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Description
He pulled away gently, and I opened my eyes when he did. I saw nothing there, but confusion and regret. Now was not the time to tell him that I loved him. I knew he already was well aware of how I felt. I knew that he wasn’t ready. He was still attached to the fact that I was until about a month ago, his dead wife. I could still see the hope that I would turn into her, that I was just her in disguise. I knew he wished I was. But I wasn’t.
I turned my head away from his hand and closed my eyes. It was hard having him touch me, and knowing that he didn’t quite feel the same for me. For all I was aware, he felt nothing at all. Would he feel guilty about bringing me into this world, however by accident? No. That’s silly. I thought. He wouldn’t, it wasn’t his fault anyway. I pushed the train of thought away.
I looked up at him. He was so close to me. The thighs of my jeans rubbed up against his. He leaned down at me as if he were… Wait… is he about to kiss me? I pushed him back. I looked down quickly, and I looked back at him, and noticed we were both breathing hard. I couldn’t let him do that.
“Joseph, please… don’t do this. You don’t want me. I’m not her.” I said quietly. I could barely hear myself; the blood was pounding so hard in my ears. I looked up from underneath my lashes, and saw the flit of emotion flash over his face. It was gone so fast. I saw him blush a deep color of red, and turn away and walk towards his room. He disappeared around the corner.
I let out a long breath, and covered my face in my hands.
This is a perfect way to start the day. You haven’t even drunk your coffee yet, and you’re already making it awkward. I turned towards the counter again, pouring myself a cup of coffee.
“Why do I do this to myself?” I whispered to myself.
“Because you can’t help it.” A voice from behind me.
I dropped my cup on the counter, and spun around.
Nothing.
I looked about the room, and knocked the mug over onto the floor. The brown liquid sprayed across the tile and bits of shattered ceramic crashed to the ground. In the forming puddle I saw a face.
“Cato?”

“I was wondering if you would remember me. It’s been so long since I’ve seen you last.” Cato said, as he walked towards me. I could see him in the puddle, it was like he was looking directly at me, but I had to crouch down to see him. It was strange, but I had to look at him when he was talking, or I might think I was having another nightmare.
“You all still exist then? Are the other twelve still about?” I saw his reflection crouch down and look at me from the puddle.
“Yes. But you are the only one to actually become human. Although the rest of us have taken on certain characteristics.”
“Characteristics? What do you mean?” I asked, confused.
“Well, you can see me in reflections, and hear my voice. Magnus, well, he can only be seen by children. Iris? The lady from the job in Singapore? She actually can be touched by humans, but remains invisible and silent. This phenomenon, whatever you want to call it, they seem to be gaining more and more power. We seem to becoming more human by the second. Pietro, why, he is beginning to form a physical body, he looks like a moving cloud. The Grey’s are becoming human, and we think that you are to blame Medina.” Cato said all of this with a look of a combination of fear and excitement. This was what we had been promised. After our many years of service, the chance to be human again seemed like it was too good to be true. A dream not yet realized, and yet, it was happening.
“Have you seen Zane?” I asked. This was something that I had been wondering about for a while. I had often wondered whether or not he had returned to existence after he had been taken.
“No. No one has seen him in ages. He isn’t even in limbo. Have you seen him by any chance?” Cato had a look of worry in his face. He usually reserved it for me when I had started to live in Joseph’s apartment, but now he gave it to me for Zane.
A sick feeling entered my belly, for I was happier that he hadn’t returned than I was truly comfortable with.
“No. But I know what happened to him.” I said this slowly, deliberately. I wanted to let him know that this was a strange thing that occurred.
Cato looked at me with an undistinguished look in his face. It wasn’t wholly unpleasant, but I knew that if I told him there was no turning back.
“Medina, what have you done?”
I looked at him, my mouth suddenly dry. I wanted to tell him the truth. I needed to. But how do you tell someone who has existed as one person with one set of beliefs for over thousands of years that they were never to be given what they had been promised? How could I tell my only mentor and friend that he was never real? Never alive? Never to become alive?
How?
I had to tell him this, but I had to say this truth once, to tell my story once. And to achieve this, I needed all that was left of the thirteen at once.
“Gather the rest of the Greys Cato; have them meet me here on the roof tonight. Nine o clock tonight. I can only say this once.”
“Medina, don’t play games with me. I am too old to be playing 'guess-where-I-put-the-boss' with you.” He said, using his stern, ‘I-am-older-than-you’ voice.
“I can’t explain now. Just bring them. If you don’t like it, don’t come.”
I stood up and walked away from the puddle.
This day just keeps getting better and better.

