A Sky of Rain

Chapter Twenty

        I groan and pull my covers over my head as a knock resonates in my head.

        “Aw Lyra, come on! You had to know it would be a very early wake-up call today!” Adrian calls from just outside my door. Yeah, I probably should have known. I drag myself out of bed.

        “Shall I change straight into my armor and uniform?” I say to Adrian as I open my door to see him. Oh, he is already in his uniform and armor. His armor is much more bulky than mine, with a similar design and same colors. The uniform is just about the same. Adrian also has his weapons: one intimidating mace, one sword, a few throwing knives, and of course, his powers.

        Adrian looks down to what he is wearing, and then back up to me. “Yeah, you should. Everyone else is wearing theirs. We have to be in position in three hours.”

        I close my door, take a deep breath, and begin to dress for today. Today, the battle. It still has yet to hit me that today is the day, today is it. I put my uniform on first, my trusty leather boots, and then my armor. I put my dagger and short sword in their respective sheathes, and then mount them on my hip. As I check my quiver to see how many arrows are in there, I call out to Adrian. “What if Thardossa doesn’t show up until noon?”

        I hear Adrian laugh. “Then we wait!” He replies.

        I haul the quiver over and onto my back, and do the same for my crossbow. The last thing I put on is my gloves. Completely dressed, I make my way towards my bathroom to make any last adjustments. When I am satisfied that everything fits and I haven’t forgotten anything, I join Adrian in the hall.

        Adrian gives me a slow whistle as I close my door. “Wow, you look like you’re going to war.” Adrian says, and winks.

        I laugh. “Well, I kinda am, and so are you.”

        We walk through the halls towards the kitchen to eat, and I greet everyone we pass. When we enter the kitchen, Loki and Lance, who were already sitting at the counter, look towards us. I wave, and we walk over to them. Loki, for weapons, has an axe strapped to his back along with a sword, and a few throwing knives hanging off of his belt. Lance has a polished broadsword, two other swords, and a sturdy shield. As I approach, they both stand up and hug me. At the same time.

        “H-hey!” I try to exclaim, muffled by armor and their bodies.

        “Group hug!” Adrian calls out, before joining the hug. Overwhelmed by a sense of friendship and affection, and weight from their armor, I hug them all back as tightly as I can. There is a lot of laughing and soft smiles. After we let go of each other, we have our last meal together before the battle.

        “Guys…” I start to say, and they turn to look at me. “Thank you…for everything all of you have given me. It was…very difficult to adapt to all of the change I went through, and you all made it just a bit easier for me.”

        “Aw, Lyra!” Adrian says exuberantly, before giving me a bright smile. Loki grins, and gives me a thumbs-up with a smile. Lance is the last to react, and when he does, the smile that he gives me softens my heart. Lance was the one to explain to me what was going on, he was the one to bring me here, and he will be the one to fight alongside me. He is been my friend since the beginning.

        My mind goes erratic. Could I possibly…? I feel like I should say no, for he has shown nothing but friendship since we met. But the way that my mind screams at me each time he smiles at me, each time our eyes meet, and each time I grab onto his arm, tells me something else.