Killed

Tate thought about lighting a cigarette to soothe the nerves that were strangling his mind, but something told him he shouldn't do it. Instead, he thought about Cassie...knowing she would definitely not like the obnoxious smell of his bad habit when he sees her again.

He will see her again...he reassuringly thought to himself.

Like an astral projection into the past, he could see both of them in her kitchen the night before. He relived the whole scene again and again as if it was a looping DVD. The sensation of touching her soft skin lingered on his lips even hours later.

He threw away the cigarette box as he walked the narrow street towards Mac's house, with each step becoming more and more upset.

Worried about not being able to talk to her when he needed to, that morning he'd discussed the problem.

"I surrender...what is it now," she said, letting her back fall on the floor with both arms extended as she stretched then yawned.

"Cassie, I've been thinking...we should have a form of communication we can rely on, you know... just in case something happens."

"Sure...then dah...buy a phone!"

"I have no money!" he replied in frustration.

He sighed and laid on his back next to her thinking, making this girl change her mind is exhausting. He soon forgot about how stubborn Cassie was as their being so close began turning into the chemistry of irresistible attraction. The yellow rays of the warm sun found their way through the window curtains as Tate gazed at the illuminated particles of dust floating in the air. The romantic moment soon passed, though, and it was back to the problem at hand.

Now...just concentrate, he continued, this time saying each word to himself while sending her the message telepathically.

"Stop it," Cassie hissed, sensing he was trying to touch her mind, but she was unable to concentrate enough to pick up the exact meaning.

"What's got your mind all preoccupied?" Tate asked.

The glowing dust particles, drifting around the room like suspended snowflakes, no longer held his attention as his eyes began following the delicate curves of her body also illuminated by the golden light.

"Everything?"

Cassie leered at him, her eyes stabbing like daggers right into his immortal soul.

"Why does this..." she pointed back and forth at his head then, at hers, "...always happen?"

"The ability to communicate through our minds, you mean?" he replied.

"Exactly, I didn't know you could do that," she answered.

"As the curse progresses, we become one... soon you'll feel what I feel, think what I think and see what I see," Tate explained.

"And why exactly is that necessary?" Cassie had to ask.

"Because..." he actually never thought about it so he placed his fingers under his chin and then replied, "it's fun!"

"Massive headaches don't seem like fun to me."

"They are just side effects..." he added.

Remembering what had happened that morning ended when he reached Mac's house and the DVD stopped the instant replays. He rang the bell, the gong echoing throughout the house.

Lauren's red mane looked on fire with the gentle touch of the morning sun. Her emerald eyes peeked through the slightly opened door with distrust.

When it was clear who was behind the door, she opened it and jumped right into his arms.

"Tate!" she exclaimed, surprised to see him, noticing he looked more serious than usual, "didn't know you were coming."

Tate forced a smile. He didn't have time to chat with Lauren as he had to talk to Mac immediately. "Hi, I need to—"

"So you know?" the girl opened her eye wide and got closer to him. Tate frowned.

"Know what?"

"What's been happening to Mac." She held both of her hands together and bit her lower lip.

"No," he replied. Of course he suspected it had to do with him, but he wouldn't say that to Lauren.

The girl let out a small breath and led him inside. "He's been..."

Her voice tensed more and more each time a word escaped. Tate looked at her and saw the girl who once played with them when they were little kids. Every time Mac fought with Tate she was the one to put band aids on their battle wounds...she was the one who, apart from Lily—cared for him.

He felt her wanting to protect Mac as he walked down the hall.

"He's been weird lately and I'm worried about him..." she admitted, crossing her arms on her chest. "I thought maybe you knew something."

Tate turned around almost sure Lauren was going accuse him of somehow being the cause of the changes in Mac. If Lauren asked Tate what happened, he would have to lie to her. If things didn't get that tense, Lauren would simply give him a lecture about why best friends shouldn't fight.

Tate wasn't looking forward to either scenario.

To avoid a scene Tate replied, "I'm just as confused as you."

He noticed something had changed in Lauren. Now she was just that little girl who was upset about what was happening to her little brother. She added, "Alright, then, you have to see it yourself."

The girl led him upstairs to Mac's room. The black door had a Keep Out sign on it, but that was the last thing Tate was planning to do. He knocked and waited for an answer. Nothing.

He exchanged glaces with Lauren, she knocked again and called him. "Mac?"

"I'm busy!" he yelled.

"Let me in!" Tate said in response, grabbing the doorknob and shaking the door violently. He had lost his patience. "Mac!"

"Fuck off!"

"Open the door!"

"Why...so you can lie to me again?!"

Tate looked at Lauren, who raised an eyebrow and whispered, "Tate, you said you didn't..."

"I swear I don't know what he is talking about."

"Okay..." she shook her head and walked backwards slowly, "I think this is between you and him, so I'm going to leave..."

Tate didn't reply as he saw Lauren walk down the stairs, "Mac! Let me in so I can tell you everything...so I can explain..."

The door finally opened and a hand grabbed Tate's shirt, dragging him inside.

"What the hell..." Tate didn't finish the phrase as Mac threw a stack of papers at him.

Mac's hair was greasy with a few strands glued to his forehead with sweat. He seemed anxious but the redness in his eyes showed he was just a tired boy who'd spent all night on the computer. He felt shame and guilt began crawling up into his head like a spider you're desperate to swat away.

