Falling to Pieces(Kit and Ty)

Chapter 23

    Dru stood in the sanctuary, Julian standing in front of her protectively. She wished he wouldn't do that; she wasn't a child, and he seemed to keep forgetting that. She was sixteen now, and she could handle whatever was going on. Apparently, a guy with white-blond hair and green eyes claimed to know her.
    Dru didn't remember him at first, but after a moment, she realized that she had seen him before—when she had held a glowing object and teleported to a boy's room. He was that boy, wasn't he? The one with slightly pointed ears—he must've been a Faerie—and black wings. She wondered if his wings ever got in the way; they seemed cool, but would probably make it difficult to move in a crowd.
    Ty and Kit had just arrived, and Dru wondered where they had been. Ty probably wouldn't tell her if she asked; he didn't like telling her things. It was like Ty didn't trust her even though she was his sister. Kit kept glancing at her worriedly, and Ty watched the Faerie boy, not taking his eyes off of him. Emma had her hand on the hilt of Cortana. Helen and Aline were standing in front of Dru with Julian. Dru appreciated her family's love, but they didn't have to treat her like a child. It was like they couldn't accept that she was growing up.
    "Who are you?" Julian asked, glaring pointedly at the boy.
    "I am Ash Morgenstern," the boy replied, almost reluctantly.
    "Morgenstern?"
    Ash sighed, looking past Julian to Dru. Dru couldn't deny that she liked the attention. "I cannot lie, so I'd prefer it if you did not question everything I say."
    "And you're here because...?"
    "I think I know your sister."
    Julian rolled his eyes, his shoulders tense. Dru didn't understand why her brother had to be so protective. This guy didn't seem to be threatening anyone, and if he did, Dru would kill him. She didn't need anyone to do that for her.
    "You already said that," Julian said. "Why are you here now?"
    "I just found out where she was. Until now, all I had was this portrait." Ash held up a piece of paper with Dru drawn on it. Julian had sketched her years ago; how did Ash have it now?
    "That's not stalker-ish at all," Kit said, and Ty shushed him.
    "Can I see that?" Julian asked. Ash nodded, and handed the paper to him. Julian's eyes rolled over it, and widened in surprise. "Where did you find this?"
Ash looked to Dru, and she shook her head, but he didn't seem to get her message. "A few years ago, I believe, your sister appeared in my room, and when she left, I found the portrait."
Julian switched his gaze to Dru, and gave her a look telling her to explain. She sighed. She would've been fine if Julian never found about this. He didn't need to know about everything. It wasn't like she had tried to go to Ash's room.
"I was in Jaime's room," Dru started, "and I found this glowing object, so I touched it, and kind of teleported to wherever Ash was, I guess."
"So you just decided to go through Jaime's things?"
Of course Julian would be mad about that. "That's not the point."
"What is the point, Dru?"
"I was just answering your question," she said. "It happened years ago, anyway."
Julian sighed. "And you didn't think to tell me?"
Dru shook her head. "It's fine, Julian. Really."
"It's not fine!" he raised his voice. He sighed again, putting a hand to his head. "We'll finish this conversation later." He turned to face Ash, who seemed to be amused by their argument. "You should go."
Dru stepped in front of Julian, pushing him out of the way. "I'd like to talk to him," she said, glaring at Julian. Dru wasn't sure why she wanted to talk to Ash; maybe it was the feeling of rebellion, of not listening to everything Julian said.
"Dru—"
"You don't have to protect me, Julian," Dru snapped. "I can make my own decisions. He came here to see me, so I'll talk to him."
No one in her family seemed pleased with her decision, which made it so much better. She loved her family, and loved knowing that they loved her enough to protect her, but she didn't want them constantly hovering over her. She needed space to make her own decisions. Her family always treated her like she was a child, and she knew that they didn't mean to hurt her, but she hated it. She wouldn't allow it anymore; she wouldn't let them hold her back because she was 'too young.'
Ash smiled a bit, and Dru smiled too. It was strange to see someone like Ash, someone who had this almost unreal-looking beauty to smile. It was surprising, but not unwelcome. Julian glared at Ash, but he didn't seem to notice.
"You guys can go," Dru said, turning to face her family, mostly saying it to Julian. He had to trust her enough to know that she would be okay.
Julian shook his head, and Dru was ready to argue, but Emma placed a hand on his shoulder and lead him out of the room. Dru would have to thank her later.
Dru waited for everyone to leave the sanctuary before turning back towards Ash. "So?" she asked.
Ash shrugged, another thing Dru assumed he wouldn't do. "I'm sorry if I frightened you," he said. "I just wanted to find out who you were."
Dru smiled. "That's more attention than I've ever gotten in this lifetime." Ash gave her a confused look, and Dru laughed. "I'm just kidding."  She wasn't, but he didn't need to know that about her. They barely knew each other; she didn't need to go spilling her secrets to him.
