Wings of a Dragonfly

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen

When I awoke, Luca was asleep beside me. I smiled, stretching as my surroundings came into view. I had slept as though I would never wake up; the events of yesterday were still heavy in my bones. Yet somehow, I felt lighter than air. I had truly made a difference in the country yesterday, and I had found my brother.

"Mornin'."

I flinched, sitting upright in bed to find Danny lying in Luca's bed. He gave me a sheepish wave. "Sorry - after I got done with Alex and Oliver, I came down here. Luca said he'd share with you, make sure I had some room. Hope you don't mind."

"Uh, no, that is fine," I said, and cleared my throat. "Did you sleep well?"

"No," he replied, but didn't elaborate as to why. "Oliver seems nice. He said I can stay here as long as I want. Good man."

"He is," I nodded, and then gestured to Luca. "We should leave him to sleep, he does not have to be awake for another hour."

Danny eyed Luca, who looked to be sound asleep, and nodded. He jumped out of bed still fully clothed. I hadn't taken in his clothing; it was rough, ragged, with holes in and patches sewn over in a clumsy stitch. I paused, and said, "I know you are not working here, but if you would like new clothes, we have uniforms spare. You are about Sabby's size."

Danny looked down at his clothes and said, "Are they not good enough for here?"

"No, they are fine," I backtracked hastily. "But they do not look very warm."

He grinned widely. "I tend not to feel the cold. I worked at sea for the last two years. Changes your skin."

I pulled on my uniform quickly, feeling oddly exposed in my underclothes in front of him. He followed me, clearly unsure where we were going, and found MJ and Tomas lighting the ovens to prepare for breakfast. It was earlier than I usually found myself rising. MJ caught sight of me and Danny, and clearly looked as though she wanted to break into a thousand questions, but held her tongue.

"Morning, Finn," Tomas greeted me, and nodded at Danny in acknowledgement. "You must be the brother. I'm Tomas."

He extended a hand, and Danny eyed him from head to toe before he casually accepted the handshake. "Danny."

"Breakfast won't be for a little while," MJ gestured to the pit in the oven where the fires were lit. "But if you want to check back in half an hour, we should have something going. What do you like to eat, Danny?"

He shrugged. "I'm not fussy. Whatever you got, that's what I like."

"Well, you certainly take after him," MJ nodded at me. "He'll eat anything he can get his hands on."

"Rude," I commented, and snuck a couple of apples from the bowl, handing one to Danny before MJ could smack me with her wooden spoon. "We'll be back."

I led Danny out of the side door and into the gardens. He looked around in interest, examining all of the flowers, and then laughed his deep laugh. "Funny, isn't it?" he asked. "All this for one man."

"You get used to it," I replied, smiling a little. "When I first came here I was surprised we all got our own beds and desks and things. MJ cooks great meals, you'll like her breakfast."

"She's sweet," Danny replied, taking a bite of his apple. "Motherly. I'm not good with motherly types, I never know what to do around them. Feels like they want to hug me all the time."

"She won't, unless you say you're all right with it," I wanted to sound reassuring, but I had a feeling that Danny could easily sidestep someone coming at him if he wanted to. "But you won't escape her trying to feed you all the time."