The Raven's Source

Chapter 50 - Visions of the Free

"What's wrong?" Twyn asked seeing Sheja standing completely still by the front door. He frowned when she jumped.

"Huh?" she asked.

"What's with you?" Ilyana asked. "Why are you so jumpy lately?"

Sheja looked back and forth between Twyn and Ily before looking over at Leena and noticing that all three of them were staring at her. "I don't know," she said softly, wrapping her arms around herself after zipping up her jacket. She stretched her neck from side to side as she rolled her shoulders, trying to relax as a bit of unwelcome anxiety tried to creep up on her. She couldn't fathom where it was stemming from.

Leena looked at Twyn, her brow furrowed.

Twyn sighed, knowing Leena was concerned that this was possibly about Sheja not sleeping well. "You don't know as in you honestly don't know? Or you don't know as in you won't tell us?" he asked, folding his own arms across his chest.

"I don't know as in if I did, I wouldn't want to talk about it anyway," she said quietly.

"So the latter. Got it," he replied.

Leena got to her feet and walked over to Sheja. She took her wife's hands in her own and pulled them up to her chest, laying them over her heart.

Sheja closed her eyes, feeling Leena's heart beating strongly beneath her hands. She smiled.

"Well, I'm happy to see you smiling but," she started, leaning in and touching her forehead to Sheja's as best she could over her large double-baby bump. Her voice dropped to a whisper for only Sheja to hear, "we promised. No secrets."

"I will tell you about my nightmare, I promise. I'm just trying to figure part of it out first," Sheja answered, knowing fully that her wife could tell and this is what she was referring to as a secret. "But this anxiousness I'm feeling right now...I don't completely know where it's coming from."

"Twyn? Ily? Can I have a moment alone with my wife, please?" Leena asked, smiling sweetly at them.

Twyn nodded and they both went into the guest bedroom and shut the door.

Leena could hear the television turn on in the guest bedroom and she turned her eyes back up to meet Sheja's. "I bet anything that your anxiousness is from your nightmares. Tell me, who's dying in it this time?"

Sheja stared at her for a moment before her body slumped with a sigh.

"Shej... you've been acting just like you were before the Gala. You're not sleeping well, you're anxious and incredibly jumpy. All of this...this you...has nothing to do with you and Twyn, I know it." Leena squeezed Sheja's hands a little more tighter, lovingly. "So who are you seeing dying in your premonition?"

"The second baby," she started softly. She lowered her head and returned the loving squeeze her wife gave her. "Lydia saves it though."

"Who dies, Sheja?" Leena asked again but a little more sternly, knowing Shej was giving her a roundabout kind of answer.

Sheja's face tightened up as she tried to fight back the tears again. She felt a little angry not having wanted to talk about it for this reason. "You."

Leena froze for a moment and she could tell Sheja felt guilt again. "Does Twyndis know this?" she asked softly.

"No. Only you and Cer."

Leena started chuckling, catching Sheja off guard.

"Why are you laughing?" Sheja asked, confused.