Orelie

*7*

*7*

The sitting room was starting to glow gold from the fading sun light when I finally heard the three locks click. Crae had returned. I sat up straighter against the wall and watched him enter the cottage. He sighed and went for the kitchen.

"Welcome back," He spun around at my voice, as if not expecting me to be there.

"Kyrene," He cleared his throat. "What are you doing on the floor? I thought I left you on the couch?"

"I was on the couch." I sat up a bit. "I just crawled over to the window when a Fairy wanted to play. Instead of playing, she explained a bit more to me in a way I could understand. And I've decided..."

I took a deep breath. "I've decided that I want to understand who I am. I want to know more about what an Orelie is and does. I want you to help me."

Crae smiled softly. "I'm glad to hear that. Let's get you back on the couch and I'll make us some dinner." He picked me up and placed me back on the couch. I adjusted myself so I was a bit more comfy and sipped from the water glass Crae had left me before he went out.

"So what did you need while you were out?" I called out to him.

"I had to do some work around the town," He replied. "Nothing serious. Helped a few people out with issues they were having and resolved conflicts over some magical issues."

"Sounds interesting." I took another drink of water. "Will I be doing that?"

"In due time," He said as the smell of dinner drifted up my nose. "You'll be helping me with odd jobs and eventually telling possible futures."

"Possible futures?" I asked.

"Nothing is set in stone," He replied as something sizzled. "You basically see what could be their future just by what they've done up until that point. There is a way to see other futures if they change their actions. The future has endless possibilities. You'll just be picking from what you've got to go by."

I nodded to myself. "Makes sense, I guess." I looked up just as a plate was set beside me on the table. I sat up a bit more and manually swung my legs off the couch. I leaned forward and picked the plate and fork up to eat.

Crae sat next to me and watched. "Do you need help with that?"

I shook my head. "I'd like to start doing things on my own. I don't want help all the time." I scooped up a bite of food and placed it in my mouth.

I smiled around the bite. "It's really good."

"Glad you like it." He said as he began to eat his food. We sat in silence the rest of the meal, something I'm used to. It didn't bother me one bit. The only thing that bothered me was that I couldn't get up to put my plate away. I couldn't wait to start walking again. It'll make things much easier for me, and for Crae. I just know he'll get annoyed at having to care for me almost all day.

"Kyrene," I looked up from my water. "Did you want to try some of your exercises tonight?"

I thought for a second. "The sooner, the better, I guess."

"Alright," He picked me up again and laid me on the floor. "We'll start with simple knee bends. Just like this." He guided my leg to lift a bit and bend at the knee.

"Just do that until it starts to hurt a bit." He instructed and sat back.

I bit my lip. "Can I get some help?"

He nodded and guided my leg through a few reps of five bends. I had us stop after a while when my legs started to burn.

"Try not to push yourself, Kyrene," He said as he helped me sit up. "Strengthening your muscles won't be an easy feat. We have to take it relatively easy and not over stress your muscles. That'll only do more damage to them."