Changes

Titus sits on the other side of the desk with a deep frown of concern etched into his aging face. He looks between us but his eyes always linger a little longer on Thane. He keeps asking questions but Thane and I were having a hard time answering most of them. For obvious reasons...

He keeps asking about when I was "lost" in the Void but I can't tell him where I was. I can't tell him about Oasis without risking the lives of everyone living there. I don't know how much I can trust him or trust that he won't tell others. Thane can't answer because... the things he went through can't be explained through words.

After a while, he sighs and says "I don't really understand what happened to you two but we all blamed ourselves after you two went missing. For the first two weeks, we had hope that you two would still make it back but to us when a month had passed... we all felt that you two were gone for good. When six months passed, no one held out hope for you two."

I try to give him a small smile but it was a struggle. Thane was alive... we were somehow back but things were no longer the same. They weren't the same... I wasn't the same and Thane was sure as hell not the same. Nothing was... right.

We both took showers for the first time in a long time but when we all sat down to eat, they wouldn't stop looking. Their eyes gave away their fear and that fear was directed towards Thane. He was imposing before but now?

The way he walks, the way he moves... everything screams danger but I felt the safest when right next to him. The others didn't share the same feeling. Especially Cruz. Conner pushes a plate of bread to Thane and I and says "Eat up guys! I know you two must be hungry. We don't have the best food but at least it's food."

He gives us both a warm smile that has me slightly relaxing. Since everyone here knows I'm a chick now, I don't bother putting my hair back up and let it air dry. Titus now knows why I did what I did but he was still unhappy about it. I got a ten-minute lecture about how dangerous and stupid I had been but by the end of it, he gave me a small smile and said that I was one of the strongest in power that he'd ever seen and he would be proud to have a daughter like me.

It shocked me but it also made me feel guilty. Guilty because my real parents think I'm dead while my idiotic brother ran around getting into trouble. Thane grabs a roll and places it on my plate before grabbing one for him. He always does that... he always feeds me before he eats.

Everyone's eyes lock onto his hands and his black nails but no one says a word. I look to my own black nails and tighten my grip on the spoon. I didn't have the nerve to check my eyes. When I took a shower, I would only quickly glance at the mirror before looking away. After being able to brush my teeth, I felt alive again.

We all eat in silence as poor Conner tries to talk and tell us stories. As soon as Thane finishes his food, Conner quickly puts more food in the bowl for him. I feel a smile tug at my lips as Conner says "You guys missed it. One night, a really bad storm came through and knocked our power out."

Thane and I instantly notice when Troy tenses. Troy looks up in horror and yells out "Shut up, Conner, or I swear I will make you choke on a roll!" Conner gives him a devious smile before turning back to us and saying "Troy climbed up to reattach the cable wire but when lightning struck..."

A bread roll suddenly flies across the table and smacks Conner upside the head but Conner doesn't look fazed. Troy stands up and runs after Conner as Conner yells out "He got so scared, he jumped and screamed like a little girl! He lost his footing and fell but on the way down, his pants caught the side of the roof!"

Troy yells with a red face "SHUT UP!!" This only encourages Conner though as he runs around the table and says "He got caught on the side of the roof and was hanging there, crying like a baby until we found him and got him down. He was up there for half an hour and once he was down, he couldn't walk straight for the next three days!"

Cruz chuckles with Titus as Thane and I both cringe. Troy screeches in rage before throwing himself at Conner but Conner's quick on his feet. Titus sighs and lifts his food so Troy's body slide across the table doesn't knock it off and continues to eat.

Conner's laughing so hard, tears are running down his face. I even find myself slightly smiling before going back to my food. It's only then do I realize that Thane's thigh was resting against mine under the table.

I stare down at our legs for a moment before going back to eating. If it was before, I probably would have been embarrassed or I would have moved but his touch was soothing. Having him next to me was soothing. Everything about him was soothing and that was slightly scaring me.

Had I really fallen for him that hard? I even want to crawl onto his lap and eat my food that way but I restrain myself. My own emotions were confusing me. Would I still be acting like this if it was before? Or is this... I look down to my black nails and frown.

Was this animalistic? When I feel his eyes on me, I glance up to see him watching me. Analyzing my every move before giving me a small nod. As if telling me it's alright. He scoots closer, easing me into a more relaxed state.

When I feel another pair of eyes on me, I glance over to see Cruz watching both of us silently. Conner and Troy sit back down but Cruz doesn't look away. When I feel a strong but gentle pair on fingers on my chin, I turn my head to see Thane looking down at me.

His eyes were darkening. I keep my eyes on him and push my thigh closer against him, earning a low rumble of approval from him. It was so low, I doubt anyone else could hear it. His eyes glance up over my head and locks onto Cruz but he doesn't release my chin.