Eclipse

Chapter 12

★Elio★

I only realized that I wasn't fully asleep when I woke up. I had been half awake, aware of my surroundings, yet in the illusion of sleep. The sound that woke me up was still foreign to me.

It took a few seconds for me to be able to acknowledge what was around me. I turned my head to look at the flap of the tent. I could see light, though my eyes were blurry, coming from the front of the tent. I rubbed my eyes, focusing on the beam of light once more. It was a torch. It was Dayton. As quickly as I saw the light, it was gone. Dayton had placed a snuffer cap over the flame, extinguishing it before it woke anyone else.

Dayton stayed silent as he placed the torch next to the tent flap, in the designated area, and returned to his bed, sitting on the edge of it. He hadn't noticed me yet. He was back early. I wonder why.

I propped myself up with my elbow, facing Dayton. "Hey," I began. "Are you alright?"

Dayton jolted, having not noticed me before. He turned around quickly, looking at me. "How long have you been awake?" He questioned me.

I sat up fully, turning my body slightly to him, holding myself up with my hands behind me. "I don't know. I never fully fell asleep. I actually woke up when you showed up, though. What happened? Are you okay?"

Dayton turned, his back facing me again. "I'm..." His words faded, as if he couldn't quite get himself to say it. He didn't continue.

"Why are you back early?" I kept my voice quieter than before. Calmer.

Dayton didn't answer right away. It took him a few seconds of silence before he finally responded. "We chased after Stanton and they got away. I hurt my ankle while running." He didn't say anything else after that. But something about it felt off. It seemed like he wasn't telling me something. The last time he kept something from me was when he was hiding that he had feelings for guys. More specifically, me.

Dayton sighed. "I'm gonna try to go to sleep. Goodnight, Elio."

I didn't respond right away. Instead, I watched as he slipped his boots off and got ready to lay down. And when he did, I laid back down and turned my back to him. I couldn't help but wonder what really happened out there. Apparently, it was something that he couldn't tell me. Maybe he was ashamed. Maybe he was embarrassed. Whatever it was, I knew I couldn't convince him to tell me.

★★★

"Rise and shine, sissies," Arino Lidin yelled, standing in front of the group of men. The older man had a slight smile on his face this morning. I didn't know whether to be hopeful or absolutely terrified. I think either would be fitting.

Arino Lidin began with telling the others what their roles would be. They were barely different from every other day. That includes the fact that he called me aside.

As the other soldiers dispersed, I walked to Arino Lidin, the same as every day. Arino Lidin escorted me to his hut. I stood by the door, waiting as he sifted through papers at his desk. I watched silently.

"Have you ever heard of the sun theory?" I had barely even recognized Arino Lidin's voice. He didn't even look up as he said it.

I shook my head. "I haven't." I waited patiently for him to continue, and he did.

Arino Lidin cleared his throat before continuing. "It's a theory of how you became sun. You see, a few months before you were born, someone had broken into your home. They were found next to your mother as she slept. Your father, on the other hand, saw the person." He paused before continuing. "I knew your father. He was one of the strongest men I'd ever met. He caught the intruder. Tackled them to the ground. He had him."