book 1 of the windows of the soul duology
✿ ✿ ✿
lucent: softly bright or radiant
✿ ✿ ✿
My brother's hand traces the cut on my right cheek for some minutes. I have no idea how a cut can be so interesting, but I won't judge a book by its cover.
...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
✿ ✿ ✿
I quietly sip from the cup containing ColaCao before wetting my lips, saving the morning drink. My eyes avert from it to my brother's green ones, nodding repetitively. "It's good."
Kipp finishes taking a gulp of it before replying, "See? I told you. Best thing to drink in the morning to feel energised."
He had been bugging me for weeks now to try this original Spanish drink - a mixture of powered dark chocolate with hot milk. Nevertheless to say, it is delicious and my brother didn't disappoint. Though I'm not quite sure how he was able to get it here, since the hospital staff probably don't even know this exists.
As I take small sips of the drink while Kipp gulps it down, the door opens to reveal our fourth oldest brother, balancing his green smoothie on one hand and a tray of toasts on the other. "Breakfast is here."
I sit up straight when I foresee Lennox leaving the tray on my lap, then taking a small plate with food and passing it to Kipp, on the opposite side of the hospital bed.
As I begin munching on my breakfast, I hear the scrape of a chair being relocated. Lennox takes his place on my right side while Kipp hungrily takes chunks out of his toast on my left one. The silence that engulfs us feels eerily comforting; it seems like there's no need for us to talk right now about why we're suddenly in this situation - me in a hospital bed while my brothers accompany me.
It must have been less than half an hour ago that I woke up, disoriented as to why the morning light emerged from my left and not my right and why there was - still is - a huge bucket of pink roses engulfing my vision.
Kipp was immediately by my side, fussing over me and bombarding me with so many questions about my wellbeing I felt overwhelmed. Luckily, Lennox was there to resolve any confusing questions I might have had, completely ignoring Kipp.
He did not specify how I ended up here, but I feel like he knew I had a rough idea of what occurred this night, judging by my past experiences with anxiety attacks. He didn't mention or ask anything related to my anxiety yet, but I feel like he's waiting for Voski to land here for all of us to have a real talk — one in which I won't be able to evade the truth more.
Though what he did mention is that we're in our family's private room in their clinic, probably so I wouldn't panic anymore. To be honest, I feel so annoyed yet exhausted at my anxiety for making my life so freaking tortuous, I don't even care about this fact anymore.
Just as I finish licking the last drops of ColaCao, the door bursts open. My eyes immediately find my brother's surprised ones. He is taken back that I'm already awake, I suppose.
