Blessed By The Moon

Chapter 58

Echo's POV :

It's been quite a while but the town still hated us.

Okay, "hated" might be a strong word. Let's call it profound discomfort wrapped in tight smiles and polite avoidance because they're afraid we'll kill them with a flick of our wrist.

People crossed the street when Storm and I walked by, like we were contagious. Old Mrs. Whitmore literally turned her back to rearrange nonexistent flowers every single time I passed her porch. At this point, I was starting to take it as performance art.

Storm said to ignore it, that they just needed time. He always said that, and he made it sound so simple, like time was some magical eraser. But time doesn't erase whispers, it just makes them softer, sneakier.

Still... I didn't care. Not really. Because I was in love, stupidly and wonderfully in love. And honestly, when Storm looks at me like I'm the only person who makes sense in a world that clearly doesn't, it's hard to care about anything else.

So when I went into town that afternoon, alone, because Storm was helping Elijah fix whatever the hell was wrong with the perimeter gate again, I didn't walk like someone ashamed. I walked like someone who had nothing left to hide. My boots on the cobblestone made this satisfying sound, like punctuation.

That's when I saw her. Leah. I ran into her a few times before, she always avoids me like the plague.

She was standing outside the bakery, looking unfairly calm, a basket of apples in one arm. Her hair was tied up, and she was wearing that same soft cream sweater she always wore when she wanted people to think she wasn't judging them.

For a second, I considered walking the other way like I usually did. Pretend I didn't see her, pretend she was just some vaguely apple-shaped hallucination.

But then she turned, saw me, and froze. 

And I...well, I did what I the only thing I thought to do, I smiled, too wide, too fake. "Hey."

She blinked. "Echo."

We stood there, the air between us heavy and awkward, smelling of warm bread and unsaid things.

I shifted my weight. "How are you?"

Leah tilted her head like she was trying to decide if that was a trap. "Fine. You?"

"Oh, you know. Same old... busy week."

She batted her eyes at me.

I sighed. "Leah, listen... I'm sorry, I know you blame me for our friends passing away, and believe me, I didn't want it either, but I'm sorry, if I could go back in time and change it all, I would, but I can't, I'm sorry for everything, but I won't apologize again, because it hurts me just as much as it hurts you."

Her eyes widened. "Echo, you don't have to-"

"I do." I folded my arms, not to look defensive, just to keep from fidgeting. "But that's all you're getting from me, if you choose to run away from me like I'm death itself then so be it."

For a long moment, she didn't say anything. Then she set her basket down, a soft thump on the wood. "You haven't changed much," she said gently. "Still the one who tries to fix everything, even when it's not your fault."

I huffed out a laugh. "Yeah, well. Old habits."

She stepped closer, her face softer now. "I forgive you, Echo."

That shouldn't have hit as hard as it did. But it did. My throat felt tight, and I had to blink a few times before I could breathe properly.

"I forgive you too," I said quietly. "Even though I know you went with Mr Clemens to the pack house, called me unstable and tried to get Elijah to exile us."