Swan Song || The Lost Boys - & The One Who Found Them...

Chapter XVII ~ ᛏ (Tiwaz) Part I - Demonized & Demoralized

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It was an awkward journey from the vampire cave to the Emerson's house on top of the hill. Marko had shrouded himself in silence & not spoken a single word since our departure. We had just arrived at the hill's feet & were already halfway at our destination. It was unusually warm this particular morning, mild like on an early spring day rather than late autumn; the sun had quickly ascended in the azure sky, covering the path that lay before us as well as the mountains in the distance with a thick blanket of golden light.

I paused under a large tree whose trunk was massive & branches wide enough to block out the sun, having a proper morning stretch as I waited for the young half-vampire who had significantly fallen behind.
Watching Marko move in broad daylight was a strange & rather painful thing to witness: he did everything in his power to avoid direct sunlight, would literally jump from one shady spot to the next, sunglassed eyes fixed on the ground beneath his feet the entire time.
The closer he drew the more I could hear him panting like a dog close to a heatstroke, wiping his pale forehead every 15 seconds.
It took him a while to catch up with me; when he finally arrived in the large tree's shade I had already taken a seat on the cool ground, patting the spot right next to me with an open palm.

" Sit down, Marko. "

The half cocked a brow at me.
" Aren't we in a hurry? "

" Not if you're close to fainting. Sit down & rest, at least for a few minutes. "

Some more contemplation followed, however his exhaustion appeared to gain the upper hand, eventually forcing him to his knees. Dragging an extra long breath through his nose Marko flopped into the soft grass, pushing up his sunglasses & using the tree's massive trunk as support by leaning against it.
His breathing soon adjusted & I could feel a sense of gratitude settle inside of him once he was out of the sun. He probably would've never admitted it, but this break was a much needed one.

Meanwhile my eyes began to wander the landscapes that surrounded the city of Santa Carla; mazes of trees in all sizes & many-layered hills under a gentle but swift sunrise, tinting leaves & meadows alike in the colours of fall whilst taking away what little was left of summer's final days.
A cold wind blew across the pathway & crawled up the back of the hill, causing goosebumps to form all over my skin.
I heard a sigh from Marko next to me & turned to find him wriggling his way out of his leather jacket so the breeze could embrace his heated shoulders, eyes falling shut. The corner of his mouth twitched before curling up into a feeble smile & for a moment I was convinced that he was about to doze off, but then he started talking.

" Thank you, Lily. "

" 'Thank you' for what? "

" For the breather. "

I waved him off.
" Don't even mention it. I can only try to imagine how rough it must be for you to walk around in broad daylight. "

" It's certainly a toughy, but I'll manage. Being a half ain't no picnic.  "

Another breeze blew across the pathway & sent a few withered leaves high up in the air, motivating them to dance.

" You can stay here & rest if you want. I'll go visit Michael's brother by myself, that's really not much of an issue. ", I said, adjusting my braided hair.

" Not a chance. "
Marko shook his head, eyes remaining closed.
" As they like to say: I'll be with you each step of the way.  "

" That's very considerate of you, but we're officially outside of town. From here to Michael's house it's just trees & hills. No one else lives up here. I'll be safe, Marko. "