Part Six

That night, I stayed with her. I was sure she didn’t want to be alone after everything that happened; I know I didn’t want to be. The apartment was new and cold and empty. Between all her work and me, El didn’t have time to decorate. So the walls stood white as they did the day they went up. Just how the blue bloods liked.

We both knew the cruelty of my noble-born cousins, but that night they surpassed our expectations. Sending A.S.F. to not only attack John, but nearly everyone -commoner or otherwise- that helped him accomplish what little we did in those past few days, as well. The only people spared a direct beating were me and Elarin. Being Ciar’s niece gave me amnesty and El, they already destroyed her mural. As for the man backing her project - one Alan Xi - he was taken to and detained at what everyone calls “The Dungeon”.

In a way, destroying it alone was worse than anything else they could have done to her. That mural was going to be one of the best things that could have happened to this city. It was going to be a symbol of unity, but now it’s just the opposite.

I wanted to do something, anything, just to hurt my uncle the way had her and everyone else. I wanted to go and destroy his business. I wanted to burn down his home. I wanted to stab him in the heart and throw him off a tower. I, desperately wanted to get revenge for her sake, but I knew that wouldn’t do anyone any good. So I stayed by her side in that empty home.

That very empty home. There wasn’t even any furniture, save for her mattress which was just lying on the floor with a blanket and a couple of pillows decorating it. Beside that was a tall paper bag which held a few books and a half-full glass cup.  The space itself was rather small - just a single eight by eight room - but it was massive in comparison to El’s old apartment. Better neighborhood too.

We’d been there an hour before everything settled in. Silently, we agreed to not talk about it anymore and just rest. She liked to keep everything all tucked into the one corner nearest the window, including herself and me. I was a place. Not really a safe one, but it felt so. We didn't say anything for what felt like forever. The only sound for a long time was the wind sneaking through the window in light, short, whispers. Eternity passed, Elarin turned to me, and spoke about it. She never was terribly good at keeping promises. wordless or otherwise.

“Hiver, why do you think that they... that they do all of this?” She asked, not quite looking at me. “Why do they have to keep us down? Why?” We struggle and we fight but to no end, they just won’t budge. Things are exactly the same as they’ve always been…”

I had no words for her. I was not the wisest of us. She began again: “Is there no end to the-” And then, I kissed her quiet.

Just like that, she calmed, and she even smiled a bit. She looked at me, I looked at her, and for a time, everything was ok.

But for only for the time.