The Terror Gaze: Book 2 of The Mortal Guard Series

Chapter 34 - Nick, Adrian, and Nora Lynn: Home Again

Chapter 34 - THE SHIFTING HOUSE ARC PART 2 - Nick, Adrian, and Nora Lynn: "Home Again"

Later that day . . .

The creature hunter, nurse, and magician sat on the long Metro bus toward the back after visiting Sven at the Falcon. There weren't many other animals in the vehicle, giving them enough space to talk amongst themselves.

Nora cupped one of her earrings gently. "I still feel bad he's not going to remember that conversation or the fact that he gave me these."

"He probably won't be thinking much about them, honestly," Adrian assured her. "His memory is altered to think that she sold them a long time ago. Once you give off an item like that, you rarely think about it again."

Nora pursed her lips. "It feels like lying, in a way. I've never seen the memory-altering spell in action, but something about it just feels wrong . . . ."

"I know the feeling." Nick leaned against the window, looking at the buildings of Austin pass by, taking note of how normal the day had felt. They were strangers in their own hometown, but returning to the area made all of the memories flood back in.

Nick thought of all his past days as a ghost, moving all around Austin to all of the places he had been before. Walking along the sidewalk with friends, sitting in a classroom and listening to a lecture, hanging tight in a waiting room, anxiously, roller skating at the rink, enjoying the sights by the side of the lake . . .

Nick forgot just how active his life had been before the Mortal Guard. Sure, his life now was incredibly active, but he felt boxed in, in a way. On his Leisure days, he was mostly free to do whatever he wanted, yet he didn't feel entirely free.

Adrian nudged his arm. "Earth to Nick. Are you good?"

"Austin to Nick," the hyena corrected. "Just thinking about how lucky we were before. I didn't even realize that until the Mortal Guard. We really didn't have to deal with any problems."

"Yeah. Things are crazy right now, but they're only going to get more hectic. Don't waste your Leisure days, Nicky."

"That's why we're out here, isn't it?" Nick slightly grinned. "To make some sense of our lives by seeing our families."

"Yours," Adrian winked. "Mine don't live in Austin, remember?"

"Oh, yeah."

"Sorry, Adrian," Nora looked toward him. "We should have been more considerate."

The mouse looked down. "Heh . . . This is really helping me, actually."

"Yeah?" Nick's lips curled into a hopeful smile. He was still in the dark about Adrian's situation, but he would do anything to help. "I'm glad to hear it."

"You can still tell us if something is going on at any time, Cheesy," Nick whispered.

"Wow. You haven't called me that since we were still together," Adrian blushed.

"Don't get too gushy about it. This whole day had me feeling sentimental." Nick rubbed the back of his neck. "I can't wait to see her again, man."

"Your mom?"

"Yeah. Sometimes, I stay up at night wondering if she knows it's not me that comes to visit now. I wonder if she sees a difference in my eyes or a misplaced patch of fur. Any kind of defect in my Double that tells her her son is gone."

"That's sad," Nora frowned. "To think about."

"It's even sadder not knowing we've been replaced," Adrian said. There was a touch of wist in his voice as he looked at the few other passengers on the bus. "Nobody who isn't a Double even knows."