Description
He pulled away gently, and I opened my eyes when he did. I saw nothing there, but confusion and regret. Now was not the time to tell him that I loved him. I knew he already was well aware of how I felt. I knew that he wasn’t ready. He was still attached to the fact that I was until about a month ago, his dead wife. I could still see the hope that I would turn into her, that I was just her in disguise. I knew he wished I was. But I wasn’t.
I turned my head away from his hand and closed my eyes. It was hard having him touch me, and knowing that he didn’t quite feel the same for me. For all I was aware, he felt nothing at all. Would he feel guilty about bringing me into this world, however by accident? No. That’s silly. I thought. He wouldn’t, it wasn’t his fault anyway. I pushed the train of thought away.
I looked up at him. He was so close to me. The thighs of my jeans rubbed up against his. He leaned down at me as if he were… Wait… is he about to kiss me? I pushed him back. I looked down quickly, and I looked back at him, and noticed we were both breathing hard. I couldn’t let him do that.
“Joseph, please… don’t do this. You don’t want me. I’m not her.” I said quietly. I could barely hear myself; the blood was pounding so hard in my ears. I looked up from underneath my lashes, and saw the flit of emotion flash over his face. It was gone so fast. I saw him blush a deep color of red, and turn away and walk towards his room. He disappeared around the corner.
I let out a long breath, and covered my face in my hands.
This is a perfect way to start the day. You haven’t even drunk your coffee yet, and you’re already making it awkward. I turned towards the counter again, pouring myself a cup of coffee.
“Why do I do this to myself?” I whispered to myself.
“Because you can’t help it.” A voice from behind me.
I dropped my cup on the counter, and spun around.
Nothing.
I looked about the room, and knocked the mug over onto the floor. The brown liquid sprayed across the tile and bits of shattered ceramic crashed to the ground. In the forming puddle I saw a face.
“Cato?”

“I was wondering if you would remember me. It’s been so long since I’ve seen you last.” Cato said, as he walked towards me. I could see him in the puddle, it was like he was looking directly at me, but I had to crouch down to see him. It was strange, but I had to look at him when he was talking, or I might think I was having another nightmare.
“You all still exist then? Are the other twelve still about?” I saw his reflection crouch down and look at me from the puddle.
“Yes. But you are the only one to actually become human. Although the rest of us have taken on certain characteristics.”
“Characteristics? What do you mean?” I asked, confused.
“Well, you can see me in reflections, and hear my voice. Magnus, well, he can only be seen by children. Iris? The lady from the job in Singapore? She actually can be touched by humans, but remains invisible and silent. This phenomenon, whatever you want to call it, they seem to be gaining more and more power. We seem to becoming more human by the second. Pietro, why, he is beginning to form a physical body, he looks like a moving cloud. The Grey’s are becoming human, and we think that you are to blame Medina.” Cato said all of this with a look of a combination of fear and excitement. This was what we had been promised. After our many years of service, the chance to be human again seemed like it was too good to be true. A dream not yet realized, and yet, it was happening.
“Have you seen Zane?” I asked. This was something that I had been wondering about for a while. I had often wondered whether or not he had returned to existence after he had been taken.
“No. No one has seen him in ages. He isn’t even in limbo. Have you seen him by any chance?” Cato had a look of worry in his face. He usually reserved it for me when I had started to live in Joseph’s apartment, but now he gave it to me for Zane.
A sick feeling entered my belly, for I was happier that he hadn’t returned than I was truly comfortable with.
“No. But I know what happened to him.” I said this slowly, deliberately. I wanted to let him know that this was a strange thing that occurred.
Cato looked at me with an undistinguished look in his face. It wasn’t wholly unpleasant, but I knew that if I told him there was no turning back.
“Medina, what have you done?”
I looked at him, my mouth suddenly dry. I wanted to tell him the truth. I needed to. But how do you tell someone who has existed as one person with one set of beliefs for over thousands of years that they were never to be given what they had been promised? How could I tell my only mentor and friend that he was never real? Never alive? Never to become alive?
How?
I had to tell him this, but I had to say this truth once, to tell my story once. And to achieve this, I needed all that was left of the thirteen at once.
“Gather the rest of the Greys Cato; have them meet me here on the roof tonight. Nine o clock tonight. I can only say this once.”
“Medina, don’t play games with me. I am too old to be playing 'guess-where-I-put-the-boss' with you.” He said, using his stern, ‘I-am-older-than-you’ voice.
“I can’t explain now. Just bring them. If you don’t like it, don’t come.”
I stood up and walked away from the puddle.
This day just keeps getting better and better.