Wolf Heart

Chapter 24

Planet: Eteran

First Insurgency War

RAYAN

He hated snow.

Too white and fluffy.

It slipped into his boots and froze his toes though he bundled up. He spent the winter with his painting tools and James' pictures. Dinner with Ava remained fresh on his mind. His stomach churned with a mix of happiness and strange uncertainty — but at least she enjoyed herself.

I don't know why I felt so weird... maybe it's because she seemed distracted. I heard James hasn't been doing so well since the dance. Neither of us could eat.

Mom ordered him fresh paints, and with James' photocard in hand, he got to work. It was strange to not have James sort through them to pick the best image, but he took a gander and tried to get into his best friend's headspace of what he'd choose.

He started his new sketch, and sat down to get the best view of James' focal point, where the ice clashed against the bank. He missed the salt flats and the wind rustling underneath his solarboad with his dash for freedom. I thought I would hate it here... but I'm glad I was wrong. He adjusted the focal point to get another angle of his chosen sketch. I'm glad I met them all... it's warm.

In his artistic silence, he lifted his head when a door clicked open upstairs. Must be Mom. He placed his brush into a cleaning container then headed to the washing station to clean his hands of painted colours.

Footsteps came closer to the other side of the door, and Rayan gaped when James stumbled through. "What?" James asked, though Rayan frowned at his ashen pallor. "You think getting sick would keep me from our daily 'pick this picture apart until you have something to paint' time?"

"Ava was worried when she came over," Rayan recalled, but James ignored him. "If you told me you were coming over, I would've made something for you."

James stuck his tongue out, but Rayan winced at the queasy expression on his face. "Right." He folded his arms and sat against his workstation. "First Eteran winter, what do you think?"

"I hate it," he repeated. "It's cold. It's wet, even when I wear my best boots, apparently."

James brushed his hand down the pictures he set up. "So..." He sniffed and turned to him with a wobble. "I heard you went on a dinner date with Ava. How'd it go?"

Well, this sounds like a trap. Rayan forced a smile onto his face. "It was... fun, I think. I think she enjoyed it."

James leaned deeper onto the counter, and Rayan pushed the urge to support him aside. "That's good," he said. "I'm glad she got some enjoyment out of it. All Ava does is worry about other people instead of taking time for herself." James' rubbed the back of his neck with a heavy huff. "So... thank you, Rayan." He made a small noise of struggle as he tore himself off the counter. "Can I... talk to you about something?"

"I'm not going to hurt your sister," Rayan blurted out.

James hesitated, then puffed out a breath through his nose. "I'm not worried about that." He tugged an infopod out of his jacket, where his fingers trembled in the grip. Rayan reached out for the infopod, but wrapped his hand around James' wrist instead. His shaking worsened.

"Before I talk about this — promise me you won't tell Ava," James said.

"I... promise?" Dread launched into his gut. "James, what is this about?"

Infopod in hand, he inserted it into his datapad to look over the contents. Knives tore his heart in two at the words on the page. Words he never wanted to see. Words he never hoped to witness. Rayan wanted to close his eyes and ignore the truth, but James' words plagued his mind.