. Unless that thought process lends towards leaving me; then I will have some issues. 

When the car pulled up, I plastered a smile onto my face. I am happy to see him, yes, but there are a lot of other parts of my life that I'm failing in. My family has crumbled around me, and my grades in school are dismal at best. With only one positive outlook on life, what am I left to do? Benji basically leapt out of the car as soon as it came to a halt, and at first I thought that he was just happy to see me. However, when he shoved past me, I knew that the thinking was all wrong. It couldn't be more incorrect. His hands on my chest felt like hot irons, and the stumble that followed came in slow motion. His movement never even ceased at the possible injury the force may have caused me, and the only pain wasn't from my jammed ankle. Heartbreak weighted heavily against my chest, and I would have collapsed if not caught by Devon.

His arms carefully enclosed me into a tight embrace, and I felt heat behind my nose and eyes. "Come on, it's okay. You can lean on me for anything you know," he breathed into my ear, and I allowed the liquid to flow from behind my closed eyelids. Silence reigned over us as sobs wracked my chest, and it took almost 10 minutes for my mind to calm itself down enough to have a normal conversation with another person. "He's just worked up. It'll get better."

"What happened to make him that upset in that short of a time? I talked to him on the phone just a few hours ago and he didn't seem to be that bad."

"He found out what we've been hiding from him... He wasn't very happy that he was never told about it, and now we've come to this."

"I thought I told you all to let me handle it when the time comes! Something like this requires the utmost precision or he will get this way."

"It was a slip of the tongue. We didn't want to tell him this soon either. He's still trying to get used to the weakness of his body we didn't intentionally add more to his plate."

"Well now look at what you've done."

"Please just... Don't let him be alone with this. Show him that we're all here for him no matter what. He can't survive this all on his own Mikey."

"I won't let him crumble."

"Good. This is your time to shine. I know that you're his soulmate; show the moon that you deserve him." I smiled glad that someone was able to pick up on my secret, and he patted my back lightly before walking away. I turned to face the school once more before entering through the ancient doors, and I couldn't wait to reach him. It's so important to me that he's comfortable. I think that I would die if I knew that he wasn't feeling completely himself. Well, that may be an overstatement on my part. If he wasn't on this world any more my heart would cease to exist. My footsteps rang throughout the silent corridors as I sprinted after his scent, and the voice in the back of my head was listing off all of the what ifs that could possibly happen if I don't get to him in time. In reality, none of those would ever happen to him. I don't take him as an idiot.

It took forever for me to reach the dorm room we shared, and I swiftly flung open the door. The living room was cast in shadow from the grand window at the end, but I didn't care to notice as I made my way to his room. I knocked softly on the wood, but there was no sound of acknowledgement from his side of the barrier. I pushed it forward a few moments later, and my eyes connected with his red ones. He was sitting on the bed hugging his knees against his chest, and the slight whimpers that leaked past his lips made my entire body stop momentarily. He's crying... because of a decision I made. Maybe it would have been better for him if I had just spilled the beans the first time he woke up. That way he could have come to terms with his situation slowly and not also be dealing with the fact that we all have been lying to him for a week. "What happens now," his gravelly voice resounded, and I jolted back into the present. It is best for me not to dally in the past. Not while he still needs me in the present.

"Now we work to bring it back."

"Do you have any idea how to do that?"

"There's an ancient text that descripts how to do so somewhere, but we don't yet know where it is. Every warlock is out there searching for it. They already recognize you as their leader, Benji. You just need to get better so that you can show them exactly what you can do. I know that you will make a great master whether or not you can use magic."

"Are you sure? Isn't my magic kind of necessary to lead the people with magic?"

"No, not really. Your true job in the world is to give wisdom and guidance. Of course the wisdom part only comes with many years of seeing the human generations pass by, but it will come. You have potential to go down in history as one of the best warlock masters in the history of our kind. We will help you along in your path. It is all we can do."

"What do you mean by we?"

"As soon as you are healthy enough you will enlist a counsel of warlocks from every country we are found in. They will communicate to you the needs of their people and you will take that information and find a way to meet the citizens requests while also keeping our kind secret from the humans. You are important, smart, and the most valuable person I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. Not only that, but you're so important to me. I don't want any harm to cross you ever again, so please... Just trust me when I tell you that I love you more than anything else in the world. I always will."

"That's so cheesy."

"Are you calling my feelings cheesy."

"100%. Now come here I want to cuddle."

"Alright then." I climbed onto the bed next to him, and his arms snaked loosely around my neck. His stunning brown eyes drifted closed, and I smiled at the evening of his breath. I want nothing more than to live the rest of my life with him, and live we will. Forever and always.