Stars Of Our Lives

Hey Brother

It wasn't exactly the best view of my little brother's face, being nearly twenty feet away. But I knew it was him. And I knew he was different.

As much as I wanted to run to him, I was completely frozen there on the ground. He was the one that walked forward. With every step I could see him clearer and clearer. I could see how his face had gotten just slightly longer - slightly more matured. How his shoulders had grown broad and how his arms had filled out. I used to call him the scrawny one. But now I looked like a toothpick next to him.

He - 

He looked like Mama.

He was several inches taller, but still not as tall as me. His hair was still shaggy, but not as bad as the last time I'd seen him. Four and a half years ago. Oh God, four and a half years.

Krel stopped a few feet away from me, the two of us staring at each other through tear filled eyes. He'd changed - grown. I could see it in his eyes. In his posture. He wasn't the eleven year-old boy I'd left behind in those woods. Then again, I wasn't the twelve year-old girl that had left him there either. We'd both changed. But that barely mattered.

What mattered was that he was here. I was seeing him again. We were together again.

"Aja," His voice was considerably lower than what I remember. It sounded so much like Papa's it hurt. "You're . . . you're here."

"Yeah," I hiccuped. "I - I am."

I watched his eyes go to the brand between my brows, and a few tears fell down his face.

"Four years later," I brought his eyes back to mine. "And I'm still taller than you."

He choked on the laugh, more tears spilling over. His feet carefully stepped forward, barely coming within another foot of me. He was moving so cautiously, like if he got too close, I'd run away.

I opened my arms. "What are you waiting for?"

And just like that, he launched himself into me. His chest slammed against mine so hard it knocked the wind out of me. But I didn't care. He could crush the life out of me and it wouldn't be tight enough.

We dropped to our knees, clutching each other as we sobbed. I put my hand over the back of his head, just like Zadra had done for me. I felt his shoulders shake against mine, burying his face in my hair. He was so much bigger - so much fuller to hug.

He'd grown up.

"I missed you so much," He choked out.

I squeezed him harder, my mouth opening to say something, but nothing was coming out. There were no words for how I felt in that moment. For what it felt like to be whole again. So instead, I pressed a kiss to the side of his head and crushed him against me even more.

"That is one hell of a happy ending."

I looked up without releasing Krel, watching the driver of the other car step out. He was a tall man, with dark hair and blonde eyes. What a strange combination.

He nodded to me when he caught me staring, his voice deep and gravely. "I was beginning to think I'd never see you in person, Miss."

I closed my eyes, burying myself in Krel's neck again. I'd forgotten what he smelled like too. Like fresh bread and aged paper.

Zadra touched my shoulder to get me to lean back. "Why don't you two get in the truck?" She asked. "Zeron and I have some things to correlate."

"Zeron?" I looked back at the man.

He gave me a single nod.

"Come on," Krel pulled me up by my arms. He was still wearing rubber gloves.