(Ashley’s POV)
“Angel!” Jinxx yelled in his sleep as it sounded like he hit is head on something.
I gave a confused look and looked at the others. They didn’t seem to have heard him. I got up and went into the bunk room. I found Jinxx sitting, the best he could, in bed breathing heavily almost crying.
“Jinxx…” I said slowly. “is everything all right?” I asked, when he didn’t respond.
He looked at me, he seemed…older than what he was. “she needs help.” he said.
“Who needs help?”
“Bethanne.”
That wasn’t the name he yelled…but he’ll probably just tell another lie if I asked. This was probably a false name. “what kind of help does she need?”
“Protection and health…” he answered. “How close are we to California?”
“We just crossed the border. We’ll be in LA in a few hours. Why?”
“An old friend of mine is going to try to kill her.”
“What old friend?”
“The one we ran into in Mexico.”
“That blonde hair punk that you were talking to?”
“Yeah, his name is Alex. He was my best friend when I was growing up. He had death in the family and he’s been…a piece of shit since the incident happened decade ago. Now he thinks that he could make me like him by killing this fan of ours.” I could tell he lying again, because he was substituting words out for what others that were connected to whatever secret he’s keeping from us.
“How do you she’s a fan?”
“I was talking to her in my dream I woke up from.”
“How could we tell who she is?”
He laughed. “she’s the only one I see in the audience when we play anywhere in California. She only goes to our concerts…due to her health.”
“I see…how bad is her health then?”
“The longest the doctors are giving her is ten years…it’s a type of disease that is fatal and no way out except for…” he stopped when he didn’t want to use the word: death.
“I’m sure the doctors will find away to cure it.” I said hopeful.
Jinxx laughed.
“What?” I asked. “are you so doubtful that there will be a cure for what she has?”
He nodded. “Considering that none of our doctors haven’t found one yet? I think it’s apparent that there is no cure…at least not in this millennium.”
I got confused. Our doctors? Did he mean the ones that is tied with his secret or our doctors? Man I wish he could just tell us his secret. I’m getting a headache trying to figure out what is a lie and what is the truth. And why would it concern him on when a cure is found in this millennium or the next? We won’t be able to see the next millenniums that come after we die...unless this too is tied in with his secret. I growled in frustration. “Jinxx…this is all to confusing for us. Can you just tell us whatever it is that you refuse to tell us?”
“You wouldn’t understand, even if I told you.” he told me. I remember CC saying that Jinxx had said the same thing when he had asked.
“CC thinks you could control the weather.” I said hoping for some reaction from him.
I got what I wanted…he tensed up, but didn’t say anything to deny it. I looked at him in shock.
“It’s true?” I asked in my shocked state.
He sighed then looked at me very seriously.

(Jinxx POV)
“Don’t you dare tell the others.” I told him in a tone that matched my expression.
He nodded. He sat down on my bed as I made room for him. “Do your best to understand what I’m going to tell you.”
He nodded again, this time he was eager…like a little kid at Christmas time.
“CC is right. I can. But…it comes at a price as you guys witnessed.” I said as I paused as to figure out how to tell him. “you know the nickname you guys gave me for our concept album?” I asked.
“The Mystic?” he asked. “What does that have to do with anything? It’s just a nickname.” he said.
“It has everything to do with me…it’s not a nickname, Ash, it’s who I am. What did CC say about my eyes? I know he saw them, because he kept asking me questions about them.”
Ashley looked away, disgusted. I laughed. “I take it he wouldn’t shut up about them.”
“You could say that again.” he said.
“He’s right about them too. I had to play dumb the entire time he was talking to me about them. It was really getting to me.”
“Hang on…if you really can control the weather and your eyes can turn pure white, then prove it.”
I laughed. “Pure white eyes will result to me passing out like I had when I was talking to Alex. Whatever it is that CC told you guys is true.”
“Wouldn’t this so called ‘talent’ make you a wizard or something?”
I laughed. “No, I’m a mystic. Mystics are often confused as a witch or wizard.”
“So then what is the difference?”
“A witch or wizard can only live a millennium and deals with all magic. A mystic can live up to seven millenniums and only have control over the powers that are bounded to their family. If we don’t find our significant other with in the first millennium--our birth millennium--we die…normally the girls or the more feminine parters die first and the guys or the more masculine partners follow a month after, after we go ‘dark’; I’m in my first millennium.” I told him.
“And the girl…this Bethanne…do you think she’s…?”
“She told me she was in this dream of mine…and I’m hers. Her real name is Angel…Alex’s real name is Reign…as in ruling over something.”
“And yours?”
“You already know mine.”
He looked confused. “Jinxx?”
I smiled. “Yes.”

