(COMPLETED) The Lunar Chronicles - Winter's Summer

Part 14

Winter's head slipped off her hand, slamming her face into the table. She jolted awake, opening her eyes in surprise and rubbing where her chin had smashed the table. A small bruise was already forming. Ow.

"I just don't know why he won't answer my comms. I don't know where he could be. He's never been gone this long before!" Scarlet was wringing her hands to the beat of her feet hitting the kitchen floor, walking back and forth, back and forth.

Scarlet's voice was high pitched, almost so that it was out of Winter's hearing range. But she suspected that every dog in the area could hear her loud and clear. Winter placed her head back on her hand, and checked the time on her port with her other hand.

It was 3:06.

She internally groaned, and Scarlet stopped her pacing to whip her head around to look at Winter. Oops. There was a slight chance that hadn't been internal. Her friend stormed forward, her eyes displaying madness, and sat down next to Winter, shakily taking a sip of coffee. It was her third cup.

She had been like this ever since sundown, more than a couple hours after Wolf said he would be back. She started pacing the kitchen, stringing her fingers through her hair and muttering to herself. Sometimes she screamed and whimpered. She seemed to be going crazy before Winter's eyes.

And Winter knew all about going crazy.

She reached out to put a sympathetic hand on Scarlet's shoulder, and she jerked back, her eyes glossed over with tears and her drowsiness. She looked so tired. When she saw Winter trying to console her, she slowly leaned into the caress.

"Scarlet-friend, I believe he will come back safe and unharmed. There is not a thing in this world to keep him from your side. He will be okay. We are waiting her for him, and Cress and Thorne are looking around the city, and in just a few hours Cinder and Kai will be here to help too. You are surrounded by help."

Cress and Thorne arriving was not a part of the plan. The plan was to have Cinder and Kai come in the morning, and they, along with Wolf, Scarlet, and Winter, would enjoy a few happy days together.

It was four hours after Wolf had disappeared and twelve until Cinder and Kai were due to arrive. There was no one scheduled to come, and when Scarlet had heard the sound of an engine, she immediately perked up and ran outside, Winter only moments behind.

"Wolf!" she called. "Wolf!"

The expression on her face when she saw the Rampion descending on the landing pad was a mixture of unrestrained rage and indescribable pain. Thorne sauntered off the Rampion, Cress only a few steps behind him. Winter noticed that Thorne had landed with all of the ship on the landing pad Scarlet had built last year. Huh. He was getting better at landing.

"Hey Scarlet! How are y-" He was cut off when Scarlet swung at him with her balled fists. He ducked, barely missing her hands. He backed up slowly, his hands held up in a show of surrender, his face a mass of confusion.

"What," Scarlet started, teeth gritted, tears falling onto the dirt path that led from landing pad to house. "In ALL THE STARS. Are you doing here." Thorne stepped back, taken by surprise at her hostility.

"Aces, Scarlet. We were in the neighborhood and thought we'd grace you with our presence. I commed Wolf about it just a little bit ago, but he never got back to me... Where's he at?" At this, Scarlet started sobbing, and Winter held her to her chest, grasping Scarlet tightly.

Scarlet was holding her so hard it hurt, but Winter did nothing but mouth Sort of a bad time to Thorne and Cress. Thorne nodded, sparing a backwards glance at Cress. She looked as befuddled as he did. Winter sent Scarlet back to the house to go to bed, and instructed Cress and Thorne to look for Wolf around Rieux.

Jacin would be proud of her for taking control.

Even though Scarlet made several cups of coffee instead of going to bed, Winter was still happy with herself.

Scarlet put her head face down on the table. "I can't do anything. I can't save my grandmother. I can't save my alpha."

"Hey," Winter said, with a forcefulness she had never heard in herself before. "You do not need to save him. He is fine. He is coming back. I would bet my life on it. He will come for you."

The front door of the house burst open, seeming like who ever had just come through hadn't opened the door, but merely shoved it so hard it broke the lock. A giant man was now standing in the entryway of the house covered in dirt and blood. Scarlet slammed down her cup of coffee so hard and fast, the contents sloshed over the rim, coating the table.

She pushed back her chair so hard it slammed into the oven on the other side of the room and she bounded into the man's open arms. He held her tightly, seeming scared that if he ever let go, he would lose her forever. Scarlet sighed, a dreamy sound of pure happiness breathed out into the air.

"Wolf."

"Scarlet."

Winter faced the table, feeling like she was intruding in a private moment. She sent a hasty comm to Cress, saying they could come back without worrying about Scarlet's wrath anymore.

The couple broke apart abruptly when Scarlet leaned back and hit Wolf on the shoulder.

"Ow."

"Where the stars were you, Wolf? I was so worried. I thought you were killed."

His eyes softened, and he pulled Scarlet back in. He whispered into her hair, Winter barely being able to hear it. She figured that it was what he intended. "I don't want you to be mad."

Scarlet pulled back again, this time to give Wolf a suspicious look. She opened her mouth to say something, but he pulled her against his lips before she had the chance. She melted into the kiss, tangling her fingers in his wild hair. But Scarlet pulled away after a couple seconds, still mad.

She looked imploringly at Wolf, and he sighed. "Not now, okay?" He asked, fidgeting with a hole in his jeans. Scarlet turned away from him, obviously disappointed with his answer. She silently went to the coffee maker and poured another cup, holding it out to Wolf.

He took it wordlessly. Scarlet dragged her chair back to the table and sat down next to Winter and drained the remainder of her coffee in one sip, plunking the cup down on the table. She gestured to the seat next to her. "I've had too much coffee, I can't go to bed. We're waiting for Cress and Thorne."

Wolf scrunched his face in confusion. "Cress and Thorne are here? Was that planned?"

Scarlet huffed. "No, they just showed up," she said, dragging one hand across her face. "I honestly can't deal with anything right now, with them showing up and Cinder and Kai coming in just a few hours and you being missing... I feel like I'm going to explode from the stress of it all."

Wolf sat down, placing his untouched coffee on the table. Winter knew that Wolf wanted to console Scarlet, but he knew that he was the majority of the problem, and she needed some time to recover from the fear he gave her.

He stared at the ground, his heel hitting the floor fast and hard like a heartbeat. Winter started humming to the tune of his tapping foot, something light and jaunty. She stopped moments later when she saw both Wolf and Scarlet looking at her, Wolf with confusion, and Scarlet with exasperation.

She cleared her throat and stood up. "I think I'm going to bed now. Goodnight, Scarlet. Wolf, I'm glad you're not dead." She smiled reassuringly at the end of her sentence, but he didn't seem to be comforted by it.

She walked up the stairs without a backwards glance, leaving the couple alone.