*~*~Connor~*~*

He watched her as he leaned against the front of the apartment building. Connor had no idea how he should be feeling as he watched her walk out of sight.

“That wasn’t supposed to happen, right?”

The voice came from slightly above him. A red haired woman dressed in dark jeans and a pink blouse floated across from him. She floated down until she was eye level with him, which put her almost a foot off the ground. Even though the street was visible through her, he was still able to clearly see the pensive expression on her face.

Despite Elena’s lack of substance, she was not actually a ghost. Just like him she used to make magical items for customers. Her focus had been more on jewelry and other delicate pieces while his focus went towards more sturdier pieces. They had even begun talking about combining their businesses when something terrible had happened.

Four years ago, she was handling a jewel for a customer when a curse activated, causing her to be stuck in her current state. She had been turned into something similar to a ghost. A living soul. Elena was unable to move physical objects or be seen by most people. If he hadn’t picked up the jewel that day… He gave himself a mental shake. No use thinking about the past. Their only clue up till now was that demons had been involved. Ever since that day, he had gone over anything demon related in the hope of coming across something that would return her to normal.

“That wasn’t supposed to happen, right?” She repeated the question while she waited for his answer. Elena had actually been there the entire time overseeing everything. Due to the incident four years ago, she was unable to be more than ten feet away from the jewel he now wore around his neck. Only by touching the jewel was Connor able to see her. Without it, he was as blind as everyone else.

“No.” That spell was only supposed to affect those who were not human. At the time, he had thought it was a safe spell to use. He had been certain Marie was completely human. Connor almost had a heart attack when she suddenly collapsed like that. The amount of relief that washed over him when he found her still conscious and talking was immense. But then what did that mean? Marie was at least partially human or she would have been knocked unconscious. Did that mean she was actually a half? A Quarter?

He shook his head to clear his thoughts. This was getting them nowhere. Besides, it didn’t matter. She was the Guardian and a friend. Nothing else mattered. He turned to Elena with a smile on his face.

“Come on. Let’s go back.” She nodded, happily floating behind him as they walked home.