The Next Dragon Slayer

Grass, Cinnamon, and Dew

The sky has faded to a muted orange by the time I arrive at home. I didn't realize how much time we had spent getting everyone together. It was worth it, though. Or it will be if we can get them back. A sigh escapes from me as I return to my thoughts. Luke is only 14, that's why his team goes on small jobs only. They usually are supposed to bring an older guild member along, too. There wasn't anyone else in the picture, so I guess they broke the one rule that might have saved them.
Suddenly, I realize that I'm at my front door. I steel my expression and reach out toward the knob, bracing myself for whatever mood is waiting for me. I'm not sure I can watch my mom cry and hear my dad rage about the situation. Regardless, I take a deep breath and turn the knob.
Instead of the chaos I assumed, the house is deadly silent when I step inside. My salmon hair swishes in front my face as I swivel my gaze around the room. Everything looks untouched and unchanged since it was this morning. A broken table or lamp was the least of my expectations of Dad's rampage that seem to be unfulfilled. But it turns out I'm wrong. Our navy blue couch is empty and in one piece in its usual spot beside the stairs. My mom's favorite rose-colored blanket is still strung across it. A peek into the kitchen tells me it's still the same as well. The pancake pan is still in the sink from this morning and the cool, stone countertops are clear of clutter.
Something isn't right.
I check the rest of the downstairs, but find no sign that anyone has been here. Silently, I climb the stairs and turn down the hall. Not to the right to go to my room, but to the left toward Luke's.
The door is already cracked, so I push it all the way open. The smell hits me as soon as I'm inside. Luke's smell. The scent of grass, cinnamon, and dew. I know those seem like a weird combination, but it makes sense once you know Luke. He's always out training and running around with his friends, hence the dew and grass, and he conveniently shows up whenever Mira is baking at the guild. Cinnamon rolls are his favorite.
My breath hitches in my throat as soon as I look around. Luke's clothes are flung across the floor, just as he left them. The curtains are drawn, making his dark blue room almost pitch black. Even the white dots, stars, painted on the ceiling don't make the room lighter. In fact, the stars look dull. That's not the worst part.
The worst part is my mother sitting on Luke's bed with my dad's arms wrapped around her. Her face looks drained and his is filled with a deadly calm fronting fury. But that's not it. I can see the worry underneath all the layers of anger. I know how much this is killing him, just as much as it kills mom.
That's when I realize they haven't even noticed me yet. They're both staring down at some object in Mom's hands. Luke's old stuffed Plue. He used to carry it with him everywhere because Plue is a spirit, and he's a Celestial Spirit wizard. He thought it was the coolest.
A drop splashes onto my wrist, right on top of my guild mark. I look down, startled, and realize that it's a tear. Quickly and quietly, before they can see that I'm here, I duck out of Luke's room and head into mine.
As soon as I have the door shut, I shuffle to the mirror. My reflection isn't flattering with the tiredness and tears and red-rimmed eyes. I hastily swipe my hands across my face and grab a backpack. I pace across the room, throwing clothes and other things in the bag for the mission. All I need now is a little food. I've saved up most of my money from jobs so I can pay for later meals, but I want something in case I can find a store or restaurant. It'll save time to eat on the way, anyway.
Sneakily, I make my way to the kitchen and raid the cabinets. Mom just bought food yesterday morning, so we're all stocked up. Well, not anymore, since I just took a good fourth of it. My arms full of snacks, I creep back up to my room to finish packing my bag. It barely takes a minute to cram everything in the backpack. I heft it onto my shoulders and glance at the clock. Midnight is ten minutes away. We agreed to meet at the field at midnight. I take a deep breath and calm my nerves. Here goes nothing.
In a flash, I'm out the door and jogging down the street. At least I don't have to worry about being seen in the pitch blackness of outside. I scan my surroundings and can barely make out anything. Which is why I almost scream when someone slides an arm around my shoulders. A small sound escapes my mouth and I turn hastily, tripping over the culprit's foot. Luckily, strong hands reach out to catch me.
"Aargh!" My arms flail as I grab for the person who caught me. That's about when my face ends up less than a foot from Storm Fullbuster's. A lot less than a foot.
"Hey, Dragneel, watch yourself. Thought I'd try and scare you and you almost pee your pants." Storm snickers.
"Not funny," I step back from him, my face threatening to flare up. From what I can see of his expression, he's not as flustered as myself. Of course he never is, and I wouldn't be either if Nova wasn't so insane.
"Sorry," He gives me a look that says otherwise.
"Don't worry about it," I shake my head, hoping he won't notice my face, and then continue walking. At this rate, we'll be late and what I need now is to focus on the mission.