As the sounds of Jaison and Zacks worried voices slowly disappeared, new sounds became more noticeable. The rumble of a distant truck became a beautiful bird song. All around the wind whistled a tune in her ear before disappearing again. The tune transformed into the sound of an instrument lulling her into a sense of peace as she felt her consciousness fading away. It had a soft feel to it that made you want to drop everything you were doing and listen. She couldn’t place the instrument exactly but it sounded a lot like a flute; so quiet yet also so inspiring at the same time. Leaves all around were blowing in the wind seeming to dance along with the music in the air.
Curious, Yelena walked through a curtain of leaves into an open field of wildflowers. The sun streamed through the leaves only to fall upon a young man and child on the ground next to him. Sitting on a half dead tree stump with vines climbing up it, he tapped his foot along with the beat of the song while leaning over his outstretched leg. His fingers busily tied together previous notes with new ones yet to come across his stringed dramyin. Looking up, pure happiness washed over his face causing her heart to skip a beat. Joseph. Her heart sang at the sight of him. Electricity seemed to start in the middle of her chest and like a wave move to every limb until she felt like she didn’t have any bones in her body.
The girl next to him had four wings like her companion except they were a light shade of green; her hair was a wavy brown reaching just past her shoulders. Her head tilted in confusion when Joseph looked at Yelena instead of his instrument. Curious, the girl followed his gaze and her eyes fell upon Yelena’s face, Clarity, Joseph's younger sister. Her eyes were the same light brown as her hair; after she satisfied her curiosity she turned her head back toward Joseph and continued to listen intently. To the edge of the field she heard a rustling in the leaves and realized that someone else was here besides the three of them.
Seconds later, out walked a tall man, around 6’3’’, he had short dirty blonde hair with chestnut brown eyes, and 5 long muscular light rose red wings trailing behind him. Daniel, Joseph's younger brother. Behind his back she saw the four main wings with the fifth translucent shooting straight out from the center of his back marking him as a warrier. All warriors and captains have an odd number of wings. Ever since they were little, Daniel had always avoided speaking to her and avoided her gaze as often as possible.
His shoulders stiffened and it became apparent he was aware of her presence. It wasn’t unusual, most warriors reacted similarly when she was nearby. Instead of turning toward her, he continued walking toward Joseph and their sister. Neither of Joseph's siblings were very fond of her, they weren’t outright rude but they weren’t friendly. Not wanting to disrupt them any further, she walked back through the curtain, up to a nearby tree and climbed it. Squirrels chased each other from tree to tree while birds flew around, perching on various limbs. Growing tired, she found a decent sized limb, stretched her legs out along the length of it and leaned against the trunk. Classes had been long and hard today, learning how to create bolts of lightning weren’t easy. The crows were infuriating as teachers, Kraai in particular was the worst of all. She sighed as she recalled his pranks as she tried to focus. The agitation caused a spark of electricity to zap her finger. Her body jerked back from the pain before she attempted to relieve her sore fingers of the jolt.
Not long after she found a comfortable position, the playing stopped and she heard the siblings begin to talk amongst themselves. Unable to resist, she decided if she listened in a bit, it wouldn’t hurt anything.
“Daniel… do you haaaavee to goooo?” Clarity's high pitch voice cut through the trees in a childish whine.
“You know I have to Claire, same as you have to go to training when you come of age.” She could barely hear Daniel’s voice before Clarity continued.
Clarity’s voice had taken on a bit of a whining tone as she said, “But the three of us never get to spend time like this. You’ve been so busy with getting ready, mother has been making me study all the time, and Joseph has been training a bunch too… and… well… nevermind.”
“Well, what Claire?” She heard Joseph’s voice chime in curiously.
“Well… I mean… You spend all your time with Yelena. You know, WE are your siblings, not her. You act like it’s your responsibility to take care of her… It’s not your fault her parents died and her sister couldn’t handle it.” Her words felt like a punch to the stomach. She’d tried countless times to connect with Clarity, but they were too different. Not to mention her constant attempts at pretending to not see Clarity’ smug side glances when she stole Joseph's attention away from Yelena. Or her side glares when Joseph’s attention wasn’t on her. She constantly felt like she was competing with Clarity for Joseph’s attention, his affection. It made Yelena feel childish. . .
“Clairity, that was extremely rude… and wrong. Firstly you have done a poor job welcoming her into our home after she has suffered such a loss. It has nothing to do with her being a sibling or not.” Joseph’s usual soft tone had changed to one of discipline.
“Well Jo, what DOES this have to do with?” Daniel asked.
“It doesn’t have to do with anything Daniel, I enjoy spending time with her and I believe you both would too if you gave her a chance.” She felt rather proud and happy that he was coming to her defense. Though it hurt to get verbal confirmation that his siblings really didn’t like her.
“I’m going for a walk; when I come back I would prefer that this subject will have changed.” Moments later, she looked down to find Joseph directly below looking straight at her. Next thing she knew he was jumping up the 12 or so feet to her branch, grabbing hold of her ankle and yanking her out of the tree. Reaching out her hands, she tried to find anything to hold onto, her arms flailed as they hit branches. Suddenly she was jerked to a stop as she caught hold of a limb about 9 feet from the ground. Her arms burned from the scratches and the sudden stop.
