The Hope Of The Three (Book 2 of the Hidden Trilogy)

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Friends

★Alena★
(AQ)

The last bits of my tears trailed down my face as Rayn walked into the tent. He stared at me awkwardly, not wanting to risk bring up any subject that associated with Altair, or Ali, or death, or tears.
"Thank you," I whispered, barely audible.
"For what?"
"For being my friend." He opened his mouth to respond but Eliana decided to enter the tent just at that moment, so I never got hear what he wanted to say.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were having a discussion. Do you want me to leave?" She turned halfway and gestured to the door.
"No, no. I was just leaving." Rayn walked passed her and ducked through the tent door. Leaving Eliana and me to stare silently at each other, barely visible due to the little light our candle shed.
"Uh," Eliana tried to start a conversation. But what was there to say?
"I'm sorry."
"How did he die?" I questioned her, the tears in my eyes threatening to spill over. I needed answers, and Eliana was my direct line to them. Eliana sat down and began her tale. As she told it, I could hear a bit of guilt in her voice. When she ended we just sat there. Silence filling the room, crescendoing until it felt like the silence was pressing upon me. It soon became too much for Eliana to bear and she quick blurted out a sentence to keep the silence at bay.
"What was on the paper Ali gave you?" I pulled the paper out of my back pocket of my jeans and handed it to her. She studied the picture her eyes absorbing every detail.
"Is this Umair? Wow, he looks so different!" I crawled over to her and peered at the picture.
"That's not Umair."
"What? Then who is it?"
" His name is Altair. He's- um, he's my younger brother."
"What? Your younger brother? I thought Ali was your brother!"
"He is, uh, we were triplets."
"And you never told me? Where is he now?" Tears threatened to spill over as I choked out the next words.

"He's dead."
"Oh my, I'm so sorry." She gasped. Something in me sparked, a red hot anger built up inside of me.
"No, your not."
"What?"
"You don't know what it is like to lose both of your best friends. At least your brother is still alive!" I shouted.
"I know what it's like! He killed my parents, my friends, and the brother I once knew. He took the Aswa I loved and turned him into a monster! Now I have no one!" The fire died and left me numb and lonely.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have tried to compare us." I said, she moved over and hugged me.
"It's okay. I know it hurts. But there is nothing we can do."
"We were best friends. My brothers would have been the only people I would have been able to see after I become star keeper."
"What?"
"When I become star keeper I would have been the adviser to the king, Ali. When I take on the role of Star Keeper, I lose my choice. My choice of friends, my say in the affairs of the kingdom, and my husband."
"Oh, what about your parents?"
"My father would no longer be king, and so he would retire and I won't see him as often. I would be helping Ali and Altair. But now, I will have to be all three at once. Star Keeper, King, and Top adviser. I don't know how I will do it all." I cry out to Eliana.
"Don't forget. I will always be here for you, and I'm sure Tsuki will be too." She smiled encouragingly.
"So... triplets." I laughed, it felt warm, like a light, burning through the cold darkness.
"Ya, we were called the Battery triplets."
"What?" She shook her head slightly in confusion.
"Triple-A, you know. Ali, Alena, Altair. Triple A battery?" Eliana laughed a bright promising laugh that filled the air. We talked all night, laughing, catching up.
" Poulet! I don't know. It's French and I like it!" She declared at one point in the night, almost waking up the entire camp. Eventually, exhaustion forced us into our beds and we passed out as soon as our heads hit the pillow. Just as I felt myself slipping into sleep I smiled and thought about how nice is was to have a friend like Eliana on this mission.