A Trail of Blood and Smoke

8 - Nostalgia & Pinkie Promises

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A D E L Y N
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I'm pleasantly surprised that my last-minute therapy plan for Caleb is working out so well.

I hadn't been entirely convinced he'd agree at all — or even tolerate the suggestion — so it feels a little surreal to be sat beside him on an uncomfortable sofa in a university in Fenbrooke — the place he vowed to never return — laughing and joking with him and a sweet human and a werewolf whose curiosity seems to outweigh his concern.

On the rare occasions Caleb brought up his past, he always seemed to speak highly of the pack. It feels weird to be sat in the same room as someone whose ancestors knew him all those decades ago; someone who has managed to sniff us out and find us in just a day. It's impressive, if a little terrifying.

Markus must have assured Caleb that he means no harm, because the vampire seems to be at ease beside me. He's reclined leisurely, an easy, genuine grin on his face as his eyes shine with amusement at one of Markus' jokes. His guard is coming down little by little. Markus has that effect on people, I realise. He's like a breath of fresh air.

Caleb catches my gaze and gives me a small nod. It's as close to 'you're always right, I suppose, and I should always listen to you because you're a genius' as he's going to get, but I'm over the moon anyway.

Chloe's asking me about my hometown and the journey here, and she's riveted to my every word as I explain the perils of my first time on a plane and how different Canada seems already.

"I wish I had the confidence to go abroad for university," she says, looking enthralled at the mere concept. Granted, she doesn't know about the coven or that this is an escape route for me, but her fascination is a beacon regardless. "I don't think my dad would've let me go that far out, though."

I shrug lightly. "I fancied the challenge. And my family doesn't really mind." Nor do they even know, but that's a problem for another time. It's unlikely they'll even think to check my house for the note I left for a while, yet.

I can feel the heat of Caleb's stare but don't return it, and instead I study Chloe as she tells me about how she's always wanted to visit a new country. She's got curly dark hair cut just above her tan shoulders, and it frames her soft features and large, doe-like brown eyes to a gorgeous effect. She's beautiful, without question, and I lose myself a little to my admiration.

We chat for a while, but the week of preparation, the long flight, and jet-lag have all combined to an exhaustive effect. I have to excuse myself and retreat to my room before I pass out on the sofa.

I forgot about the mess I left it in earlier — my version of unpacking was to simply make piles and hope for the best — and the prospect of having to clear everything up before I can collapse into bed and go to sleep makes me sigh deeply. At least past-me knew something like this would happen and made up the bed first.

To be honest, I could just call Caleb in here and ask him nicely to unpack for me — given he probably finished hours ago — but I can't bear to disturb him when he seems so happy and at ease.

I let my mind wander as I shove all my clothes into a pile at the end of my bed for later sorting. It's nice to be spending more time with Caleb. We've been close friends for so long, but our time together has always been too restricted. My coven doesn't take too kindly to vampires, and they aren't fond of my friendship with Caleb at all. His visits are short and sweet, hidden from their prying eyes. He never really stayed long, and I think it's partly due to my coven, but mainly because he doesn't linger anywhere. Throughout our entire friendship, and for decades before, he's been on the run. Constantly travelling, never staying in one place for too long. It's exhausting to think about, let alone experience. I've been wanting to do my bit to help him for a while now, ever since I first started noticing just how tired he seems of it all. The growing rift between me and my coven and its rules and my ambitions with magic helped, too, I suppose.