How could I let this happen to my best friend? Tate thought to himself.

"What is this?" Tate asked, scanning through the papers.

Mac pointed to the first sheet. It was a painting of a boy with wings.

"This is you." The threw the picture on the floor. "This is about you." He pointed at a story named Icarus. "This is all... about you."

"Mac...I..."

"I need to know what's real and what's fiction!" Mac demanded.

"I...I'm sorry, but can't tell you..."

"Please..." Mac placed both hands on the paper to put it down, "Please Tate, I can't have anything to do with you anymore if you keep hiding things from me."

Mac no longer seemed so angry. He'd been looking for answers but couldn't find them on the internet. Only Tate knew what was going on. And if Tate wouldn't tell him the truth then his search would continue along with many more days of frustration and exhaustion.

Tate took a deep breath, debating what to do for a few seconds. Should he tell him or not? There was no time to think it through when Mac's eyes filled with sadness. Tate knew he was the cause. He didn't want to loose Mac...he didn't want him to suffer.

Tate took a deep breath and cleared his throat.

"Well... um, this will sound just plain crazy but I...I'm cursed."

Mac looked him with an expression difficult to decode. Tate's words seemed unreal, a scrip from a cheap horror film. The whole situation kept becoming more and more unsettling. Tate couldn't believe he'd just exposed his deepest, darkest secret to Mac, possibly putting him in danger, but now there was no going back.

"Under this curse, whoever I fall in love with, that person will always die. And worse, I'm reborn every eighteen years just so the tragic story continues to repeat itself."

Mac nodded calmly...he knew the basics about the curse from Pete, but the broader implications of what Tate just said were no less shocking. Then, Tate continued.

"There are immortal people...like human guardians, meant to protect the person who I fall in love and it's their job to try and kill me."

"Aha..."

"So...the problem is that the person I am meant to fall in love with--in this life--is a Guardian...Cassie."

"What?"

"Cassie is not human."

"What...what...what?" Mac kept repeating while trying desperately to understand what Tate just said.

"Cassie is a Guardian, an immortal Guardian... and she was supposed to kill me but she couldn't and she is..." Tate swallowed and put his hands in his pockets, he cleared his throat while he thought about continuing "she is um...she is in love with me...and we will both very likely die in about a month."

"I...I'm...a month...but why?"

"The curse is a punishment because I broke some of our most sacred rules."

"What rules?"

"The rules of the Aesterdis...oh that's right!"

Tate realized Mac didn't know anything and hit his forehead with one hand before continuing.

"The Aesterdis is like a thing that can change someone's future, it predicts our destiny...and I, don't know how, I managed to avoid the fate the Aesterdis gave me. So that's why I'm punished with the curse..."

"Okay..." Mac said, frowning and narrowing his eyes.

"Are you happy now?" Tate replied, his words singed with ugly sarcasm.

"If by happy you mean confused then yes."

"Listen, I need you to keep this secret. You are the first human to ever know about the curse, and you'll be the last."

"I--understand..."

"Really?"

"I think so... I'm sorry for everything I said before."

Tate was surprised at how easy it was getting all that off his chest, how understanding Mac was, and how he was able to admit he was wrong. Well not wrong, but he said he was sorry, and that's a word Tate always struggled to say to anyone.

"It's okay, I'm glad this hostility between us is over."

"I have a question though."

Mac raised a hand as if he was in school.

"Yes?"

"How do you break the curse...is there a way? I don't want you to die, Tate."

Tate pondered the answer, dreading having to face the ultimate consequence for his actions.

"The only way to break the curse...is to...kill myself."

"Then...you'll die anyway, no matter what...?"

"Yes."

Mac nodded and bit his lips, he still couldn't fully comprehend what was happening but he believed Tate was under a death sentence either way and that was enough to make him tear up. He sat on his computer chair and rubbed the growing tension in his neck feeling his world was suddenly about to come crumbling down.

"So then...what about Cassie?" he said, his voice trembling.

"She'll die too unless I somehow manage to break the curse."

"Will she be reborn like you in another life?"

"No. It's a different person each time that I fall in love with."

Tate felt his heart skip a beat as he thought that Cassie might also no longer exist in a month and all because of him and his stupid curse. He straightened his back and took a deep breath.

"Whoa...this is not what I expected."

"Mac..." Tate said, while sitting down on his bed.

"Yes."

"I have a question for you...how did you know about me, about everything?"

Mac grew cold and scared as he looked to the window and then back to Tate. What he said next made Tate shudder.

"He'll kill me if I tell you," the boy whispered.

"I told you everything...now you tell me..."

"I can't...I wouldn't be surprised to know he's watching us right now."

"Who?"

"I'm sorry Tate. He'll kill us all, he followed us from the beginning... I don't want to die."

"Who's been following you?"

"Not just me, he follows everyone...he's after all of us."

"Mac! Tell me...WHO ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!"

The boy ignored Tate and just kept talking, his eyes not looking at him anymore.

"And...he's in love with Cassie..."

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Hello! Thank you so much for reading and voting Icarus, I appreciate all your support and feedback. Means a lot! *hugs* Now, we are getting close to the end of part one! don't forget to vote and comment this chapters, please don't be a silent reader and tell me what you think!