hug.
“Man, are we glad to see you!” He practically shouted in my ear.
“Yeah, you look like it,” I mumbled sarcastically, but smiling all the same. “Didn't you recognize our magic?”
“Oh, sorry about that,” Xavier apologized sincerely, staring at the hole my head had made. “We felt your magic, but you can't be too careful these days, and we wanted to make sure, you know, extra sure you weren't the bad guys.” He pouted his lips, one hand absently stroking the gruff shadow of a beard he kept nicely trimmed and nodded his head as if to say they had obviously done a good job at being “extra sure.”
“Well, you definitely did that; don't worry.” I rubbed the top of my head where a nasty bump started to rise. I sent magic to heal the wound, but no amount of magic was going to be able to heal my bruised ego from being the victim of easy magic.
Everyone laughed, even Gabriel, and the tension in the room was lifted. Jericho shut the door and locked it and then we moved into an elegant sitting room just off the entryway.
“Man, it is so good to see you guys!” Xavier echoed Titus's sentiments, plopping down on a perfectly white, pristine couch and bouncing up and down with excitement. He tucked his chin-length, dark hair behind one ear and I marveled at how similar he and Xander looked. They weren't twins, but they were almost identical, facial hair and all. “We heard what happened, but Jericho, man, I didn't expect to see you here!”
“Yeah, it's good to see you guys too!” Jericho echoed equally as animated. Titus reached out his arm and patted him roughly on the back. The moment felt like they would all get up and hug each other, but instead the four boys sat or stood staring at one other bouncing up and down with nervous energy. “I'm glad you're all here and all Ok.”
“Oh, we were never really in danger,” Xavier continued. “I mean, nobody even knew we were here or knew anything about us. But man, when we heard what happened at the farm, that our worst nightmare came true, well, we just.... it was hard to stay here. It was hard to sit still....”
The room fell silent for a moment, nobody moving, nobody making a sound. We sat staring at each other, lost in the deepest moment of remembrance for the dead and the heart-wrenching frustration of waiting for vengeance. Collectively we knew it would come, but for now, at this moment, we were prisoners of patience.
“Jericho, dude, we heard you were captured, what are you doing here? What happened at the farm? We need to know it all.” Xander broke the respectful silence.
“It's a long story,” Jericho sighed, glancing at me with a curious expression. But then I felt it; I felt the stab of longing and regret that threatened to sweep me up again in the trauma of memory. The story, and Jericho would have to start from the beginning, would force me to be fragile, would demand that I give credence to the painful emotions and I wasn't ready for that again. I especially wasn't ready for these boys to witness it.
“Eden, why don't we go make some coffee and let these friend's catch up for a moment,” Gabriel offered wisely.
“That's a good idea,” I breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, wait do you know these guys?” I asked, realizing how rude I had been.
“Are you Gabriel?” Titus asked, walking over and extending his hand. When Gabriel nodded, he continued, “I've heard of you. I'm Titus Kelly and this is Xander and Xavier Akin.”
“I've heard of you as well; it is good to meet you,” Gabriel said in his abrupt way that was always taking me off guard, even if he was saying the most normal things, “It is good to be here.”
He turned on his heel and walked out of the room while I struggled to catch up with him before I lost him in the enormity of the house.
Gabriel walked straight into a large all-white kitchen that was perfectly cleaned and mouth-droppingly immaculate. I found a seat at the kitchen island while Gabriel
“Man, are we glad to see you!” He practically shouted in my ear.
“Yeah, you look like it,” I mumbled sarcastically, but smiling all the same. “Didn't you recognize our magic?”
“Oh, sorry about that,” Xavier apologized sincerely, staring at the hole my head had made. “We felt your magic, but you can't be too careful these days, and we wanted to make sure, you know, extra sure you weren't the bad guys.” He pouted his lips, one hand absently stroking the gruff shadow of a beard he kept nicely trimmed and nodded his head as if to say they had obviously done a good job at being “extra sure.”
“Well, you definitely did that; don't worry.” I rubbed the top of my head where a nasty bump started to rise. I sent magic to heal the wound, but no amount of magic was going to be able to heal my bruised ego from being the victim of easy magic.
Everyone laughed, even Gabriel, and the tension in the room was lifted. Jericho shut the door and locked it and then we moved into an elegant sitting room just off the entryway.
“Man, it is so good to see you guys!” Xavier echoed Titus's sentiments, plopping down on a perfectly white, pristine couch and bouncing up and down with excitement. He tucked his chin-length, dark hair behind one ear and I marveled at how similar he and Xander looked. They weren't twins, but they were almost identical, facial hair and all. “We heard what happened, but Jericho, man, I didn't expect to see you here!”
“Yeah, it's good to see you guys too!” Jericho echoed equally as animated. Titus reached out his arm and patted him roughly on the back. The moment felt like they would all get up and hug each other, but instead the four boys sat or stood staring at one other bouncing up and down with nervous energy. “I'm glad you're all here and all Ok.”
“Oh, we were never really in danger,” Xavier continued. “I mean, nobody even knew we were here or knew anything about us. But man, when we heard what happened at the farm, that our worst nightmare came true, well, we just.... it was hard to stay here. It was hard to sit still....”
The room fell silent for a moment, nobody moving, nobody making a sound. We sat staring at each other, lost in the deepest moment of remembrance for the dead and the heart-wrenching frustration of waiting for vengeance. Collectively we knew it would come, but for now, at this moment, we were prisoners of patience.
“Jericho, dude, we heard you were captured, what are you doing here? What happened at the farm? We need to know it all.” Xander broke the respectful silence.
“It's a long story,” Jericho sighed, glancing at me with a curious expression. But then I felt it; I felt the stab of longing and regret that threatened to sweep me up again in the trauma of memory. The story, and Jericho would have to start from the beginning, would force me to be fragile, would demand that I give credence to the painful emotions and I wasn't ready for that again. I especially wasn't ready for these boys to witness it.
“Eden, why don't we go make some coffee and let these friend's catch up for a moment,” Gabriel offered wisely.
“That's a good idea,” I breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, wait do you know these guys?” I asked, realizing how rude I had been.
“Are you Gabriel?” Titus asked, walking over and extending his hand. When Gabriel nodded, he continued, “I've heard of you. I'm Titus Kelly and this is Xander and Xavier Akin.”
“I've heard of you as well; it is good to meet you,” Gabriel said in his abrupt way that was always taking me off guard, even if he was saying the most normal things, “It is good to be here.”
He turned on his heel and walked out of the room while I struggled to catch up with him before I lost him in the enormity of the house.
Gabriel walked straight into a large all-white kitchen that was perfectly cleaned and mouth-droppingly immaculate. I found a seat at the kitchen island while Gabriel
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