The Beast and The Brain.

After my bath I pulled on my pants, they were washed clean of any mud and to my surprise; they had not been ripped or torn from the resent events, the leather was sturdy. I sat down on the chair, held the mirror up, and looked at myself. My dark hair had grown out of control, and my face was rough with hair. I did look like an animal. I set the mirror up against the back of another chair so I could see myself. I picked up the shaving brush, lathered my face with the shaving soup, picked up the flat blade, and started shaving. I took my time and made sure I didn’t cut myself. After I finished I wiped my face and ran my hand over my chin.

I cleaned off the razor and put everything back on the chair. I ran my hand through my wet hair; it was almost long enough to pull back into a ponytail. I was surprised I never really noticed before, I found a pair of scissors and sighed. I was always horrible and cutting my own hair. I remembered the bounty hunters that J and I had fought, they cut their own hair and I did not want to look like them. I stood up and left the bathroom. “Grace?” I called once I was in the hallway; there was no reply, so I went downstairs.

Grace was reading in a chair by the fire, “Hey grace?”

She looked up from her book, “Yes?”

“Are you any good at cutting hair?” I asked holding up the scissors.

She smiled and laughed a little, “Yes, I can cut your hair.” She put her book down and she took my back up to the bathroom. I sat down in the chair and she took up the scissors. She took her time, I told her not to cut it too short, and she promised that she wouldn’t.

After a while, Grace stopped cutting, and I suddenly felt her fingers lightly touch my shoulders. I instantly tensed, but then relaxed. “Where…did this come from?” She asked. I sighed and didn’t reply at first.

“It happened before I was first taken to prison, a few years back.” I told her, “They found out about me, and sent a battalion of men and took me by surprise; it was a miracle that I didn’t die that day.” Grace was silent and I took a moment as the memory came back and cut my life a knife, “I wasn’t I control of my power then, not completely. I…” My fists tightened and tears came to my eyes.

“It’s ok Asher.” Grace bent down and hugged me from behind; you don’t have to tell me Asher, I’m sorry I asked.” I nodded my head and she went back to cutting my hair. Grace started talking about the move she made with her father, and went on as if she never noticed my scars. She finished cutting then combed through my hair and I looked in the mirror.

My dark hair fell just above my eyes and it was messy. I never could tame my hair. I turned and smiled at Grace, “Thank you.” She nodded and then left the room. I finished changing and then looked at myself in the mirror one last time then left. I descended the stairs and saw that Grace was reading again. “Where is Charles?” I asked.

She looked up from her book, “He went out; I think he’s seeing if he can get any information about the soldiers, to see if they are on the move yet.”

I nodded my head, “I’ll be leaving tomorrow I think, once you heal me tonight I think I’ll be good enough to head off.”

“Do you have supplies?”

“No….” I replied.

“Do you have weapons?”

“No.” I said looking away frustrated.

“Do you have a horse?”

“No, but I fly.”

“Do you have anything other than the clothes on your back?”

“No…” I admitted.

Grace nodded her head, “Just as I thought, you’re not leaving until I say you can leave. If those soldiers even try to enter this house I will remind them that if I leave, so does the cure.” I smiled sheepishly.

“Thanks Grace, but your father is right, they will come here first. Healer or not they will be determined, and I would rather not put you and your father in that situation. Besides...” I took a deep breath, “I want to be on the move again.”

Grace frowned, “Do you not like seeing us again?” She asked.

“You know I do Grace.” I took a seat next to the fire; Grace had given up on reading her book at this point.

“Then stay a bit longer, I can help you regain your lost strength.”

I smiled, “You’ll keep finding an excuse to make me stay.”

She grinned at me, “Maybe.” She admitted.

We were both silent a moment, then finally she asked what she had been wanting to ask me, I could see it, “Asher, where is J?”

Instantly I felt my blood cool and something hit my hard in the chest, I gritted my teeth, “I told you, she left.”

Grace shook her head, “Left where?”

“I don’t know.”

“Well when is she coming back?”

“I don’t know.”

“Well I think you need to find her.”

“I’ve been trying to!” I stood up suddenly, my voice rose into a deep thundering sound toward the end. I stood there a moment, shaking in anger and trying to gain control over myself.

Grace didn’t seem at all phased by my reaction. She sat in her chair, and stared coolly at me; I turned my back to her and ran my hand down my face. I knew my features had changed; I’m surprised Grace wasn’t trembling in fear or screaming for me to go away, “I knew it.”

I turned around and looked at Grace, “What?” I asked.

“I knew it.” She told me, “I knew there was something wrong.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked annoyed.

“J left you, when I was healing you, I noticed a part your mind was in a weakened state, and I knew it had to be J’s work. She left you, and now you are going after her.” She sighed and looked into the fire, “I told you right before you two left, I said that you needed to stick together, I wasn’t joking about that Asher.”

“I’m going to find her Grace.” I promised her.

“You better.” She nodded.

“I’m going to kill her.”

Grace’s eyes darted to mine and she stared in shock for a full minute, I didn’t care, I was telling her the truth, she stood up slowly and walked up to me. Then she slapped me hard across the face, “You are such a fool.” I simply stood there, “You think it’s as simple as that?” She asked, “You think you can just kill J?”

“I will.” I said quietly.

She slapped me again, “You don’t get it do you?”

“Get what?” I asked, getting annoyed again.

“You and J are meant to be together, you two are the most powerful people I have ever met. Together you can accomplish anything, but you don’t see that. You only see the fact that she betrayed you.”

I looked Grace in the eye, “How do you…?”

“It wasn’t hard to guess Asher, we found you in a prison, without J, and you want to kill her. I connected the dots.” She waved her hand dismissing the point, “The fact is Asher, you need to get over it. She broke your heart, big deal, J needs you and you need her, you’ll see this someday, I know you will.”

I stepped away from Grace, “You don’t know anything, and how can you?” I asked her, “You’re just a girl.”

Grace stepped forward and slapped me one final time, but with her slap she pushed some of her power onto me without even realizing it and I was suddenly lost in a memory.

“Amazing how fast someone learns when there is pain involved.” She slapped me with her other hand then stomped on my foot with her heel. I released her wrist and took in a deep breath biting back the pain, “But that doesn’t mean there aren’t other ways of looking at things. Remember that. When you think you’re ready for an attack, think again.”

I stumbled back from Graces blow, and fell against the table and onto the floor. I took deep breaths, and tears streamed down my face, the memory had been as clear as day, almost as if I were standing in the forest with J again. Grace was taken aback at my reaction and stood there silently, “I’m sorry Asher I didn’t mean-”

“-Thank you.” I cut her off, not listening to what she was saying. I looked up at her and smiled, “You just made me realize what I’ve been doing wrong; I know how to find J now.” A few more tears rolled down my face, these weren’t tears of sadness, they were tears of joy, I knew how to hunt down J and it was possible because of what J told me in that clearing. I had been predictable before, relying only on my power, now I knew. I had to be unpredictable. I smiled to myself, thanks for the lesson J.