The Wright (Friday Updates)

Mother's Consolation

"Who is it?" I called, stirring honey into my tea. The brew was dark and potent, heavy with chamomile to keep me calm while bolstering whatever luck I could draw my way. I tried to cast my senses outward beyond my bedroom door to see if I could feel the energy signature of whomever was knocking, but I was too frazzled to achieve anything.

"Your mother!"

The tense set of my shoulders and spine drooped with relief. "Come in," I bade, watching from my bed as the door was pushed aside and my beautiful mother drifted in. Elegant, professional, and everything I wished I could be, Vivienne Monteneau was the embodiment of success. Few Healers could boast the extent of her achievements or the numerous lives saved by her hands. Hands that were silky and warm as she took my puffy face in them.

"Oh, sweet child. What has caused you so much grief?"

The dam inside was bursting at its seams as I looked into the jade-colored eyes I had inherited. Her curled and tawny hair was pinned loosely to one side opposite her Mark, which she always proudly displayed. It matched my father's, a waving line like an undulating river. I had asked as a child if it was a worm.

Swallowing down the urge to sob, I forced myself to relax. Nobody was dead and I was not going to cry on my Testing Day, come what may. If I was a Healer, I would rejoice. If I was an Uncertain...I would face that challenge with my chin up. Though I was no champion or the head of my class, my determination had always been strong and I would persevere.

"Rafi," I grumbled, peering down into my cup. It was too full to consider the grit collecting near the bottom just yet.

"Rafael? What has that boy done?"

"He...kissed me."

She faltered, expression changing from shock to confusion. "Is that not...I thought you had feelings for him?"

"Ugh," I sniffled, then sipped my tea and concentrated on the heat as it traveled all the way to my stomach. Her comment echoed Rafi's own feelings. "He didn't do it because he had feelings for me. It was out of pity." I did not mention the fact that he also planned to leave.

"Ah," she cleared her throat. "After the Test, you would go your separate ways regardless, yes?"

I harrumphed and slurped again, less ladylike than before, ignoring how she rolled her eyes at the sound. "Yes, I had only hoped for it to be amicable at least."

"Well, enough wallowing. It is time to be up and about. The Square is filling quickly and your father will be here soon."

Pausing, I stared at her with widened eyes. "Pa is coming? Today?"

She nodded, her straight, white smile dazzling. My heart lurched in response and was sure that my color faded in shock. I rarely saw my father as he was often off on expeditions that required the protection of a Maganer of his caliber. While he brought trinkets and fascinating items from all over the globe, it did not replace the lack of his presence in my life. He loved me dearly and I knew that, but he also held a fiery passion for what he did.

Ma and I forgave him for it, because the light in his eyes when he returned was something we would never want to dim. I had already dampened it enough. When I was small enough to sit on his knee, rapt and hanging from his every word, he would tell me of all the places we would travel once I Tested. Initially, I dreamt of joining his team as they explored and returned the lands to their rightful states after the destruction of mankind, but as time passed and I repeatedly failed all practical assessments, that dream became threadbare.

Pa was not as adept as Ma at shuttering his emotions and the disappointment he attempted to conceal with words of encouragement was evident. It had been his dream, too. He was gone more often than not, his visits brief.