Too Late To Save Time

I woke up to absolute darkness, shadows on shadows. My eyes stung and my throat still hurt when I took a breath in. But I don't blame Casey. The way his eyes looked, before, and after. It just seemed like something took over him. I bet it was Eli who made him like that, so that he could somehow get Casey disqualified or something like that.

"You're so nice." Eli's voice came from across the room. It sounded a bit too sweet and slightly sarcastic. "No duh, idiot." He muttered.

"Wai-ho-what?" I tried to ask.

"Lights and Shadows can read minds you know, but some think it's an 'invasion of privacy' but are really too chicken about the consequences to ever try to learn the damn spell." He said.

"Did I miss a fight between you and Honey?" I asked, sitting up slowly. I heard movement, due to not being able to see. "I'm guessing you nodded." I said.

"Shut up and go back to sleep. I'm not too thrilled about having you stay in my room and it'll be a lot nicer once you're quiet." He snapped.

"Nyah!" I whined, and went back on my side. I heard more movement, and a bed creaked. I guess Eli was getting up. The darkness in the room lifted a bit, and moonlight tried to brighten the room through the dark blue curtains. I looked around and caught sight of Eli in just some black jeans. I quickly looked away and closed my eyes, pretending to sleep.

"I know you're awake, you should really gaurd your thoughts more carefully." He said. I made my mind blank. He sighed and walked over to me. "You have no idea how to gaurd your thoughts do you?" He asked, sitting down. He still had no shirt on, and being a teenage girl, my hormones were screaming at me to stare. It took a mass amount of effort to keep my eyes on his face. He grinned."I'll take that as a no." He laughed. It was one of the first laughs I've heard from him.

"Why would you care?" I asked defiantly, denying any grateful thoughts of him.

"Because there are going to be other Light and Shadow Fae who will read your mind, including some of the Rebels, and knowing you, you could give everything away because you won't be able to stop thinking about whatever you learn. And that could cause some major problems." He explained. I kept my face blank. "By the way, denial is the first step in hiding your thoughts." He said, a smirk growing. I glared. He held up his hands."Hey, I couldn't read anything you were thinking about me, just denial. Denial about what would get someone thinking, and then they can't read your own mind. So that could be a good way for you to hide your thoughts." He said. I nodded, still angry with him for trying. He opened his mouth, but then just shook his head.

"Okay. You've got the denial, but that's the easy way, and it won't always work because sometimes there will be nothing to deny. Blanking out is also good, like when you keep a straight face, showing no emotion, but it's also pretty hard. You were good just then, but that's because you don't have a lot to think about right now. Sometimes you can focus on sounds, and your mind will go blank, but again, you can't solely rely on that because there might be times when you just can't. What you need to do is either learn a spell in one night that will gaurd your thoughts, repel draining spells, and make you immune from all outside magic, or you learn the old fashioned way how to block from mind reading Fae." He kept going.

"Can we try the spell first? Please?" I begged. He sighed and nodded.

***

"Repeat after me, Gu-Arro Ilne Ripuli." Eli whispered. It was late at night, and he didn't want to wake anybody. I nodded once.

"Guarro Iln Rip Ooh Lie." I tried. It was a very complicated spell to say. He laughed softly.

"No. Gu-Arro Ilne Ripuli" He said.

"Gu-Arro, Ilne Ripuli." I said seriously. Eli clapped lightly. Then he took my hand and placed it on a lighter.

"Say it again."

"Gu-Arro, Ilne Ripuli." I said, slightly confused. Eli wrapped my fingers around the lighter and I furrowed my eyebrows at him.

"So you don't have to say the spell every three minutes, if you cast it on something with some sort of energy the spell will be permanent and as long as you have whatever it is cast on, the spell will work on you." He explained. I nodded, then yawned. He smiled softly. "Go to sleep, it's late." He ordered, switching the bedside lamp off and flicking open his own lighter. I laughed.

"What's with you and lighters?" I asked, trying to stare up at the ceiling. But the shadows were too deep.

"It fascinates me. You just pull the lighter cap off and a flame appears. Then there's the fire itself. It feeds, but is never content with what it has. It burns and kills, yet it is just simple energy. Heat energy. Light energy. Mixed all together to make so many different colors of an indestructable, invinsible force. In some ways, it's like us. It eats, but is always hungry, it leaves behind something no one likes." At this he laughed softly. "And it moves with passion, or anger. When it is tame, it is bored, moving just to live up to what it is." His voice started to make me tired, and I found myself falling asleep. "Go to sleep, Fallon. I know you're tired..." and his voice melted away as I was sent to a dreamless, colorless sleep that wasn't even black or white. Just...there.