Flares | Johanna Mason

XI. Before It's Too Late

Cillian

Ayla sat on their bed looking at the seashell in her hand, like she had everyday since Ethan left on the Victory Tour, softly singing the same song that she used to sing to Alesia and Ethan when they were children before they went to bed. His wife had a lovely singing voice, one he heard too little of now. She didn't sing it to Ella. It reminded Ayla of the fact that her little girl was gone, something she never could fully accept.

For the first year after Alesia's death, Ayla would just stare at the front door as if she would just come waltzing through it and it would have all been a bad dream that their eldest daughter had died.

Cillian could see the hurt in his wife's eyes when Ethan used to walk through the front door, not arguing or laughing with his sister like he used to do so much. It was just him, silent and just as devastated as the rest of them.

So the man smiled as he walked into their bedroom, hearing his wife's singing voice once more. "It's been a while since I heard that darling."

Ayla turned her head to watch him walk over to her. "I know. "

Cillian saw Ayla's face tense so he put his hand gently onto her temples. "Love, you're stressing too much."

"Because you always are blowing everything concern of mine off Cillian. Our son is not the same as he was." Ayla snapped, an annoyed sigh leaving her lips. "That place and the people there took everything from him."

Cillian only nodded, not wanting to upset her further. "It did but he's back with us tomorrow and nothing will happen to him while we're here, will it?"

Ayla shook her head, which Cillian smiled at. "Come on, let's see where that granddaughter of ours is."

-

They found her in her room, her eyes looking at the moon and the stars.

"What do you think you're doing up at this time of night?" Cillian asked playfully, taking a seat next to his granddaughter while Ayla took the one at the opposite side.

"Looking at the moon."

"I can see that but that doesn't excuse you being up this late, now does it? You wouldn't want to miss Ethan coming back home tomorrow because you're too tired." Ayla added.

"No..." Ella agreed with a pout she inherited from Alesia.

"I just miss him."

"We all do darling, but he'll be home tomorrow so everything will be back to the way it was." Ayla kissed Ella on the forehead, before getting up out of her seat. "Now get some sleep, I don't want to come back in here to find you still awake."

Ella only nodded before she turned to Cillian, "Ethan told me to look at the moon at night."

Cillian looked slightly confused at that, "Why did he tell you that?"

"When he got picked at the Reaping, he told me that whenever I missed him I was to go outside and look up at the moon. He told me that he would look up at the sky every night while he was in the Capitol. And that no matter where he went in the world, even if he was in a different District, it was the same moon. It would keep us connected." Ella smiled at the memory.

"He was right about that darling." Cillian smiled at her, "Don't worry, he'll be thinking of you too."

---

Tywin

For the first time in just under two years Tywin was back in District Seven, once more head Peacekeeper of the District.

President Snow had sent for him last night. He saw the state that Ethan Wynters had left the President in. Coriolanus never liked to show that he was in pain or that he was embarrassed to anyone, he saw it as a weakness that needed to never see the light of day. Yet the boy had easily shown that the President still had those weaknesses, just like everyone else.