Looking down, she saw Joseph safely land and stare up at her in amusement, “Why didn’t you just fall?” he snickered, raising his eyebrows in a playful manner.
Slowly pulling herself up she grumbled, “Well, if you must know . . . . . I didn’t feel like falling on my butt today!” Her agitation only grew, Kraai, Clairity, Daniel, and now Joseph, why couldn’t she just have a relaxing evening and be left alone.
A spark of electricity again zapped her fingers causing her arms to lose purchase. She scrambled to get back onto the limb, but failed miserably. Falling, she opened her wings getting ready to land on her haunches. Shakily, she connected with the ground, releasing a pained groan as vibrations ran up her body from the sudden stop. Her hands rested on her knees as she attempted to steady her legs. Glancing up at Joseph, her legs fluttered along with her heart as they gave out from under her.
Joseph’s laughter boomed throughout the clearing. He held his stomach as tears welled up in his eyes; much more laughing and he might just fall over himself. Wouldn’t that be well deserved. . . Taking a deep breath, he stopped laughing before glancing down at her. A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he reached his hand out to her.
Thinking he was going to help her up, she reached her hand out to meet his. Instead, he reached past her hand then toward her head as he started running his hand through her hair making leaves slowly fall out and to the ground. Her heart fluttered like a captured bird in her chest as his fingers sent shocks down her spine. She wanted to reach out her hand and hold his to her face. She loved his fleeting touches and always longed for his presence near her. It filled an empty hole in her heart left by the loss of her family. He was the only family she had left.
“Goodness Yelena, you are the clumsiest person I know. You can’t stay off the ground for more than a day. It’s a wonder that you haven’t started sprouting leaves from your ears with all that time in the dirt.” As he said this she could see such fondness in his eyes it made her heart flutter. Could she ever hope he felt the same way she did for him?
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Feeling the blood rush to her face, she turned her head away before mumbling, “It doesn’t happen as often as you think. I’m only clumsy when you’re around.” She thought back to previous times she’d fallen or been clumsy. All were in his presence. Thinking about how she felt around him. He always made her feel at ease. Her guard dissolved away when he was near. She didn’t have to pretend to be someone else, she felt accepted, like she could be herself around him.
Trying to calm her heart, she attempted to change the subject, “Why didn’t you continue playing? I figured you’d want to spend more time with your siblings.”
“I wanted to come talk to you; besides they’ll be fine by themselves. Daniel’s antsy for training and I can only handle so much of him right now.” Joseph scrunched his face at the mention of his brother agitating him and waved his hand downward, dismissing the notion of spending more time with his siblings.
Looking at the ground, Yelena pulled her legs closer to her body, turned her head to the side and stammered, “When does he leave?” Resting her head on her knees, she tilted it to the side as she looked at Joseph, “I’d imagine you’re not looking forward to him leaving?”
“No, I’m not. But it’s inevitable, so what can I do? I’m not thrilled to know my twin kid brother will be going into captain training so soon after he completed his warrior drilling but a part of me is glad it’s him and not Clarity. I should be so proud he’s moving up in rankings despite the number of wings.”
“Yeah, it is unfortunate for everyone that has to leave those left behind. We never know how long they’ll be gone, it could be a decade or even three. Daniel’s a rare exception with his moving up to captain; it’s truly an honor to his skills.” She wasn’t sure if what she was saying was making him feel better or not.
Joseph started pacing in front of her, his hand to his chin in thought, “I am proud, but also a bit confused. I don’t really understand his need to go back in so quickly. I’ve pondered possibilities before. Is he trying to escape something? Does he just want to rise in rank quickly? There has to be some reason he wants to be away from us as often and as long as he will be. Clarity misses having him around. She’s starting to befriend ghosts instead of talking to me lately.”
Yelena was a little shocked by that notion, it was indeed unusual for a seraph to see ghosts, let alone befriend one. Was Clarity really that lonely? Was she unhappy? Clarity didn’t show signs of the change into a Mara.
Joseph continued before she had any chance to offer her thoughts, “And Daniel always used to tell me everything as a child but for years now he’s shut me out. Both my siblings rarely tell me their feelings and thoughts anymore. With Daniel, we may both be 96 but he doesn’t act that way. He goofs around, his temper is easily set off and he disappears a lot lately. I swear, sometimes it seems like he’s closer in age to Clarity.”
Releasing her knees, she leaned forward and sighed thinking of her own sister. Lilith, it’d been so long. By now, because of her 3 wings, she would have been going into training to be a captain or just finishing up. She could have been such a great warrior, an even better captain. Even as a child she displayed potential for great leadership abilities. Winning games was hard fought when she came up with amazingly thorough tactics. She always seemed to be a step or two ahead of everyone. Too bad things turned out the way they did; something that would forever weigh on her heart.
A soft hand rested on her head before he joined her on the ground. “You miss Lilith don’t you?”
