They next morning sitting in Jared's bed my mind drifted over my memories from the last couple of weeks, from my first day at school to now. So much had happened, and it was still a lot to take in.

The altering had worked and I was able to look to my future with hope and not resigned sadness. I wondered if it would take as long as it had for me to complete the change to a Synthetic Archaic.

The anxious feeling in the pit of my stomach pulled at me. I felt that familiar feeling that I was missing something. It was because I was missing Jared, but before I went looking for him, I needed to shower and get into some clothes. I went back into the room and looked for my duffel bag.

A shower and a quick change of clothes later, I was ready to go looking for Jared. I walked down the stairs and walked into the kitchen. Jared and his mom were sitting at the kitchen counter, drinking coffee. They both stood up as I entered the room.

"Hi," Catherine greeted as she gave me a hug. "How are you feeling?" she asked as she scanned my face.

"I feel good." It was the truth. I was still feeling very anxious but it was nothing like the burning feeling I'd felt for Mason's touch. Technically I was still in the process of changing, so maybe it would get worse the closer I got to completing the change, like it had with Mason.

"You're a very lucky girl," she stated. I wasn't sure I felt so lucky.

She released me and Jared stood beside me. He was still walking around in his pajama bottoms and a plain white T-shirt.

"Hey," he said. I reached for him and as soon as my fingers touched his hand, I felt whole again. I was happy. The anxious feeling faded away.

"Hi," I greeted him back.

"Do you want some breakfast?" he asked.

"Do you have cereal?" I questioned with a smile. I sat down in a seat next to Jared's half-empty cup of coffee. His mom sat opposite us.

"Of course," he said as he searched through the cupboards. He found a box and poured my cereal in a bowl, and then added milk and a spoon. He pushed the bowl in front of me.

"How're you feeling?" he asked. He was studying me closely.

"I feel fine," I answered.

"Good." He smiled and gave me a quick peck on the lips.

I glanced up at the clock on the kitchen wall as I ate a spoonful of my cereal. It was seven in the morning.

"Do you think the Hue are still around?" I asked Jared quietly. He was sitting next to me now, sipping his coffee.

"No. They've left town," he answered.

I didn't know how I felt about that. I didn't have the connection to Mason anymore and I was very relieved. I wasn't scared of them like I had been before. Maybe it was because I was now becoming a synthetic Archaic and I would be completing the change soon. I still wasn't exactly sure how soon that would be. But if I was already feeling physical effects when Jared wasn't around, I was pretty sure it would be soon.

"You'll need to be trained so that you can protect yourself if you need to," he explained, watching me closely. His finger tilted my face toward his and he said, "I need to know that you're able to take care of yourself if I'm not there."

I nodded my head. I understood. He couldn't be with me all the time and he needed me to be able to protect myself against the Hue when they came back again. I wanted to be able to protect myself, too, and I didn't want to be considered the weak one in the group or the one who needed to be protected.

"The Hue will be back, and when they come I want you to be prepared. That is why it's so important for you to train and learn to fight. You also need to learn how to use your abilities," he said. "You're very important to me, and Mason knows that. It's just a matter of time before he comes back."

Important to me, his words echoed in my heart.

Just when everything had settled down. I didn't have to worry about turning into a monster anymore; now I had to worry about Mason coming back to harm me. Soon I would be one of them, and that introduced a whole new set of problems.

I realized my life was always going to be different. Gone were my days of just worrying about school and normal teenage things. Homework, clothes, boys, etc.—all those things seemed small and insignificant now. Now that I was changing, my life was always going to be different. I would have to train and learn how to fight and I would need to learn how to use my abilities.

So today, on a rare occasion where I didn't have to worry about Archaic or Hue, I wanted to do something normal. I wanted to do something so mundanely human that it would be considered boring.

"I want to go to school today," I said quietly.

Jared stopped what he was doing to look at me and ask, "Are you sure you're up for it?"

"Yes," I answered. "If I stay home I'm going to go crazy thinking about the altering and everything. I need normality. Normality is school. Besides, it will keep my mind off everything else."

He stood and looked at me for a minute. I waited.

"Okay," he conceded with a slight nod. He understood.

"I need to go and get ready," he said and left the kitchen to go upstairs to shower and change.

"I need to go to work, so I will see the two of you later," Catherine said as she gave me a quick hug before she left.

I sat and finished my cereal while I waited for Jared. He didn't keep me waiting long. He walked into the kitchen while I was washing the breakfast dishes.

"You ready?" he asked as I finished off the dishes.

"Yes."

We walked out of his house and he opened the passenger door for me, then walked around the car and climbed into the driver's side. It was a quiet ride to school. Jared held my hand as I stared at the scenery as he drove.

Everything around me seemed a little brighter and I wondered if it was because I didn't have the thought of an early death hanging over me.