my life was a mess, but i could clean my room

Gem returns the hug, and El can feel something within her settle, like a puzzle piece slotting back into place. the truth is simple: a girl needs her sisters. “me too,” she murmurs, nuzzling against Gem’s cheek. sweet Gem, creative and kind and curious. she’s been suffering, she’s been alone, and it’s not fair. Gem, the purest soul to grace the planet. El wants to weep at the injustice, but instead she just clutches her sister tighter. “i didn’t know what to do, when everything fell apart. and our home…i couldn’t just go somewhere else. not when the wounds were still fresh.” she wipes at her cheek, thinking miserably of that terrible day. Ashen had fallen, and she had fallen with it. “but i always meant to find you all again.”

she stares down at their feet, toes working into the ground. “i’ve missed you.” how is the rest of their family faring, she wonders? they’d been such a rambunctious bunch, a large family bustling with personalities. the memories feel distant, as though through a cloud of fog. “Gem…do you think Daddy is mad at us? for not coming with him?” it’s a prospect that’s been haunting her, keeping her awake some nights with images of her father’s disappointed face. Chi’s approval has always meant the world to her, and even now she can’t shake her instincts.

"Elara Klein"