And the Sunlight Clasps the Earth (Chaelisa)

viii

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"Why are you here?" Alissa asked suddenly one evening, as Remi was stoking the flames and sending sparks towards the sky. Remi had, more or less, refused to answer that question before, but Alissa still wanted to try again.

"Because you practically forced me to drag you through the woods." Remi stated flatly, glancing at Alissa like the other woman had lost her damn mind.

"Yeah, funny," Alissa huffed, swatting Remi's shoulder and making the other woman cackle. "You know what I mean. Why are you here, in the middle of the woods, by yourself?"

Remi glanced at her, her face sobering up. For the longest time, she didn't utter a word, but simply stared at the fire, deep in thought.

"Because my family wanted me to be someone I'm not, to choose a path I didn't want to choose. So I took myself out of the equation and decided my own faith," she finally broke the silence, her voice strong with conviction.

"That's... brave," Alissa said, unexpected admiration tinting her voice. "I applaud you, for having the courage to do that, for knowing yourself well enough to do that."

"The worst loneliness is not to be comfortable with yourself," Remi spoke quietly, the sparks slowly taking the words with them towards the heavens.

---

"Are you sure you don't want me to help?" Amused, Lisa leaned against the side of the car, watching as Roseanne (unsuccessfully, mind you) tried to install Mason's car seat back into her own vehicle.

"Quite sure," Roseanne stated, exasperated, and blew a lock of hair off her face. There was a thin sheen of sweat on her forehead. "You obviously messed with the straps when you pulled this off of your joke of a car," she huffed and refused to budge.

Lisa was about to make a witty retort when a car passing them suddenly backfired, a loud bang ringing in the air and startling them both. Lisa felt her breath get caught in her throat, a feeling of panic that was impossible to shake rising from somewhere deep within her. She, unbeknownst to herself, sank to the ground, leaning against the car as the flashback played intrusively before her eyes, over and over again. Cradling her head in her hands and gasping for air, she willed it to stop. If it would only stop.

In her mind, she saw the gun again, glinting in the streetlight coming from above. And like every time before, she was unable to move, unable to do anything, before the gun sounded and there was blood everywhere. Jesus, there was so much blood, covering her hands and seeping into her clothes, staining the ground.

There was a voice, then, somewhere on the edge of her mind, and Lisa tried to focus on it, tried to get her mind away from the bloodbath, from the chaos. Feebly, she felt a hand on her arm, the familiar voice sounding closer now, and the darkness around her faded just a sliver.

She heard words now; someone was calling her last name, until there was a hesitant, quietly murmured, "Lisa."

Lisa blinked, a familiar face suddenly swimming into her field of view, and she was able to draw breath again. She felt her entire body shake, but as she forced herself to concentrate on the concerned face before her, the tremors began to ease up with every passing second.

"Breathe, Lisa."

Mortification was the first feeling that hit her. Burying her face back in her hands, she focused on evening out her breathing. The hand was still on her arm, a thumb making small, calming circles against her skin.

"I'm sorry," Lisa whispered when she trusted her ability to speak again. She expected a snarky comment in return, but it never came.

Chancing a wary glance at Roseanne, she was met with a sympathetic look instead, a look filled with surprising warmth and trepidation.