DAWN
i just killed off what was left of the optimist in me
She should have realized that speaking would startle the mute boy, but she can’t help but giggle when he spooks, water spraying all over the pair of them as he scrambles to find his footing in the water. She feels his mind brush up against hers – an ability that is new to her, but she remembers his parting mind-whisper when he left the group in Tephra, as easily as if it had been just yesterday: I didn’t want to lose you either. She wonders if his newfound power is one that makes communicating easier, and as the silence between them persists, she wonders how to speak now.
Is this easier for you? she thinks, her dark eyes meeting his as she waits for confirmation. Drawing closer slowly, she reaches out to brush her nose against his shoulder, hoping he doesn’t draw away this time. It has been so long, so, so long, and she wants him to pull her into an embrace and she wants to never let him go again. The years have changed her, shaped her into a queen and a mother, and here is the one thing left that reminds her of happier days, even if he also reminds her of the worst days of her life.
I’ve missed you, she thinks, closing her eyes and drawing in his too-familiar scent. So much has changed since we’ve seen each other last. She wants to tell him of her children – of Isilme and her ambition, Austra and her shyness. She wants to explain how Nolin and Athena, though twins, are so different in so many complex ways, but they complete each other only as twins do. She wants to gush about Darkling, her perfect little shadow boy, and tell him about all of the things that have occurred in the past few years.
But the golden girl holds back – she doesn’t want to overwhelm him, or frighten him away. A part of her wonders if his really is Sunny, or just a figment of her imagination. She wants him to be real so much, but she feels as though this may just be too good to be true.
@[Rhaegor]