Ash shook his head. "I am not sure how good I am at reading people, but I do not believe that you were joking. Does your family not admire you?"
Dru sighed. "It's not like that, exactly," she said. "It's hard to explain."
Ash shrugged, and didn't say anything. When Dru realized that he was waiting for her to speak, she searched for the right words to say. She crossed the room, standing a few feet away from him.
"I guess my family has more important things to worry about than what I do. I don't normally get into any trouble like Tavvy does, and Julian has so much on his plate." She laughed. "I guess that's how I was able to hide Jaime in my room in the first place. No one thought that I'd do it. No one was paying attention."
"They should pay more attention to you," he said, and Dru wasn't sure why, but she enjoyed hearing it. "You're quite an interesting person."
"I can't tell if that was a compliment or an insult."
"I would never insult you," Ash said. "You are stubborn—"
"Now, that was an insult," Dru said, laughing.
Ash shook his head. "I admire that, not giving up. You clearly do not let anyone tell you what to do."
Dru felt blood rise to her cheeks, and immediately looked down at her feet, hoping that Ash wouldn't notice. He didn't.
"That's better," she said, hoping to sound indifferent, and tugged at the end of one of her braids.
Ash smiled, and she smiled as well. "You are quite beautiful," he said, and Dru's heart stopped.
She took a step back, shaking her head. "There are many people prettier than me." She stumbled over the words, but she knew that they were true.
"I do not believe that," he said, and Dru felt as if her heart would beat out of her chest. No one ever called her beautiful, except for people in her family. Even then, her aunt hadn't thought that. Why was Ash different? He didn't even know her, yet he was treating her like she was important, like she mattered. Her family cared for her, and she knew that, but sometimes, it felt as if they didn't. "Your eyes are like the sea, and your hair is pulled back so that I can see your face. Your voice is strong, and beautiful. I want to hear you speak more just to hear your thoughts. Everything about you is beautiful, especially your personality."
Dru shook her head again. "You don't even know me."
"From this small amount of time we have spent together, I've learned this."
"And you're certain that you think this? You're not lying?"
"I cannot lie, Dru," he said.
"How do you know my name?" she asked, surprised.
"I heard your brother say it."
"It's short for Drusilla," she said, unsure why she wanted him to know. No one ever called her Drusilla; they always called her Dru.
"Drusilla," Ash said, testing it. Dru liked the sound of her name coming from his lips. "What a beautiful name."
Dru blushed, and just then, the doors to the sanctuary burst open, and her brother stepped in. He walked over to Dru and Ash, watching Ash like he was a criminal or something.
"Are you two done talking?"
Dru looked towards the doors, and saw Emma give her an apologetic look. "How long have you been outside the door?" Dru asked.
"Not long," Julian replied. "I just got here."
Dru felt relieved knowing that Julian had actually left her alone, that he had trusted her for once. It was a small action, but it meant a lot to her.
Ash looked at Julian, and then Dru. "I can go," he said.
"You don't have to."
Julian gave her a surprised look, but didn't say anything.
"I do not think your brother wants me here, and I must return home," Ash said. He reached for Dru's hand, and she let him take it. He lifted her hand, and kissed it. "Until we meet again, Drusilla."
Dru wasn't sure why she wanted him to stay so badly. She barely knew him, but she felt as if he knew her. He was mysterious, and Dru wanted to know him better.
"When will that be?" she asked.
"I will send you an acorn letter, and we will meet then. Unless you do not want to."
"I want to," she said hastily. "I'll see you then."
Ash nodded, turned, and walked out of the sanctuary into the open air. Then, he was gone. Dru left the sanctuary with Julian close behind her. She hoped that Ash would send the letter soon. She didn't want to wait ages to see him again.
"So?" Emma asked, joining Dru as she walked down the hall.
"So what?"
"How was your conversation with Ash?"
Dru shrugged, not really wanting to have this conversation. "It was good."
"What did you talk about?"
"Just—we just talked about ourselves for a bit."
Dru knew that Emma knew that she wasn't telling her everything, but Emma didn't ask anything else, and Dru was thankful for that. She didn't want to talk about this; it was awkward.
Dru climbed the stairs to her room, and threw herself onto her bed. She closed her eyes, and thought about her conversation with Ash, the strange boy she had met three years ago. She had never thought she would see him again, but she just had, and he seemed like a good guy. He was kind. She looked forward to seeing him again, so they could talk. She enjoyed talking to him, and found him easy to talk to. He didn't seem to be judgmental, and would just sit and listen to her speak. It was nice.
Julian had actually let her talk to Ash alone. She had thought that he would never let her, but he had, and she couldn't get that out of her head. He was always so protective, but he had finally let her have some freedom. Maybe it was only because Emma forced him to leave them alone, but it still mattered to Dru. She felt as if Julian might trust her, that he might be realizing that she could make her own decisions. Maybe things were finally changing. Dru was ready for that change.