Fragile

Chapter 32

"Prince Noniiiiii," little Fay called yet again. It seemed as if days had passed since the last encounter. In the back of my mind I wondered what day it was, how long had passed since the last time I dreamed of my younger self and the mysterious dragon prince that never left his dome. I wondered if it was a story line I had fabricated to distract myself from so much time passing in the basement, or something more. 

Little Fay knew the prince wouldn't respond, but she still did it anyway. She hoped one day the boy would correct her with his real name, or come out of the dome. Each day a part of her would hope for any progress with the boy, and each day a small piece of her couldn't help but deflate when nothing would change. 

But she reminded herself that the boy had reached for her cookie, and progress, no matter how small, was still progress. She smiled and plopped in her usual spot in front of the dome, peering inside. "Noni?" she knelt down to get a better look inside, but to her surprise, the boy wasn't in the dome. 

She looked around, wondering what had happened to the boy. Not a single day had gone by since she met him where he was not in the dome. In fact, little Fay was partially convinced the boy was physically bound to the dome itself. It was strange that the boy's disappearance seemed to strike intense fear in her little body, and she clutched her fist to her chest as she felt her heart pound rapidly. 

She frantically turned to run, anywhere, in search of the boy, but stopped dead in her tracks. A young boy, maybe twelve at the oldest, stood a few yards away from her with large doe eyes. He was scrawny, malnourished, and covered in bruises that scarred his tanned skin. His clothes were soiled and unkempt, as if he had been homeless for a long time. Though she had never seen his face, little Fay recognized the boy immediately. 

Little Fay burst into tears, running forward to meet the boy halfway. The boy was startled by her outburst, and flinched away when she reached for him. "I w-was s-so worried," she hiccuped, wiping her eyes. "Y-you l-left." 

He didn't respond, his eyes wide in what appeared to be fear and confusion. Little Fay seemed to realize he was startled, and struggled to calm down her crying. The boy was rigidly still, even as she calmed down, ready to bolt any second. 

As little Fay sniffled, she finally smiled and held out her hand. "I'm Fay, nice to meet you." 

The boy looked at her as if she had gone mad. Why was she introducing herself  when she already knew who he was? 

Fay held her hand out patiently, even if in her mind she was less than patient. "Should I keep calling you Prince Noni?" she teased. What she didn't expect was the boy gave a small, curt nod. She burst out laughing, startling the boy again. Before the boy could react, little Fay took his hand in hers. "Nice to finally meet you, Prince Noni," she said with a small smile, not wanting to let go of his hand just yet. 

She pretended not to notice when a blush crept on the boy's cheeks, but she couldn't help but find everything about the boy endearing. Even though the boy was filthy and neglected, covered in marks and bruises, she loved his shyness and how he blushed whenever they made eye contact. It was the moments where he surprised her though, by staring at her with intense hazel eyes, that made her want to see what was underneath all the bruises. In those moments, she felt her own cheeks heat up. 

That night continued as every other night. They sat next to the dome, on the outside, and talked, or rather, Little Fay talked and Prince Noni listened. The whole night, she dreaded going home. She worried that this was a dream, that the next day her prince would be locked back in his dome and she would forget his face. She wanted to study and memorize it for hours, take a picture even. But she was worried asking would scare him further.