CHAPTER 20
DONOVAN
"Hey, does anyone know what's up with Silver?" Arrow asks, as he enters the chamber.
"Probably just her shark week," Wells says with a shrug.
"Dude, not cool," Arrow and I reply at the same time, cringing.
Wells bursts out laughing. "You... should see your... faces," he chokes out. “I was just kidding, but she did want to watch a sad movie last night, so who knows?”
I walk past him and smack the back of his head, before turning to Arrow. “Why do you think something is wrong?” I ask as he plops down in his spot. We’re supposed to have a meeting with the council tonight so we need to prepare.
He shrugs and looks away, staring at the stone wall. “I don’t know, I just have a feeling something is off with her today.” He huffs out a sigh.
“I’ll go find out. I need a snack.” I give him a pat on the shoulder as I pass, heading to the stairs inside my closet.
When I get upstairs, I go looking but she's not inside.Where are you, Princess?I walk outside and spot her sitting in the small garden along the side of the cottage.
She looks up when I walk toward her, setting a pen down.I wonder what she’s writing in that black leather book?Silver Forest is an enigma to me. I know we are an explosion waiting to happen... and maybe not the fun kind.
I take the spot next to her. We don’t speak, just watch as the butterflies float around from flower to flower.
“This is one of my favorite places. Sometimes when my mind is so cluttered, I come out here and just breathe,” I say, after a few minutes of waiting for her to talk.
“My sister loved butterflies. Seeing them today of all days makes me think she's still here with me,” she whispers, voice cracking toward the end.
I look at her, my brows furrowed, trying to understand the hidden meaning of that sentence.What’s today?I think back to the papers we all got about her when they handed us this assignment. Her birthday isn’t for a few more months... I’m racking my brain trying to figure it out when she sighs.
"Today's the day I lost my family. It's officially been a year," she says, brokenly. "Seems like just yesterday." She turns away from me and tries to hide the tears.
I scooch a little closer, gently placing a finger beneath her chin and turning her face back to mine. "You don't need to hide your tears, Silver. You went through something traumatic, I can't even begin to understand."Unfortunately, my family is still around,I can't help but think. I take a breath before giving her a piece of myself. “This world is cruel sometimes, but you need to look at the positive things in your life. I didn’t know your family, but I would think they’d want you to celebrate them today. Not be sitting here upset. At least, that's what I would want.” I point to the book in her lap. “What are you writing?” I ask gently, hoping she’ll open up to me. We still don’t get along well, but things aren't so tense between us anymore.
She wipes her eyes once more and opens it up, handing it to me.
I instantly know that the Silver we all see is a mask. She’s broken and bruised, just like me and the guys. But Silver Forest is a warrior and this world is not ready for her.
Broken
Alone
No one to call at home
Fire
Ashes
So many fucked up slashes
Screams
Doubts
No one to hear me out
Run
Hide