The sun was high when Kail awoke. He looked around expecting his own bed. Where was he? He sat up and saw Faber and Selestia sleeping around him as well. He remembered Jones, Collins, and Bratch. What a mistake this journey had been.
“Breakfast,” Keiran appeared behind him holding out a hand full of berries. The quick, silent arrival combined with the tired haze he was still in, made Kail jump back, startled.
Kail didn’t feel like eating. His throat was parched however, and decided to accept Keiran’s offer. The berries were sweeter than he expected. They were delicious. He shook Faber by the shoulders to wake him. The pain in his own shoulder from the bullet he’d taken the previous day erupted. He cringed, and tightened. This sent an unpleasant sensation into his cracked ribs. He was in rough shape.
Faber opened his eyes slowly. His mouth was greeted with the taste of concentrated fructose. He could feel the sweet juice trickling down his cheek. He sprung to his feet nearly knocking Keiran over. He held the skins of the berries he had squeezed into Faber’s mouth. It was retaliation for being kicked awake the night before. Faber slapped his hand away, but couldn’t wipe the smile off of Keiran’s face.
Kail shook his head. These two had not gotten along from the start. Mind you, Kail couldn’t imagine anyone really getting along with Keiran. He was arrogant, smug, but above all, he was good at everything.
Kail decided to let them settle their differences and took it upon himself to wake up Selestia. He lowered himself to her level. She was beautiful. He knew that already of course, but every time he saw her it was a constant reminder of just how beautiful she actually was. It was almost like he had forgotten. Despite everything that she had gone through, from the escape to prison to the bounty hunters, to the trolls, she managed to keep that aura of beauty about her. In fact, in Kail’s mind, her resilience made her more beautiful.
He whispered into her ear, “Wake up dear.” He said it gently. Soothingly. He froze. That was not what he intended to say at all. The “wake up” was supposed to be followed by her name: Selestia. The thought of that name sent a warm feeling through his body. He tried again, hoping she was still asleep and missed that slip of the tongue. “Wake up Selestia,” he whispered slightly louder than last time.
She stirred briefly, her eyes remaining closed. “Kail? Is that you?”
He liked hearing his name come from her perfect lips. He wasn’t sure how much of her conscious mind was trapped in the dream world and how much she was actually acknowledging his presence. He hoped for the former. The thought of her dreaming of him made a tremor rise up in his hands. He calmed himself. “Yes, it’s me,” he responded.
She peered through slits of eyes, and smirked. “How long have you been there?”
He hadn’t been there long, but his hesitation left the question in her mind. He knew she had heard his misplaced remark. “Not very long at all. Just came by actually,” he fumbled.
“Oh,” she nodded in disbelief.
Kail tugged at his collar. He turned around to see both Keiran and Faber staring at him. He was embarrassed. He should have known something was up when he couldn’t hear their bickering anymore.
Selestia tried to get to her feet, but couldn’t put weight on her right foot. Kail admitted to himself that he wasn’t that disappointed that she was injured. Sure, he felt bad that she was in pain, but the potential benefits outweighed her discomfort. First of all, it gave him an excuse to carry her, if his ribs would hold up. Secondly, it meant that she would have to stay with the ship instead of insisting on coming along on their dangerous excursions. He felt guilty about his first reason, but good about the second.
