Running through the misted graves of River-dale Heights, it was hard to catch up with her cat-like moves. Adonis was constantly slipping on the mud beneath him, clambering back towards the sounds of her laughter. 

"Wait! Where are you going!?"

Her outbursts of euphoria echoed, he panicked to find them as the clouds around him thickened, then everything looked the same. Adonis heard a gate creek wide from the south and he ran towards it only to slip again and fall on his chest. his face, splashed with mud and his hand's wrist deep in the grime. Adonis pushed his chest off the ground, to shake his face and hair free of as much mud as possible so he could get up and continue. Lifting his head to see ashen black ankles before him, the breath of the thing, heaving, heavy, and animalistic. Adonis hunched on his knees below the shadowy humanoid with horns that looked down at him. faceless, expressionless, dark, and smooth featureless shapes of what was not a man. As the words rolled off Its tongue, thunder scored, and a rain of cinders fell.

" From the same veil, you are torn. Her forge has made you brothers... " The words echoed and bounced back and forth in his ears before it spoke again.

" He knows where you are...let him find you"

His throat burned and he coughed himself out of his sleep, falling to the floor to an intense charred taste at the back of his throat and tongue.

Disoriented, he crawled to the nearest wall. All he could see was mud on his hands and the horned creature standing by the lamp in the corner of the room. terror filled his body and slowly his awareness returned. The muffled voice beside him grew louder and louder until he could understand each word.

"Adonis, can you hear me? wake up"

Her eyes met his, those hazel-brown eyes. She waved in his face, and he seemed to snap out of it. Adonis sat there even though she tried asking questions, he was unresponsive. She came back with a glass of water and his medication. Adonis accepted the medication and drank the glass of water before requesting more. when she came back, he was sitting upright on the bed.

"I'm sorry about that, I wasn't sure..."

Adonis took the glass of water and Emma took a seat next to him waiting for him to continue.

"Where I was..."

Emma rubbed his back and watched him take the medication.

"If you want to talk, I'm here"

Adonis looked over at her. 

"I just need a minute, go ahead and get ready for school" she nodded and stood to leave.

"Hey" Adonis grabbed her arm, and she turned to face him while he stood.

It was a kiss, a kiss that assured her he was himself again. Once she left to get dressed, he set his empty glass down to do the same.

Ready to leave at a second's notice her bag by the door. Her hands jumped on the sculpture utilizing whatever time she had to it. Adonis lay back on top of the sheets, his boots at the end of the bed watching her sculpt.

"I woke up ready to jump back into it" she said detailing the gargoyle's skull structure with a scalpel knife and her bare hands. 

"You haven't had a dream that bad in a long time". 

"They come and go, It's alright" "You looked genuinely terrified," 

she said without pausing what she was doing her face had a

gentle look to it, a look of deep interest and focus on her work. Adonis didn't reply so she kept slicing and adding pieces to what was once a ball of clay but now had temples and cheek bones.

Squealing breaks halted outside the front door and they were up and out the house in seconds. Rushing until they were at the back of the bus. 

Settled in his seat he finally glanced over to her by the window. She kept her eyes fixed on the glass while they passed their house. She leaned against him and fell asleep on the way to the school. when they arrived, he made sure they were among the first ones off. Adonis had to stand behind her and push her forward because she kept locking up in fear around people. When they got off the bus, he made her take a few deep breaths so they could continue walking into the school. Her anxiety had improved so much that there was no longer an issue getting her out of the house, it was now a matter of reducing the breaks she took from being around crowds. 

Mosh peak high school in bold letters above the double doorway into the school. Hundreds of students ascended the short stairway into the open building.

The day flashed before them, and they were already walking back into their front door. Before Emma could attend to her sculpture, she had an assignment due, and Adonis wasn’t going to let her save it for later. Taking a seat at the dinner table pushing some junk mail and empty bowls aside to make room for their study. Adonis opened her textbook and searched for the unit assignment while she read off the questions. To ensure they both understood the material they would switch roles, sometimes Adonis would think and write the answers while she looked through the textbook to give him clues and formulas to help him with those answers. At the end, they made copies for each other and placed their drafts and complete worksheets in separate binders.

Emma didn't mind working on her sculpture over the sound of his guitar practice even when he went into the closet to record his vocals for what she could only assume was a new song he had been working on. His growls were stimulating in a way that helped her focus on what she needed to do. Fine details were the most annoying and time-consuming part of the process and having Adonis in the background being white noise was all that she needed to get it done.

By night they started to come back together, she had taken a break from the bust and Adonis had to rest his voice, sipping his hot tea next to her in bed.

"New song?"

Adonis nodded holding the tea in both hands.

"The album is almost done; I would say maybe next weekend"

"Did you need any of my help?"

Adonis handed her the mug of tea.

"More than likely, I just need to lay down a few guitar parts,

Ami is still working on finishing the drums”

Emma rolled onto her side, when he finished sipping his tea she reached out for the cup and cautiously brought it up to her lips, blowing.

“How is Ami?”

Trying to get comfortable he stacked the pillows behind him to sit up straight.

“She’s actually leaving the Army by the end of the year.”

After taking her sip she held onto it and watched him, waiting until he needed the tea again.

“Well, you already know what that means” 

Adonis shook his head “our first trip is going to be to Europe “

Emma took another sip of tea.

“It won’t be our one and only, I know you guys have to meet up often but if it was ok with you, I’d like to go see castles”

Adonis turned to her his eyebrows raised, excited by the idea he, took back the cup of tea.

“Castle ruins or Disney castles?”

She rested her ear on the pillow facing him with her eyes closed in thought, wrapped up tight underneath the quilt.

“Mmm…Disney “

Adonis put the empty cup down and pulled his journal from the nightstand.

“Disney and castle ruins it is”