The Girl in the Glass

nine

Nine

Lunch in the Gallagher clan was a fearsome thing. Everyone was always hungry from their morning work. In fact, mostly all of the Gallagher's did all of their work in the morning.

When one lived in a clan, the work was divided into different groups. Cooking. Cleaning. Building. Hunting. Healing. A few of the more skilled individuals were tasked with spy missions to the big cities to listen to the reports on Breeze sightings. Besides the heads and apprentices of each group, every Gallagher had to rotate between the five jobs and help out. That left two days a week to have to yourself and rest, although the Breeze life was very laid back and usually the days off were spent dancing, saying prayers and wondering when the next meals would roll around.

Cait sat down at one of the collapsible tables. Fifika sat to her right, Alp sat across from her and Gideon sat next to him.

Gideon looked extremely grumpy as usual and Cait paid him absolutely no mind. Instead she was totally invested in her food. It was easily the best food she'd ever eaten. With both of their parent's scientists, Cait and her brothers were used to late night order-ins from the food delivery store. And, well, a quickly thrown together salad could get old very easily.

There was chatter at most of the other tables, but Cait could almost feel the silence of theirs. She could tell that everyone kept glancing over to her and Gideon, but she did her best to ignore it. Gideon, on the other hand, glared at anyone who dared to meet his eye-line. He and Alp often met each other's eyes and had a glare-off, in which case neither would give up until Fifika poked one of them on the cheek. Then they'd both turn to glare at her. She'd grin right back. The whole show was pretty funny to watch over and over again.

As Cait finished her lunch and handed her plate to one of the Cleaners, she needed to be alone. So she slipped away to her caravan and sat down on the doorsteps.

A moment after she'd gotten comfortable, Leander wandered over and sat down next to her. He looked so much like Sebastian that Cait almost couldn't handle it. She was about to go inside when Leander spoke.

"I'm glad you're back."

"Me too."

"People are saying that you're different. I don't believe them."

"Oh Ander, I am. I'm different in so many ways." Cait didn't know where the nickname had come from, it had just bubbled over before she could stop it.

Leander smiled slightly at her. "You're still our Nova. However different."

Footsteps crunched closer. Cait and Leander looked up as one. It was Fifika.

"Ready?" She asked.

Cait stood up.

"What are you doing?" Leander asked, remaining seated.

"Going for a walk. Nova and I have girl stuff to talk about." Fifika said with a wicked grin.

Leander's face lit up in red, from his neck to the tips of his ears.

Cait couldn't help but smile as Fifika linked her arm through hers and marched off in the direction of the river.

They walked until they were a few feet from the river. Fifika let go of Cait's arm and plopped herself down on the ground.

"So what's there to catch up on? I told you mostly the whole story."

Cait bit her cheek as Fifika gave a look that said she didn't believe the 'whole story'.