For the Love of a Brother

Calm

I woke up once again that same day. The day I lost everything. My boyfriend. My brother. My identity.

The hospital beds were filled with those injured in today's horrible event. Many had broken bones that would heal in hardly no time at all compared to the poor woman who was now paralyzed from the waist down.

I, on the other hand, had first-degree frostbite and a concussion. The doctors gave me a medicine that would fix my skin in only a few weeks, but frostbite wasn't alien to me. Ice was my most used element in Spell-singer Magic, though it was also my most uncontrollable.

Mr. Yajima came into my shared room after speaking with the doctors. "Gran Doma said that he'd appreciate it if you went on vacation for the next few weeks," he said. "It'll take some time for your frostbite to heal and the effects of your concussion to wear off. The rest of the Council will stay at our homes and meet only once a week until the building is usable again." Mr. Yajima must've noticed that my eyes were glued to the precious medallion in my hands. He placed a hand on my shoulder. "I just finished speaking with Terra through a lacrima. She offered to let you stay with her until we can build new living quarters here."

I said nothing.

Mr. Yajima sighed, but pushed through the silence. "I hope you don't mind, but I already told her that you'd be delighted to. I heard Jerrod is quite excited to finally meet you. But Terra had this warning: Flumpkins is a snuggler."

A smiled crept onto my face. It was natural and exactly what Mr. Yajima was looking for.

"There's your beautiful smile. It's always a shame when someone so young wears a frown."

I looked up at the man next to me. He'd been with me through all my struggles. This man, who had been there for me and helped me for all these past years, had become my family. Mr. Yajima often reminded me of my father. Maybe that's why I trusted him.

My arms reached out and pulled him into an embrace. I felt a few stray tears slip down my cheeks. "No more crying," Mr. Yajima whispered. He ended the hug and wiped away my tears. "How about I take you shopping for new clothes, so you'll be already to leave for Magnolia in the morning?"

I nodded my head, still not contributing a single word to the conversation. Thankfully, Mr. Yajima didn't care about my reticent nature.

***

Five outfits and other necessities later, we end up back at Mr. Yajima's home. He carried a pillow and blanket to the couch in his living room. "Mr. Yajima, how come you didn't live in the Council building?" I finally started to speak to him by about suppertime. Food has always been a weakness of mine.

"Well," he began. "I didn't want to stay in that place more than I needed to." A hint of laughter hid in his voice.

It made me laugh. Siegrain would always say the same.

"Also," his voice became more serious. "I wanted to be prepared for something like this. The Magic Council is a target for many rebel groups. It was only a matter of time that it'd be attacked."

"I'm sorry it had to be my brother."

Mr. Yajima ignored my apology. "Get some rest. You have a long train ride tomorrow."

I tucked myself under the covers while Mr. Yajima turned off all the lights.

Without wind or rain, the night was calm.

Okay, this is really short. Sorry! I just came back from a summer retreat and I am super pumped to write again. My friend and I tried to start a sequel to a story we wrote a few years ago, so I may be absent from this story depending on if I have ideas for the other story. But honestly, I disappear a lot. Sorry again! I began writing the next chapter though.

Also, after the publication of this chapter, I have a special Author's Note for y'all!