Rise [Bruno Mars]

Chapter thirty

Chapter thirty 

It was snowing. If Bruno was Bruno, this would have frustrated him. The sky was a steel gray, leaving the Morning Star hidden. But Bruno wasn't Bruno, and he allowed Joseph to lead without problem. Which meant, we did need Joseph. Another good thing that came out of not sending him away other than just having him here.

We trekked Canada's uncharted territory in a diamond formation. Joseph in front, leading. Bruno in the back, guarding. Ryan and Ris walked on the sides, parallel to each other, and finally me in the middle. From time to time I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling. To be surrounded by people I (mostly) loved was a foreign, wholesome feeling. A fulfilling one. One that I never thought I would feel. If only they could get along. Imagine that. Imagine if we were all friends—

I shook my head at the ludicrous thought.

The snow fell lightly, the flakes tiny white petals winding leisurely down to collect amongst each other. When it first began, the group paused. I wasted a moment staring, before spinning around. My gaze caught Bruno's, sending my heart thrumming. I wanted. To be with him, arm in arm, gazing at this winter phenomenon in wonder. And for a moment, it seemed like he wanted that, too. But his eyes flicked away and the moment was gone.

Ris adored it. She ran and skipped ahead, palms in the air, urging the flurries to find her. I felt my mouth turn up. She'd long traded her tattered lab coat for a brown winter one with twice the amount of pockets. Her hair was growing, the pale strands not yet reaching her stuck-out ears. Then, in mid-skip, I watched as her leg swung up, her back hitting the ground. She didn't move to recover from her fall. She didn't move at all. No. I broke away from the group, tearing after her.

Her arms were spread, mouth open in silent laughter.

I shook my head at her, feeling more relief than what I actually showed. She looked so pretty, lying there unhurt, filled with precious delight. I laughed. I dropped to my knees and laughed and laughed. I lied down next to her, not caring about the snow drifting onto my cheeks. I closed my eyes and let them kiss my eyelids.

When the rest of the group caught up with us, it was Ryan who lent a hand. I stared up at him, wondering why him. He cleared his throat and wiggled his fingers, impatient. I grabbed them and yanked him down. He landed sideways onto my stomach. An oof! burst from me at the ferocity of his fall. Ris doubled over, her shoulders shuddering in more soundless laughter. Ryan grunted, lifting himself on one elbow. He scooped up some snow and chucked it at Ris. Her mouth turned into an o.

“Hey,” Ryan breathed, jerking his head. “Is that the Morning Star?”

I looked to where he was looking, a bit joyful that he was not acting hostile towards me. My necklace lay twisted from my neck, the pendant tucked glittering in the snow. I shook my head, slightly out of breath because of his weight. “No. The Morning Star isn't a star. It's a planet. Venus.” I frowned. My necklace could be the Morning Star. If it was made over a hundred years ago like Bruno theorized, surely the Iyer sisters thought the eastern ball of twinkling light that appeared at sunrise was a star. 

We followed the meandering road, prolific trees lining either side. It wasn't long before the cold seeped through our clothes and grasped our skin. I shivered, wrapping my arms around my torso. My legs burned, and I was exhausted. How long would it take us to get to the village? The Land of Reverie was our new final destination. The Land of Reverie. The name sounded too silken, too divine. You must be delirious to think it true, Mohammed had claimed that was the reason behind the name. But something about it, and the name itself, felt wrong, and I couldn't put a finger on why.