Autumn's Beginning, Autumn's Breeze

I woke up slowly, to a very bright light. It took longer than usual for my eyes to adjust, but when they did, I found myself wide awake.

The test was over.

Nat wasn't there.

I realized how alone I felt. They told me that when I was done, i would see Nat. Nat wasn't there.

"Perhaps he's gone to get somethign to eat, or use the bathroom," I murmured to myself, getting out of hte bed. "Nat?" I said aloud. There was no response.

I left the room, walking through the hallway. Everything had an air of despair to it, like something horrible had happened. I stopped walking, closing my eyes. Using magic, I saw what had happened. Then I tried to find Nat. There was a magical barrier there, stopping me from seeing him. I opened my eyes, and found myself surrounded by five Mages.

"Where's Nat?" I asked fiercely.

"Nat is currently being interrogated."

"I didn't ask what he was doing, I asked where the bloody hell he was!"

"You can't see him." Bella slammed the Mage against the nearest wall with magic.

"Where is Nat?" she shouted, emphasizing each word clearly. The mage didn't speak, and Bella put force on the magic, squishing the man. He began gasping for breath.

"Nat's-" someone began.

"Lead me," Bella replied, not wanted to walk into another trap. The mage nodded, and began walking. Bella let the other Mage down, following briskly.

Nathaniel-

I continued to question Kai, as she questioned me. She wanted to know if i could recall anything from the past two hours. I wanted to know where Bella was. She wanted to know if anything hurt anywhere. I wanted to know when i could see Bella. She wanted to know if i had felt any intense emotions nearly two hours ago. I wanted to know why she was asking me these questions and when she would stop so i could see Bella. She began to get aggrivated and asked again if i knew anything about killing the ten mages (one of which was Saylr. I couldn't say i was sorry). I wanted to if i could get a drink of water and see Bella.

After a while of this going back and forth and Kai getting more and more annoyed every second, murmuring voices sounded dimly from behind the door. They steadily grew louder, and i was beginning to distinguish who the voices belonged to when suddenly the door flew open and Bella...the one and only, rushed in. I chuckled to myself, just because i found the whole situation slightly amusing. Then i remembered what Bella had supposedly gone through and i immediatly stopped laughing.

Looking Bella over quickly while she dealt with Kai, i saw that she seemed to be completely unharmed. But when I had exited MY test, i had been in such bad shape that when most of the mages at the tower said good-bye, even if they were simply leaving to go to another room, it sounded as though they were not expecting to ever see me alive again.

But i was glad Bella was safe and unharmed.

"Nat!" I exclaimed, running to where he was lying. He looked happy, which was an odd emotion for anyone in his position.

"She's not allowed in here!" Kai snapped at the mage who had led me here.

"She nearly killed one of us because we wouldn't let her in," the mage argued, pulling Kai out of hte room.

"You did that?" Nat asked, smiling up at me.

"Of course. I had to see you," I replied. The sudden vision of Nat, mangled and bloody, flashed into my mind. I didn't do that to him...all I did was eat him...I think.

"Are you Okay?" Nat asked, noticing my sudden spasm. I was blinking, trying to clear the image. "You're shaking," he noted.

"I'm sorry," I replied pathetically.

"How was the test?"

"Surprisingly simple. I expected multiple challenges. What they had me do, however, was..." suddenly, and unnexpectedly to even myself, I burst into tears. I remembered my first thought when Nat wasn't there a little while before...the possibility that I had killed him in reality, not just in the test...

"Bella, Bella are you okay?" Nat struggled against the straps, trying to reach out and comfort me. I slid into a sitting position on the floor, still crying uncontrollable. Nat continued to struggle, as I had my own personal mental breakdown.

Nathaniel-

I used all my strength against the bonds that held me still, grinding my teeth together in fury. I pushed with all my magic and was finally able to free myself but had to sit for a moment to try and catch my breath. Then i lowered myself to sit next to Bella and wrapped my arms around her shuddering body, letting her cry against me.

