Triple Point

Chapter 24: Brightening Horizons

They started their meager breakfast a few minutes later, after Elsie's growling stomach broke the still silence that had fallen again. Their coffee had cooled down to a consumable temperature so Elsie sipped on that first, while Camilla helped herself to the waffles. She spread peanut butter on hers with a few chocolate chips scattered on top.

At the sight of Camilla's creation, Elsie hummed in approval and began dressing her own waffle with every sugary topping she could find. It ended up being a terrible idea, but at least she had her bitter black coffee to balance out the overpowering sweetness.

"Do you ever stop to think if something is a bad idea before you actually do it?" Camilla asked, eyeing a stream of maple syrup that was falling off of Elsie's waffle and onto her plate.

"Sometimes, but not always," Elsie admitted before licking some of the syrup off the plate.

"It shows."

Elsie rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, I'll wash your jacket if it gets dirty."

"I'm counting on it."

As they munched on their waffles and looked out at the city below, the sky slowly began to brighten. There were a few clouds in the sky, but not enough to make the view any less beautiful as the dark black of night faded into a pink and purple gradient, and then to red and orange. It had been ages since Elsie last watched a sunrise, and even longer since she had watched one from that lookout, but it was just as breathtaking as she last remembered.

"Is this what that sunset would've been like?" Camilla suddenly asked.

"Huh?" Elsie replied as she turned to Camilla, not following her train of thought.

Camilla raised an eyebrow at her again at her confusion. "The sunset on the beach? By the pier? When... when I was a huge jerk?"

Elsie had almost forgotten that was their original reason for sitting on the beach in the first place.

"Maybe?" Elsie shrugged. "I actually hadn't thought about that when I was planning this."

For a second, Camilla simply stared at her, her expression searching again, before turning back to the sunrise.

"I still don't understand how you can forgive me so easily," she said softly.

"You don't want me to?" Elsie asked.

Camilla shook her head. "It's not that. It's just... I'd never be able to do that. I've never done that."

"Forgive someone or forgive someone easily?"

Camilla kept her eyes on the sky when she answered. "Both."

Elsie suddenly remembered the hostility that Camilla treated her with once she thought Elsie was trying to use her. It was hard to understand Camilla's perspective without having the same power as her, but Elsie guessed that Camilla's remedy for getting screwed over was not trusting people in the first place. It was an effective method, albeit a lonely one.

Just as Elsie was about to ask if there was anyone else Camilla trusted, she continued on her own.

"I wouldn't be able to forgive a lot of people," Camilla said, her eyes still fixed on the brightening sky.

Elsie tried to hide her surprise at the admission, but she wasn't sure how successful she was. "Like who?"

For a while, Camilla was quiet, and before Elsie could tell her she didn't have to answer, she continued.

"My mother," Camilla stated plainly, but her body seemed tense as she hugged her knees even closer to her chest.

For what felt like the millionth time, Camilla's answer was not what Elsie expected. Elsie could never imagine herself in a situation where she couldn't forgive her mom, but maybe her family was unusual, just like Jordan said. She couldn't relate to Camilla's situation, but maybe she could at least try to understand.