Two halves make a whole moon

(This is long overdue, but this chapter specifically was a pain in the ass to get rolling. In any case, thank you to everyone who was insistent and relentless to read a following chapter. I’m posting this ASAP so spell check and what not will be postponed. Thanks again.)
My breathing was heavy and I felt faint.
This constant feeling of weakness was taking a toll on my body and it was becoming harder to ‘regenerate’.
I leaned my forehead to the wooden pole that held the plastic sun roof attached to the house. Wynonna was rubbing my shoulder adding another few ice cubes to my peach tea. It was nice of her, but if I so much as smelled the drink now, I’d probably vomit and pass out. One day without passing out would be nice.
I nod my head to her, trying to convey that I was alright and we could continue as I tried to swallow the dry rock of air that had formed in my throat. I think my eyes watered but she just handed me the peach tea tumbler and stepped away, calling out for Jason’s Gran.
The wrinkle of a woman wobbled to me and checked me for my aura or whatever as I sipped my drink and held back my gags. She studied my wrist and spoke to Wynonna in a foreign language.
I licked my lips and put the tumbler on the picnic table nearby.
Wynonna looked uncomfortable; she glanced at my wrist and moved the bracelet around before turning away and screaming out Jason’s name.
Now I looked uncomfortable, having this crazy old lady study me and the last person who wanted to see me be made to do exactly that.
Considering we shared a total of two words since the peanut buttered slice of bread, and though I could have done something about it, the dream seemed so much more significant when I realized Jason went back to ignoring my existence.
The apple sun and learning to fly.
In trying to keep myself busy, I thought about mythology and what references I could use. But as stocked as my mental library was, too much information was missing to complete any real research. Jason was of no real help and his mom and Gran were too obsessed with the training to ask why he and I were keeping our distance.
Well, the different kind of distance that is. When we set up stop watches and frozen gel bags in a cooler outside to wake up the unconscious, It was decided that I would be the one backing away, having my vitals checked and very cold peach tea waiting for me on this very hot day.
Things had begun with relative ease. My first spasm was about 5 yards away and the worse on was the last one. Wynonna had asked Jason to walk towards the cemetery. He’d reached the first gravestone when blinking made zero of a difference and my vision was a smog of white. Let me not get started on the lashing of my chest that left dull whip marks to my insides.
I breathed deeply in and exhaled slowly. Gran watched me with an arched eyebrow and motioned for Jason to come closer as he jogged towards his mom. His lips were pursed and sweat was beading on his hairline. He looked like he’d just run a marathon.
“What’s up Gran?” He coughed and rested his hands on his hips.
“We have to stop. Her lips turn blue.” I rolled my eyes, she got that from all my wrist checking? I looked away when Jason openly glared at me.
“Sure, I’m gonna hit the shower. “ He patted her back and jogged off again, waving to his mother as they both watched him go.
I felt stupid and lowered my head back unto the wooden pole.
Gran turned back to me and gripped my wrist. “Go to him.”
“Gran!” I tried to reclaim my arm and she dropped it in a disgusted motion. Wynonna said something to her with a frown and Gran growled.
The old lady growled. With newfound intimidation she took her chance to bark at me.
“He suffering too. You two need each other and he my grandson. You go to him.” And just to prove her point, she held her accusatory finger at me. As predictably old as it was getting, I nodded and shuffled to the house, and once inside, I breathed in the relieving air conditioner.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
I tried the knob to see if he’d locked the door, and when it turned all the way, I opened the bathroom door slowly.
“Who’s there?” He called through the hot steam of the bathroom.
“How did you know I opened the door?” I could have sworn it was silent.
“I’m a werewolf? What the hell are you doing?” He slid enough of the shower curtain to show his shampoo lathered head.
I closed the door and went to the toilet, watching my step and sitting down. “Your Gran said we needed to support each other.”
“We can’t support each other while I’m dressed?” He shook his head at me and rammed curtain rings to their rightful side, continuing his shower.
“She growled at me Jason. As in nonhuman growl.”
“You want a purple heart? She’s harmless, She hasn’t shifted in over a decade. Do you mind getting out of the bathroom so I can get dressed.” The sound of the shower head turning off and his shuffling caused my thoughts to wander.
He stepped out, his towel held in a death grip about his hips and his dripping hair framing his angry features.
