Nyx's heart hurt too much to contain in her human form. If she lingered any longer, she feared she'd burst. The wheels of her skateboard ground against the lumpy pavement, skittering over the shallow cracks on her way home. She swerved, careful to avoid the deeper potholes and stones this time.

Once home, she darted into the shed, her skateboard tucked under her arm and placed it to the side of the door. With shaking hands, Nyx pulled off her clothing. She folded them carefully and placed them in a stack on the table.

A sharp ripple tip-toed along her spine. A lit firecracker ignited each vertebra on its way up. She folded inward. Dissolving. Her human flesh melted away, leaving a red fox in its place. Nyx nudged open the door with her nose and bounded out into the yard.

The colour was all but drained from the world, leaving it in graying hues of faded green and a palette of white and grey. Instead, it came alive through sound and scent.

Her senses only altered when in her fox body. She didn't know how Angel tolerated the onslaught of sensations on such a constant basis. No wonder it was hard for him to focus if he were being pulled in so many directions at once.

Grasshoppers scattered. She sprinted through backyards, accidently disrupting chickens in their runs and startled dogs. There was no particular destination in mind, simply running for the sake of it - running until she was too exhausted to feel anything at all.

A few hours later, Nyx returned home, shifted back and dressed again. The run had taken the edge off, but her chest still ached.

There's still room to change my mind. Maybe I should, but if I'm being honest with myself, I don't want to.

No more bending. Not when she was this close to breaking. If they were to stay together, even as they were, she had to maintain this distance. He'd either meet her where she stood... or not.

Nyx left the shed and headed toward Aiden and Daisy's house. There wasn't far to go as the couple only lived across the street from her parents. Along with Julian, and her own parents, they had been some of the first to settle the island two decades ago.

Their small russet coloured house was surrounded by wild flowers and bird feeders. A stone pathway wound up to the front door. Small white butterflies fluttered from the heads of thistles and milkweed.

Nyx knocked once on the crisp white door before letting herself in. The house smelled of burning sandalwood. Crossing the threshold put her at ease immediately. Taking full, deep breaths for the first time in a long time.

"Hey, anyone home?" she called from the front porch and slowly walked toward the living room. "I hate to bug you, but I need a favour."

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"We're in here," Aiden called and Nyx joined them in the living room.

Daisy immediately got to her feet from where she had been sitting on the couch. Her long tie-dyed skirt swished around her bare feet as she rushed to greet Nyx. Long micro-locs hung to her waist, undone and dyed light pink along the bottom.

She hauled Nyx into her chest for a hug. "Oh, you poor thing. I can't imagine."

"What do you mean?" Nyx asked. Despite the fear in Daisy's voice, a hug from the empath was an instant balm. Nyx relaxed into the older woman's arms. Her presence was too soothing. It felt so counter to Daisy's own distress. "What happened?"

"We heard that Aluminum Carl... that Angel..." Daisy's voice cracked.

"We heard Angel died," said Aiden. He remained seated on the couch, his blue eyes wide and staring. "Is it true?"

"What? No!" Nyx exclaimed, waving her hands in the air in front of her as if she could erase the concept altogether. "He lost a fight. That's all. It looked a lot worse than it is and I guess some blabber mouths are spreading rumors. Where did you hear such a thing?"

"Timmy," said Daisy. She sniffed and joined her husband on the couch again.

Nyx rolled her eyes. Of course it's Timmy.

"No one has seen Angel all day, so we believed it," said Aiden. The news had aged him ten years. Shallow frown creases on his normally smooth face had deepened. He put a hand through his wavy auburn hair to push the limp strands out of his face. "We better tell Julian. He was losing his mind. We all were."

"Where is he then?" Daisy asked.

"The beach," said Nyx.

Aiden burst into laughter. "The beach? We're all worried sick, and the boy is relaxing at the beach? Unbelievable." He shook his head in disbelief and got to his feet, still chuckling.

Nyx stepped aside so Aiden could go into the kitchen to use the telephone. She sunk into the overstuffed armchair. Their living-room wasn't as eclectic as most on the island. Every item had been chosen with a purpose and theme. From the multicoloured rugs on the hardwood, to the maroon curtains at the window. The burnt orange wallpaper glowed soft in the light from the salt lamp. Plump cushioned furniture was complemented by hard wooden frames and edges.

"Please don't be mad at him," Nyx said.

Daisy tucked some of her braids behind her ear, exposing a row of glittering earrings. She reached for a tea cup on the coffee table. "It won't kill him to face some consequences." She quirked a well manicured eyebrow. "There's something you're not saying."

Sweat formed on Nyx's palms and she wiped them on the front of her jeans. "It's nothing."

Daisy put her cup on the tiny matching plate with a clink and rested it on the coffee table. "What happened last night? People wouldn't be saying Angel is dead if he only got slightly bruised."

"He's resilient -"

"Try again."

"I'm moving out," Nyx blurted, hoping replacing one truth with another would be enough of a distraction. "That's what you're picking up. Angel didn't want me to move in with him, so I decided to get my own cabin. Now he's changed his mind."

Daisy leaned back into the cushions, narrowing her eyes.

Nyx clenched her jaw. Her fingernails bit into the palm of her hand.

"I let my abilities get ahead of me," Daisy sighed. "It's the stress. If you're not saying something, that's fine. Whatever it is, it seems to be troubling you deeply."

"Please don't take it personally," said Nyx. "It's not my place to tell you."

"That's fair," said Daisy with a slight nod. She took another sip of her tea. "Did you need Aiden's portals to help you move?"

"Yes please," said Nyx. She exhaled in relief. "I'd really appreciate it."

Aiden came back from the kitchen, whistling in awed surprise. "Boy, is Julian pissed. I called your mom and dad too. Turns out Cassie already set them straight. I hope Angel is having a wonderful time at the beach." He plunked onto the couch. "What a day."