Page 4

Finn

After putting away the groceries, I'd retreated to my room, grateful for all the silencing wards Dad had asked Rhiannon to put on the bedrooms when we first moved to this place.

Of course, us kids hadn't been allowed to use ours until after we turned eighteen—and now it mostly helped me by hiding my nightmares from the dads—but we were still grateful for it, because with our supe hearing, it would've been downright traumatizing if we'd overhead whatever happened in our dads' bedroom.

I sat in my desk chair, my feet up on the desk, and stared up at the ceiling, and wondered if it was logical for Levi's existence to hit me so hard.

Sure, I'd thought he was dead. And the last time we saw each other, he'd promised to take me, my siblings, and the others with him if he ever found a way to escape.

But did I really wish he'd kept his promise ?

I wouldn't change the life I had now for the world.

Because Levi had left us behind, we'd met our dads.

Without it, Dean never would've had a mostly normal childhood.

Penny probably wouldn't have discovered her passion or gotten into such a great school.

And I...I would still be spending all my time worrying about their safety.

So, no. I didn't really wish Levi had taken us with him when he escaped. I'd just felt...abandoned. That was why I'd taken it so hard, wasn't it?

I chewed on my lower lip as I thought back to some of my sessions with my therapist, Dr. Griffin.

They didn't live in Mistvale any longer, but they still came back every once in a while when someone in the clan needed their help.

And help they did. I didn't think I could've survived discovering my powers without their guidance.

My basilisk side seemed to agree as it made a humming sound in my head.

Even before that, they'd helped me get past the fear that my dads would one day get tired of us the way our bio parents did, but I supposed I still held on to some of those feelings, because what Levi had done was nowhere close to the same thing—he wasn't a parental figure, for one—and yet I was treating it the same way.

A knock on my window pulled me out of my thoughts, and I glanced at the window my desk was set up against, and blinked. Then I rubbed my eyes, unsure if I was seeing right .

There was a skunk standing on two feet on the other side of the window, with its tiny hands pressed against the glass and a folded piece of paper between its mouth.

As someone who'd grown up alongside a talkative husky and a squirrel familiar, it shouldn't have taken me as long as it did to accept that there was a skunk standing at my window with a letter for me.

Taking my legs off the desk, I leaned forward and slid the window open. The skunk fell forward on all fours, then clambered over the books lined against the window before settling on my desk.

Leaving the window open, I held my hand out, and wondered if Amelia had finally found her familiar. She was the only other mage I knew, after all. Unless...

The skunk dropped the letter in my hand, and I unfolded it. That wasn't Amelia's handwriting.

My eyes slid right to the end of the letter, and the name signed there. Levi.

Of course it was him. I almost crumpled the letter and threw it into the trash, but then I reminded myself of my little breakthrough.

Putting my issues on Levi wasn't fair. He'd only been sixteen back then, and he wasn't responsible for me.

If he'd found an opportunity to escape, it wasn't fair of me to expect he would've let it pass in the hopes he'd find another one where we could all flee.

Shaking my head, I started reading from the beginning.

Hey, Finn ,

Please don't throw this in the trash. I want to make things right with you, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to earn your forgiveness.

I've been thinking over why you reacted the way you did earlier, and I concluded it was because you believe I broke my promise.

I know how much promises mean to you, and I'm sorry. I don't know what those guys told you, if they said I died or if they told you the truth, but either way, I wish I could've told you myself.

The day I escaped, it was a split-second opportunity. All I could think was that I had an out, and I had to take it. I always planned to come back—you have to believe that.

Regaining my powers took a lot longer than I'd thought it would.

Finding enough food and nourishment when you're homeless and broke isn't easy, even as a teenager.

And by the time I was strong enough to get you out, you were already gone.

I came back to the place we were held at, and it was uninhabited . It was like no one had ever been there.

I tried searching for you, but there was no trail and nobody who knew where I could even start looking. After a while, I gave up, if only because I needed to focus on my own survival.

I don't know if Fate played a hand in us crossing paths today, but I'd like to think she did. She gave me this opportunity to apologize, and to maybe be your friend again, if you'll have me.

You've already met Greta, my familiar. If you don't want to ever see me again, just send this letter back with her, and I'll get the message.

I just moved here a couple of weeks ago, so I can leave.

But if you'd like to meet up again and reconnect, let me know.

I'd be delighted. I'd also love to see the others.

Take care,

Levi.

I kept staring at the letter even after I'd finished reading, my mind going a thousand miles a minute. Greta rubbed her head against the back of my hand, pulling me out of my thoughts.

Smiling, I gave her head a little scratch, then pursed my lips. Levi hadn't broken his promise after all.

Levi

What had I been thinking? This was the twenty-first century. Who sent letters anymore?

