𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄 ❀ 𝐂. 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐍𝐄 ➀

VI. 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴

I'm not able to get much sleep ever, is what I wanted to say, but that wasn't really something I wanted to share with someone I barely knew, so I just thought it instead. I shrugged my shoulders shyly, "Yeah."

Cole seemed unbothered by my short reply, "It seems Nya cleaned you up pretty well, yeah?" he motioned to the bandages on my hands, feet, and arm.

I nodded, folding the edge of one of the bandages further under the other coil, "Yes, she did. All my cuts have stopped bleeding."

Cole grimaced slightly, his voice soft, "Right... sorry about that window and all that glass. It's just... I saw you and I didn't know how else to get into the building."

I offered him a shy smile, "It's alright."

A silence filled the air, but surprisingly, it wasn't awkward or tense. It was a comfortable silence, one where neither of us were speaking, but we were both okay with that. A silence where we just enjoyed each other's company. Sure, my hands felt slightly sweaty and my ears were hot, but that didn't mean I wanted to go back downstairs and lay awake for hours on end.

"I don't mean to pry," Cole's voice turned my attention back to him, our eyes meeting, "But... Could you tell me a bit more about your power? It's okay if you don't want to, I'm just curious."

I thought for a moment. Was he going to be disgusted by my monstrous powers? The way they can hurt and injure and kill? The way they can cause permanent mental damage?

"I..." I trailed off, rubbing my arm with my hand as I considered. Was it a good idea to reveal my abilities? I mean, all these people have shown to me is hospitality and kindness. It was getting easier and easier to trust them by the hour, but I was still hesitant to accept that my past wouldn't come back and haunt me. Besides, maybe they did want to use my power for their own cause. I didn't want to speed up the process by telling them everything about it.

Cole let out a long breath, a faint fog escaping his lips from the chilly night air, "Don't feel bad. I didn't expect a huge explanation. I just... I wanted to understand why the Passerines need you, and why the Institute had you in the first place."

That was a good reason, I had to admit, but... I still didn't feel like I could totally trust them. Nya and Cole were getting closer to the point where I probably could, but they weren't quite there yet. I bit my bottom lip, my pointer finger scratching at my thumb again, "I'm sorry... I just--"

"It's okay." Cole interrupted, flashing me an apologetic smile, "I really didn't expect you to tell me. I mean, you met me only a couple of hours ago. I wouldn't trust me yet if I were you, either."

A thought came to me. All this time I had been worried about whether or not I thought I was able to trust them, but it never crossed my mind that maybe they didn't think they could trust me. Cole didn't say any more after his statement, and simply turned his eyes back to the starry night sky above us. As a comfortable silence fell over us, I found my own gaze drifting to the vast sea of stars, but every so often I'd steal glances back over at him.

I tried to be subtle in the way I began to study the way Cole held himself. Even totally relaxed, with no visible threats, Cole still seemed to be on guard. It seemed he'd always been like that, and he'd continue to be like that for the rest of his life. The way he breathed was steady, but shaky, as if he was only a question away from breaking into a million pieces. Yet, there was something about him that made me feel like I could ask him every question in the world, and he would keep gluing himself back together.

"I have a question," I muttered suddenly, surprising even myself. Cole's amber eyes turned to meet my green ones, and I squashed down the giddy feeling I got when I stared into the melted-honey hue, "You and the rest of the Ninja summoned dragons," I suddenly felt extremely foolish for not asking this earlier, "How?"