i'll be there | cyan [c]

♕ | allergies

     "I know it's a lot to ask, but-" Ricky had started. Vinny rolled his eyes and pushed himself backward on the swing, feet dragging along the ditched sand at his feet. No one came around this playground anymore; kids tended to get creeped out by the woods behind it, understandably so. Even I found it eerie as a kid.

    "Why do you think I'm here?" Vinny inquired, sounding bored. "You know, you guys underestimate Devin sometimes. Think he doesn't know what's goin' on around here?" He sounded almost amused. "I've been out here a lot lately," he added. He tipped his head to rest it against the chain of the swing, letting himself go forward and dragging his feet as he swung backward. "It smells like death out here. I figured I should stick around since Ryan's been busy," He said.

     For once, Vinny actually sounded serious. "So you've been looking after the portal while Ryan's been away?" I spoke up. Vinny had his sleeves pulled over his hands, something odd that I'd never seen him do before. "Mhm." He said.

     Ricky's eyes were narrow. He glanced around, plucking some purple-petaled flowers off of the ground. His expression went blank, as if he'd realized something that had made him uncomfortable. He frowned, twirling the flower stems between his fingers. Vinny's mouth twitched. "Do you like it out here?" He asked.

     I glanced around to make sure I knew where Ryan was. He was just a few feet away, so I relaxed and turned back to Vinny, who spoke up.

     "Sure," he said softly. "I love it outside."

     Ricky eyed Vinny, tossing the flowers to him. The petals brushed against his face and he squeaked, batting them away uncomfortably. Taking Vinny's distraction as an opportunity, I grabbed his wrist, frowning. His fingernails were claws, and his hand looked like it'd been dipped in black paint. "What the hell?"

     He smacked my hand, yellow eyes wide and focused on me. "Leave it be," He almost growled, pulling his hand away slowly, being careful not to scratch me. Ricky pursed his lips. "Wolfsbane. And lots of it out here. You're having a reaction to it." He said, stating the obvious.

     Vinny looked away and pulled his sleeves over his hands again. When he looked back at Ricky and I, his eyes had returned to their normal, green colour. He looked upset, like one of us had just slapped him or something. "Yeah, so? No one else has been out here looking after the portal. It's just a little allergy problem- it'll go away."

     It was now that I was starting to notice how exhausted he looked. His eyes looked bloodshot, like he hadn't been sleeping. "How long have you been out here..?" I asked. Ryan was holding my hand tightly.

     "What time is it?" Vinny grumbled. Ricky pinched the bridge of his nose, seeping a sigh. "This isn't going to work. He can't stay out here like this- it's getting dark, maybe I could see if Angelo can hang around while we find someone who can-"

     Vinny sprung to his feet, eyes wide again. He tipped his head up, looking frantic. He froze for a moment before clamping his hands over his ears, wincing and shutting his eyes tight. His knees wobbled and buckled, and I stumbled backward as he fell. Ryan was in the same position, gripping his head and whimpering. "Angels," Vinny managed to gasp out through a groan.

     "What the hell?" I half-whispered. Ricky swallowed thickly, saying, "Hybrid type creatures- of the animal variety, anyway,- can hear the frequencies and shit that we can't. They can hear it loud and clear when in close proximity. In any other dimension, that'd be okay, but since we're on Earth-"

     "Chris-" Ryan whined, looking up at me. His nose was dripping blood, "what's going on?" He spoke in a small voice, blinking a couple of times, looking about ready to cry. I tensed when the tears that slid down his pale cheeks were red, eyes shooting straight to Vinny, who had blacked out by the looks of it. His nose was bleeding as well as his eyes and ears.

     Ricky was pacing, speaking in what sounded like Latin.

     I knelt down beside Ryan and pulled him to my chest, covering his fox ears with my hands and looking to Vinny again.

     I couldn't tell if he was breathing.