Finn had probably already trashed my letter without reading it. It would serve me right.

Then again, what other options did I have? I couldn't have just shown up at his door. That would've bordered on stalking.

Waiting until we crossed paths again—which was bound to happen at some point in a small town like this—wasn't something I was patient enough to do either.

I just hoped Greta's cuteness would make up for the letter, if nothing else.

To keep my mind off Finn—which I was clearly succeeding at—I'd been searching for job opportunities around town.

There weren't many that suited my skills, but I'd found a promising construction gig at the edge of town.

The contractor was looking for more people for his crew, since it was a bigger job than he'd anticipated.

I was pretty sure the line about appreciating 'special skills' was a clue about wanting supe applicants.

It would make sense for a town with a supe majority.

I got myself an interview for the day after tomorrow, which seemed fast. I had to assume it was because I'd mentioned my 'special skills.'

Greta still hadn't returned, and I was getting impatient and a little worried. I went out into my tiny backyard in an attempt to distract myself. I'd been getting the soil ready to plant some things, and I'd grabbed some seeds on my shopping trip earlier today.

My garden was the only thing I could be patient with. I knew it took time for the earth to make things grow, even with my assistance.

I'd decided to add some veggies to my plot because I'd gotten tired of store-bought ones. Of course, if Finn took me up on my offer to leave, someone else would reap the benefits, if they managed to keep the plants alive.

Shaking my head, I continued sowing the seeds, losing myself in the comforting repetitiveness of it. The sun was close to setting by the time I was done, and I stood up with a groan, stretching my arms above my head to get the kinks out of my shoulders.

Shower first, then I needed to do something about dinner. Order in, maybe ?

When I turned around to head inside, I found Greta on the small deck, curled up like a cat and sound asleep. When had she gotten back, and why hadn't she alerted me?

As I stepped closer, I spotted the folded piece of paper she was sleeping on. It was too dim outside to tell if it was the same letter I'd sent her out with, so I grabbed a corner and started tugging it out from under her.

Greta woke up in 0.1 second with a hiss, her claws digging into the letter to keep me from taking it.

"Oi, it's me. Isn't that supposed to be for me?"

She relaxed as soon as she realized, and I took the letter, then led the way inside so I could actually read it.

In the light, I could tell it was a different paper, and I sighed in relief. Then, I carefully opened the letter, wincing at the smudges I left on the paper with my dirty fingers. I'd dust it off later. Unless it was bad news.

Levi,

Could you please thank Greta for me, and tell her she's the cutest skunk I've ever seen? I tried, but Padfoot—my dog—came into the room and she freaked out and hid on top of a shelf until I was ready to send the letter. Tell her I'm sorry about Pads. He just gets excited.

Thank you for writing to me, and I'm sorry about the way I reacted earlier. I have some issues I thought I'd gotten over, but clearly I haven't.

After you escaped, they told us you were dead. That you'd tried to escape and so they killed you. We were scared enough we believed them, and seeing you after all that time thinking you were dead, it was a shock.

I didn't know you came back for us. Thank you for that. Even though we weren't there, thank you. You have no idea how much that means to me.

Would you like to meet up? I can tell you all about what happened and how we ended up here. And maybe we could try being friends again, like you said.

Amelia, Mateo, and Miles are all good too, and here as well. Dean and Penny are off to college and living their best lives.

If you'd like to meet up, how about tomorrow around eleven at The Witching Hour? It's a café at the docks, and they have good coffee and the best cakes.

You don't have to send a reply—I think Greta's probably exhausted after that scare. I'll be there at the café tomorrow, and you can show up if you'd like. I'm assuming you will because you said you wanted to be friends. :)

See you tomorrow,

Finn.

Carefully folding the letter as I walked to the kitchen, I placed it on the counter and washed my hands. Greta followed me into the room and climbed up on the counter.

Once I'd wiped my hands, I picked her up and crushed her to my chest. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! You're the best familiar in the world, Greta. I love you."

Greta made a squeaky sound, then rubbed her nose against my skin, making me chuckle. Setting her back on the counter, I picked up the letter again, then blew on it to remove the dust particles I'd left on it.

I couldn't believe he'd asked to meet up tomorrow. This was exciting!

I hadn't been to the café he'd mentioned, but I'd seen it when I'd driven around town to get a sense of where everything was. It looked cozy, and it was right by the docks, so it was popular too.

When was the last time I'd been this excited to see someone? I couldn't remember.

It wasn't all about reconnecting with an old friend either. The Finn of today was a lot different than the brave little child I'd met years ago. I'd been a kid back then too, but now we were both changed. We were both adults, and Finn had grown up into a fine specimen of one.

While I did just want to rekindle our friendship, I wouldn't complain if things took a romantic turn.