ix

"Of course I know what it means," I assured him, allowing a knowing grin to rest on my face as I awaited a response.

"You do?" he asked seriously, a look of surprise washing over his once idle expression. His eyes told me he truly believed I had any idea as to what I have somehow gotten myself into.

If only he knew today had officially made it's mark as one of the longest days of my life. My brain seemed to thrash against my skull as I thought of trying to process everything that's happened in such a short span of time. Although I could faintly detect I was getting closer to whatever truth lie ahead, I knew that I was just as far from uncovering it as I was at the start. If I am to stay here for the time being I needed to know everything I could, especially regarding the apparently 'unfinished' streak someone chose to imprint on the surface of my skin.

"Not at all. That's why I have you to tell me," the words fell from my lips as I attempted to stifle a chuckle, yet it was obvious he was hardly amused. The corner of his lips curled downward as he pinched his eyebrows together in thought.

"That's not funny," he stated rather seriously when he appeared to finally gather the words he intended to say. It seemed he was hesitant to explain what he meant by the way he fiddled with the cap of his water bottle after he finished taking a sip. His eyes flickering to the window as if he sensed someone or something.

Or maybe he just didn't know where to begin at all; after all he's just a kid.

"Mama told me it means your mate wants to protect you. He nearly left his paw print on you," he explained as he looked from the table then on out the window once more before returning his gaze to me. He seemed to be suddenly skittish, unnerved by the topic of the conversation we were having.

Almost like he didn't know if he could tell me.

After noting the awkward shift in the atmosphere I slightly cocked my head to side; aware that this all originated from him asking if I knew what it meant anyways. Odd. He didn't feel confident answering my question but felt inclined to ask something that would prompt me to be curious. If he was any older than what he appeared to be I'd assume he wanted me to feel open to the idea of asking.

Like he was aware I was completely and utterly clueless and wanted me to know something.

"Nearly? How did he nearly leave a print on me? Heck, why not just leave the whole thing?"

I inwardly suppressed the urge to throw my hands up in the air and instead opted to release a heavy sigh as I toyed with my hair momentarily. I knew how it'd look, and knew he'd feel inclined to answer if he already hadn't before. I titled my chin downward for a moment and rested my features as I allowed my mind to become engaged in familiar somber thoughts.

Three...

Two..

"I don't know? Maybe he just wanted to protect you and didn't have enough t-time."

The latter of the two I recalled had also been mentioned earlier by a cackle of hyenas, which prompted me to come to a pause. Chasing after that passing train of thought I found myself beginning to wander amongst the reality of it all, skipping from one side of the tracks where I found solace in the sole existence of humanity to the other; where I've stumbled into discovering another species in which happened to be the apparent bane of my own. If I follow the direction of the train I'd more than likely land myself at paradox depot where I'm sure the rest of humankind's contradictions find their own way of developing.

My mind halted it's manic antics as I finally decided to delve into the unknown; abandoning my own side of railroad not before sparing a futile glance backward toward any familiarity I may recognize on the other side of the tracks.

It was there that I saw a figure towering over a woman who appeared to have melted in the warmth of his touch on her shoulders; every fiber of her being gravitating toward the man in her drunken stupor.

I couldn't help but observe the way they stared into the depths of another, but even more so the way the man's eyes seemed to pierce right through her as if he hadn't possessed the pleasure of doing so many times before. As if he was trying to commit the mere sight of her to memory. As if it was his last.

He slowly leaned in, placing his thumb in the middle of her forehead as he appeared to utter a few words that lapped at the air of the tenebrous night desperately. Following the union of his lips he placed a kiss in what I assumed was the same spot his thumb had rested seconds before he traced something onto the same surface. I could gauge the exchange hadn't lasted as long as the woman hoped it would due to the haste in which her hand gripped his sleeve as he gathered himself from his knees to whirl around. She tugged at him loosely before parting her lips to voice her obvious distaste for the whatever situation they had fallen victim to.

Instead of looking at what I assumed would be a woman he cared for pleading beneath him, the thwarting distinction of his face swiveled toward me.

As if he knew I had been studying their interaction all along.

I felt the electricity of his gaze lightly brush the skin on my face; shocking me teasingly as a blush stained itself on my lifeless cheeks.

In that exact instance the same scene my attention had fallen slave to had vanished into its previous state of nothingness once more. Bits and pieces of it's truth beginning to scatter and intertwine in the strong clutches of wind that had begun to kiss the decrepit tracks. There, it was to be throttled into the air once more resulting in it's brisk crossing over to the side of uncertainty; the side in which I had been standing as I was given the opportunity to comprehend what relevance the pair had to me.

