Winter's Isolation

Both of the boys had been resting until there was a knock at the door. Keeper slowly sits up and rubs the sleep away from his eyes, and yawns. His hair was a mess, but he pulled it into a ponytail as he went to answer the door.

“Hello?” He asks and looks out into the hallway of Owen’s home.

“Hello! I hope I didn’t wake you up; I just wanted to let you know that dinner is ready!” Angie smiles at the short man.

“Oh, thank you…” Keeper nods. “I’ll be right there!”

“Alrighty!” Angie smiles and walks away.

After Keeper shuts the door again, he goes to Owen’s closet and grabs a hoodie. Now that Owen thinks about it, it has gotten much colder.

“Your mom is nice,” Keeper starts as he pulls the hoodie over his head and shivers a little. “And her cooking smells great.”

“Yeah, she was a great parent. At least she tried her hardest to be, and in the end, that’s all that really mattered to me.” Owen yawns and gets out of bed. “It is kinda weird that they just let you crash here, though. I guess grief does strange things to people.”

“It sure does.” Keeper chuckles and stretches. “Okay, so what should I expect when I go out there? Are there customs or traditions your family follows that I need to know before going out there?”

“Well, they’re going to expect you to participate in family time.” Owen chuckles. “Just talk about your day, and you’ll be fine.”

“Right…” The keeper looks a little stressed out.

Owen gets off the bed he was resting on and follows Keeper out of the room, and leads him to the dining room. The smell of his father’s cooking almost brings him to tears; oh, how he missed this. Keeper takes a seat at the table where Owen would normally be sitting.

“Hello, Ezekiel!” Owen’s father smiles as he puts a pot of chicken noodle soup in the center of the table. “Angie was just telling me about you! It’s wonderful to meet one of Owen’s friends!”

“Hello, Mr. Creeks…” Keeper is a little surprised by the welcoming demeanor of Owen’s family.

“Oh, a proper young man!” Owen’s father laughs. “You can just call me Terrance; I’ve never really been into the whole title thing.”

“Oh-” Keeper sits back in the chair as Angie and Zoe come into the room. His leg bounces under the table as he looks around nervously.

Owen’s a little shocked to see Keeper get nervous so suddenly but is even more distracted by seeing Zoe. Her dark eyes are puffy as she had been crying recently. She looks at Keeper and sighs.

“I guess you're Owen’s friend?” Zoe says and looks him up and down. “How come Owen never said anything about you?”

“You know how he is. Stubborn and annoying like that.” Keeper chuckles and watches as everyone sits down around the table.

“Yeah…” Zoe laughs a little and grabs a bowl of soup.

Owen rolls his eyes and chuckles at his sister's response. He knew she would be a little more skeptical of Keepers' appearance since the two of them shared everything going on in their lives. Hopefully, she bought the pen pals fib that Keeper made up.

“So you must be Zoe?” Keeper smiles. “Owen talked a lot about you in his letters.”

“No, I didn’t- I hadn’t even said her name since we met-” Owen mumbles in confusion. “How did you know that?”

“I can’t wait to hear about that.” Zoe laughs and sighs. “I have a question though, were you Owen’s friend or ‘friend?’”

“Zoe!” Angie covers her eyes and shakes her head. “Why are you being so nosey?”

“It’s a legit question!” Zoe laughs. “I wouldn’t put it past Owen to have a secret boyfriend.”

“Uhm…” The keeper just blinks and stares at his bowl in confusion. “Honestly, I wasn’t even aware he was gay.”

“Jesus Christ!” Owen covers his face in embarrassment; of all things to be the topic of conversation, this was not one he planned on.

“Is that a problem for you?” Zoe narrows her eyes at Keeper.

“Nope. I just didn’t know.” Keeper sighs and chuckles. “Good to know, though.”

“Good.” Zoe smiles and elbows Keeper in the side. “I mean, he didn’t talk about it much. He honestly just told us by saying he had a celebrity crush on Jenson Ackles.”

“Well, It’s nice that he felt comfortable enough around you guys that he didn’t feel like it had to be a big thing.” Keeper chuckles and glances up at Owen.

