Revolution (Book 2 in the Rise Trilogy)

A Conversation Not Meant to be Heard, a Broken knife, and a Couple Explosions

"That may be true," Achilles begins. "But what I am saying is, I don't want you to come back home with a broken bloody Riley in your arms. If she is hurt or killed, you will have no one to blame but yourself."

-@-

"Connor?"

"Hmmm?"

"Can I tell you something?"

"What is it, Riley?"

I bite my lip before I speak. "You remember all those years ago when you and that little girl pulled your mother from the fire?"

"I think about it every day," Connor mutters before glancing at me.

"Well, that little girl... was me."

Connor nearly falls out of the tree we sit on as he turns to face me. "What?!"

"I'm sorry," I squeak. "I should've told you a long time ago. But I... I was scared."

"B-but... how?" Connor manages to get out.

"I swear it was a dream," I say quickly. "When I was five, I had a dream about you when you were five and how you were running through your burning village trying to find your mother while crying out her name. Then you found her but you couldn't get her out of there on your own. All I wanted to do was help you. Then, all of the sudden, I was there. I felt the heat and the sting of the flames on my skin. I remember telling you to stay and help her. So we did. I remember feeling the roughness of the charred wood under my hands and how heavy it was when you lifted it together. And then we carried her out into the woods where help arrived and your mother was saved. Then I woke up." Connor is looking at me as if I'm crazy. I feel the hot tears pooling in my eyes as I tell this story and my voice becomes shaky and weak.

"S- so, you are the reason my mother is alive and well?" Connor asks me slowly. 

I nod. "Except for the fire and wood injuring her legs badly, she's alive because of you and me. But I'm so sor-" I don't get to finish because Connor's arms are going around me in a warm embrace that brings me closer to him. I bury my face into his warm firm chest and he allows me to cry into his robes.

I hear him laugh. "All these years, I've been looking for that girl, because I never saw her again after that night." He pulls away and holds my face in his hands. "That is why I asked you to come back to the homestead with me when we first met, because there was something about you I recognized but I just could not remember where from."

I give him a watery smile. "I thought it was all just a dream." He slowly leans in to kiss me but that's before we both hear something splash into the creek nearby.

"Oh, crap!" I squeak as I pull my face from Connor and jump to find myself falling out of the tree at the alarming sound.

Connor ends up grabbing my arm to stop me. But the big idiot leans to far sideways and we both go toppling out of the tree and onto the grassy hard ground. 

"Oooh... did that hurt?"

I groan as I untangle myself from Connor and sprawl out on the soft green grass to see Norris looking down at me. "What are you doing out here, Norris?" I ask looking up at him from the ground.

Connor gets to his feet and gives me his hand to pull me back up as Norris speaks to us.

"I was looking for you, Riley," he says.

"Why?" I ask as I brush grass and leaves from my robes and hair.

"You told me to think of something Myriam would like, but I couldn't. So I got her some flowers."