All she could do was nod her head in response. How she envied Joseph for having both his parents and two siblings. Sometimes she felt so alone. If not for Joseph she would have slipped off a very steep cliff.
He pulled her into his side and leaned his head against hers. Moments passed while he held her close, his warmth seeping into her. She closed her eyes, taking in his citrus scent, letting it wash over her.
Kissing the side of her head, he stood up and reached his hand out again. As she reached her hand up, he grabbed her wrist before tugging her up where she stumbled forward. Right when she thought she was going to hit the ground again he reached out and caught her. His arms were warm against her belly, causing her body to tighten with want. Holding her tightly, he straightened up pulling her with. As they stood there she could feel his body behind her, making her womb tighten and her heart beat like crazy.
After she regained her balance, she pushed away from his strong muscular chest. She then complained to hide her want of him, “Gods, would you stop doing that.”
“You know I can’t help it, it’s so fun to tease you.” At that moment she became very aware of his hand still holding her own. She couldn’t decide if she wanted to pull away or let it remain. He rarely teased her like this. She couldn’t figure out what brought it on today. He had a habit of teasing her when something was bothering him. As if he was trying to distract his own mind or hide it from her. Maybe both.
Glancing over at his siblings, they were sitting by the tree stump together. Daniel was running his hands through Clarity’s hair. He obviously said something to annoy her because she turned around as if agitated before Daniel rubbed his palm roughly against the top of her head. When he lifted it, she had a terrible rats nest ready for a new bird.
A soft chuckle escaped her lips which attracted Joseph's attention, “What?”
“Not much, just your siblings goofing off. I envy them, sometimes I wish I was a member of your family.” She felt her eyes begin to burn a bit as tears collect, waiting to fall the next time she blinked.
“I don’t.” His face was distinctly turned away from her own. She leaned to get a look at his face and he turned further.
Her heart stung a bit. “Why not?” She didn’t actually want to be his sibling. Especially not with the feelings she felt for him. But his words almost felt like a rejection. A single tear started to fall and she coaxed the wind to dry it before he realized she was crying.
He turned his head to the side, “Because I don’t love you like a sibling.”
What did that mean? Was he insinuating he loved her in another way? She waited for him to continue. Could she begin to hope for more from him? Did he only want to be friends? Was she alone in how she felt about him? Or should she shut her feelings for him away/ She couldn’t bear to be hurt by the loss of someone else she cared for. She feared she could not control herself or her powers. Her heart couldn’t help but pick up speed in her chest at the worry building.
“Yelena” he reached over and pulled her hands into his own. She glanced from their now intertwined hands then up to his face. His eyes were such a deep blue, his cheeks had a touch of pink to them and there were beads of sweat gathering on his forehead. He took a deep breath and started again, “Yelena, I love you just as my father loved my mother and how your parent’s loved each other. We’ve known each other a long time now. Since the day I met you, I have been continuously captivated by how strong and clever you are. I always find myself laughing easily around you and I feel like I can always be myself if not a better version of myself. I’ve been at your side through good and bad, I never want that to change. When you started to turn Mara... it made me realize how I truly felt for you. How I had already been feeling for you, how it would have shattered me to know you were lost forever to darkness. I want to continue to spend time with you and build a life with you.”
Her heart was frozen in her chest as well as beating too fast her body thrummed with life. It made her soul fly with happiness to know he felt the same way she did. His voice stilled her thoughts, “Yelena, will you marry me?”
She was frozen in place. Marry? Why did he think he needed to ask? The answer was simple. It never would have been any other. “Yes, of course my answer is yes. I love you Joseph, I always have.” She leaned in and kissed him.
He held her close, she hadn’t felt this much joy in years. He was her best friend, and the one person she could rely on. She had started to develop feelings for him not long after her mara scare. Since then, she had quietly held within her feelings for him; enjoying every moment they spent together. A burst of pure happiness went off in her chest; she was going to marry him, her best friend. She wished she could spend forever right there, but knew the day was slipping away.
She pulled back and looked up into his clear blue smiling eyes. “I should probably be getting back to the Sangha, I have lightning coaching with Kraii this afternoon.” She sighed heavily, “Besides, you should probably spend the rest of the day with your family; they will be missing you soon.” She kissed him gently on the cheek and began to turn away, extending and readying her wings to take off. Before she started her run to take off, she felt Joseph’s hand drag her back into his chest. She looked up into his face. His side smirk made her melt as he went in for another deep kiss.
“I love you too,” he whispered. She spun away unable to contain her laughter. “Hey, I’m going to meet you at your house tonight. I have some scrolls we need to go over before we gather herbs tomorrow.... Oh.. and… Yelena?” She looked back up into his eyes, “I do have a request.” She nodded her head in response, “Would you mind if we waited until after Daniel gets back from training before we announce our engagement and have the wedding?”
She thought about it, if Lilith was going into training, she would have wanted to wait as well. Besides, they had plenty of time. They were both awfully young to be getting married, she was only 93 to his 96. She nodded in agreement, leaned her forehead against his for a moment and kissed him briefly before turning and launching herself into the sky rolling through the air in pure bliss.