cosmic scars ▸ ONC 2022

▸ epilogue;

━━━━━━━━
Four Months Later
━━━━━━━━

"You still haven't packed the boots? Cynthia! I swear I will strangle you in your sleep if you forget them! I got them last minute, nearly missed my flight—"

"Okay, okay, calm down, Clemence, she won't forget the boots! Cynthia, for God's sake, put them in your suitcase right now."

Cynthia accepted the box from Clarence, pursing her lips to stifle her laughter when her elder-most sister made a pleading face. Cassiopeia, who was younger than Clarence but older than Clemence, rolled her eyes at Clemence's outrage.

"Throw all the tantrums you want before Cynthia leaves, Clem," she teased. "Because now you won't be the only kid in our family living in Europe."

Clemence scoffed at that, while Clarence broke into laughter, high-fiving Cassiopeia. Cynthia just watched all her sisters teasing each other and playing around as they helped her pack for college.

Yes, Cynthia was going to college. In Europe.

It had been a few months since the whole showdown with her father's father happened, and things changed drastically after that.

It was almost as if she stepped into someone else's life, altogether.

They moved back to their palatial home the next weekend, and Cynthia was allotted the largest room in the house. Orvin told her he had had the room maintained and decorated for her when she was a kid but they moved before she could live in it. She also learnt about the swing-set her grandfather had especially installed for her in the cottage's backyard, and insisted for it to be brought back to their old home and set up in the huge garden in front of it.

Her sisters, Clarence and Cassiopeia that lived with her, became a constant presence in her life. They stuck close to her almost every waking minute, filling her in about the details of their lives she had missed and also bothering her for details of her life that they had missed. Cynthia was living her days in a bit of disbelief.

This was the life she had always wanted.

She couldn't believe she finally had it.

After her final high school exams, her grandfather told her that there was a seat reserved in a very prestigious college for her. She had felt awkward at first, but agreed to accept it with a promise to herself that she would work hard enough to prove herself to be worthy of it.

And hence, she was now packing her bags to leave for Europe in three days.

"By the way, Cynthia," Clarence suddenly prompted with her eyes squinted at Cynthia's face . "Did you end up talking to Alien-Boy again?"

Cynthia froze. Despite the ridiculous but hilarious name Clarence had given the guy, Cynthia's heart still clenched at the reminder of Amare. God, she missed him so bad.

No, she had not talked to Amare in all these months. Not because she was still very angry or hurt, but more because she didn't know how to approach him. She wasn't even sure if he was still around, even though Orvin had told her he was appointed the General of their community settlement in the woods and so he was obliged to stay. Many times, Cynthia thought about paying him a visit, rekindling their friendship and maybe building it afresh on solid grounds the way she had her bond with her sisters.

But then she would falter and not go through with it.

"Wow, you really haven't, you gigantic idiot." Cassiopeia gave her a disappointed look, shaking her head. "You look like a kicked puppy every time we bring him up. Why won't you talk to the guy already?"