Shadow Lives

Chapter 14

Celeste

With a deep sigh, Atlas walks into my office. Without saying anything, he lets himself fall onto the stool and runs his hands over his face. His wings completely retracted.

'Thanks,' he sighs again before looking at me. With a smile, I lay my pencil on the stack of paperwork and look at him.

'No problem, but you really need to learn to stop it yourself. Two hours for a fifteen minute appointment is already long. Alisha can take a hit.' Atlas fiddles with his nails while his eyes drift to the map on the left wall of my office.

'It's quite interesting, all that knowledge.' I nod with a smile.

'It is. Would you like to learn more about it?' Atlas shakes his head without taking his gaze off the map.

'No. I'm a medical case myself, and I have more interest to do with children than with needles.' Two years ago, Atlas started his apprenticeship as a children's teacher. Something he found incredibly scary because of his wings and people's opinions, but something he's very happy with now.

I simply nod.

'Where have you been?' he asks, referring to the map. I fold my hands together and look at the map, which I've traveled over more than five times.

'Everywhere,' is my honest answer. Atlas' blue eyes look at me in surprise.

I've never told the children about my youth, story, or true origin. It's too long and too complicated to tell, plus it doesn't matter anymore, and the knowledge is dangerous. Even Elien chose long ago to keep quiet about it, and we're both happy with that.

'What's the most beautiful place?' he asks.

'The mountains,' I answer without thinking. No matter how good or bad my memories of that place might be, it is the most beautiful place Eleria has to offer. The flowers, the nature, the view. Nothing is more beautiful than that.

'I find the forest more beautiful.' Atlas and I look up at Alvan, who stands in the doorway wearing his dark green jacket. That's also my cue to get up from the chair and walk to my coat rack.

'You've never been to the mountains,' I remind the eighteen-year-old, who lived in a wolf pack until he was sixteen.

'True,' Alvan answers with a small grin while I wrap my cloak around me and fasten it.

'Did you survive Alisha?' Alvan then asks Atlas, who immediately sighs deeply again.

'No,' answers Atlas as he stands up, his face contorting as his wings move. Alvan and I look at him, concerned.

'What did she do?' Atlas runs a hand through his shoulder-length white hair before responding to Alvan's question.

'Injected a muscle strengthening substance. The pain will go away, she said, so don't worry.' I give Atlas a sympathetic smile.

'Arthur must have some sort of heating pad, you can always ask for that, and warm tea could help too.' Atlas smiles and nods gratefully.

My gaze shifts to Alvan, who stands a little behind me, hands in his pockets, waiting. That reminds me that I forgot a document. I quickly walk back to my desk and search for the contract that Alvan's mentor needs to sign among the chaos of papers.

'Are you busy?' Alvan asks, referring to the chaos.

'Yes, we're probably getting a new resident,' I answer as I finally find the contract. New children are always a chaos of arrangements and paperwork, especially when they arrive unexpectedly.

'Ooh, a boy or a girl? And how old?' Alvan asks with interest.

'Then you're finally not the newest anymore,' smiles Atlas, who has already seen fourteen children come in, as he was the first. Unlike Alvan, who is the most recent to have moved here.