Wolf Heart

Chapter 10

Planet: Eteran

First Insurgency War

JAMES

"Are you glad to have your camera back?" Rayan asked as the three of them made their way to Rayan's house. James stopped on the sides of the road to take frozen moments. He held the camera close to his chest, glad for its return to reveal the world around him when it flew by. He switched on his heel to grab the frozen moment he left behind him, with Ava focused on her student datapad as she wrote down her work which weighed down her shoulders when she refused to show anyone else the truth. Her hazel eyes which he shared with her drifted upwards, and she gave him a light smile to accentuate the setting horizon of cold reds which spread across the sky.

"Very happy," James said as he shifted his view to the moments in front of him as he adjusted the lenses for the wide-angle shot of the road. Everything clicked into the angles as Rayan hesitated to give him a chance to capture the world past the lens. Sunlight glittered over the scattered stones, and splashed into Rayan's honey brown eyes as he set a hand on his hip with an uncertain grin. "Thanks, Rayan."

It was a few more minutes of walking before Ava gasped at the turn into Rayan's circular driveway. A skip returned to her step as she shoved her datapad back into her bag and rushed past them with excitement. Rayan raced to catch up with her, and James trailed behind while Rayan opened the door.

He shoved himself into the cornet to take a picture of the glowing chandelier above their heads as he closed the door. It rang with a certain loneliness fit for negative space, and made it difficult to capture every piece of the house into the lens.

"It's massive here," Ava observed as James took her fall coat to place it with his in the sliding closet. "You're not alone, Rayan, are you?"

James frowned at Ava, then gazed at Rayan, who smiled at them both with a small shake of his head while he glowed with the setting sun. "Not anymore, I'm not. Here, let me show you around." He waved them into the connected living room and kitchen."

It weighed heavy on his shoulders at the ease of movement around furniture. Beside him, Ava tensed up.

So different from our house — I mean, I stepped into here once and now my house feels cramped. But at least it feels warm. He bundled his camera into his bag and shoved his hands into his pockets as they entered the large kitchen.

"Do you do everything by yourself?" Ava questioned.

"Oh, no." Rayan laughed, and James took note when Ava's deep frown shifted into a soft smile. "Mom and I cook dinner together and share chores. Anything that we can't do we leave to the cleaning bots." Rayan glanced out the window, where the red shadows fell away through the clouds. On the other side of the pool, James found his own favourite spot underneath a dancing tree which pushed him through the block in his mind and an I-Pen to a page.

"Rayan, you should show her what you showed me last time I was here," James said with his memory.

Rayan nodded and led them back to the main foyer and up the split staircase. They walked past the master bedroom, where James took note of the minimalist sense of taste trying to survive through an air of extravagance. Family pictures lined the bookshelves, with an open heart and a warm embrace compared to the rest of the empty house as the small balcony overlooked the backyard. A watchful presence for those to learn and grow.

"Here's my room," Rayan said.

James smiled at the awed expression on Ava's face. Rayan's room could fit his, Ava's, and Janie's together. Art supplies dotted the room, with completed drawings framed on the stands beside the I-Screen. Ava gasped, then pointed at the balcony door. "Is that—?" Without another word, Ava rushed to it as Rayan joined her.