see my face, even in the dark.
“Be sad. Be angry. Then, when enough time’s passed, remember what it means to be you. Your grandpa wouldn’t want you to waste any of your life fearing or hating the people who hurt you. Not when you can do so much more.”
“Like what?”
“Start small. Tomorrow, you’ll have waffles and syrup for breakfast and learn how to use a bow. You’ll get to take a shower and put on clean clothes. You’ll be able to walk around outside without a pinch of worry. And you’ll be able to fall asleep in that same bed, with a full belly, knowing you’re safe and have a family again. What you decide to do with your life from there will be up to you. Your choice.”
She exhaled shakily.
“I want that so much.”
“Which part?”
“All of it.”
“It’s yours. All you have to do is live it.”
After that, her breathing evened out. Eventually, I fell asleep, too. It wasn’t the best night’s sleep, though. The floor was hard, and I missed Thallirin.
When I heard Uan moving around in the morning, I got up to help him. He already had the waffle iron out.
“Listening in?” I asked with a smile.
“Yes. How many waffles do children eat?”
“Probably only one or two. The waffles are pretty big. But make her four so she knows she can eat as many as she wants.”
He grunted and started prepping the griddle as I made the just-add-water mix. Zach came stumbling out of his bedroom after Uan had the fourth waffle on a plate. My brother joined me, where I was frying some sausages, and forked one right out of the pan.
“Where’d we get these?” he asked, taking a bite.
“We traded for them yesterday.”
He started setting the sausage down, and I stole it from the end of his fork.
“Feel guilty enough to make me a cake?” I asked playfully. “Something layered. With a custard and raspberry filling. And a whipped frosting.”
He looked at me for a minute then shook his head and grinned.
“Nope. Not that guilty. Just don’t go walking off by yourself, anymore, when you’re at Tenacity. Those people have proven too many times they can’t be trusted.”
“I will watch her,” Uan said. “She will never wander off again.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Come on. I can’t have you and Thallirin breathing down my neck. Besides, Dad, you have a new daughter to watch over.”
Uan grunted.
“Yes. I will watch her, too.”
Mom rolled out of her bedroom next, looking put together and alert.
“Uan filled me in,” she said. “Do you think she’ll stay?”
I opened my mouth to answer, but a quiet voice beat me.
“Do you want me to?”
We all turned toward Tasha, who was lingering in the hallway, half-hidden by the kitchen cabinets.
“I do,” Mom said.
“Me, too,” Zach said.
“I would like two daughters,” Uan said. “Very much.”
“Hey,” Zach said, feigning indignation. “What about two sons?”
“Do you know of a boy child who needs a father? You can share a room.”
I laughed as Zach sputtered at the idea of room sharing. When I met Tasha’s gaze, she looked less uncertain.
“Come on,” I said. “Uan made waffles.”
While I sat through breakfast and did my best to help Tasha feel welcome and like part of the family, I couldn’t stop glancing at the kitchen window and listening for the door.
“So how long are you staying with us?” Mom asked me, as blunt as ever.
“You don’t live here?” Tasha asked.
“I did until recently. I met someone and moved in with him. But, I still come home for dinner.”
She didn’t seem too upset by the news that she’d have a room to herself.
As soon as Zach took her outside to introduce her to the world of archery, Mom shooed me from the house.
“We’ll see you at dinner.”
My steps were faster than usual as I crossed town.
I was expecting to see Thallirin in the kitchen, looking a little lost at the stove when I walked in. Instead, the house was quiet and still empty. I tried not to let his absence bother me and focused on taking care of myself.
After the hell I went through the day before and a night on the floor, I was ready for a hot shower and a change of clothes. And maybe some more pain reliever; everything was aching from all the manhandling I’d endured.
I dug some medicine out of the bathroom cabinet and drank from the sink. The mirror showed the barest hint of a bruise smudging my cheek from the smack I’d gotten for yelling Thallirin’s name.