The Echo of Silence

Before the Sun Dies

Music blared through a single car speaker; there were once two of them, but the other had been broken during one of Cinder and Kai's more intense disney sing-alongs. Kai drove the car, because while Cinder spent every day of her life fixing cars, she despised driving them.

The weariness that had afflicted Kai in the apartment had worn off the second the music started pumping in its loud hard beats. He had never taken a single music class in his life, never performed even in a school choir, but something about music spoke to his heart.

Cinder giggled through half of the lyrics, occasionally shooting Kai a look that told him she thought he was an idiot, even if he was cute. She rarely sang, except during their car trips when it was just the two of them. Kai thought it was because she didn't like feeling vulnerable, even though she claimed that she just didn't like it. Kai loved to hear her sing, though. He found the soft, yet firm cadence of her voice illustrious, but never told her for fear that she would stop even for him.

Personally, Kai loved to sing. He had no particular talent for it, and often ended a little flat, but he did enjoy the feeling it left inside his chest.

The song ended on a high note that only Kai dared— and epically failed— to hit. Cinder turned down the radio, the couple giggling after Kai's dreadful warbling. Cinder rubbed her eyes, sat up, and tightened her ponytail with an air that told Kai she was about to do something.

"I talked with my dad at work today," Cinder said, her voice slightly agitated. During the past few months she had spoken less and less of her father. Kai couldn't quite decide whether it was for his own protection, what with his sick father, or due to Cinder's most recent agitation with her father.

"Oh, yeah?" Kai asked, giving her the most of his attention as he switched lanes. "How did that go?"

Cinder sighed, tucking her seatbelt beneath her arm and turning her body to face Kai. "He still won't leave that wretched woman." Cinder complained. "Adri is horrible to him— she's always complaining about him when he does nothing but work his butt off for her. He treats her so much better than she deserves, but..."

"He just doesn't want to lose Peony." Kai reasoned, moving his hand from the wheel to pat Cinder's shoulder. "She's only eight, and custody battles are rough."

"I know— I know that," Cinder groaned. "I just hate that woman so much. I physically hate her with all of my being. She just- she just-"

Kai felt his heart squeeze as his wife's voice smoldered with emotion. "Hey," Kai whispered, wishing that he could put his arms around her. It wasn't often that Cinder got emotional; normally she was the detached one while Kai wore his heart on his sleeve. But in recent weeks she had become more sensitive. "It's all gonna be okay, Cinder. You have to know that."

A snuffle came from Cinder, and Kai watched from the corner of his eye as she wiped her face and nose with the sleeve of her jacket. Had it been anyone else performing that action, Kai would have been disgusted, but somehow anything that she did came to reason. Maybe they really should have stayed home that night.

While Kai tried to give Cinder perspective on Adri, he honestly couldn't stand the woman. He hated her nearly as much as Cinder did, not only for the grief she caused Chandler Blackburn, but for all the abuse she had inflicted upon Cinder.

"I just wish he could be happy again. Fall in love with someone who brings him nothing but joy. He's never had that, not even with my mother. She didn't even love him enough to stay after I was born." Cinder reminisced.

"There's still plenty of time for him." Kai said. "Maybe someday he'll find someone who makes him just as happy as you make me."

"And you me," Cinder smiled, though it was more sad than happy, and Kai knew that her thoughts were tainted with worry over her lonely father.