Weeping Dream

One: Unexpected Angel

Perspective: Winter 

 I sat on the opposite side of the table as the blue-haired stranger, arms folded, watching him take a sip of his tea slowly, and staring at the bottom of his cup like his life depended on it. The steaming mug he had presented me with was growing colder by the minute, sitting untouched on the wooden surface.

I looked at him, tip of his head to his small hands, waiting to sense any sort of danger from him. I didn't, but I hardly sensed fear, either.

A little click filled the silence as the bottom of the cup met the hard table. He finally turned his soft green eyes to me and smiled. I narrowed my eyes in response just to show that I wasn't going to be an easy target to whatever this was. Some great scheme. Another master plan of the Guardians. No matter who this boy pretended to be, I wasn't going to fall victim to his games.

"You're still here," he observed with not a hint of hostility in his voice.

"Well..." I hesitate before answering his unimpressive realization. "Did you think I would disappear overnight?"

He shook his head as if he was afraid he'd offended me. "Well-- to be honest, I wasn't really sure. I'm really glad you didn't, though." It was annoyingly hard to tell if he meant it or not.

"Hm."

His left eye twitched suddenly with an emotion I couldn't quite place. If he was of any harm, he was certainly good at hiding it.

"Um," his head tilted to the side. "Is everything alright?"

I straightened. "Why wouldn't it be?"

His left eye twitched suddenly with an emotion I couldn't quite place. If he meant any harm, then the rest of his face wouldn't tell me a thing. I kept completely still, but I heard the toes of his boots scratching against the ground under the table. He was very fidgety.

"Um," the boy tilted his freckled cheeks to the side. "Is everything alright?"

I straightened. "Why wouldn't it be?"

At first he looked like he wasn't sure how to react; conflicted between backing off or laughing like I had told a joke. He gazed back at me for a second as if my face would tell him everything about me, his eyes glistening in understanding and harmless ferocity. "I'm Aoki Haru."

I didn't respond. If I ignored him, maybe he would stop talking to me. Though, my mind still echoed his name as though that would bring me reassurance.

"What's... your name?" He smiled slightly, but he didn't laugh.

"Oh, it's..." I exhaled. "It's Winter."

He repeated it like it was the most interesting word in the world. "Okay, Winter- were you born... in the Wintertime?"

"Um... no."

His face twisted into confusion. "So then... Why were you named Winter?"

"That's just my name, okay? Why were you named 'Aoki'?"

"It means 'bright,'" He responded, reciting the tightly-worded script his mind was making up. "My parents named me that because they wanted me to be the light whenever it gets dark. My cousin Harper says my name fits me because I'm so cheerful all the time. But, in reality, I just talk a lot." He pressed his lips together and nodded. "Um."

So he's aware, then. "I see. And you talk this much with everybody?"

Aoki shook his head, leaning forward a bit to trace the wooden lines on the table. "No. You're particularly interesting. And incredibly mysterious. It seems."

I decided I didn't have anything to say to that. We fell back into silence, and he took another sip of tea. If there were any clocks in this primitive kingdom, then the entire room would've been filled with an obnoxious ticking. A strange bird emitted the most peculiar call from outside, once, twice, silence.

"You're staring at me," Aoki admitted. "I'm... very uncomfortable."

I shook my head. "Seven moons. You really are the weirdest person I've ever met."

The corners of his mouth curved upward, eyes squinting, and he tossed his chin a little higher. "I could say the same thing about you, Winter."

He brought his wooden cup back to his lips, and I decided I, too, would allow myself to quench my thirst. I suppose this is me surrendering. I lifted my own mug from the table, tasting honey and lemon and a bit of thyme. I knew I wasn't being careful enough, but I had given up. If the Guardians caught me, I'd just run to the Green river again. Or anything.

I waited for a bitter taste to grow and fade on my tongue, to see the ceiling fall into my vision and hear my head collide with the ground without feeling any pain. I waited for his fake smile to melt into a twisted sneer, and him to laugh over my limp body.

If you poisoned me, I'm not going to hurt you for it, I promise to Aoki and myself. I'm done with that part of myself. I'm done with this life.

But nothing happened. I even waited a little bit longer just to make sure.

No bitter darkness, no falling, no laughter, no evil smile. Just a curious look from the messy-haired boy. "You look like you just died inside. Is the tea that bad?"
"You say every single thing that comes to your mind, don't you?"

"I'm actually holding back."

I sort of smile, a dry, cold sensation. "The tea is good. Fine. It's fine. Um..." Finally, I pulled my eyes away and chained them to the ground. "Thank... you." I hoped he could tell I meant it.

His pride-filled, thoughtful grin seemed to disagree in a way. "Not a problem."

We both knew we weren't talking about the tea anymore.

So was this really what it feels like to be given another chance at life? Was it supposed to come with that much guilt or uncertainty? I didn't deserve it. I knew that for a fact; but I knew he deserved the brightest life, and the longer I stayed in Green River, the farther away I was pulling him from his possible future. And the more danger I was putting him in.

I moved to stand up, but he rose first, empty cup in hand.

"How long are you planning to stay?" He asked, backing up to the wood kitchen countertops and placing the cup in a metal barrel. "In our house, I mean."

"I'm not planning on staying at all," I answered, like it was the most obvious statement in the world.

He stopped in his actions, turning back around. "You have another place to be?"
"I..." I pause. I hadn't really thought about what to do next. I can't return home, but I can't stay here with Aoki. I considered repeating my actions, finally fulfilling the job I came here to do. Not my assigned job, but my duty. The promise to myself.

But I thought, if I were to end my own life, maybe Aoki's entire night would've been a waste. That must've mattered for something, right? Maybe the boy was an angel, sent here from the moons as a sign. A sign to try.

"Winter," he looked at me, still frozen in place in the kitchen. He closed the shutters to a glassless window looking over the dirt road; "You can stay here as long as you need to."

And like any sane person, I chose to listen to the angel.

Author's note: Woah look another chapter! :0 I tend to write short chapters. Feel free to let me know if there are any edits/revisions, or don't! Hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Follow for more!