I perched on the edge of Irene’s couch and watched Lucy play the piano, gently correcting her wrong notes.
“So, Zora, how old are you?” Irene walked in with some lemonade.
“Uh, twenty-one. Why do you ask?” I took my offered glass gently and took a sip.
“Just curious. Not many have the patience to correct Lucy’s piano playing skills without sounding like a douchebag. But you seem to manage it pretty well.”
“Maybe Miss Zora can teach me piano, huh Irene?” Lucy looked up from her playing. “We could even pay her so she could get new clothes!” I blushed, once again attempting to straighten my torn blouse and jeans.
“Now, Lucy, what do you say now that you made Zora uncomfortable?” Irene gave Lucy a stern look.
“Oh, it’s fine,” I said as I set my lemonade on a coaster. “I’m used to it.”
“So, Zora, huh? That’s a strange name. I thought it was one of those video game people from that Legend of Zelda game.”
I chuckled. “Well, not so strange. In Serbian, it means ‘light of dawn.’ So it wouldn’t be that much different than the name Aurora. But it means stranger in Hebrew.”
“Ah, so you’re an etymologist.” Irene nodded.
“What’s an etymologist?” Lucy asked, grabbing a glass of lemonade from her foster mother.
“Etymologist. Someone who studies the meaning of names. And I’m not - it’s just a hobby.” I stuttered.
“What’s my name mean?” Lucy asked, begging with her blue eyes.
“It’s an English variation of the French ‘light’,” I answered.
“And Irene’s?”
“French form of Latin’s ‘peace’,” I said and drained my lemonade, struggling not to make a face from the sourness.
“How about we leave Miss Zora alone for a bit, huh Lucy?” Irene shooed the preteen from the room and gathered my glass. “You can sleep here for tonight until you can get a ride into town. I hope the couch is okay.”
“The couch is great.” Irene began to walk out. “And Irene?” She stopped and turned to face me. I smiled. “Thanks for taking in a stranger.”
She nodded and grinned, walking out for the night. I let my composure fall for a moment and collapsed onto the couch, flopping down onto my stomach. My wings sagged from within their binds as I tried to remember the last time I had flown.
YOU ARE READING
Starlight, Starbright
FantasyZora Gildan is a creature from another world called Jierdarven, and she was sent to ours for the person who would "return the light to the night." But when a secretive government agency forces her on the run, a series of events are set into place. A...
