A miracle.
That's what they called her. A miracle for being born, a miracle for surviving as long as she did, and a miracle is what she'd need to make it through when all that she's been preparing for comes hurdling towards her all at once.
Solaur...
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|Chapter Twent-Two|
I sat by Rae's grave under the shade of an apple tree that stood alone in the meadow, a few feet away from the orchard.
Sai and Matt had been gone all day, finalizing some details with K.O.A.C and I had been here, just gazing. I had woken up a couple of hours ago, an entire day after it all went down, and made my way straight here, where mom said they laid him to rest.
The sisters and his siblings from the orphanage all came to bid him farewell earlier, and I'd finally been able to stop crying since I woke up.
I felt uneasy as I watched the fresh dirt and the apple blossoms that fell and covered his grave. I didn't know if Fenrih would accept him since he was really no longer himself, but I prayed that his Great was welcoming, that They remembered who he was before. A splash of silver hit the dirt and I wiped my nose with a soaked cloth I had been using for the bleeding that was constant since the moment I woke up, and rested my head on the trunk of the tree, shutting my eyes and letting the soft breeze ease the nonstop throbbing of my head. A twig snapped and my eyes shifted to the direction the sound came from.
A familiar figure stood a few feet before me, a soft smile on her face and I rose quickly on unsteady feet, tackling her in a soft hug, careful of her bump that was starting to show. ''Kali?What are you doing here?''
She chuckled into my shoulder as she hugged me back. "We couldn't wait until you guys came on Wednesday. Everyone has been worried sick the entire time. And I missed you.''
''I missed you too. I'm sorry for not answering your calls-''
''It's okay, Matty told me you guys had your hands full.''
''Yeah. Yeah, we did. How did you know I was up here?''
''Your mom told me." She looked down at the grave and then back at me. "I heard about your friend, Soli. I'm really sorry."
Just hearing someone bring him up made tears well up in my eyes again. I stared up at the darkening clouds and blinked them away. ''It's okay," It really wasn't.
''He'd be proud to know what you went through to save him, you know that right?"
''I don't know. I failed him."
'Hey, you didn't.'' She grasped my chin when I turned away, making me look at her again. ''You didn't. You did everything you could."
She pulled me in again, her shorter hair brushing against my cheek. "What... happened yesterday Soli? Matty gave me a rundown of the situation on his end, but what happened with you and Siya? His mind seems a bit far and that's unusual for him."
''Sai's back?''
Kali nodded. "They came to pick us up.''
We hadn't gotten around to talking about what happened yet; when I woke up he had already left, so I spent spent the morning with my mother. I admit that I was a bit angry at him for leaving without telling me, but I understood. I don't think either of us had time to process the full extent of what happened yesterday. It was a lot to take in at once. ''Can I tell you after? I'm not... ready, I think."