I whispered comforting words in her ear, twisting them around inside her head until she began to quiet. I had not even been fully aware of what i was saying. It seemed to help, though.

I kissed the top of her head softly. "It's all over, Bella. Don't even think about it. That's how I've gotten by all these years."

"How could you not think about it?" I murmured, wrapping my arms around Nat's firm body and holding myself to him tightly. "Look at what it did to you!" I was referring to his injury, but that was obvious.

"I just...block it out. I have better memories," he replied quietly, his breath moving my hair slightly.

"The test didn't make you stronger, did it?" I asked, realizing how much weaker I had felt after the test compared to before it.

Nathaniel-

I smiled sadly. "No, Bella, the test did not make me stronger. I acquired my power from years and years of intense practicing, just as you have done. Someday, if you practice hard enough, you and i will have enough power combined..."

I let my sentence go unfinished; letting Bella fill in the blanks.

After a few minutes of sitting on the floor, i felt Bella's breathing even out. Gancing down at her, i realized she had fallen asleep. I couldn't blame her, poor thing. Having to go through all this...

I gathered her gently in my arms and teleported us back to our room, laying her down softly on the bed. I watched her for a moment before turning and walking to the window, staring off in the distance to the rising moons. Silver light touched my cheeks and i was reminded of my own test.

The mages had tortured me both body and mind. Many a physical hardships was mine to endure forever, their mark still imprinted on my weakened body. I was never really a strong child, but compared to how weak i was now, i looked back to my former self with envy.

And i had been tortured in mind. Driven to the point of near insanity, i went mad with rage and had killed anything that had moved within my test. I had watched my mother wither and die before my eyes. My brother, my father...and Bella. Images flickered before my eyes, revealing these long past memories that i had burried deep within my soul, covered them up with soil, and stamped the dirt smooth. But now they had sprung up and had begun the plague me all over again.

I continued to watch the moons rise.

When I woke up, Nat was asleep beside me. I sat up, examining his face. He looked worried. The more I watched, the more I wondered about his dream.

I put my hands up to his head, touching his temples lightly with my fingers. I tried to see his dream.

He looked different in his dream; like he had before he left. He also looked horribly distraught, as if having just seen something horrible.

That's when I noticed the bodies.

They were everywhere, strewn across the floor, bloody and mangled. I recongnized Nat's parents, and Gerard...and me. I looked at the dream Nat. He was crying, looking down at his hands as if ashamed.

It was his test!

I pulled myself out of his dream just as he woke up.

Nathaniel-

I opened my eyes and stared into Bella's. I carefully kept my face blank.

"I saw you, in my dream, as you are now."

"I-"

"I'm not mad Bella."

"You look mad," she noted, frowning.

I smiled weakly. "No, i'm not mad. Just sad that you had to see that, thats all."

"That was your test?"

I nodded. "A very small part of it. As normal time, it took nearly six hours for me to complete my test. As it seemed in my test, it took nearly two days to finish completely. It's almost like a dream. Funny..."

"What?"

"Nothing," I said smiling again. "Nothing at all."

"Why was your test so much longer than mine?" I asked, trying to think things through while I curled up against Nat's warmth.

**Short, i know**

Nathaniel-

I shrugged. "Who knows?" i muttered. "Like i said before, the test is designed to challenge us. Perhaps it was also testing my endurance?"

"Yeah, maybe."

I sighed wearily, remembering the worst moments of my test. I tried to block them out, but once one was let loose, they all flooded my consciousness. I let out a soft whimper despite my attempt to hold it back. Bella shifted against me.

"Nat? What's wrong?"

I didn't answer for fear my voice would betray the thoughts running through my mind.

Gerard-

As the time passed, my body began to numb until the intense, burning pain i had felt at first only became a dull ache. I lay quietly as the mage worked on me and Alise, not even really paying attention to what he was doing.

