A small girl was snuggled in her bad, while her mother read her a story. Too young.
"Hallow." Chris’ voice breathed next to his ear. Hallow ignored the resulting shiver that flitted up his spine.
"What?"
"We found one." A picture of the house Chris and Valentine were in front of popped in Hallow’s mind. "Come see."
Hallow closed his eyes and pictured the house again, wrapping the night air around himself.
"Hallow!" Valentine said, and Hallow felt the taller boy’s arms drape around him. He opened his eyes, finding himself standing in front of a small blue house. "See? He’s already interested in creatures from Videlicet--granted, they’ve been altered by others of his kind--but still." The boy was indeed reading a novel, with illustrations of creatures that resembled those of Videlicet. Hallow believed that in the human world they were called "fairies". Valentine’s arms warmed Hallow, like a second cloak. He smelled sweet too--like dark chocolate. He leaned back against his chest, basking in the warmth. How he hated being cold. "Warm enough?" Valentine whispered, and then Hallow remembered who exactly he was touching.
"Off." He said, stepping away from Valentine.
"I think Valentine found a good one." Chris said. "Here, Hallow, stopping the snow should help a little, hmm?"
"Thanks." Hallow muttered. "Yeah, he’ll do."
"Let’s start tomorrow." Valentine said, rubbing his hands up and down his arms. "It’s too cold now, and I’m tired."
"Alright." Said Chris.
The human boy glanced up from his book and from the corner of his eye; he could have sworn he saw three figures disappear. But it was probably his imagination.
"Hallow." Chris’ voice breathed next to his ear. Hallow ignored the resulting shiver that flitted up his spine.
"What?"
"We found one." A picture of the house Chris and Valentine were in front of popped in Hallow’s mind. "Come see."
Hallow closed his eyes and pictured the house again, wrapping the night air around himself.
"Hallow!" Valentine said, and Hallow felt the taller boy’s arms drape around him. He opened his eyes, finding himself standing in front of a small blue house. "See? He’s already interested in creatures from Videlicet--granted, they’ve been altered by others of his kind--but still." The boy was indeed reading a novel, with illustrations of creatures that resembled those of Videlicet. Hallow believed that in the human world they were called "fairies". Valentine’s arms warmed Hallow, like a second cloak. He smelled sweet too--like dark chocolate. He leaned back against his chest, basking in the warmth. How he hated being cold. "Warm enough?" Valentine whispered, and then Hallow remembered who exactly he was touching.
"Off." He said, stepping away from Valentine.
"I think Valentine found a good one." Chris said. "Here, Hallow, stopping the snow should help a little, hmm?"
"Thanks." Hallow muttered. "Yeah, he’ll do."
"Let’s start tomorrow." Valentine said, rubbing his hands up and down his arms. "It’s too cold now, and I’m tired."
"Alright." Said Chris.
The human boy glanced up from his book and from the corner of his eye; he could have sworn he saw three figures disappear. But it was probably his imagination.