“Not all of us responded that great at first, but we adjusted.” Terrance chuckles. “I just hope that he knows, wherever he is, that we love him for who he is, even if I wasn’t great at showing it at the start.”

“I’m sure he does.” Keeper smiles weakly and continues to eat the soup.

The family sits in silence for a little while to eat. After dinner, everyone heads to their rooms. Keeper grabs one of Owen’s backpacks from the closet and begins to fill it with supplies.

“What are you doing?” Owen mumbles, watching Keeper.

“I’m getting things ready to go find the necromancer.” Keeper sighs as he stuffs a flashlight into the bag.

“Right now?”

“I know that you’ve just been reunited with your family…” Keeper sighs. “But you need to remember why we’re here. You can't let your emotions get in the way of what I need to do.”

“Right… is there anything I can do?” Owen sighs.

“Help me find this address.” Keeper shows Owen the paper Angie gave him. He throws the bag over his shoulder and looks out the window. “Shit. It’s snowing.”

“Really? Damn it. I hate the snow.” Owen grumbles as Keeper opens the window and climbs out of it. Owen follows behind him.

“Where are you going?” Zoe interrupts the two of them. She’s also climbing out of her window.

“Uhm…” Keeper blinks.

“Who were you talking to?” Zoe raises her eyebrow and puts her hand on her hips. Her long black hair is tied into a bun.

“Where were you going?” Keeper crossed his arms over his chest and looked her up and down. “You’re very well dressed for someone who said they were going to bed.”

“I asked first, pipsqueak.” Zoe sighs. “I know you know my brother, that much is obvious, but I don’t think you two were friends. So who are you?”

“What are we supposed to do now?” Owen mumbles over to Keeper.

“How do you know I’m not friends with Owen? How do you even know I know him?” Keeper puts his hands on his hips and glares.

“You aren’t helping your case!” Owen yelps and throws his hands up.

“I know that Owen would have told me if he had a pen pal. Especially if it was a cute guy… the way you talk about him, though, you know him.” Zoe narrows her eyes. “I just don’t know how you know him.”

“Fair enough.” Keeper sighs and begins to walk past Zoe.

“You didn’t answer me.” Zoe catches his arm.

“I’m going to his doctor’s house,” Keeper says as he yanks his arm from Zoe’s grasp.

“Why?” Zoe narrows her eyes again. “Do you know something?”

“What’s there for me to know?” Keeper raises his eyebrows.

Owen grumbles and rubs his eyes. He’s just now realizing how similar Keeper and Zoe are to each other. They're both spiteful, smart, and incredibly stubborn. Of course, they would have caught onto one another.

“His autopsy came back with some pretty interesting information.” Zoe looks Keeper up and down. “The thing is that there are two different reports, the original and the one they gave his family. The original had traces of Atropa belladonna in his system.”

“What’s that?” Owen looks between the two of them.

“Nightshade…” Keeper mumbles.

“Deadly.” Zoe looks away. “Someone killed my brother.”

Owen stares at the two of them. He doesn’t know what to say. For what feels like the millionth time tonight, he’s speechless. He was killed? Who? Why?

“How did you get ahold of the original copy, and why was it changed?” Keeper puts his hands in the pockets of Owen’s hoodie and shivers as a gust of cold air moves between the three of them.

“I broke into the morgue.” Zoe sighs.

“Zoe!” Owen lets out an exasperated noise.

“Interesting…” Keeper leans against the fence behind him and thinks for a moment.

“So does that mean... that’s why I was in the veil?” Owen looks at Keeper.

“No. You didn’t know you were killed…” Keeper mumbles and looks over at Owen.

“Who are you talking to?” Zoe looks over in Owen’s direction, looking worried.

“Take a guess,” Keeper grumbles. He’s annoyed by the new information and having to explain everything to Zoe.

“You’re insane!” Zoe lets out an exasperated laugh. “I can’t believe that my mom let an insane person stay in my house!”

“You believe it, though… don’t you?” Keeper chuckles. “Deep down, you know that Owen is standing feet away from you. You, mortals, are so funny, always wanting to believe that there's something out there after death but refusing to believe the truth.”

