Songs

Unity

In the dark of night

The stars light up the sky

We see them flying free

That's just like you and me

I stood still, not wanting to break the moment. Not wanting to believe my eyes.

"Tam?"

Everyone was staring at us. They knew he had been taken. They knew he had died. They knew this just wasn't possible. I mean, how can someone dead revive? Once they're dead, there's no going back, is there? Even us elves with all our fancy technology can't bring back the dead.

Unless...unless he wasn't dead in the first place.

Everyone is lonely sometimes

But I would walk a thousand miles to see your eyes

The morning skies were pale, but beautiful. It was as if a painter had taken their brush of pastel colours and swept it across the cosmos. At night, this spot was even better. You could see the stars way up there, lighting up the heavens with their faint glow. They weren't attached to this world like I was. Like we all were.

Now that I could see those silver eyes who so resembled mine, I caught my breath, everything and everyone staying still in this long-awaited reunion. "You know...I missed you. But nothing could change it. You were gone, Tam. Gone." My voice cracked in the end.

"Linh, I-"

"No! You made me think you were dead. Do you have any idea what toll that took on me? Do you know how much I have to remind myself everyday that I won't wake up to find you in the other tent? Do you know how it feels to be abandoned by your only family?" The last sentence echoed around us, making the tension insufferable.

"Linh-"

"No! You left me alone all these years, for...this?" He didn't deserve my attention. Scum like him didn't deserve to live. I made my way back through the crowd, shooting them glares as they looked at me. Nothing to see here, just a broken, fragile girl whose brother disappeared and was now breaking her heart. I couldn't stop the bitterness in my heart.

"Linh, hear me out! You're not the only one that had to mourn a loss, you know."

I turned around, not believing it. Why didn't he say this earlier?

You are not alone, we are family

His voice cracked as he said the next sentence. "They told me you were dead."

Hold me, let's escape this reality

There was some lie in his voice, but I could tell the essence of it was true. Maybe he wasn't entirely telling the truth. He said enough to convince me, anyhow.

You are my symphony

I went up to him, my hand gently caressing his cheek. "Oh, Tam. You have no idea how much I've missed you."

By your side, we are unity

That day, the Exillium Coaches didn't do anything to separate us or "let us develop our individual skills", as they so cleverly say it.

You are my energy

My guiding light, we are unity

The rest of the time, we stuck to each other, always whispering memories into the other's ear, always together, always feeling the pressure of his hand.

(we are, we are) We are unity

(we are, we are) We are unity

At that moment, I felt like nothing could ever separate us again. My brother, who was lost and is found again.

Although the rain might pour

A thunder starts to roar

We laughed, sitting under a tree, sheltered from the rain by its leaves. It felt so good to let go of my power for once and feel the droplets hitting us teasingly, inviting us to play.

The lightning wakes the wave

But through it, we are brave

For a moment, I thought I saw a figure on the hill. I blinked, and it vanished as quickly as it had appeared. "Trick of the light," I murmured.

Everyone is lonely sometimes

But I would walk a thousand miles to see your eyes

I snuggled closer to my long-lost brother. "Tammy, you have no idea how much I missed you." He glanced at me, cuddled against his strong shoulder, letting myself relax for the first time in years. Those eyes of his were unmistakable. The light reflected in them made them look ethereal, as if he was a supernatural being.

You are not alone, we are family

Hold me, let's escape all this reality

"Me too, Linh." He held me tighter, his voice now a distant cry as I drifted into sleep. "Me too."

You are my symphony

By your side, we are unity

The next day was the same as the one before, with people gawking at our entwined hands, thinking we were dating. The ones who had known us knew better than to comment. They pushed the others away, explaining our situation. I was grateful for that.

You are my energy

I felt better than I had since he left, a smile appearing on my tired face for the first time since he left. I could've sworn Coach Bora whispered to Coach Rohana that if he didn't know me well, he would've thought I was someone else.

My guiding light, we are unity

(we are, we are) We are unity

(we are, we are) We are unity

I felt as if our long-separated souls were merging into one, stronger than ever before, giving me energy, power, hope.

We are unity

You are my symphony

By your side, we are unity (unity)

This mood lasted the whole week, and the one after. Me laughing out loud at whatever remark Tam had just told me, almost failing at skills in my joy to have my brother.

You are my energy

My guiding light, we are unity

We were shushed by the coaches who couldn't keep us quiet. I was giggling at a joke Tam told me, about a verminion and a T-Rex. There were animals in our previous life.

We are unity

We are unity

"I love you, Tam."