For the life of me, my brain had shut off and his anger was a mystery. Why was someone so heartbreakingly beautiful so angry? I felt a spike of heat spur me to sigh and his face softened, slowly into concern.
“I’m sorry.” I hear myself say.
His face nears mine and I’m so dazzled I forget I should be hyperventilating. “What makes you think this is a good idea?” His voice is low, lacking in anger and menace. I wanted to reach across and- “Cynthia, I need you to focus. Should I call my mom?”
I blinked, slowly relishing my past thoughts before closing my eyes and leaning against the toilet tank. “I think…it’s easier to be together than apart. I honestly don’t know how many more days like this I can take. I don’t know if it’s my fault that I stayed at the cemetery that evening or that I hurt all the time or that , it’s shameful to say, this is who I am to you. In a way I hope it is, I need someone to blame, and you’re here wearing a towel. I feel my lack of control and it’s maddening. So I’m sorry. For everything that is and isn’t my fault.”
When he found his voice I smiled at the slight break in tenor. “Is the mark burning?”
Here I was, with a peace offering the size of Brazil and he was asking about the stupid bite. I swallowed back a sob and straightened myself. “Not really. I’m gonna go so you can get dressed.”
When I tried to stand he came closer and with his one free hand, traced the showing markings from my tank top. “I can feel it you know.”
“You can feel the burn?” Between the steam and his radiating heat one of two things were going to happen, both ultimately bad.
“It seems like when you feel the burn my jaw aches. Like my teeth want to grow and gnaw on something.”
I laughed nervously.
His seriousness quieted me and I watched his arm move as his finger lightly touched my skin. “You said you wouldn’t touch me.”
His hand pulled away then and I bit my lip in a mental curse.
“Yes I did.” His voice was grave and the hand he had touched me with was clenching the edge of his towel tightly.
“Even if I begged.” I whispered.
He smirked, the atmosphere taking a sudden turn. “Would you beg?”
Our eyes met. His were trying to be alive but I could see how aware he was of everything, of us. “ I would.”
Jason’s nostrils flared. “You wouldn’t.”
“I would.”I countered, leaning towards him as if this energy drew me.
His jaw worked and when his face leveled to mine, I held my breath. “Even if you begged.”
I pulled away at the blow and surveyed the floor as if it held optional doors for me to take.
I could sock his face. I could beg. I could also lie.
What was one more lie? He said it himself in my dream. He could never love me, and I was in heat, reacting on a very naked man. “Then I guess it’s a good thing I’m not a dog.” With that I scooted sideways and marched out of the bathroom. He didn’t call out for me and even when he was dressed, he barely acknowledged me in the living room as his mom and Gran served some more tea and heated some kind of muffins.
My mind was now set on an escape plan. What do I have to do in order to escape this situation? Learn to keep distant from Jason, check. Carry cold gel packets in my bag at all times, check. Ask dream Jason for help, check. Oh, and under any circumstance, avoid telling Jason the truth. Mega Check.
Thanks to my psycho analysis of what needed to be done, saying goodbye to Wynonna and Gran, driving back to my house, changing and settling into bed were a blur. Jason probably didn’t notice due to his lack of questions, or lack of care. But one thing was certain. I was going to do everything possible to sever the bond between Jason and I.
Dream Jason was in his seat again, tapping his foot nervously and cracking his fingers.
“Hi.” I called out. He looked around, obviously seeing no one, but searching in my general direction.
“Cynthia. What you’re planning is dangerous. You could end up killing the both of us.”
“First of all, are you a product of my imagination? How did you know that?” if I had a hip and a hand, I would be sporting a pose. “Second, why is it when I try to make things work, you get upset.”
“Your misunderstanding things, you need to ask the right questions. There is so much that depends on this. Not just for you but for me as well. With or without you, I won’t be alone.”
“Wow. That makes me feel so much better.” I say bitterly floating to him, and he reaches out, jumbling my transparent matter.
“You weren’t a choice.” He sounded distant.
“Are you even trying to make me feel better?”
“I can’t do this anymore.” He looked up to where my face would be. His hair disheveled. “This is the last time.”
“Then tell me, how do I break the bond?” As the words flowed out of my lips a flare of heat licked my marked shoulder. “Please.”
“You can’t.” The pain in his face echoed vividly around the room.
“But your family, they said we could if we tried.”
“Exactly. We.” I blinked and instead of almost consoling Jason, I was reaching towards my ceiling.