The Rouges

e i g h t e e n

It was a strange feeling. I was not one of them, yet they were welcoming me. Well, most of them were. Arstid stood like a porcelain statue in the back corner of the room. The bald-headed Willets was at her side.

She knew.

She knew I had lost control and almost killed one of her best soldiers. As her frosty glare held mine, a small body collided with me, tearing my attention away.

Mouse wrapped her arms around my waist, hugging me as hard as her tiny arms could. It felt good. I hugged her back, pressing my cheek to her head. I had to be better, if not for myself than for her. When she pulled away I felt a little hollow.

Mouse reached up pressing her palms to my face. Her round face was elated as she gazed at me. Then, grabbing my hand she pressed it to her cheek as she grinned.

"I missed you too." I whispered and Mouse's brown eyes sparkled.

She pulled me away from the crowd to the corner of the room where a man stood. His back was turned to us, but I knew how beautiful his face was. How caring his eyes were. I also knew there would be a small cut just below his right ear.

My chest tightened.

Before I could pull back, Mouse touched his hand. I expected hate in his eyes when they saw me, but instead there was something else. Relief maybe? He smiled at me before turning back to Mouse.

"Thank you for finding her." He cupped her face. "I was beginning to think Archer had decided she wasn't so grateful after all."

Triven smiled warmly at me and some of the tension in my chest released. He didn't hate me. I could feel a strange heat rising in my cheeks. I wished he would look away and then again I didn't. Mouse bounced on the balls of her feet as her head swiveled between the two of us.

Something small, bouncy and blonde broke the awkward moment. A girl no bigger than Mouse pounced between us. Her golden ringlets fell in a striking disarray, her brilliantly blue eyes startling as she glanced up at me.

"See! I told you she would be fine." She addressed Mouse in a high but overly loud voice. "Mouse here was worried you wouldn't come back, but I told her she was just over-reacting. Tough girls like you always come back. I mean look at Archer."
Her words rolled out in such a blur that it took my mind a minute to catch up. Mouse reached out, taking the bouncing blonde's hand as she smiled at me. She had a friend. I smiled at the loud little blonde.

"I'm Lyra." I said, trying to set a good impression for Mouse's first friend.

"I know." She said swinging her arms. "Pretty much everybody knows who you are."

I glanced up at Triven, but he just grinned and shrugged his shoulders.

"My name is Maribel. Everybody says I talk too much, but Mouse doesn't seem to mind. And since she doesn't talk at all, I figure I speak enough for the both of us."

Mouse grinned at her nodding. It was obvious she had found a mouthpiece and was elated by her new friend.

"Veyron said there's cake. Want to go find out what kind?" Maribel's eyes lit with mischief. Mouse nodded and the two disappeared into the crowd, leaving Triven and I alone.

I smiled shyly at him, but then my eyes flickered to the cut on his neck and I felt myself pale. My fault. A boisterous laugh interrupted my guilty musings and Arden appeared with two bottles in his hands.

"You two look like you could use these." He thrust a bottle into each of our hands. "Cook brewed up a new batch this week, fair warning this stuff is potent."