After a while, somewhere close to dawn i imagined, judging by the faint pink light seeping into the sky outside the window, the mage sighed wearily and smiled at me weakly.

"You two are done," he announced. "But for the spells to take effect, you need to sleep. But i don't think you'll object to that."

I raised myself to a sitting position, glancing over at Alise and wincing at the sharp pains that jabbed into my arms and back.

"No, i don't think sleep will be a problem. Just give us a room."

Even as i finished my sentence, i found myself sitting in a comfortable bed in a completely new room. I looked around and sighed in defeat.

"I give up," i said, smiling. "I just don't get it. You know what, i don't even really want to know."

I yawned, and heard it echoed. I looked over at Alise and smiled. "Get some sleep."

Alise leaned against Gerard and found herself qucikly slipping into unconciousness. She could feel the spell working, and the bloodlust that never used to leave her fade away, replaced by the strange craving for food.

And she dreamed.

She dreamed of what she had dreamed about in her wake for a while, she dreamed of a family with Gerard.

When she woke it was to the sound of Nat and Gerard arguing.

Gerard-

I had gotten a good..oh, two hours of sleep before i was so rudely awakened.

"Gerard!" someone's voice hissed in my ear urgently. I groaned and rolled over.

"Gerard, wake up!"

"'O 'way."

I felt something hit my head. A pillow, by the feel of it. I groaned again, rolled back over, and opened my eyes a fraction.

Nat stood in front of me, his arms crossed, his expression hard. I was instantly awake and on my feet.

"What are you doing here?" i hissed, trying not to wake up Alise.

"What are you still doing here?" he demanded. Bella's head poked out from behind his back. I ignored her.

"For your information, I'm still here because I'm now human again."

He stared at me in disbelief, not saying anything.

"You don't believe me?" i asked, raising an eyebrow.

Nat smiled. "No, i don't."

"Why else would i still be here?" i demanded.

"I never would've thought you a liar, Gerard. Really... you of all people..."

"I'm not lying!" i said, raising my voice. Alise stirred and blinked her eyes. I cast her a pleading look, asking her to stay out of it. She seemed to understand.

"I'm human!" I cried desperately.

"Prove it!" Nat roared, raising his voice higher than i could remember hearing it. I cringed.

I bared my teeth. "See, no fangs!" I stuck out my arm, "See, I'm not pale anymore! And if you STILL don't believe me, then go ask one of your fellow mages. Short black hair, blue eyes, gray robes. Somewhere about 40 years old."

Alise came to stand at my side and slipped her arm through mine.

Alise sensed that Gerard relaxed a little to her touch, which pleased her. The thing standing between Nat and Gerard was gone, no need to mess it up now.

"And what about you?" Nat nodded towards her, "are you human too?"

"Yes I am."

Nat leaned back and blinked, "really?"

"Really really."

"Why?"

Gerard-

"Why?" Nat asked, his eyes flickering back to me.

I coughed. "I...I just wanted to make it up to you for hurting you...I'm sorry."

I looked down, expecting...well, honestly, not knowing what to expect.

After a moment, Nat spoke again.

"And you expect me to just forgive you?"

"Nat!" Bella's voice cut in. I silently thanked the girl.

"He's your brother! Your twin! Can't you see what he did for you!? Who knows how much pain he went through, they BOTH went through, to become human again. And you're just blowing them off!"

*Bella, you have permission to hate me for this, but i think it would be funny. I'll change it if you want*

I heard a slap, not a hard one, but a slap nonetheless. I looked up to see Bella vanishing and Nat, anger burning in his eyes, holding one cheek. His eyes flickered to me.

"Excuse me for one second, brother," he said, and then vanished, following Bella. I applauded the girl and her independence and bravery. Not many people had the courage to slap Nat in the face.

Then i realized he had called me brother. I sighed in relief. Apparently he had forgiven me... i hoped.