I sighed and took a sip of my tea. "Roy, you drop by and ask me to do this, but you still haven't told me why. Roy that girl would be crushed if you just left her like that. You can see it in her eyes that she loves you. You're all she has." I was referring to Alice, the girl Roy had taken and was raising, who at that moment was in the backyard with Tori, who said she'd entertain the girl while we talked. "Roy I'm fifteen! How am I supposed to raise a child? I'm still just a child myself..." I nearly whispered the last part, not sure of my choice of words.
"Skye I know it's a lot to ask of you, trust me I know. I just didn't have anyone else to turn to...." He looked away, frowning to himself. Looking at him, he seemed just as tired as he had before, as if he hadn't slept for a long time.
"Look I'm sure Tori wouldn't mind you staying for awhile bu-" His eyes widened and he looked slightly panicked.
"No! Just....her...." I raised an eyebrow at the outburst. He looked at the ground, his eyes no longer visible, hidden beneath his hair. He continued to stare at the ground as he spoke. "Skye, please...." I stared at him for another few moments, the room silent as I thought.
"I'm not agreeing to anything, but if I'm even to think about this, I need to know one thing." He looked at me hopefully. "Why? Why can't you take care of her anymore?" He smiled sadly.
"Skye, the path I walk, is not one I chose. But it is one I must continue to walk. This path though, it's coming to an end. I'm not going to be around for much longer, and I refuse to drag her down with me, I care for her too much to do so." My eyes widened for a split second, trying to take in what I had heard. He was saying...he was going to die soon. But....
“You had been visiting Wolf right? How was that?” His smile became slightly strained at the question.
“It was nice, really nice. But there were things I wish I would have said. To each of them... I just...” He sighed.
I smiled at him. “Hey don't worry you can tell them next time.”
It's why he had seemed so sad.....there wouldn't be a next time. "Roy how can you be sure, I me-"
He chuckled. "Skye, you saw him didn't you? He's been following me for weeks now, I can't go more then an hour without seeing him. Honestly, I'm surprised you haven't noticed." At that moment, he appeared, standing right behind Roy, his faceless head tilting as he observed me. Everything had froze, Roy was still smiling and I felt all of the color drain from my face. As fast as he had appeared though, he had vanished.
I let go of a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. I regarded Roy. He still smiled and yet, in his eyes I could see how desperate he was. I took another sip of tea and shut my eyes. How could I deny a dying man, his last request? I didn't open my eyes as I responded "Fine." Was all I said. I would of course talk to Tori about this later and hope she understood.
I guess I was right, things had gotten a lot more complicated.