Cloudy Sky: The Unlucky Thirteen

39 - Portal to the Fifth World

With a huff, I consider excusing myself and screaming into a pillow, but Carina has told me that's not the greatest of coping mechanisms. "You could have slipped, you could have died, I swear, Aquaria," I point out before wondering why I'm so intensely worried and internally cursing myself. "I — not that I'm that worried about you but —"

Aquaria shoots me a flat look that clearly says, Liar. Carina just smirks. Aquaria takes another step forward and wraps her arms around my neck, pulling me into a light hug. She's short enough for me to rest my chin on her head. "You're so short," I chuckle softly and she makes a disgruntled noise before mumbling something.

"Just to be clear, I'm not gonna stop doing dangerous stuff."

"I wouldn't expect you to."

I blink. Nia's exactly the kind of person to do dangerous stuff. She might have decided to attack the creature and it might have killed her. It might have killed her, Cemetas, it might have.

"Ah yes, deep think mode," Carina plops down next to me, shooting me an inquisitive and teasing glance that never means anything good. "What has your mind dreamed up now, loverboy?"

"What?" I splutter, glaring at her as she snorts, unimpressed.

"Please. Your look says it all," my sister rises with a parting grin and moves over to Pisces. Aquaria shoots her an angry look, which Carina matches perfectly.

I tap Vienna on the shoulder, "What are we doing now?"

"Going to Deleias, I expect, as soon as he's fine," Vienna says in a distant voice. "Oh wait we can't — never mind. I guess Caprice will pretend to be an old lady and get us through the Portal with an illusion. We might as well start walking now."

Sagittaria has seated herself next to Taurus, and with Caprice's help is bandaging the still–bleeding wound of Ari. The long spike that caused this injury is lying on the ground, bloody. Taurus picks it up with two fingers and throws it into the river.

I try to sleep, but my eyes keep snapping open. I glance over to check where Carina is. Pisces leans against Aquaria, who has her hands wrapped around her friend's waist and is quietly talking to him. Something twists in my chest quickly before I can recognize it. The wind picks up and blows her hair behind her in a blue waterfall before dropping again. Evening is nearing, and by the clouds in the sky, I'm wondering if it will rain today. I'm trying to wonder if it will rain today. If I think random, mundane thoughts, maybe I'll be able to sleep.

It's only a few minutes before Aquaria rises, supporting Pisces, who leans heavily against her. Sagittaria checks the tightness of the bandage around Ari's arm while Caprice chases Taurus with antiseptic for the wound on his cheek while Taurus yells "I DON'T NEED IT!" Vienna is pointing at a bottle of hand sanitizer and talking furiously at Leilani, who is totally zoning out. Gemi is trying to put hand sanitizer on one of Leo's cuts while Leo slowly falls asleep.

Carina has just noticed Gemi and runs over to tell him not to apply hand sanitizer to the open cut.

Caprice finally dives for Taurus and tackles him to the ground as Sagittaria yells, "We should probably go now!" Ari whispers something in her ear and she grins, flashing an evil look at Vienna.

After forcefully applying antibiotic to Taurus's wound, Caprice explains that we'll head to the city's Portal, which is lucky enough to have a Portal to Deleias and how she'll sneak us through, hopefully not needing to give identification.

Leilani and Gemi glide over us, Gemi taking frequent breaks while Leilani's immense wings cut gracefully through the sky as we walk below. I glance back to where Aquaria has her noticeably smaller black wings wrapped around herself as if she's comforting herself, her head down. She hates it when people pity her, I automatically remind myself. But I'm not pitying her, I could care less about her —