Human

49.

            "Hey, Cade!" I hear my name shouted from across the quad. "We're over here!" I scan the little groups of people out eating their lunches on the lawn until I locate the one calling me. I smiled, waving back to Brittany and Lucas.

As I weave through the people to reach them, I can't hold back the little smile that sneaks up on me. I never would have thought I'd be excited to be back at school. Especially not this school.

"Hey guys!" I say cheerfully sitting in the slightly damp grass with my tray of food. It's a gorgeous day. The sun is out and there isn't even the slightest wisp of a cloud in the sky. It is really beautiful.

Lucas and David prattle on with each other about the upcoming football season, and Kaitlyn and Brittany fill me in on all of the drama I had missed out on while I had "mono." Apparently it had been quite a tumultuous few weeks according to Kaitlyn. I didn't have the heart to tell her that the last few weeks of my life could top anything she could come up with.

It's been one week since our standoff with The Order ended.

One week in which I was forced to mourn the death of my brother yet again.

Staring up toward the lunchroom though, I couldn't force myself to regret it. Derrek came strolling out, hand in hand with the new girl, Scarlett. Her family had decided to stay in Swanford so that her father and grandfather could help Charles get everything back in order after the mess The Order had left. My heart swelled with happiness as I watched the two of them, they genuinely seemed happy, and I couldn't be more happy for him. Scarlett is an incredibly sweet girl.

"Hi, everyone." She waved shyly as she and Derrek approached our group.

My friends smiled and nodded to her. "This is Scarlett, she's new and she is great. I told her she should definitely start sitting with us." I explained to everyone.

"Totally." Kaitlyn grinned at her. "I love your shoes."

Scarlett and Kaitlyn quickly got off on a conversation about fashion, which of course was a conversation that required some real fashionistas. I spotted Carrianne and Natasha as they walked down the sidewalk towards the lunchroom. "Care! Natasha! Over here!" I motioned to them.

Conversation in my little group stopped. "What are you doing?" David asked confused.

"Look, Carrianne and I are neighbors, and she's actually not as bad as everyone thinks. She just got a bad reputation. Everyone please just give her a chance." I pleaded as they got closer.

Carrianne and I had really bonded now. My adoptive mother had decided to stay in our house, and she and I had also been able to put aside our differences and start over. My father had been the one behind trying to hand me over to The Order, and I know the things he did to her, so I decided to forgive her. She was the woman who raised me, after all. I moved back in with her, and Carrianne and Charles visit with me all the time since we are only next door to each other.

Everyone nodded skeptically to me.

"Cade!" She cheered as she came over to me. She started to sit and then hesitated. I rolled my eyes at her, then took off my jacket and laid it on the ground beside me. "Thanks." She grinned. "You know I hate bugs." She giggled as she sat down on my jacket.

Before long, everyone was chatting and enjoying each other's company. I silently wished that this is how it would always be.

"OMG, Care, look." Natasha shrieked and pointed to a guy across the lawn.

Carrianne brought her hands up to fluff her hair and pinch her cheeks. I could only assume the guy must be Carter. "Wish me luck." She said with a wink, then walked over to him. From the looks of it, he was definitely interested.

Now that she was gone, Derrek slid over to sit beside me, leaving Scarlett to her girl talk with the others. He slid close, throwing his arm over my shoulders. "You know, Cali Cade, I don't think I ever properly thanked you for everything you did for me." He said with a smile.

I leaned in so no one would hear me. "Well, you did take a bullet for me." I whispered.

"Now that you mention it, I should pay you back for that, shouldn't I?" He asked.

"Huh?" I looked at him confused until I saw him reach down into his pocket with his free hand and pull out a small red water gun and aim it at me. He sprayed me directly in the face and then threw his head back laughing.

"We're even now!" He cackled, putting the gun back in his pocket.

I stood up laughing. "You're going to pay for that, you know." I informed him before I walked over to the lunchroom to get some napkins.

I never made it there though.

As I passed by a closet on my way up the sidewalk an arm shot out and pulled me in. I started to scream, but then I saw who it was and began laughing instead. "I've missed you all day!" Garrett grinned, planting kisses all over my face.

"I just saw you first period." I reminded him giggling.

"That was forever ago." He groaned then kissed my lips and held tightly to my waist. "And it wasn't for nearly long enough."

I tangled my hands up in his hair as we bumped into the shelves in the closet. "Well," I whispered. "You've got me all to yourself now." I pointed out.

"I sure do." He said grabbing my body and kissing me hard.

"Geeze, Cade. Is this really what you are at school for? I thought this was a learning institution, not a hotel." A voice fills my head and my body goes rigid.

"What's wrong, Cade?" Garrett asked out of breath, and studying my face.

"Yeah, Cade. What's wrong? It's like you hear a ghost or something."

"Cade?" Garrett asked again.

I was smiling so hard my face hurt, and happy tears ran down my cheeks. "Garrett, I hear him." I laughed. "I hear Stephen!"

"What?" He asked surprised. "Are you serious?"

"Yes." I smiled biting my lip. I closed my eyes. "Stephen?" I said.

"If you're trying to talk to me, that won't work." Stephen informed me. "You lost the ability to call to the dead, but that doesn't mean I can't call to you. You just can't respond, however, if you were to say out loud what you're thinking right now, I could hear it." He chuckled.

"Stephen?" I tested it out.

"Yep, I'm here sis. I'll always be here for you. I wasn't sure if this would work, so that's why I told you goodbye, just in case."

"I love you, Stephen." I said with a full heart.

"I love you too, sis."

"And I love you, Garrett." I smiled at him. "So freaking much."

"I love you too, Cade." He grinned happily. "So freaking much."

THE END