Wings of the Walker - CoraLee June Page 0,41

feature ingrained in my memory, and as if my muscles acted upon what they were accustomed to, I flipped the page and began sketching his face.

However, instead of the usually polished and clean-shaven Josiah that I grew up with, I drew the Josiah I saw on my tablet a few days ago. The Josiah that was heartbroken and suffering.

His eyes were haunting and made my stomach clench, but I needed to draw this. I needed to see that he did, in fact, love me. That without me, he was struggling to exist. It made me feel equal parts compelling and guilty. It also made me question why I was playing with the idea that I felt anything for Jacob or any of the others. Realistically, they were a small candle in comparison to the lighthouse that was Josiah. He shone bright. He illuminated me in ways that no one else ever could.

The sun began to set, and still I drew. I wasn’t happy until the picture was complete. I wanted to cling to what it was we shared. I tried to hold on to the fact that Josiah Stonewell did, in fact, love me.

As the sun set, the guys each walked up to the house. They were cheerful and giddy. Each was playfully goading one another about their day. The moment I saw Cyler, I stood and ran to him, ignoring the scowl Huxley threw my way.

Once in front of Cyler, I looked up into his playful eyes and enveloped him in the most significant hug I could muster.

“Thank you for my art supplies,” I whispered in his ear. He was sweaty from a long day of working, but I didn’t care. His thoughtful purchase meant so much more to me than he could ever truly understand. He had given me back a part of myself that I’d lost.

He spun me around, which gathered cheers from the others. The sensation made me laugh. “You’re welcome, babe. It’s the least I could do since you nursed me back to health.” I rolled my eyes while he put me back down. While doing so, he slid me against his muscular body, causing those familiar flutters to invade my stomach.

Huxley was looking over my sketch when my feet hit the ground. I rushed over to him to rip it out of his hands, but he was too quick and tall.

“What do we have here?” he asked. “Does our little artist have a muse?” He waved my notebook side-to-side, and my insistence to retrieve the drawing of Josiah back spurred on the others to see who it was I intently drew.

“Let us see, Huxley!” Patrick pleaded. But instead of handing it over to him, Huxley peered at me with a newfound understanding. After taking a second glance, he handed it back to me and abruptly walked back inside. Maybe now he understood why I wouldn’t betray his makeshift family as Jules did. I was still irrevocably in love with someone I could never have.

Chapter Sixteen

The next day, my lunch with Cyler was quick and fun. He spent most of the time stuffing his face with my chocolate cake. His office moved where there was a need, so we ate and walked around town, stopping to discuss different problems with different people.

I was amazed to see how everyone treated him with such respect. They liked their fearless leader, and by associating myself with him, they liked me too. I was handed miscellaneous trinkets by the shopkeepers, and many asked me about the new bakery I was starting at the General Store. Once again, I was amazed by the resilience and kindness of the people here.

The day after that, I made a special lunch for Kemper and walked it over to the dormitories where the Walkers stayed. Kemp spent his days teaching the new Walkers different skills that would be useful in the community as well as facilitating an apprentice program with the town folk needing assistance.

The dormitories were large, and the building appeared newer then the other places in town. I assumed that they recently constructed it in preparation for the Walkers from Galla.

When I walked inside, I was greeted warmly by the seamstress that had assisted me in patching up Cyler on the train. I’d never learned her name, or if she told it to me, I was too exhausted and concerned to remember it.

Surprisingly, she welcomed me with a warm hug and smile. “Ah, I was wondering when I’d see you again,” she