be as you've always been

Panic, relief, and confusion buzzed in her head as she raced forward to find her lost uncle. He was so much more than that though, he’d helped to raise her as a child. She couldn’t count the hours she snuggled beside him and Motif and he told them stories. He curled around them during the scary thunderstorms and soothed them when Shaye or Rhyme couldn’t be there. Epitaph was a part of her, as much as Shaye and Motif and when he had gone a part of her heart had broken. She had looked for him as much as she looked for Motif when she had been taken. But that had been years ago.

Poem could hardly believe her ears, and as he began to crunch in the snow she heard his voice call back to her and she knew, this was Epitaph, finally returned to them. Poem continued, her belly swaying with every step but all of her aches and pains were forgotten as she went to her uncle. Despite the dense thicket they found each other, Poem’s tears ran easily. There was no way her pregnant self would have been able to hold back.

He breathed her name and took her in as she looked down at him. Exactly as she remembered except so much smaller. But really she was just so much larger now. In more ways than one. ”Taphy,” she couldn’t hold herself back and rushed forward. She would aim to grab him gently, wanting to wrap her arms around his shoulders and hold him tight like she hadn’t been able to since she was young. Tears poured from her eyes and she let herself go with the emotions. ”I missed you. I thought…” She thought he was gone. Like Shaye and like Motif.