Haunted Devotion

12.

Linus taps his finger hard on the side of his plate at the dinner table he's sitting at with his parents as they celebrate Devlin's suspension.

"Oh what a great day," Gina says happily while toasting with Thomas.

Thomas nods, "Yes dear what a day," He smiles big now cutting into his steak.

Linus hating their graveling in Devlin's despair especially with the bureau taking her family relics, he stands and makes a toast, "To self righteous people who only care about themselves," Raising the glass to his parents, he chugs it down then throws it to the floor having the glass shatter everywhere.

Gina and Thomas gasp while shouting at Linus but he makes his way out only wanting to see Devlin.

Hopping on his motorcycle, he speeds over to her house only to see Gerald sitting outside smoking which he has never seen before.

"Where is Devlin?" He asks while taking his helmet off.

Seconds later Devlin strolls in with a confused expression written all over her face.

Gerald stands tossing the cigarette he was smoking while Linus trails behind her as she enters the house.

"We need to talk," Linus says, throwing his helmet on the couch.

Devlin with rattling thoughts, shook her head scrunching her eyebrows as she looked at Linus now.

"It just doesn't make sense—-none of this does—-I'm lost—" Stumbling over her words, Devlin sits holding her head in her hands.

Linus takes a seat by her now, ready to listen to whatever she had on her mind.

When she started bawling, Linus just threw his arms around her, comforting as much as he knew how to.

"I can't believe I let them take the relics—-I can't believe I did such a stupid thing by summoning No—" Devlin sighs, stopping whatever else she was going to say only for Linus to wipe her tears off her face.

"It's been a few shitty days maybe even months, years, but you can punch the shittyness away and be the stuck up princess I know you to be."

Devlin laughs low, nodding wiping her own face now, "Such an asshole thing to say but helpful," She says sniffling.

Shrugging, Linus now smiles, "I might be a total disaster but I have my days."

Laughing together, they actually just talk for the rest of the night holding each other as they fell asleep on the couch as they did.

Nolan wanted to check on Devlin, feeling the waves of emotions, only to be shown Linus and her snuggled up on the couch together.

Jealousy bubbles, territorial instincts go on overdrive and he has the house lights flicker and windows burst open scaring both awake.

As Devlin sat up, so did Linus seeing the windows flapping back and forth making a loud banging sound.

"You alright?"

Devlin was about to answer him until she got taken by Nolan out of nowhere.

Already transported into his house, Devlin turns around bewildered.

"Why would you do that? He doesn't know about you or what you can do. Now you've made it more complicated for me."

Nolan squints his eyes at Devlin now enraged.

"For you? Complicated for you? We have a moment, many moments and I find you snuggled up on the couch with that animal? The same one who would come to you drunk and out of his mind? How is that even valid Devlin?"

Devlin chuckles madly, trying to see the humor in the argument but Nolan just looks at her still pissed.

"I wasn't joking, I'm being serious."

"I don't know! Okay? I don't. All of this is too much. I have you saying you're my spirit soulmate, my job practically kicked me out and Linus is just..." Chewing on her bottom lip she thinks what Linus is to her but Nolan already feels what he is to her and doesn't like it.

"I'm yours. He isn't."

"God! Would you stop saying that? You were a mistake Nolan—-I didn't think such a thing could exist so can you stop with the 'I'm yours' when you really aren't."

Nodding, he furiously walks towards Devlin placing his hand on her heart, "I'll just have to show you," A warm saturated energy flows in and out of both of them as soon as his hand was placed on her chest, having both taken somewhere not of their time.

Centuries ago

A farmer waves at a young Nolan who throws a newspaper onto the floorboards of their front porch.

Taking another route through the patch of dirt around the farmers yard, young Nolan spots a girl around his age digging up herbs while trying to keep her hair from flying into her face.

"Stupid hair," She grunts out getting a rubber band and tying it in a ponytail

Nolan watches can't help himself to how beautiful she was.

"Do—do you need help?" He asks while getting off the bike he was on.

The girl turns back smiling, "No, but thank you for stopping to see if I did."

Nolan nodded, getting ready to bike off but stopped wanting to know her name.

"I'm Nolan...can I ask what's yours?" He says referring to her name.

The girl dusts her dirt stained hands while standing, "Lin, just call me Lin."

Nolan smiles wider, "Short for anything?"

The girl shook her head, "Was the name I was given, nothing else to it really."

Both giggled, liking one another.

What came next was puppy love in full effect but with an ending they both wouldn't see until it happened.

"You like to swim? Every Friday we go by the salt lake over there and just have a good time. Wanna join?"

The girl ponders on the invitation but then nods.

"I'll take you up on that offer," Going over she shakes his hand then hears someone calling her name, "Got to go, nice meeting you paperboy."

Nolan blushes at his new nickname watching as the girl walks off with the twined bucket of herbs.

Leaning on his bike, swoon, he forgets he has to deliver a few more newspapers before afternoon came, so he snapped himself out of the daydream he was beginning to have, taking off finishing his paper route. 

On the way to the last house he seen a bird with an injured wing, not wanting to hurt it more but not wanting it to die out in the dirt road, he picks it up taking it home to nurse. 

When his dad came home he took the bird and snaps its neck right in front of Nolan, being a drunk and all.

"Oh stop your crying, he was going to die anyways," The man says while pushing Nolan to the side to get to the fridge.