The Stories of Latia, Vol. 2: Demon's Curse

Chapter 19: I'm Fine. We're Fine.

Chapter 19: I'm Fine. We're Fine.

The Narrator

Sunday, 06/30/19

Five days. Only five days they were gone, and yet in those five days all the hope they'd had had disintegrated, and joined the thousands of grains of sand that rested in the Fallen Dunes.

Cassidy had pulled off her boots and taken a seat at Avery's desk the second she came through the door. Avery did too, but she took her time taking off her boots and took a seat on the floor between the stairwell and the backdoor, leaning against the wall and staring at the ceiling. James carefully sat at the kitchen table, and Jayme uncomfortably hovered in the kitchen like he was waiting for someone to say something. Anything.

No one said a word, and all of their eyes were glued to whatever desk or table or counter sat in front of them, because they knew the second one of them looked at Cassidy or each other they were all going to lose it.

After remaining like this for what felt like hours, Alex bursts through the front door without warning, rushing through the waiting room and into Avery's office to meet them, completely out of breath. They quickly surveyed the room, their eyes landing on Jayme.

"Oh, thank Omnis," they mutter, rushing over to Jayme and pulling him into a tight hug that Jayme reciprocates.

"I haven't heard from you in days. Any of you," they say, resting their arms on Jayme's shoulders.

"I know, I know," Jayme whispers. "But I'm fine. We're fine."

Alex pulls their arms off Jayme's shoulders. "Are you fine? You don't look fine. Where were you guys?"

Everyone was happy to see Alex at first, but that happiness disintegrates too, when they all realize that Alex didn't know what was going on.

"Guys?" Alex's voice cracks. The longer the silence lingers, the more nervous Alex gets for what they'll say when it's finally broken.