Reaping of the Wives

SOON, SHE'LL BE HOME

For five days Ava cried herself to sleep. She wouldn't speak and barely ate or drank in any amount that could be considered sustainable. I knew losing Cami was going to be a crippling pain to overcome, but I was starting to fear the young girl wouldn't pull through.

On top of my worries over Ava, ever since the day things went horribly wrong, the husbands had been acting strange. We hadn't seen Caleb at all, thankfully, but Noah and Jonah never stayed whenever they came around. They brought us food and water three times a day, but never uttered a word.

Noah's silence was becoming just as unbearable as the palpable grief that hung in the air like a heavy smog refusing to lift.

Pulling my threadbare blanket up over me, I tucked my chin beneath it. My breath escaped like white puffs of smoke with each exhale.

"You know the tree I painted your owl nesting inside of?" I asked aloud, unsure if Ava was even awake. I had grown used to her not responding but I spoke anyway. At the very least, it would remind her that she wasn't alone. That she was still alive. That there was still hope. "I painted it for Camilla. I.. I almost told her, but I didn't think she'd care to hear."

I closed my eyes and felt the stab of regret piercing my chest; I should have just told her. Not that it would have made a difference. We probably still would have argued every day, but at least she would have known that I saw her for what she was: strong. Strong to the bitter end.

"Why?"

The sound of Ava's voice made me jump out of my reverie. She sounded so hoarse and weak, like a completely different person from the spunky girl who had chat my ear off a mere week ago. I sat up and scooted to the edge of my bed, wanting to jump for joy that she was at least interacting again.

"Because we'd been arguing so much, I just figured—"

"No, I mean," she tried to clear the rasp from her voice, "why a tree?"

I blew out a slow breath as I stared at the prominent piece within the mural, then wiped away the tear that slipped from my eye.

"Because she was strong. Somewhere along the line we stopped seeing eye to eye but that didn't change the fact that she was strong. She had a hardened exterior, but such a beautiful, glowing life within her. Even with how secluded we are, she still managed to reach us like hidden roots beneath these tiled floors. She was amazing, and I.. I'm so, so sorry she's gone."

Ava didn't speak for a long time. I thought maybe talking about Cami had exhausted her and she'd fallen asleep but when we heard the door to the hall open, she whispered a quick, "Thank you."

Noah opened my door and I noticed Ava's stayed closed so Jonah wasn't with him.

Entering the room with a small cardboard box, he wordlessly approached the corner where my gifts were. He knelt down and began placing the paint supplies in the box along with the bird book he lent me.

"Thanks," I smiled, leaving my seat upon the bed to help him stow away the rest of the items. "I'd been needing something to keep them all stored in."

He smiled and stood up as he looked to my mural.

"It really is beautiful." His lips turned up into a smirk when he added, "I especially like my part."

My cheeks immediately flushed. I never thought he'd be able to find it, but I should have known. He knew me so well, better than I knew myself. Of course he'd be able to find it.

"You just remind me of.." a breathy laugh of embarassement had me shaking my head. "It's stupid. I'm sorry."

His eyes never left his name ever so discreetly spelled out amongst the constellations surrounding my moon when he asked, "What do I remind you of?"