It was then the small remnants of truth were released from the grasp of the wind in compliance with it's plans to greet me with its shattered fragments.

As I had swirled around to pursue a retreat from the railroad I was graced with an irrefutable realization that I in fact was the woman on the other side of the train tracks.

And Leo had been the one to leave the streak.

Inevitably meaning that I am his mate.

Yet what could this all mean for me?

A human?

A nobody in the world of supernatural beings and inexplainable occurrences. A possible fugitive back home even who knows anymore? I still couldn't shake the look in Noah's eyes before I was snatched over and off the railing of the balcony. He looked a bit feral almost.

A hard thud collided with the glass of the window that encompassed the wall of the booth me and Enzo had been visiting with another in before I had started to sink in the sands of my mind. Thus causing me to break away from the dust of paradox depot and deposit my focus into the station of the present in which I returned with what felt like a new perspective. I switched my gaze to the window just as the woman, who I could only assume was Enzo's mother, raised her hand to knock on the glass once more.

My gaze flickered to Enzo who had been staring his mother in the eyes as he watched her hand fall in place at her side, "You should go."

His head snapped back toward my direction and I watched as his eyes dilated briefly before he reached for his water bottle. The eye contact we were holding wavered momentarily as he stood up and collected any trash from the table.

I found myself glancing out the window to see that the woman was still standing there expectantly, and instead of facing the entrance of the cafe she had been staring directly at me. Her eyes peered with genuine curiosity yet her shoulders were squared and her stance remained guarded. I shook this off and looked to where I had last seen Enzo.

Instead of leaving the warmth of the cafe there he had stood waiting for me to notice the hand outstretched towards me.

Maybe she hadn't been staring at me after all?

"Come on, she wants to meet you."

Of course she was staring at me. I was an odd looking woman with a streak on her forehead sitting across from her son. I'd want to meet me too.

I reluctantly took his hand and followed him out of the cafe and in the direction of his mother. As we approached the woman I immediately became aware of the similar features she blessed her son with and couldn't help but smile. Light hazel eyes nearly shielded the coils of kinky hair that framed her face, and I observed as those orbs seemed to harden the more I approached.

Letting go of my hand, Enzo darts into the arms of his mother who spun him around several times as they both giggled happily. I looked away to allow the two their privacy as she gave him a tight embrace and set him down on the concrete once more to level their faces. Out the corner of my eye I could see her toy with a few stray coils in his hair as they exchanged a few hushed whispers.

Deciding to return my gaze toward them once more after a few awkward moments, I watched as she arose from her kneeling position and stepped forward once or twice in my direction eagerly. I took initiative of extending my hand toward her as I gathered the words to say on the tip of my tongue. As much as I hadn't planned on speaking to anyone new after finding out the history of Celestial Cove, I certainly found myself time after time in a predicament in which I had no choice.

"My name is Blythe, it's nice to meet you. Your son is such a sweet boy."

"Why thank you, he is isn't he? And likewise, my name is Velori," she spoke with a voice softer than I expected it to be as she shook my hand.

As her hand moved from the grasp of my own I allowed her to assess me freely, which I'm sure she had been doing before I acknowledged her presence at the window anyways. Her eyes skipped over the length of my figure rather quickly before she officially took note of the streak on my forehead with widening eyes. It was then that our eyes met once more and she realized I caught her openly ogling my streak. I was almost sure she wouldn't say anything about it all even if she was curious. Most people I've crossed paths with today didn't and instead opted to settle with staring.

"That's quite the attention grabber ain't it?"

Guess I was wrong once again.

"You could definitely say so, yet I'm not even sure what it looks like if we're being totally honest."

If anything everyone has seen it but me.

"Would you like to know what it is?"

I found myself gazing at her with a newfound admiration as I parted my lips to urge her to continue, yet just as I opened my mouth I suddenly heard the distant sound of someone or something approaching that seemed to be coming from directly behind me. I spared a sideways glance toward Enzo, who shot a toothy grin in their direction, in contrast to his mother, who nearly paled at the mere sight of whoever they were. Her eyes dilated as she slipped a hand around the width of her son's shoulders to draw him in closer to her as she motioned for the both of them to take a few hesitant steps backward. She flickered her gaze from me to the company that I could guess was less than several feet away from greeting us by the heavy yet brisk tread of their shoes.

At this I couldn't help but spin around to be met with the presence of none other than the woman I had run from just hours before dusk had begun to fall over the sky.

Ruth.