Chapter Fifteen Page Four, Neil, Asta's Room

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“David is joining the Bricklayers tonight,” Asta said, “I think that might be the title. To be a Bricklayer. And he’s… he’s ‘taking’ it, I guess. He’s going to be called a Bricklayer.”

            “No,” Neil said, matter of factly, “He wouldn’t join.”

            “Look, Neil, he is going to join,” Asta said, “He thinks it will get him closer to stealing the Candle Crown. I’ve been… mind connecting with him a lot lately.”

            “But… aren’t the Bricklayers supposed to be, like, members only, er, selective? I mean, how would they let him join? He doesn’t ever do anything.”

            “But he did. On Saturday night…”

            “What did he do?” Neil asked.

            Asta looked at him and he looked away, “He killed someone,” Asta said, “Killed someone that was an enemy of the Bricklayers’ leader’s daughter. And now I think they want to let him join because of it.”

            “No,” Neil said, “Nope. Dave didn’t kill Kyle. They were friends.”

            “I’m glad you figured out…” Asta said, “That I was referring to Kyle.”

            “This is a big joke,” Neil said, “This is a trick. You’re thinking I’ll trust everything you say because you’re a psychic. But hey, I know that psychics can lie for the sake of a joke. So, ha ha, very funny Asta. I think it’s in poor taste though.”

            “I can feel your emotions,” Asta said, “And I know you believe what I said.”

            “Why would Dave fucking do this?” Neil asked. He stood from the bed and walked over to the window. He clenched and unclenched his fists. “I can’t even tell why this is making me so mad.”

            “You’re feeling betrayed,” Asta said, “Because you were beaten up by a Bricklayer. And now it feels like Dave is supporting the people who hurt you.”

            Neil kept his face towards the window. He didn’t think he should feel betrayed. But he knew that what Asta was saying was true. Neil’s best friend was joining the very group of people that had almost killed Neil. All at once Neil realized why getting beaten up hadn’t bothered him until now.

            “If you want to hear what I think,” Asta said, “I think you should feel right to feel betrayed. I would too. I think anyone would. If you wanted to cry…”

            “I don’t want to cry,” Neil said, “I don’t even think it should be bothering me this much.”

            “It’s ok,” Asta said. “I can think of something that might make you feel better, though. I never told you what her message was about.”

            “Oh, right,” Neil said.

            “It was about how our only chance to stop the last prophecy would be to stop David from getting the Crown,” Asta said, “Friday said that if the Candle Crown falls into the right hands, everything could be stopped.”

            “Oh,” Neil said, “Uh.”

            “That isn’t making you feel better,” Asta said, “I should have kept it to myself.”

            “It’s just making me confused,” Neil said, “I don’t know how I’m supposed to know whose hands are the right hands.”

            “That makes sense,” Asta said.

            “It doesn’t, really,” Neil said, “I mean for a while now I’ve been thinking that maybe Dave was getting dangerous. But. All of this just confirms it. And now I think I have to be the one who keeps him from acting on everything and doing awful things. I think somehow I’ve been encouraging it and now it’s my responsibility to set him straight.”

            “That is a really big responsibility,” Asta said, “I don’t think you should be putting all that weight on your shoulders.”

            Neil wasn’t sure. But it had made him feel somewhat better to say he’d be taking power. So he kept going with it, “No, I’m definitely going to do it,” Neil said, “I’ll go over to his house right now and tell him not to go. I’ll tell him that if we were ever friends, he’d owe it to me now to not steal the Candle Crown.”

            “He’s about to be inducted into the Bricklayers,” Asta said, “I don’t think he’ll listen to reason. I can see into his mind, remember?”

            “Oh,” Neil said, “So I’ll have to… stop him, physically?”

            “We’ll figure something out,” Asta said, “If for no other reason than we have to in order to save the world.”

            “That is a good reason too,” Neil said.

            Asta snickered.

            “Yeah I know how ridiculous that sounded,” Neil said, “Putting my friendship with him in front of the world.”

            “It was just the way you said it,” Asta said, still smiling, “It wasn’t what you said.”

            “Oh,” he said, “That’s cool too I guess.”

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