Amentia

Chapter 50 - Navigate

That first day was endless, without time. No one knew what to do. They just sat around the house without talking or wandered aimlessly. Sometimes they cleaned something just to keep their minds occupied on something else. There was no music played at any time. Silence was again the only presence in the room, but this one was completely different from the ones that had invaded the caravan in previous days. This was a shared silence, the sound of hearts processing a shock and a loss at the same time.

Almar and Meira went to sleep immediately after finishing the spell, not having energy for anything else.

Natalia sat on the couch the entire day, her eyes never lifting higher than the fireplace in front of her. She hugged her knees and stayed in that position for hours, making herself as small as her body allowed her and trying to ignore the throbbing pain on the back of her head. It was her first time experiencing the loss of a loved one, so this was confusing and overwhelming. Even though she had seen explicit death since she'd arrived in Amentia, this hurt three times more. She knew exactly what she was going through; she'd studied grief at university, but theory cannot prepare you for the real thing. Her objective mind was telling her to move on, because there was just nothing to be done, Maylin was gone and her body would soon disappear forever. That was reality. But her real mind could only focus on that absence, and the fact that she had laid there on the ground while Maylin bled to death. She'd been right there, unaware. She could've prevented this from happening. If only she'd woken up sooner or had stopped her fall and avoided hitting her head in the first place.

With Nina's help in the kitchen, Ruvyn served lunch, but didn't insist on everyone sitting at the table. She just approached them one by one to let them know it was there and they could eat whenever they wanted.

After eating some, Nina went upstairs to check on Adam, who had not left his bedroom since they had brought Maylin's body back. She knocked softly on his door and peeked in. He was lying sideways on his bed, all curled up into a ball, his head hidden behind his arms. From time to time, his chest quivered and he sniffled. He looked smaller, and Nina wondered if he had used his power without realizing it.

She went inside without being invited in, walking slowly, cautiously. She would leave if he didn't want her there, but knowing Adam, he probably did. She sat on the edge of his bed and didn't move for a few moments to see how he reacted. Since he didn't turn her away, she gently put her hand on his arm. Feeling her presence, he began crying more openly, though quietly. Nina took a deep breath, trying not to cry too. If she cried, she wouldn't be able to comfort him. She kept her hand there for a bit, letting him get used to the touch. Slowly and carefully, she lied down next to him on the edge of the bed. He let go of his knees and stretched his legs. Nina opened her arms as he settled on her chest and hugged her waist, his face fitting perfectly on the curve of her neck like a puzzle piece. Nina closed her arms around him: one around his shoulders, and the other on his head. She softly ran her fingers through his hair and caressed his cheek with her thumb, the same way Angel used to do to comfort her after a fight with her mum. For a second she thought of conjuring warm and soft wings to wrap around him, but there was no place for magic tricks right now. It was important to her that she comforted him alone.

Still caressing him and with her eyes on the ceiling, Nina sighed, preparing herself to speak and to keep her voice from breaking. "You know, a few days ago when we went to the Plaza she thanked me for being here in the troupe." Nina felt Adam move slightly, reacting to her words. "Well, technically she thanked me for making you happy. Really took me by surprise. She was a lot more caring than I gave her credit for... and attentive. She knew exactly how much pain you've been carrying your whole life." Adam whimpered and rubbed his face quickly, settling his arm around Nina's waist again. "She didn't say it out loud, but I think she was very proud of the man you turned out to be, and she was glad to have been able to see you grow up."