(Ashley’s POV)
As we talked, I tried to find the lies. But there was none, I sat there in shock and in horror as all the pieces from Mexico until now fell into place. I looked away and noticed something pink glowing from his chest. I looked at it and realized it was his necklace.
“Jinxx…your necklace…it’s glowing pink…” I said in aghast.
He looked down at his necklace. “Yes, it’s because she found me. One of her powers is entering dreams. My necklace changes from white to pink, when I found the one I’m meant to be with…when we wed it’ll be red. It’ll go back to white when we start a family…or so my mom says.” he smiled a little.
“Andy had mentioned that while you slept, that it was pulsing like a heartbeat when you were unconscious.”
“It does that when I get injured from another mystic…Angel’s stone does the same. But her’s isn’t strong enough.”
“May be yours is…may be yours is the cure she’s looking for.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Mystic stones don’t have that much healing powers. If we were seriously injured…like if I had broken my arm, it wouldn’t be able to get healed. We’d have to go to your doctors to get it healed.”
“I see…isn’t there a mystic with healing powers then?”
He sighed. “ if there was one, I probably wasn’t looking hard enough. I’ve been around for such a long time, but never ran into a mystic that had healing powers.”
This got me curious. “Jake had mentioned that when he tried to wake you. You thought you were in the great depression and were talking to your older brother.”
He laughed. “That was my last life…the worst I’ve been though.”
“So you actually were there?”
“Yes. I’ve been through majority of America’s history…the only ones I could think of was the wars and everything between the years of 1911-1980.”
This is very interesting. “so then…how old are you…really?”
He laughed. This laugh reminded me of his laugh from when we were only sitting in Mexico before he went out for his walk with CC.
“I’m eight hundred and eighteen years older than you are now.” he said after settled down from his laugh.
I did the math…if I take my age and add it to number he gave me…that would make him…I looked at him in shock as I came to my conclusion. “eight hundred and forty-nine?” I whispered, which was as loud as I could go thanks to my shock.
“Yes.” he said.
“Shit…” I said. “No wonder you didn’t want us to know. You’re an old man.”
He laughed. “Gee….thanks.” he said playfully.
“So how do you look so young?”
“It’s a born power we mystics have…everyone who is a mystic has it…whether they’re turned or not.”
“Wait…turned as in what? Dark?”
“No, if you turn dark…you’d either die a month after becoming dark or--well I’m not sure on the other way…I guess Reign is a good example of a mystic going dark.” Jinxx explained. “the turned I’m talking about is if a mortal becomes a mystic…for example if you were to come across a mystic who was willing to risk their life to make you into a mystic.”
“Could any mystic turn a human into one of you?” I asked. “could you do it?”
“Yes, any mystic can. No, because I don’t want to get killed for it. It’s against the laws of nature. There is only one exception that will allow me to do that. It has been done before.”
“What is that exception?”
“If our true love is human…my dad was human when mom found him. She pleaded with our council if he could be like us so she don’t go dark.”
“What happens if your significant other--or I should say--true love die?”
“If we’re married? The one that remains will get the powers of the one that passed and go dark. ‘going dark’ is a term for us, when we lost our true love. Because we can’t really stand to live alone and there is no other out there…as far as our history has told…that could turn us back to normal. I’m still young…as far as a mystic life goes. So I’m still learning these things out for myself. If we found our true love but not married them….well Reign is a good example of that as well. If we can’t find our true love before she/he dies, then we get their power all at once and die within a month of gaining their power.”
“This is a lot to take in…” I said as an overwhelming wave hit me.
“Now you know how I feel…I’m not even at my millennium mark yet…the first millennium is known as the learning millennium for us, because of the onslaught of information…and majority of us don’t even make it to our one millennium mark.”
“How far away are you from yours?” I asked flabbergasted.
“A hundred and fifty-one.” He answered.

(CC’s POV)
“-One.” I heard Jinxx say.
I looked around and noticed that Ashley was gone. Andy and Jake had fallen asleep on the couch, both slouching over to each arm rest on their side. Soft snoring came from them.
“Wow…that’s still far away.” I heard Ashley say.
Their voices were coming quietly from the bunk room. I got up, in need to stretch my legs, and walked over. I knocked on the door, not wanting to barge in on their conversation…whatever it was they were talking about.
The conversation died. I took that to enter.
“Hey guys, what’s up?” I asked.
Jinxx gave Ashley the ‘don’t you dare’ look, while Ashley gave him ‘its safe with me’ look. I caught on.
“You know his secret.” I said as I closed the door.
“Yes, he does…and he promised me that he won’t tell you three. I’ll tell you guys soon. It’ll probably be like how Ashley found out…which is when we’re alone.” Jinxx answered.
“Well the other two are knocked out asleep…and Ashley knows already…so I guess you can say we are alone.” I said.
Jinxx studied me. “From what Ashley had told me, before I told him…you already know. But I’ll give you the name of it.” Jinxx said. “I’ll let Ash explain, if you want more details than what I give you.” he added.
I nodded.
“Whatever it was you suspected about me is true…my eyes as well. I knew they could do that…and I’m sorry I lied about it.” he told me. “I’m not a witch or wizard…if you’re thinking that is what I am…your wrong.”
“Then what are you?” I asked confused. How the hell did he know that was what I was thinking?
“What’s the name you guys gave me for our concept album? It’s not a nickname for me….it’s who I am.”
“Mystic?” I asked even more confused.

Ashley and Jinxx laughed. “Here man, let me explain it to you…I’ll try my best to give you all that he told me.” Ashley answered as Jinxx got up and left the room.

Notes