Splintered

Chapter Fifty-Nine: The Soft Winters of Home

The train had barely stopped moving when a thunderous sound rang through the halls and vibrated the walls. Pounding feet, and a name being yelled repeatedly.

"Hazel! Hazel! Hazel!"

Her compartment door burst open, and in rushed her three youngest siblings. In an instant, Sage was in her arms, and Lily was fastened around her neck. Linden hesitated, stopping short of swarming her, while Rowan brought up the rear with Leo.

"You're home early!" Sage all but squealed.

"Surprise," Hazel coughed, though she could hardly breathe due to their tight embraces.

"We missed you," Lily mumbled into her older sister's hair, and Hazel slid a hand over Lily's curls.

"Missed you more," Hazel responded, squeezing Sage until he squirmed. "More than you know."

The last time she'd been away from home, it had been so traumatic that she should have expected such an enthusiastic reaction at her return.

Releasing Lily and Sage, she stood and embraced Linden. He accepted it, though it was clear he was trying not to appear too sappy; he was twelve now, after all.

"You look like hell," Rowan's voice pulled her attention.

"You missed me." Hazel crossed over to him, and he relented to her hug.

"We did," he admitted softly.

Stepping away from him, she was again thrown by how much he'd grown in such a short period of time. There was too much change happening too fast, and it pained her to witness how much he looked more like Silus every day.

"Why the change of plans? Because of the mechanical issues?" Rowan asked slowly, his tone was curious, but not enough.

She studied her brother and recognized that he was studying her right back. They were both restraining themselves. It was something she detested, the wall between them. The one that had been there ever since she'd returned from the games. Someway, somehow, she'd find a way to obliterate it.

"Because of the Senator," she answered.

Lily perked up at the mention of the man, while Rowan narrowed his eyes.

Hazel kept her gaze locked on her oldest brother's gold-flecked ones, "Guess he knew how homesick I was."

"He's so considerate," Lily concluded.

"Didn't know politicians were capable of being considerate," Rowan mumbled.

Hazel ignored him. "Where's Mom and Oren?"

"Outside, waiting. They told us to be patient, but someone couldn't wait any longer," Rowan fake scowled at Sage.

"It's that Starling stubbornness, you know," Hazel teased.

"You're the worst of us all," Rowan replied.

Leo chirped in, "I second that."

"Alright, alright," Hazel surged back toward her bed, shoving her few things into her bag, even stealthily sliding the tape from under her pillow.

Sage slithered his hand into hers and dragged her toward the entrance, "You have to see my room."

Linden grumbled, "Yeah, yeah, he'd sleep with that ugly cow if he could get it to fit in his bed."

Sage scowled at Linden ruining the surprise, while Hazel examined her youngest brother's excited face, "You got my gift, did you?"

The youngster was all teeth as they rounded the corner toward the main doors, "I love him."