Page 18 of May: Bloom & Bane

“EDEN!” I scream. “You’re awake!”

She giggles. “You’re real.”

Her fingers brush over my cheek, and the gold pollen on my skin glows. “I heard you,” she says, a tear spilling down her face. “I heard you every night. I followed the scent of clovers and the sound of your voice.”

She glances at my wings, then back to my eyes.

A shaky smile spreads across her lips. “You stayed.”

I cover her hand with mine, but my fingers don’t meet warm skin. I fall from the stone, my shoulder slamming into the ground. I scramble up, gasping, the taste of honey still lingering on my tongue.

“Eden?” I choke out. “Where did you⁠—”

My eyes catch on the glass case, where she’s still lying fast asleep.

Sage? Droot chirps. The Sun… The Sun didn’t come out.

“No, Droot,” I whisper, my voice barely a thing at all. “She didn’t.”

CHAPTER 8

day 367

Day 367:

CHAPTER 9

but i heard him

—EDEN

Being under the glass isn’t like sleeping. It’s like being underwater in a frozen lake. I can see the sun’s distorted light, but I can’t feel the heat.

But I heard him.

His stories have been my only connection to the world for three hundred and sixty-seven days. I know the cadence of his voice, the rasp of his breath when he’s tired, and the way his heart hammers against the crystal when he’s afraid.

Something in this dark place is telling me it’s time to wake up.

When I hear the first crack in the glass, I think I’m imagining it. Then another crack, and my lungs burn as they pull in the first breath of sweet meadow air.

I sit up slowly, the silk of my gown feeling heavy with the weight of a year’s worth of stillness.

My eyes search for the source of the voice. I find him collapsed against the stone at my feet.

He is a beautiful mess. His large green wings are tattered and covered in dirt. His skin is the same color as the clovers I dreamt about every night. Golden dust covers his fingertips, and there’s a jagged black scar on his wing.

The Sun! a tiny creature shrieks in my mind so loud it makes me flinch. The Sun is out of the box! Droot knew! Droot told The Big Bird you were coming!

A giggle bubbles out of me. “Well, hello,” I murmur. “I’ve heard a lot about you, Droot. But I must say, you’re much cuter than I imagined.”

His light flashes bright pink, doing a series of backflips in the air before finally landing on my lap.

The Sun thinks Droot is cute! he chirps, his vibration tickling my skin. Droot is the cutest. Droot is the King of the peonies!

“Droot is the King,” I agree solemnly. “Does Droot think we should wake up The Big Bird? Or should we let him get some rest?”

I manage to slide down from the stone and settle onto a pile of orange petals beside him. I guide his head onto my lap.