Des'Tai: Book One

133: Tyron

Tyron placed his palm against Moira's forehead, the sudden contact jolting the young girl awake, her eyes wide with panic, chest heaving in short breaths. "Calm down," He murmured softly. "It's not real. You're okay."

Before he could register that she'd moved, Moira sat up, her arms wrapping tightly around his neck, hugging herself to him. For a minute he wasn't sure how to react or what to do - after all, it wasn't every day he had someone clinging to him for dear life. Did he hug her back? Or push her away? She was a frightened, lonely child, pretending to be stronger than she actually was - there was only one thing to do.

With a small sigh, Ty timidly hugged the girl back.

When her soft sobbing began, Faye leaned in, running her fingers through her shoulder length blond hair. They sat there, huddled together in the conservatory in silence, until the muffled sobbing gradually stopped, a gentle snore taking its place. Tyron set her down, making sure to rest her head on a mosey bed of daisies.

Faye smiled softly. "She really is just a child, isn't she? Why would Luna send her to do something like this? She's too young."

Ty settled down beside Moira's sleeping form, stretching his arms out behind his head in a makeshift pillow. "There's no sending her away now."

"No," Faye replied thoughtfully. "I suppose you're right."

Faye stood up, turning on her heels as if to leave them. "Where are you going?"

She stopped to look at him. "Back over...there."

His eyes settled on hers. "Why?"

"Because that's where I was sleeping before."

He could tell she was waiting for some kind of encouragement to stay, any at all – she had the same lonesome glint in her eye as Moira did. And as weak as he apparently was to the young girl, the same applied to Faye as well.

Ty crooked a finger at her. "Wouldn't you rather stay here instead?"

Faye glanced between Moira and Ty, then swiftly to the empty spot at his other side. "I wouldn't want to intrude on your person space."

"I think you've already done that, Kat- " He caught himself before the word could come out. " -Faye. Look where we are, I no longer have personal space. Just...lay down."

Her brow creased at the order, but she took his offer anyway, dropping down into the space at his left side. "Don't tell me what do to." He heard her murmur as she rolled onto her side, facing away from him.

Tyron smiled as he dropped off into a slumber. Falling asleep between two stubborn, maddening blonds – who would have guessed?

*****

A canopy of bright green was the first sight to greet Tyron when he woke the next morning, the vines had grown so thick they nearly covered the glass. He sighed and attempted to stretch out, only to find he couldn't – both his arms were pinned to the floor, securely beneath two weights that weren't there when he fell asleep.

Somehow, during the night, both Moira and Faye had tucked themselves into his sides. Moira was curled into a tight ball, her head resting on his shoulder, her hand locked onto his shirt, while Faye was outstretched, the length of her body pressed up against his, her cheek resting on the spot above his heartbeat.

What shocked him the most about the situation was how right it was; how safe they all felt when they were together. Technically, they were all strangers, Ty and Faye didn't know each other, not really, and Moira didn't know either of them.

It was eerie.

But Ty couldn't bring himself to move, to disturb them – because for the first time since he'd met them both, neither of them looked lonely anymore.