Look out for the <>!!!

Gray POV

I paced around the small family room as I waited for Else to arrive. She was taking too long, and it was causing me to freak out more. Stella shouldn't have seen any of that, let alone been there with Else. Else no doubt was terrified that Stella witnessed me kill that Darkling. I knew Else, and she would do anything to keep what we did hidden from any person on earth. But that made me worry even more. I wanted to know what she told Stella, or what she threatened her with, to stay silent. Waiting around was helping nothing.

My mind thought back to seeing Stella on the ground on the walkway. Panic filled me as I worried the Darkling got to her. Even a scratch was lethal to a human. No magic herb would work to cure her, not like they did with me. Seeing her there with a darkling terrified me, confirming that I was dangerous. She didn't belong with me, not even as friends.

What I didn't understand why Stella was out at almost midnight. It was cold and she should have been at home. I couldn't help but wonder if she was ok. Even though we hadn't talked in weeks, I could see that something was upsetting her as she got up from the ground and it wasn't because of me.

Breaking me from my thoughts was when mom came walking through the front door. She shrugged off her coat then wasted no time as she gathering things in bags. "We have to go."

I frowned at her statement. I knew she would react, but this was extreme even for her. We had been here for years; I didn't understand why leaving was so important now. "It's because Stella saw the Darkling. She won't tell anyone about it," I said confidently, knowing that Stella would never say something like that. She knew how to keep a secret, after all, she had already kept so many for me.

Else didn't even bother to stop to make eye contact with me as continued stuffing things in her bag. She walked around with such confidence, although I knew her mind was elsewhere. There was something beneath her skin that scared her. "It's not just about Stella. Gray, we just have to go. Jackson isn't for us anymore."

I shook my head, wanting more of a response than that. "And where do you want to go back to? Hu?" I asked, knowing that this was the only pace that felt someone like a home. Jackson was where I had lived the longest and as much as I hated the school kids, I didn't want to leave.

"We are going back to Churchwell. I just killed an additional Darkling on the way back here tonight, Gray. They are coming in through Churchwell, so we have to go to the root of the problem."

I understood her concern, but that meant that no one would be here to watch out for the town. "Then who will watch out for the townspeople of Jackson?"

"If we stop the problem in Churchwell, we do not need to worry about the people of Jackson."

Something about her words didn't sit right with me. I was the gatekeeper of Jackson. There were few gates on earth, but I handled this one. I was supposed to watch for creatures coming from the other side and keep track of the Churchwell people coming back and forth. Leave the gate open, unguarded seemed like the worst possible option, confirming that she wasn't thinking soundly.

"No." The word came out of my mouth with force as I realized I didn't want to leave. This wasn't a smart move, and she needed to know that.

"Gray, we will lock the gate. We will continue to protect these people and us. Now please pack your things," she begged.

The concern in her eyes made me move to the room and start packing. What ever happened to her was more than just Stella. There were things that happened that she wouldn't tell me. Things were changing, I could feel it, I could see it around me.

<>

I walked into my room and gathered things around me. She wanted me to pack quickly, so I had to think of what was important for me to bring. But as I looked around the room, my mind came up blank. I should have been ready for this moment, but as I stood in the moment, it just didn't feel right. With a sigh, I sat on the bed with a frown, unable to move. I wanted answers to the entire picture on why this was so important, but she wasn't giving them to me.

"Gray, we are leaving in 10, please hurry," she said from the other side of my bedroom door.

And I knew she would leave me here if I wasn't ready and deep down, I didn't want that either. So with a nod, as if she could see it as I walked around the room. I had little belongings here that were worth packing, but I still managed to pack a bag worth of items. With one last look around the room, I realized I packed everything I wanted and then left the room that I slept in every night for the last two years.

Walking out into the hall, I saw Else waiting for me with a duffle bag in her hands. "If we need more things, we can come back in a few weeks," she said as if that would comfort me about doing this, but it didn't.

I nodded and swung my duffle back over my shoulder. "Ok."

"Are you ready to go?"

I don't think I could ever say no to this. I would never be ready to leave too quickly, but she wanted me to be ready so I would have to be. "As ready as I could be."

She nodded as she placed her hand on my shoulder for a second before removing it. "This is for the best for everyone involved."

I nodded back at her as I tried to believe it myself. But since I didn't know all the story, I didn't know if this was the best thing for everyone. But instead of speaking my mind, I followed Else out into the dead of the snowy night, knowing that my life in Jackson was over.

We trudged through deep snow as snow fell around us. The gate was only a mile from here, but I wished it was closer as snow fell into my boots. I swore mentally, wishing I brought more clothing for this short walk to gate. As the gate drew closer, all I thought about was how I was leaving this place. It seemed so rushed; it didn't seem right to leave like this. "Will you lock the gate?" I asked Else, knowing that she could do that.

She nodded. "Of course I will."

Together, we stepped up to the gate, then I waved my hands to open the gate between the two realms. Almost instantly, the gate lit up slightly, telling me it was ready to use. The door opened and on the other side was Churchwell, looking the same as it always did.

I looked back at the snowy Jackson and knew that I wouldn't be coming back soon. Deep down, I knew this day would come at some point. We weren't supposed to be here forever, but all I could think of was Stella. I left her with so many questions. There was so much I wanted to say to her. I wanted to make up for so much, or at least tell her some lie about why I was leaving. I just didn't want her to worry because she would, she was the only one at school that cared.

Else stepped through the gate and looked at me, who had not moved one inch. "Gray, come on," she said as she started taking off her winter coat.

I shook my head. "I can't."

She sighed loudly as she put down her bag. "Why? Please don't tell me you are in love with that human. Gray, you don't belong here and we need you back home."

For years they didn't need me there at all, so what changed? What made them suddenly realize that I actually belonged in Churchwell. Her statement caused anger to bubble within me like a pot of water on a hot stove. "But these people, they need us. We need to defend them against the Darklings. And Stella is different. She will look for me. I need to at least tell her I am going on a trip so she doesn't get into trouble."

She shook her head as if she knew better than I did. "Grayson, there is no time. I hardly doubt that Stella is different. She is a human and you know humans are so fragile. If you really care about your duties and protecting her, you will leave now. This is the best way to keep her safe. And after I lock the gate, no Darkling will come to Jackson, so these people will remain safe."

I nodded as her words spoke for some reason to me. I was dangerous, and the world I lived in was dangerous. Leaving and shutting things away would keep her safe and if that was what was needed, I would do it. With a deep breath, I stepped through the gate and Else closed the door behind me.

"Now what?" I asked, unsure if she had a game plan beyond this point.

"You are going to your dorm room. I will talk to you tomorrow. From now on, you are a full attendant of Churchwell Academy," she said and started walked across the woods to get to the school.

I stood still for a moment as her words sank in. If she would have told me this information just a few months ago, my excitement would be different from what I felt currently. I looked at the gate and tried to figure out why it was so important to move too quickly.

"Grayson, come. You know the woods are unprotected from beasts. We need to get to the school grounds as quick as possible, at least they have a protection barrier around the place," Else called out to me, making me realize she was leaving me behind.

With a heavy sigh, I realized my worries were meant for tomorrow and I would figure it out in the morning. And with that, I ran after Else to get to the school together.