Oh, what he'd do to forget.

"Can I go now?" he asks Anai. "I don't feel sick, and I think the comfort of my own room will help cure away the migraine."

"Just a minute, I have to give you a few more tests just to make suing the school not an option."

Ten minutes feels like an eternity when you count every second. Statistically, looking at the clock like that would mean Cas saw the little red hand move six hundred times. Counting to six hundred alone sounds like an awfully long time.

Five

Cas swings up into a sitting position, drowning in a pool of sweat, and his heart is racing. Ash wasn't in the room when he got there, and Cas looked everywhere for that stupid cat, but he couldn't find him. With both obstacles out of the way, Cas went straight to sleep, but it seems he didn't sleep well. Whether it was a nightmare or something else, Cas can't tell you, but he feels a little hollowed out afterward nonetheless.

Ash still isn't in the room, and Cas notices the gold, beady eyes staring at him from the pillow on Ash's bed.

Found Lylir.

There's a knock on the door just then, and Cas jumps. With such a silent, empty room, a loud noise like that would scare anyone. Probably even Sebastian.

Who could be knocking at this time? It's not that late, eight-thirty, but who would need anything from Cas at eight-thirty? Especially when he doesn't have anything to offer? It could be Sebastian. He might've forgotten his key and locked himself out. Even Cas knows that that probably isn't the case. Sebastian looks like one of those responsible fellows that never forget anything important except maybe a sibling's birthday.

It could be one of Ash's many friends. He had practically the entire school rolling out the red carpet for him, so it's not out of the question that one of them thought they would be smart by trying to get one on one time with him in his room. Except he isn't here and that would mean Cas would have to deal with them, and Cas doesn't feel like dealing with anyone right now, let alone popular, rich wannabes. Cas can practically feel the disappointment they'll feel when it's him that opens the door and not flawless Sebastian Velenetene.

What's so great about him, anyway? Sure, he's got a pretty cool ability, and sure, he's probably rich. And handsome, and cool, and has this laid back personality that makes others feel pretty secure. He has this authority, too.

With a small look, Cas could probably figure out what makes him tick, his little idiosyncrasies that no one should know about another person. He could figure out what Ash's true colors are, and he could have all the proof he'd need to hate him forever.

But first, he needs to open the door.

It's Salem, and the relief floods over Cas that he didn't have to tell off a stranger. It's actually pretty anticlimactic.

He has the white earbuds in his slightly pointed ears, and those venomous green eyes peer straight into Cas'. He isn't wearing the uniform anymore, but he is still wearing the same black hoodie. Jeans and ratty sneakers complete the ensemble. His hair is tied in a small pony with strands falling out to frame his face. His face is so neutral that Cas can't decide if he's more prone to murdering him and hiding Cas' body in his closet or giving him a hug.

"Uh...yeah?" Cas asks, anxiously.

He pulls out his earbuds and shoves them into his hoodie pocket. "Reese told me to check on you, make sure you aren't brain dead or anything."

"Right. Well, I'm not."

"Really? And here I thought I'd be having to harvest your organs. Silly me." Straight face. That isn't something you say with a straight face.

"Do you...wanna come in?"

"Do you have candy in your room?"

Cas raises his eyebrow. "There's a cat in here?"

Salem's in the room in a heartbeat, looking around until he sees Lylir. He walks over to the demon-devil thing, and the cat hisses, backing himself into a corner on Ash's bed. Salem hisses back, and the cat's eyes widen as if he's genuinely scared. Salem scared a cat into submission and now pets it on his lap as if he's done this for forever.

"You're a cat person?" Cas asks.

"If I'm an anything that is deadly person."

"I knew he was deadly."

Say looks at him like he lost his mind, "Not him. House cats are never deadly, you lunatic. Lions and tigers are, though, and until the zoo will let me pet one of them I guess this will do." Say picks him up above his head to examine his face. "Aren't you just the cutest descendant of a savage carnivore? Yes, you are; yes, you are!"

Cas knows he only met him today, but he would've sworn that he'd never seen that in his lifetime. Not in a million years.

"Why didn't Topher come with you?" Cas asks as he sits back on his bed and rakes his black hair. It isn't like Say's hair. His hair is more black like night time. Dark. Mysterious. Cool. Cas' hair reminds him of toast that was left in the toaster for too long.

"His mom called. Those conversations last at least three hours, so I decided to hunt you down myself." Salem answers.

"That reminds me, how did you know this was my room?" Cas probably figures he looked it up somewhere.

"I have my ways," Salem responds vaguely. His ways consist of knocking on every single dorm room until he came to this one. Since Cas' room is one of the last ones on the top floor, Salem made a lot of people annoyed.

"What's with the pictures? Is your roommate really into photography?" Salem asks.

Cas examines Ash's walls. The pictures really are amazing. Some are landscapes, and some are pictures focused on one little thing, blurring out the rest. He hasn't spent a whole lot of time looking at them, but Cas supposes his favorite is one of a bridge. It's in black and white, and the growing, out-of-control bushes around it make it feel abandoned, lonely, and melancholy. Cas wonders how Ash saw it when he took it. Did he see the same thing Cas did, or did he focus on how the structure looked strong and independent? He'll never know, because he's never planning to ask.

"I mean, I think so. We haven't talked much," Cas answers.