Serve and Protect

Chapter 35

[Content warning: Drug overdose, death. See the end of the chapter for specific details and please take care while reading.]

Adora didn't remember falling asleep.

One moment she was curled on the couch with Glimmer tucked between her and Bow. Somehow, mercifully, Glimmer had managed to cry herself to sleep. All the while, Adora and Bow sat up like a pair of sentries without speaking.

And then, quite suddenly, Adora found herself blinking against bright midday sunshine as it filled the room. How long did I sleep, she wondered. What time is it?

Why am I awake?

The answer to that last question came in the form of a loud knocking at the door. Any lingering notion of going back to sleep vanished. Adora glanced at her friends and found them still dozing in a peaceful embrace. Not wanting to wake them, Adora crept off the couch and darted to the front door.

Her heart was in her throat as she peeked between the curtains that covered the windows on either side of the door. There she found a woman shifting anxiously from one foot to another. She wore her dark hair in a practical bun and her eyes seemed familiar, though Adora couldn't quite place why.

"Who are you?" Adora barked, loud enough to make the woman jump with surprise. "What do you want?"

"Who am I?" the woman asked, her tone indignant. "I should be asking you the same question! What are you doing in my sister-in-law's house?"

Adora mapped out the family tree in her mind. Suddenly the familiar eyes made sense — she recognized them from photos of the late Micah Brightmoon. "You're Glimmer's aunt?"

The woman's face fell at the mention of Glimmer's name. "Yes, she's my niece. Is she there? Please, I need to speak with her. It's important."

"What's going on?" Glimmer's groggy voice drifted from somewhere over Adora's shoulder.

"There's a lady outside claiming to be your aunt," Adora replied, earning a wide-eyed gasp from her friend.

"Aunt Casta?" Glimmer exclaimed, rushing forward. Before Adora could stop her (for all they knew, this could have been a trap) Glimmer had unlocked the door and flung it open.

The woman—Aunt Casta, presumably—immediately burst into tears. She pulled Glimmer into a crushing hug. "Oh, my sweet girl! Thank goodness you're safe. I've been worried sick!"

This struck Adora as a very suspicious thing to say. She clenched her hands into fists and took a step forward, ready to fight for her friend if necessary. "Safe from what? What do you know?"

"Geeze, Adora. Stand down!" Glimmer said, her voice muffled from within her aunt's embrace. "She's family!"

Casta straightened up, her eyes locking onto Adora curiously. "So, you're the Adora Angella told me so much about."

Hearing Angella's name was like a shot to Adora's heart. All at once, the previous night came flooding back to her, and the pain was almost too much to take. Instinctively, she looked to Glimmer, ready to comfort her. But to Adora's surprise, Glimmer didn't crumble into a weeping pile of grief the way she had the night before. Instead, her brows furrowed as she pushed her way out of her aunt's arms.

"Wait, when did Mom tell you about Adora?" Glimmer demanded. "A week ago she was complaining about how she hadn't heard from you in almost a year."

For a split second, Casta looked offended. She opened her mouth, but seemed to think better of whatever she'd been planning to say. Pinching the bridge of her nose, Casta sighed. "Right, of course. Glimmer, we have to talk. It's about your mother."