Keeper fixes the bag on his back and then continues walking. Zoe and Owen just stood in the snow, looking at one another; at least Owen is looking at Zoe. Zoe’s eyes go through Owen, searching and hoping that she might see him. She sighs and shakes her head.

“Who are you?” She looks at Keeper, who is climbing the fence out of the backyard.

“I'm the same person I've been saying I am since we met Zoe.” He looks over at the two siblings. “Are either of you coming?”

“Don’t let her come! It’s dangerous!” Owen steps in front of Zoe as though that would stop her. “Keep!”

Keeper chuckles and jumps to the other side of the privacy fence, and waits for the two of them to join him. Zoe walks straight through Owen as he stands there stunned. The siblings climb the fence, but before Owen tries to convince Keeper to stop Zoe, she starts leading the way.

“I like your sister. She’s straightforward.” Keeper chuckles and looks at Owen.

“I still think you’re insane, but I was going to go hunting down his doctors anyways. I could use the backup.” She mumbles.

“Whatever you say.” Keeper chuckles.

“It’s not safe, Keep! She could get hurt or even killed!” Owen looks at him.

“So?” Keeper raises an eyebrow. “People die all the time. Mortality is set in stone.”

“Was mortality set in stone for you?” Owen crosses his arms and glares at him. “I don’t like this.”

“No. It was not set in stone, but it is for you two.” Keeper sighs and blinks. “Owen, if I knew her, then maybe I would hesitate for a moment, but as an immortal being who has watched many of his loved ones pass away over and over again, feeling for a human soul is not something I can afford.”

“You wouldn’t even hesitate if she was my sister?” Owen lets out a sigh in exasperation.

Why is it that whenever these two begin to make a breakthrough and get to know one another, they find themselves right back to where they started? Owen sighs as he realizes the cycle, but he still finds himself wanting to know Keeper more. Maybe if he just got to know him, things would be different.

“Well…” Keeper starts to answer, then pauses for a moment. “... Yes. I would hesitate, but only because it would make my job a lot harder to try and get both of you to paradise.”

“What are you talking about?” Zoe interrupts the conversation and glares at Keeper.

“Whether or not I should make you stay home or have you help me,” Keeper grumbles as he glares at Owen. “What are you going to do to help? Haunt their house?”

“You-” Owen starts to argue.

“Ugh.” Zoe rolls her eyes. “It’s weird that you keep pretending to talk to him.”

“It's weird that you broke into a morgue; how’d you even guess to do that?” Keeper chuckles as he shoves his hands into his coat and shivers in the snow. “Gods… it just keeps getting colder.”

“I just had a feeling; I can’t explain it other than I just knew something was wrong,” Zoe mumbles as she looks at Keeper. She slows down to walk side by side with him. “Do you really know my brother?”

“Unfortunately.” Keeper chuckles as he watches the snow below them.

“Are you like… a psychic?” Zoe blinks. “If you were actually seeing him, that is.”

“Nope.” Keeper looks up at the winter sky and flinches at the cold wind. “I’m just a dude who traded his soul for immortality in hopes of never being forgotten.”

“Right, 'cause that makes sense!” Zoe rolls her eyes with a sarcastic tone. “You’re literally insane.”

"You're the one asking." Keeper laughs, amused by Zoe's denial.

Owen walks beside the two of them, wondering how much Keeper has said is true. He has so many questions about Keeper’s past. Why or how is he The Keeper? What kept him in the veil? What was his life like before he died? All these questions, but no answers.

They walk through the cold winter night. The wind bites and nips at them as it grows colder and colder. The snow piles on the road as ice forms and covers the small town they’re in. The snow isolates them from the life that would normally be around. Families are hidden in their homes, and the busy streets are barren.

As they arrived at the address and home of Dr. Allen, the world had gone completely still. Owen swallows as he glances between Keeper and Zoe. He has no idea what to do or even expect.

Even Keeper feels anxious as he stands there looking at the house. The outside of the home looks normal, but he knows better. He knows that the home of a necromancer can be a scary one; after all, he grew up in one.