A Fallen HomeKin

PART XXXII

He is a HomeKin, petals open and stretching towards the sky, a portal wavering in the air above him, and he can see into both sides. One is SecondHome with its fields and towering trees. The other is BlueShirt's house, darkened and quiet as everyone sleeps.

Somehow, he knows he has to choose one side to be on. But which one to choose? Home or...a place that felt like home? Could he leave BlueShirt, RuthMom, Ray-chel, and SmileTalk? He...he...

Fralith's eyes flew open and he blinked in the darkness. The speckled ceiling marked with a long band of light greeted him as his eyes adjusted to the night. Slowly, he sat up, the fluffy blanket sliding off and causing him to shiver.

That...that dream. It was a dream. Just a dream. His shoulders dropped and he let out a long, silent breath, a strange fog curling around his insides and chilling his lungs. He didn't really have to choose. It was okay.

But what if I did have to choose? A corner of himself whispered. What if I could go back? Would I go? His breath caught on a lump in his throat, stilling him as pattering feet ran down his spine. The strange fog intensified, rising towards his chest with the answer.

With more force than necessary, he slammed down on the fog, scattering it. He didn't want to know. Not— not yet. It...held too many implications, too many squirmy feelings he— he wasn't sure what to do with.

Giving his whole body a good shake, he grabbed the blanket and lay down, pulling it over his shoulders. It was better for him to go to sleep now. He could think about all of it later. Closing his eyes, he waited for sleep to take him. It was a long time before it came, and the strange fog curled around his toes the whole time.

↶⬝◂⚘▸⬝↷

Fralith rose early the next morning, when the light was still gray-blue and the house was steeped in silence. He stole out of his room, pausing at the top of the stairs, gazing around the dark hall. Quiet moments like these were nice, and he had always liked them back in SecondHome, though the quiet didn't last long.

When all was still and he was the only one sneaking around the home, he was safe to just be with the ghosts of the memories made in each room. No one was around to tell him to do something or No one was around to interrupt his thoughts or just make a distracting sound. He could just be in the early morning.

"Whatcha thinking?"

"BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!" He whirled around, instincts directing his foot to fly out and slam into the backs of the person's legs.

SmileTalk crashed to the FloorMoss with a yelp and a thud. He blinked up at him, eyes wide and mouth slightly open. "Woah! What did you— that was so cool! Where did you learn to do that?"

He stared at the older boy, the wolf's paws pounding on his ribs so hard the PainBird pecked at his lungs until it ached fiercely. Putting a hand to his chest, he wheezed, stumbling back. How was SmileTalk so sneaky? That nearly made his heart jump out of his chest! "Beep!" he gasped, crinkling his nose. "Nambelithoma!"

SmileTalk grinned sheepishly, picking himself up. "Oh, right. Sorry, Zander. Didn't mean to scare you like that. But, wow, you were so fast! Just one moment I'm standing and the next I'm on the floor!"

"What's going on here?" BlueShirt's rumpled face poked out his and RuthMom's bedroom door, alert gaze sweeping the hall before landing on them.

He turned towards BlueShirt and pointed at SmileTalk, chest heaving for breath. "Beep!" He scared me! He's too sneaky!

BlueShirt raised his eyebrows. "Ezekiel, what did you do?"

SmileTalk rubbed the back of his head, one corner of his smile higher than the other. "I accidentally scared the beeps out of poor Zander and he pulled this move that knocked the feet right out from under me."