Animegas (Editing)

Aures

The three of us met up with Thomas and Calypso in one of the cottages that lined the wood. Thomas' nose was black and purple, and some dried blood clung to his shirt. I almost felt bad for punching him. But hey, the guy was responsible for my parents' deaths. There were 4 bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, and a small living room/dining room. The couch in the living room folded out into a bed.

We all claimed our bedrooms, and Thomas got stuck with the couch. My bedroom was the smallest, but it was the only one with a Queen-sized bed. The crisp white comforter was embroidered with blue. There was a small dresser and a window that overlooked the small forest. The floor was carpeted with a fuzzy blue material.

I cracked open the window and soothed myself with the sounds of the forest. My eyes fluttered and felt heavy. When they opened again, it was dark outside. Stumbling around the dark room, I found a candle and some matches. Lighting the candle, I walked out of the bedroom. There were no sounds in the cottage, everyone was asleep.

In the living room, I spotted a lump on the fold-out-couch. A mop of black hair stuck out from one side of the blanket, barley missing the pillow. Tiptoeing past the lump, I made my way to the front door. The night air was cool and refreshing. The sounds of crickets and nocturnal animals played throughout the cover of the small forest. Hanging from the cottage porch was an unlit lantern. Placing the small flame of the candle to the wick of the lantern, I replaced one source of light for another.

Slowly, I made my way to Erik's grave. Upon reaching the headstone, I realized that a small wreath of flowers sat at the base of the marble. Flowers were intertwined to make the frame, and small charms were held to the circlet of flowers. They were all smooth chunks of wood, and something different was carved into each of the chunks.

On one, there were swirls of lines that I had guessed represented air. On another, there was a bolt of lightning. On the third, a snowflake, on the fourth a leaf. And on the fifth, was an actual rock instead of a chunk of wood. The rock was smooth and filled with swirls of other minerals. In the light of the lantern, the stone seemed to glow. A twig cracked behind me and I spun around.

In the shadows of the trees, a small figure with long golden hair stood. "Katie," I sighed. "You scared me."

She smiled sadly and stepped into the light. "That took me two days to make." she admitted, "I haven't been able to sleep."

I nodded and looked back at Erik's grave. Suddenly, I had forgotten why I came out here in the first place. It was by some instinct of mine to go into the forest. I tossed my arm around Katie's neck. "Come on, let's go back."

~*~

The next morning was lazy compared to other days. We had nothing to do, no hunting, no camp to clean up, no running from threats. Just good old fashion nothing, and it felt good. All day long we lounged around, trying to figure out what to do. Nothing came to mind until around lunch.

"Hey," said Greg. "Shouldn't we go visit our brothers and sisters?"

I jumped up, excited to see Max. A wave of guilt washed over me as I realized that I haven't even thought of seeing him.

"Who's going to break the news to Sara that her big brother is dead?" Asked Katie. I sank back onto the couch, sadness welling up inside of me. She didn't know that her brother was dead, how sad would she be that her only living relative was now gone? And even worse, it was my fault.

"I will." I moped. "It's my fault anyway, so I should be the one to tell her."

Thomas jumped up. "Sam, it isn't your fault. Were you the one to stick that sword in his chest? No, it was Damean that killed Erik, not you."

I nodded, trying to let Thomas' words take hold of me. But they wouldn't, if I had said yes, Erik would still be alive. I felt Calypso's eyes boring holes into me. My green eyes met hers and for that split second we made eye contact, we came to an understanding. If I had said yes, she would still have been stuck in that hole. I didn't know why she was down there, or what her connection was with Damean, but she was grateful. It was a matter of gain an ally, lose a friend.

I sighed and stood up, "Alright, lets go."

~*~

I nearly toppled backwards as Max's small body clashed with mine. His skinny arms wrapped around me, and mine wrapped around his waist in return. "Sammy!" he shrieked. "You're back!" He pulled back and smiled, revealing a set of missing front teeth. Max's dirty blond hair shimmered in the sun, it nearly reached his shoulders.

I smiled back and quickly ended it when I saw Sara looking around for Erik. Putting Max down gently, I bent over to his height. "I'm going to talk to Sara real quick, we'll catch up later. Okay?"

Max cocked his head to the side with curiosity, but didn't protest. Sighing, I slowly made my way to the little girl, trying to figure out what to say. Her pale blue eyes looked around pleadingly, trying to locate her big brother.

"Hey, Sara." I said meekly.

She frowned. "Where's Erik? I don't see him."

Closing my eyes, I kneeled down so I was the same height as her. "Sara," I sighed, "I-I'm sorry. But...at Damean's castle...something bad happened."

She looked down. "He isn't coming back, is he?"

I shook my head, tears threatening to spill. She pulled me into a hug, and I felt my shoulder getting wet with warm tears. Sara's silent sobs shuddered her body, my arms wrapped around her, trying to comfort the crying 6 year old. It was hard to keep my own tears from flowing, but I had to stay strong for her. When no more tears could be shed, she pulled away and wiped her moist cheeks.

"At least he's with mommy and daddy." she sniffed. "Erik was always telling me how funny and nice they were. Now they're just waiting for me. Then we can be a family again."

I grasped her arms and stared into her electric blue eyes. "Sara, don't even think of killing yourself. You're only 6, there is a long life ahead of you. A happy life." I steeled myself against the threatening tears. "Erik, your mom and dad too, would want you to keep on living. Tell me, how did they die?"

She sniffed, more tears were starting to brim her eyes. "The bad Furies came, mommy and daddy told us to run. Daddy told Erik to keep me safe."

I nodded. "That's like what my mom said to me. The reason they told you and Erik to run, was so that you both would have a chance of living. My parents did too. You aren't alone, Sara, you have Max, the others and me. So please, live for us."

She nodded, but refused to meet my gaze. I understood how she felt, feeling alone and helpless. Having no one to care for you. But if we killed ourselves every time we felt alone, then life would not be worth living. Without tears, we could not smile. Without darkness, we could not have light. Without death, we could not have life. There were balances that were not meant to be messed with. Sure, we might not like it, but without the bad things we could not recognize the good.

Smiling at Sara, I stood and held out my hand. Gingerly, she took it, as if trying to decide if it would disappear into mist or not. We walked over to the others, who were waiting a little ways away. Katie was looking around for her little sister, with obviously no luck. Thomas didn't bother, he had lied about his younger siblings as cover. Max bounded over to me, and stopped in front of Sara. He cocked his head to the side, questioning why she looked so sad. I shook my head in response, warning him that right now was not the best time.

A man in a white business suit strolled over to us. His blond hair and beard were cropped short, his brown eyes were kind and warm. The man gave us an apologetic smile as he stalked closer. Once the mystery man reached us, he bowed.

"If I may, could I borrow Katie for a moment?" The man's voice was deep but smooth at the same time.

Calypso narrowed her eyes. "What for?"

I saw a flash of loathing in the man's eyes towards Calypso, but no one else seemed to notice it. Katie stepped forward, a knowing expression on her face. "It's fine, guys." she said. "I'll meet up with you at the cabin later."

Max took my other hand, Greg and his sister intertwined their own, and Thomas and Calypso took the rear. Together, we walked to the cabin to continue our lazy afternoon.