Sunset Valley

Chapter 23.

I did my best not to cry on my way back to our camp, but strange little hiccuping noises kept escaping, even through my fingers when I put my hand over my mouth. I couldn't help it. As much as I tried, I just couldn't help it.

When I got back to base, I got a little quieter, but I was still making those strange noises. Everyone was fast asleep, even Kaya, who somehow got there faster than I. I was about to start climbing the tree to my sleeping spot when it all came back to me in one big, painful flashback. I thought of Jem's expression and with a pang of anxiety, I cupped a hand over my mouth and made a loud sobbing noise. I froze.

Nothing stirred, except for Torrance. I stood as still as possible, hoping he wouldn't see me and would just go back to sleep. He yawned and turned his head. My breath was hot against my hand. His head turned toward me and, of course, looks directly at me. At first, he didn't seem to notice me, but then he did. I imagined how I looked through his eyes. My stringy dark hair scattered around my face, my eyes red, cheeks streaming with tears, dirty hand caught over my mouth. His expression confirmed just that.

"Edelweiss?" He whispered, as if I was a rabbit and he might scare me away. His face was as sympathetic as I've ever seen it, which was also kind of strange being mixed with his frazzled rust-sand colored hair. "What's wrong?"

I stood still, and blinked. I could feel myself shaking in the wind. After he realized I wasn't going to talk, slowly and delicately, he spread his arms like wings. I hesitated for just a split second, then, without thinking, I rushed into them with more force than intended. I heard him cry out a little in pain, and eased back, embarrassed, remembering his wound.

"Sorry," I whispered. He chuckled slightly, his green eyes radiant. "It's okay." Torrance swallowed me in his arms. I layed my head on his chest. I could hear his heart beating, a slow, steady rhythm. It calmed me, like a lullaby with no lyrics. I rested there, forgetting the rest of the world. It was insignificant, the world. Now, it is just us. Torrance and I. Nothing else.

"Sleep well," he whispered. Those were the last words I heard before drifting off into a world of my dreams.