looks are deceiving

"Caelus" she whispered , her lungs tightening as she struggled to breath. What were the odds that the person that had been on her mind ever since she met him suddenly appeared when she was at her worst. She searched his face for any signs of disgust but all she saw was curiosity. Caelus quietly took a step forward and strode towards her as Taylor hesitantly took a step back. She never was one to shy away but this boy was strange. He didn't look like the lost ,misty-eyed boy she'd seen on the cliff a few weekss back. This boy did not only exude power… he was power.

Was he why her magic felt off?

"Broken kids huh?",he asked, his lips tilting up, "I see what you mean ", Dropping down to the ground, Caelus landed with a thud, closing his eyes and splaying himself out on the dusty ground. It was an extremely odd move but who was she to judge Taylor thought helplessly. She had just killed a rabbit without touching it.

"You know when I told you to smile more I didn't mean to do whatever that irritating grin was ", she huffed not knowing what else to say. It seemed he didn't either as no response came from him

silencing the rush of emotions going through her mind she took a deep breath. Looking down at him she finally took the time to study his facial features. He was still a boy but ,'oh my gods' when he became a man… she feared for the hearts he would break. Shaking the thought from her mind she slowly laid herself next to Caelus and copied his actions. It took a while but soon they fell into a comfortable silence. The air was filled with the steady sounds of their breaths as they continued to meditate on the forest ground. ignoring the sting on her back as her back pressed into the soil she focused on everything but the pain. Taylor was able to notice the movement of insects on the ground . their little feet burrowing into the dirt. Her peace ended immediately as she picked up on something else . The remains of the rabbit she had ended. She felt as the last of the creature's blood departed its body. After some time she opened her eyes only to find Caelus already staring at her. Staring back she uttered his words- technically hers- back to him. " broken kids huh". Her smile only reached her mouth, never quite meeting her eyes and she grimaced as it faltered ,her vision blurring. Why was she... crying? Hot liquid came streaming from her eyes, caressing her cheeks in a gentle embrace. she continue stared into the dark abyss of his eyes, her eyes widening from what she saw . They were welcoming and unlike many others she had seen they held no resentment or judgement.

Reality coming back to her she flinched as she felt his cold hands on her face wiping away her tears. They were soft and warm but also callous; without realising it she ended up leaning into his touch. The gentleness of had become foreign to her such a long time ago, that now she had it she never wanted to let it go. She looked up at him through teary eyes and smiled a huge smile. Caelus who was clearly uncomfortable from this sudden display of affection withdrew his hand looking away towards the town below. Taylor barely managed to stifle her laugh as she grinned at his awkwardness. He was the one who initiated the action. Following his gaze and realised it was nearing the morning rush hour. She could hear women setting up their stores and the fishmongers setting out their early morning catches. One by one the town square filled with ambitious people all setting out for their days earning. It was a site to see from up above, they reminded her of the woven quilts hung around her mothers room. The different silks and thread all spun together in intricate patterns to create a unique masterpiece. She didn't love all the quilts but she had to admit they were all abstractly different and that was beauty in itself if she really looked at it.

Clicking her tongue she stood up turning around in a gracefully and moved over to the rabbit. The blood surrounding it tainting the soil. It irritated her how she could feel its every movement as it seeped into the soil, so she decided to bury the rabbit. It's what she normally did to her 'victims' and it actually worked pretty well to keep the guilt she always felt at bay. Her back still hurt from yesterday so she began to gingerly dig a small spot in the ground. Slowly but surely she fell into a steady rhythm and - although she had a way to go - progress was being made.

"You know i sure wouldn't mind the help", she called sarcastically over her shoulder. Caelus glanced backwards from his spot on the cliff before ignoring her and facing back towards the town.

" Oh if only there were a big strong man to help me with all of this digging", she added louder. A hint of a threat coating her voice. Her eyes twitched in annoyance, although she usually didn't have help ,a pair of perfectly fine hands were sitting in front of her, and she'd be damned if she didn't put them to work. Finally putting down the stick she had been using to dig and walked towards the smirking boy , bent down until her mouth was at his ear . " It would be a shame if I had to dig two graves today", she whispered before walking back to her digging spot. Her lips tilted in a slight smile, that sure wiped the smirk off his face. Taylor didn't have to look back to know caelus was right behind her. The gleam in her eyes had been enough to scare him into reluctantly dragging his feet and start digging beside her.

She wondered why caelus hadn't decided to ignore what he'd seen what she'd done. He hasn't asked a single question, and Taylor didn't know why this made her nervous. She spared a look to her left only to find Caelus digging intently in the ground a grimace on his face as he hit a particularly dense bit of soil. She couldn't read him and for some reason something inside her was telling her it was for the best.

With two hands it didn't take them long to finish digging the grave for the little creature now drenched in its own blood. She gingerly picked up and placed it on the ground,whispering a gentle melody to guide it to the after life. Taylor wasn't the most religious person , she didn't want to believe there were gods in the sky who judged her every move. She didn't even like the idea of heaven and hell. Maybe it was because of the cards she got dealt at birth or maybe it's because she knew that if there was a heaven or hell… she definitely wouldn't get into heaven. And the thought terrified her.

By the time the morning market sprung into full view and more people now occupied the once empty spaces. Taylor decided it would be best to leave her little 'experiment' for another day as she couldn't concentrate in front of Caelus. For some reason he threw her off balance; her control had fluctuated earlier and she had a sneaking suspicion it was due to a certain boy's presence. She never normally ended the lives she practised on. She hurt them yes but more times than not they ended up fine. It was just that today she had been in a mood. The beating yesterday affected her more than she liked to let on and she had mistakenly taken it out on an innocent animal. Worst of all Caelus had been witness to it all. Although she wasn't certain on how much he had seen. yet.

"So", Caelus hummed his voice full of unspoken questions. Questions Taylor thought he had forgotten about. Not in the mood to talk and eager to get home and change her bandages she quickly shut down the conversation. She ran her hands over the material of her dress to make sure it wasn't ripped and turned to face him. Deep down Taylor knew there was an explanation needed but for now this would have to do. No matter how much she wanted to know about him this conversation couldn't happen right now.

"Look I need to go, but if I see you around I promise to answer at least one of your questions", she smiled while muttering a silent prayer hoping she'd never see him again and that her luck would get better. Then without another thought she ran down the hill and deeper into the forest the wind blowing against her hair. Thoughts of her younger brother and how angry he would be with her consuming her mind. If only Taylor knew that had she looked back or waited just for a moment she would've caught a glimpse of the unnatural red glint glowing in the depths of Caelus's eyes.