Six

Cas wakes up before Ash does, but he doesn't know why. The sun is still down, so the only light entering the room is from the moon that seeps through the curtains. It's quiet now, save for the thrumming in his chest and the chaos in his head. Ash doesn't snore, so the rise and fall of his chest are silent and rhythmic.

There's a lump on his side, and either Sebastian grew a tumor in only a few short hours, or he lets Lylir sleep on top of him. The latter is confirmed when beady eyes stare at him. They look like Salem's only brighter and rounder. Not as deadly, but just as scary.

Cas grabs his phone from off his nightstand and checks it. Eight texts and three missed calls from Rem and another from an unknown number. The texts and calls are excessive, and it makes Cas worried. Did something happen to Remington? Was there a break-in? Mom and Dad leave us alone all the time; what if there was a break-in, and Rem was alone? Is she hurt?

Cas has a racing heart as he calls her back. It's almost five in the morning and, with remembering someone's trying to sleep next to him, he quietly stands up and takes post in the hallway.

"Hello?" A groaning Remy answers, and hearing her voice soothes the little voices in Cas' head. She's alive and safe, sleep-deprived and disoriented, but safe.

"Remy! You called me a bunch, and I needed to know what's up."

"It's five in the morning."

"Four fifty-two, actually."

"Are you a lunatic? Why would anyone call anyone so early in the morning?" Remy asks. "Be rational, Cas, there's no way in any world that I'd want to be awake before I can see the sun higher than my head."

"Why did you call me then?"

"I called you yesterday at like seven. People are still awake at seven."

Obviously, Cas isn't.

Remy sighs, "I called you to finish our conversation. I miss talking to you."

"I've barely been gone," Cas reasons. He's raking his fingers through his hair. It's crazy bed head, and he probably looks crazy in his T-shirt and sweats in the hallway of a school for the rich.

"Yeah, but I'm used to talking to you every day," she responds. "Give me some time to get used to you being not here."

When Cas enters the room, Sebastian is awake with the lamp turned on. He's wearing rectangular glasses that fit his personality: cold, rational, and they make him look smart.

"What are you doing up?" Cas asks, setting his phone back down and climbing back into bed.

"I could ask the same question," he retorts. Of course, Sebastian won't give a clear-cut answer.

"I was on the phone," Cas mumbles into his pillow. It seems like no matter how much sleep he gets, it never enough.

"With who?"

"Aren't you nosy."

Ash scoffs, "Hardly. I'm just curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat."

Ha, like Cas is one to talk.

It seems like Ash ran out of come-backs, so he just huffs, "Go to sleep."

"I will."

"Good."

"Good."

"Jeez, you don't always need the last word."

"Never said I did."

"Well, you act like it."

"And you act like a stuck-up snob, but we don't talk about that."

"I am not a snob," Ash says, offended.

"Pretty sure that's what a snob would say," Cas singsongs. He's half asleep by now, and bickering with Ash is less about winning than it is about making him fall asleep.

"You're acting like a child."

"Technically, I am one. What's your excuse?"

"We're the same age, genius."

"Are we? And here I thought I was talking to an old man."

"Why on earth would you be talking to an old man?"

"Because you wear glasses. Old men wear glasses."

"Everyone where's glasses."

"I don't."

"Clearly."

"Ha! Glasses make you see clearly."

"Go to bed, Cas."

"Mmm...okie."

The next morning moves pretty uneventfully. Ash is gone by the time Cas wakes up, and Lylir doesn't move from Ash's bed once while Cas' getting ready. He goes to breakfast, but only grabs a piece of toast, and the biggest cup of coffee they had, which, to Cas' dismay, only sixteen ounces.

If Rem was here, she'd be hounding him on how toast and coffee isn't a full breakfast, and that he needs to eat more healthy. Since she's not here, however, he grabs another cup and heads to first.

Salem's sitting in his seat, writing something, so he doesn't notice Cas sitting down next to him. At least, that's what Cas thinks until-

"Good morning," Salem says, not looking away from his writing. Cas wonders if he's writing down notes, but Salem doesn't look the type to actually try hard in school, especially if he hates this school as much as he says he does.

"Er, uh," Cas yawns, "good morning."

"You ready for today's test?"

Cas snaps his head toward Salem, "Wait, there's a test today?"

"Uh, yeah?" Salem raises an eyebrow which looks weird when he has snake eyes. "Ms. Simmons spent ten minutes briefing us on it yesterday."

Cas looks at him blankly. What does Ms. Simmons teach again? Yep, Cas is screwed, but that's fine. He has coffee and, like, six hours of sleep in him. He'll be fine. Always fine.