Gen Four- Chapter Twenty Two

Cinnamon teased me and called me a guard dog. It was true I pace the balcony and back hallway incessantly staring out all the windows, but my actions were definitely that of a dog panicked by separation anxiety than one gallantly manning the perimeter. She did, of course, agree that Pieter's sudden silence and lack of his presence proved worrying. He had stayed out for a night here and there in the past. That was obviously him staying at his dad's. But to go into a third day with no communication? I paced a bit faster.

     "Cinnamon, c'mon, we've got a great breakfast. Tulip and I worked hard on these omelettes, and I know you love them. They're even still somewhat warm. You don't want to miss that opportunity, do you?"

Jessamine had been trying to get me to eat for fifteen minutes. This time she brought the food directly in front of me. The part of my body that didn't care about my mental state and only worked to continue my functions of living sent out itching calls to shove that whole thing in my mouth.

     "It's okay. I'd rather wait here," I denied.

    "It's not going to make a difference. What will happen will happen. You'll be better prepared, even for things like giving Pieter a slap on the head when he gets back, if you've got energy in you."

     "I..."

     "Come."

Jessamine took my hand with an iron grip.

Gen Four- Chapter Twenty One

I was out of my realm of expertise here. My skills in the creative arts were passable at best. I more preferred and was better at things like math and science. The logical stuff. Coral wished to come to the art museum though, so here we were. Appreciating something that looked interesting or beautiful was the hard part, but Coral tried to be more analytical, which had me shrugging my shoulders.

     "The vibrant lights definitely make the statues take on a weird appearance. When the beams rotate to being off, the stone is shaped to look smoother and more natural. The presence of the lights then changes them to be more...artificial, I guess? Almost like they're projections." I tried.

    "Oh, maybe you're onto something. It could be a statement to how you can't take in the world at face value. That things aren't simply skin-deep. The colored lights show the superficial, highlight the easy to see. It's when that mindset fades away that you can see the details, see the statues for what they really are."

     "Um, sure. Yeah, that sounds like good reasoning to me."

Coral nodded firmly but moved closer, studying the piece hard.

     "Or maybe..."

I smiled and took a step back, letting her ponder all she wished.

Gen Four- Chapter Twenty

A comfortable chill settled in the air as night began to fall. The dying sun battled with the moon and stars for dominance, resulting in a brilliant show of gold and navy with a rainbow of hues in the middle. I'd stared up again and again until night started to win. My neck winced and so I kept my attention on what was right around me. Nowhere was more appealing to sit at the moment than at the fire. Fennel, Ginger's mom, and Sphene joined me. The mother and daughter were absolute chatter-boxes, but I didn't mind listening to their words.

     "I'd ask her every morning if that was what she wanted to wear, and every morning she'd say yes. The more outrageous the design and the more mismatched the socks were, the prouder Sphene walked."

     "Mooom," Sphene wined. "I thought we were only telling embarrassing stories about Ginger!"

    "I think it's a cute story, that you wanted to wear your socks over your pants. Fashion and how we dress is all made up and constantly changing. People have gotten on me for my ribbons even though I'm not pink. In the end, I've decided I don't care what they think," I explained.

     "Yeah, but now I think me doing that was stupid." Sphene slumped in her chair.

     "Haha, well, everyone does have choices they regret," I shrugged.

Gen Four- Chapter Nineteen

It was at times like these where I wished more than ever for proper lighting. Tulip and I were in the middle of our intense foosball game that had my palms hurting and arms aching from the repeated reaching up and down the table. I put in all that effort, and it was the shadows doing me in. I kept losing sight of the ball.

     "Gah, seriously..." I complained as Tulip reset after scoring. I rubbed my eyes and pressed them closed hard for a few seconds trying to force them to adjust.

     "You gotta stop blaming the lack of light, girl. You're getting more of the sunlight coming in from your side. If anyone should be having trouble, it would be me. I'm just better though," Tulip taunted.

     "I really think I'm not seeing as well as I used to," I frowned.

Or the more likely answer, which I knew, was that I remained paranoid. I couldn't get what that jerk who attacked me said. Of how suddenly frightened of me he became. Someone staring at you like you were a monster didn't easily leave one's memory.

     "Are things fuzzy?" Tulip asked.

     "No. Nothing like that's changed, but..."

     "Well, just shout if you randomly go blind. People donate old eyeglasses for those who can't afford them, but besides that there's not much we can do." She smoothly scored another goal. "And if you're simply avoiding your miserable loss, I can help you even less."

Gen Four- Chapter Seventeen

Cinnamon bounced and skipped as we walked along, which brought a big stupid grin to my own face as well. We all clung to what made us happiest to deal with the extra stresses in our life. However, I couldn't fathom how she continued to get such overflowing joy at going to the spa after all these years. Cinnamon and Tulip forever went multiple times a week. How it hadn't become absolutely monotonous, who could say? I ran my fingers over the freshly blossomed flowers on my left while letting her ramble on about what kind of package she wanted. Perhaps to her the spa was her coffee. Something that made her function and left her grumpy when not taken advantage of.

     "Mmm! The air smells so good today. Fresh and clean!" Ruby, walking in front, gushed, stretching her arms high into the sky.

    "That's true. I'm sure it's the flowers nearby, but it's like we've stepped into an endless field of heaven," Cinnamon imagined gleefully.

She and Ruby glanced at me. I shrugged with a light smile.

     "It's alright."

Gen Four- Chapter Sixteen

My chest caught as, on this quiet morning, a lively wind sped forward caring for nothing in its way. Bearing the tangy scent of salt and a brush of moisture, it'd clearly come off the sea. However, I closed my eyes and was thrown back. Memories always hit hard around this time of year─ when the changes that led me here had begun. In that moment I stood as if I stood in that river once more. The trees in the park played the same melody as imagination had me sure cool water tugged at my legs. The taunting sun's warmth hinted hotter days approaching while the dying watch on my wrist, long outgrown, tricked me into believing I had all the time in the world. I wondered what I would do...if I did open my eyes to find myself thrust into the past with the knowledge I had now. Perhaps I finally might be able to determine what I thought about the past at all.

     "Cinnamon? What are you doing?"