Ten rounds, a new game, supper, and
two bedtime stories later, I sat in the rocking chair in my room. I still felt a
pit of loneliness swallowing me from the inside, but I noticed it a little less.
Though this new life was fragile, it was shaping up better than my previous
one. I had bonded with the others and helped them to see they have so much in
common outside of elements.
“Congratulations.”
I jumped at Drei’s voice; I didn’t
remember hearing him enter, and yet he stood in the doorway, looking at me with
that soft smile of his. Then again, I had been preoccupied and hadn’t been
listening for him.
“What for?”
He glided over, pulling me from the
rocking chair.
“For starting over,” he whispered,
something in his eyes questioning why I even had to ask.
“Oh, that,” I said breezily, waving
my hand limply off to the side.
“And for bringing the children
together.”
“Have they always been like that?”
“I am afraid so. They felt there were
no similarities between different elementals.”
“Well, no more…I hope,” I added,
realizing one day wouldn’t completely reverse years of opinion.
A bemused smile played on his lips,
and I had that impulse to hug him again, thanking him for everything. Who knows
what might have happened if I had never met him, or left, or anything. The
future leaders would still be fighting amongst themselves and I might have had
a bittersweet reunion with my mom.
“Thank you,” I settled for instead,
sliding between the sheets and nestling into my pillow. The mattress was hard
and reminded me of sleeping on the ground. A month ago, that may have bothered
me. It was comforting not everything had changed.
“Sleep well, Abriel,” Drei whispered,
a chill hand brushing hair out of my face.
“A story?” I requested softly, suppressing
a yawn.
“Some other night,” he
replied softly as I fell into a deep sleep.
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