Are You Afraid of the Dark?

The Healing of the Shadows

The teas and spores Pamela gave Valencia weakened her, but strengthened her at the same time.

Valencia knew that the Schön Rebe had taken a liking to her when she had smiled at her the first time. A good ally. She thought. And a better friend.

Pamela enjoyed spending time with Valencia, she'd make tents of living plants so that Valencia could breathe in their healing spores. They'd talk for hours in those tents.

Valencia decided that Pamela could be trusted after three days of being kept awake by her terrors, which she was never alone when they happened. I mean she never was alone when they happened, but Pamela knew how to calm her down quicker than the boys could dream.

"Pamela," Valencia started.

"Yes, Val?" She answered, her eyes fixed on a vine that had crawled its way into the eucalyptus tent.

"I need to tell you somesing."

Pamela turned to look pointedly at her, her eyes telling her to continue, that she was listening.

"I know...oh, how to vord it...I know sat Edvard and Jon love me."

Pamela pursed her lips and looked back at the vine.

"Do you know vat I should do?" Valencia added since her friend was silent.

"How do you know?" Her voice was stiff, dead. Valencia noted that fact but didn't know what to make of it, so she continued.

"I heard sem say it ven sey sought I vas asleep." She paused. "And sey worried about me for days. Sey don't seem like people who vould care about someone."

"They have the ability to care, they just see it as a weakness or its buried too deep under their masculinity." Pamela rolled her eyes, she smiled. "Who would you choose if you didn't know they loved you?"

"It's difficult to say..." Valencia took a deep breath like Pamela said to do when they were in the tents. "Edvard's se only vone who vas kind to me. Jonasan has tortured me vis Fear Gas and has been no-sing but rude."

"Then there's your answer. See? You don't need another person's approval. Especially if it has to do with love. Love is your choice. You get to choose who you love."

"Sank you for your input sough." Valencia frowned. "But so many people say love is blind and sat you don't choose who you love-"

"Everyone has choices." Pamela cut in. "And you don't have to believe what people say. People have done nothing but hurt the world. Hurt my Green." Pamela stroked the vine that was now curled around her leg. Valencia looked down at the mossy floor. Pamela saw this and quickly added. "People have hurt you."

Valencia looked up at Pamela and smiled. "And sey von't live for it."

"That's my girl." Pamela beamed.

"So do you sink it vould vork? Edvard and I, I mean." Valencia laid down and looked up at where the eucalyptus met above them, the line that made the top of the triangle prism tent.

Pamela hummed in thought and laid next to Valencia.

"We'll see."