"We need to talk," Melissa said to Rowan as she finished walking down the stairs and sat on the couch.
"Wait not right now," Rowan whispered. She was confused at first, but then she saw that he had a phone on his ear. He must be talking to someone.
She waited for him to finish. She turned away from him and looked at the TV, staring at the translucent reflection of herself.
A few minutes passed, and Rowan lowered his phone. He placed it on his lap and turned to her. "What is it?"
"It's Aaron." She couldn't help but feel giddy. "He's starting to remember things."
His eyes widened. "Really? That's great!"
"I know." For the first time in a while, Melissa smiled, genuinely this time. "I just hope that after all this, everything will be back to normal."
She remembered everything that happened in Starlight, which wasn't much. She only remembered being taken into urgent care by Toby. She saw the beam of light in the distance and heard the pounding of the waves on the shore. She eventually learned of the events after she almost died.
But that was in the past now. She was ready to move on. Then she frowned. But the others weren't.
Rowan lowered his voice. "How about Aaron's Ul—origins? Does he know about it?"
The room turned darker than usual. Her smile dissipated. She bit her lip. "I don't know yet," she admitted. "But what should we do once he finds out?"
They were interrupted by the sound of thunder. Melissa thought she saw a flash of lightning strike down on the distant sea.
The door opened and wind rushed in. Sylvana held it open with her foot and her arms filled with clothes.
"Melissa!" she screeched. "Help me with the clothes here! It's going to rain!"
She stood up and grabbed the clothes and placed them on the couch. Sylvana came back with another pile. Meanwhile, Rowan watched them awkwardly.
After all the clothes were sorted, Melissa sat back down on the couch. Sylvana thanked her and sat close to them, subconsciously folding the clothes. For a while, they were silent.
"Oh, uh. . ." Rowan mumbled. "Toby called me on the phone a while ago. He said that he had some news and will be coming over later."
Sylvana looked up. "We must be going home already." Then she returned to folding.
Melissa turned to the mom of Aphmau. She's a good mother, but right now she had a faint aura of sadness around her.
"What are you looking at?" Sylvana said sharply, interrupting her train of thought. "If you want to help me fold the clothes, stop staring like an idiot!"
Sheesh, Melissa thought. So much for that.
She turned to Rowan, then to Sylvana. "I'll fold the clothes. And you can cook some lunch for all of us. Being some for Aphmau and Aaron."
Sylvana was about to protest. Then she relented. "Fine." She stood up and left the piles of clothes to Melissa. "Be—be sure to fold them properly!"
Melissa only smirked.
•
As she walked on the hallway, Sylvana pondered on the feeling of helplessness. She reached Aphmau and Aaron's room and knocked on the door.
"Come in," someone said from behind. She couldn't recognize who it was.
Slowly, she opened the door and stepped into their room.
She saw Aphmau and Aaron on their own respective beds. Aaron was sitting up while Aphmau was still lying down. Even from a distance, Sylvana could see the black scars all over his body.
"Who—who are you?" Aaron asked, his head fixed in front of him. Something about his tone sounded icy.
She swallowed. "I—Aphmau's mom. You don't recognize me much, since I was always. . .busy."
He didn't say anything after that.
She turned to Aphmau, who groaned and sat up. "Mom?"
Sylvana approached her and placed the tray of food on the nightstand. She sat on the bed beside her. "He—hello, mija."
Aphmau smiled wearily. After a couple minutes of silence between the both of them, she said, "So why are you here, mom?"
"Oh! Uh, I'm here to get you some lunch." She handed the tray to her daughter. "You should eat now."
Aphmau reluctantly ate the food in front of her.
"How are you?" She plastered a smile.
"I'm. . .fine, I guess," Aphmau mumbled in reply.
Sylvana watched her eat her food for a while. "I. . .I'm sorry."
Aphmau placed her spoon down. "What?"
She looked at her, eyes glistening. "I mean, look at you! You still have a life to live! And you're spending your days stuck to this bed with your boy—"
"Mom!" she hissed.
"—Aaron—"
He perked up when he heard his name.
Sylvana sighed. "My—my point is that I should be helping you, but the thing is. . .I can't. As much as it pains me to watch you suffer like this, mija, I wouldn't know what to do. My motherly care doesn't extend to magical worlds or deities. I'm so sorry."
Aphmau was about to say something when she talked over her. "Buttttt that doesn't mean that I'll be always here for you." Sylvana placed a palm over Aphmau's. "I will always be here for you. And I love you forever and ever and ever. . ."
"Th—thanks, mom," she replied.
Sylvana stood up. "Now, you should get some rest, mija." She looked at her food in distaste. "I hope you'll feel better, so I can cook quesadillas especially for you. They said I should stick to soup instead." She rambled on and on as she walked out of the room.
In the hallway, she smiled. For her, that went pretty well.
•
Aphmau sighed to herself. She moved her leg in bed, causing it to flare up in pain, but she was already used to it. She set aside her half-finished bowl of soup. She felt at ease and sad at the same time.
Another guilt to live with, she thought.
•
Zane and Kawaii~Chan watched the rain from the porch. The rain was loud and unending. The sky was gray, with a hint of light from behind the clouds. The atmosphere gave off a lethargic feeling that reminded him of the good old days. . .
But then his thoughts drift onto Garroth's whereabouts. His older brother had been missing for almost a week. Wherever he went, he didn't go far. This island was small. He might as well be in the forest behind the lodge. Even so, they didn't allow him to search.
His stomach growled.
Kawaii~Chan chuckled. "Are you hungry again, Zane?" she said in her usual high-pitched voice. It ruined the atmosphere and the mood.
"No," he replied sternly. That ought to silence her.
"You're worried about Garroth, aren't you?" she asked. "You only use your super deep voice"—she made a Zane impression—"when you're thinking about something."
Huh. Did he actually sound like that? He sighed. ". . Yes. He's been gone for a while now, and he might as well be dead or straving or being attacked or—"
"Awww Zane is secretly overprotective of his brother! So cute." She smiled.
"Guess I am," he admitted. "You know, it kinda bothers me. You only know the true value of a person once you've lost them." He looked down. "When Garroth disappeared, I. . .I missed him."
"Zane. . ." Kawaii~Chan patted his back. "He's going to be okay. Wherever he is right now."
The rain eased. There were traces of orange interweaved with the gray clouds. The couple embraced the silence for only a moment.
At the corner of Zane's eye, he saw a boat pull over of the dock. It had green lights and a gray hull. He recognized that boat, especially since he visited here a lot.
Looks like Toby was going to make another announcement.