Fight By My Side

When I woke up after the movie, my head was fuzzy. It was like something was messing with it. I had a pounding headache in the back left part of my head. Everyone was still asleep, even though it was eight in the morning. Vic had curled up against the couch. Jack and Alex had fallen asleep in each other’s arms. Alan was snoring on the recliner. Kally had her head tucked on Mike’s arm. Austin still held me while I woke up.

He’s going to tear you limb from limb when he wakes up! Rip out his throat! Bask in blood! Sudden rage overcame my brain. It was like Austin had been my life long enemy. The Guardians hadn’t killed my parents. It was Aus all along.

Look at his adorable face! Awwww, isn’t it the cutest thing that way he’s holding you tightly, even when he’s dead asleep?! My brain went from rage to a soothing lullaby of lovely thoughts in an instant. It was almost as if someone had flicked a switch in my emotions.

These two extremes made my head hurt even worse. Did I have beer last night? No, it wasn’t a hangover. Maybe those bullets had done some bad stuff to my head. I should go get air.

Trying to not wake up Austin, I slid from his grasp and stepped over Vic, curled up like a small child on the floor. He was short enough to pass for one.

Rip out his heart! He’ll kill you when he opens his eyes, so just take the first leap and kill! Part of me growled. My fingers clenched into fists before another part of me made me grasp my head in silent agony.

He would run to the ends of the earth for you. He even would take that bullet for you! The softer side snarled. As I clenched my hands against my head, I realized what this was. This isn’t some normal mood swings that came along with being a Shifter, this was two sides fighting.

The Sempiternal Continuum versus the Sempiternal Division. Both warred for the spot in my head.

Kill it! Kill it! The Division commanded. Before I knew what was happening, I was standing over Austin, fingers ready to choke him to death.

His eyes blinked open and I leaped back.

“Hey Wynter! Up already?” He acted like he hadn’t noticed. Aus was a great liar. He might have seen it but was hiding it pretty well.

“Yeah. I’m going outside for some air.” I gasped as the Division wanted me to attack while the Continuum just wanted to curl into his safe arms.

“Oh, okay.” Aus murmured, a little confused at my abrupt departure. Before anything else could happen, I ran upstairs, letting the trapdoor bang shut behind me. As I stumbled through the dusty rooms, I went to the front porch. The outside morning air really did clear up my head.

I just needed to ration this out and hold out against my wild will. Did Jack have to go through this? Did Alex?

Some days, it felt like I was going crazy. Other times, it was like I was perfectly sane. As I crossed my legs in the cool breeze and bent my head down in concentration, I tried to focus on the Continuum, not the Division.

The longer I concentrated on holding back the anger, the more fierce my headache.

“Jack!” I gasped when I heard footsteps. They sped up the pace and reached me at the front door.

“What is it?” he asked me quickly. Being a Shifter wasn’t easy. It was filled with pain, mood swings, and constant battles.

“The…Sempiternal....Continuum.” I winced through an angry Division yelping in my mind. Jack sat beside me, staring out into the grassy fields like I wasn’t fighting some invisible monster.

“Oh, that.” He seemed to smile like a drunk. I ran my hands through my hair, unsure of what to do.

“Did you have the Division and Continuum in your head at the same time?” I gasped at each title. Their names seemed to sing, but the Continuum appeared to be winning out. I counted my lucky stars for that and kept up the concentration.

“Oh yes. It doesn’t take long, I promise. Seeing Alex injured on the side of the road probably helped with the Continuum side.” He added thoughtfully. I shook my head at the thoughts of ripping a russet brown wolf limb from limb.

“Ugh, this hurts.” I mumbled. Each word seemed to send another thunderous cannon boom through my skull.

“Yeah, I know. I think it might help since Austin obviously is struck with the Sempiternal Continuum.” Jack patted my back reassuringly. I blinked away white spots.

“How long…did it last…for you?” I ask grimaced. The pain seemed to be fading a slight bit. Jack was right. It wasn’t too long.

“Only five minutes for me. You’re has been going on for fifteen.” He shook his head glumly. It had felt more like an eternity.

“Average?”

“About five minutes, but I think Austin’s little war was more like one or two. For most people it’s about five to ten.” He nodded. This news wasn’t helping my thoughts. It was breaking me down. When I felt like I was going to die, it kept pounding on.

But then, all was clear.

I had a single thought on my head as the pain faded away all at once. It was calming and tiring, really. Jack’s words seemed to fade out as the door closed behind me. I turned around on the porch to see Austin standing there.

“Wyn, Wyn! Answer me, please!” Jack begged. I had only one mind set, one Sempiternal that won out.

“Wynter, is everything okay?” Aus asked me curiously. My mind screamed, but my body was locked on.

“Austin, you’ll want to be careful.” My black and blonde haired friend warned. Automatically, I took a few small steps forwards. I was in a trance and couldn’t escape.

At about a foot apart, I stared up into his eyes, the trance fading and the single thought on my mind.

I threw my arms around his neck and pulled his lips down to meet mine. Nope, the Division hadn’t won. In fact, the Continuum had crushed it under an imaginary foot like a tiny bug.

Austin kissed me back passionately. Happiness radiated out of both of us. It felt as if our minds were linked together as one and our hearts beat in time. Jack let out an audible exhaling sigh.

“Well, I’ll leave you two outside.” He excused himself and shut the porch door closed.

“I hate headaches.” I murmured when we both came up to breathe. He chuckled and pressed his forehead against mine. What would I have done without this boy?

Notes

Okay, sorry I haven't been updating recently, guys! I was engulfed in a large project called Shattered, which happened to make the popular stories list! Check it out if you want to read it!

Anyways, in this update I decided to confirm Wynstin. There was a moment where I was really, really, really, tempted to throw in a little chaos just for fun, but you guys helped me decide not to :)

Thanks for sticking with me, and I'll try to update soon!