The Weapon, The Crown and Spring

16

Eden

"Eden?" She whispered, surprised, and ever so softly. I don't think I've ever heard a voice so gentle in the grueling years I've been walking around endlessly.

She had on a pair of sweatpants that looked two sizes too big for her frame, the shirt she wore engulfing her as well. Seeing her this way, comfortable, made me feel comfortable too. What the hell am I saying?

Often, when I can't sleep–which comes more frequent than not–, I step outside my quarters and spend my time staring out the window, at that yearning tree. The way Kailah gazed at it was completely opposite to how I do. Kailah looked at this tree with admiration, as if it itself was a person—the most beautiful person she's ever come across. And then there's me; I see the tree as a knife stuck in my side. It stays with me every second of my day to remind me of what I am, and what I've failed to accomplish.

"I was trying my best to not disturb you, I truly didn't want to wake you...somehow I still managed to do it." She sulked, lowering her head.

Time for me was always agonizingly slow; it's always felt that way, annoying at best. And here I was, staring endlessly at something that I have always hated so much. The cypress tree outside became something else. From where I stood, Kailah's frame was in center, the branches in view on either side of her engulfed her like wings. It's the only way to describe it. It was late. The sky was the color of a dark navy and the shyest hue of violet. The moon outside wasn't hiding behind any cloud, nothing at all. In this moment it truly felt as if it was just her presence among my own.

The light of the night sky seeped in through the window, behind Kailah. It highlighted the pearlescent tone of her skin, and the grays of her eyes. And yes—time was always so slow for me, but in this very moment, I was more than willing to endure it. I found myself breathing steadily, taking in every second as it came. It felt as if there was a piano playing in my head, porcelain hands touching and grazing only the softest of the keys.

"You didn't." I assured her. "Waking up in the dead of the night like this is a routine for me."

She shifted her gaze from the ground to my own. I could tell from the wrinkles in the midst of her brows that she didn't entirely believe me. "Why are you out here? It's well into the night."

She returned to admiring the tree outside, longingly. "Maybe...it's my fault. I nap a lot." She admitted, suppressing a giggle. "Maybe...it's just that today has been something out of fairy tale for me. I think I'm just too excited subconsciously." She turned to face me once more and smiled warmly. "I just couldn't sleep right now."

I couldn't help but return the gesture. Kailah emitted a warmth that I had never come across before. The boy in me who had lost his life so long ago wanted to believe, even in the slightest, what the other three did. That maybe this girl is the missing puzzle piece. However, the logical side of me knew otherwise.

"Come with me." I invited, motioning for her to follow. It was silent for a freckle of a second, before I heard soft footsteps behind me. She was much smaller than I was, and I found myself having to slow my pace in order for her not to walk in hurried footsteps. In any other circumstance, I wouldn't have given it second thought. I would have kept walking at my pace, and those who couldn't keep up just weren't worth the effort at all. And needless to say, something in me told me otherwise with Kailah.

After just a few minutes, that really only felt like seconds, we reached a room just off center of the house in the opposite wing. I suppose, every sane human being had a room or at least a 'spot' in which they run to for comfort. Taking into account my human side, this was mine.