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“Got it,” he says as he steps back.
“You keep my sister safe.”
Temra laughs. “More likely I’ll be the one keeping him safe.”
“Very true,” Petrik says.
Temra and Kellyn embrace. Kellyn says something to her about stretching out her arm, and she flexes her left bicep for him. He laughs at what must be an inside joke for them.
Then my sister stands before me, and I feel myself starting to cry again.
“Hey, none of that,” she says, pulling me to her.
“I’m going to miss you so much.”
“But not for long. We’ll see each other all the time! I’m not stuck in Skiro. You’re not stuck here. Besides, you’ll be in Amanor all the time, won’t you?”
I slide an uncomfortable look Kellyn’s way, but he and Petrik are busy saying something to each other.
“We haven’t talked yet. I don’t know…”
“Ziva.” Temra flattens me with her stare. “You defeated the most powerful person in the world. You used magic beyond the parameters that have ever been achieved. Now go talk to the man you love and make aplan. Write me so I’m not left in suspense. I love you.”
“I love you.”
“Oh, and when you do decide where to settle, I happen to know a painter who might want to help us find ways to see each other moreconveniently.” She winks.
With that, Temra and Petrik walk hand in hand away from our childhood home. I watch them until they disappear around the bend in the road.
Oh, but Twins it hurts. Kellyn ushers me inside, holds me as I cry. I let myself have one minute of this, and then I abruptly stop. I wipe my eyes, school my features, and refuse to think about what I’m losing.
“It’s okay to be sad,” Kellyn says. “I bawled my eyes out the first time I left home.”
“You did not.”
“Okay, maybe not quite so hard. But I shed a tear.”
We seat ourselves on the small sofa in the living room. I try not to think about how empty the house feels without my sister’s beautiful personality.
It’s the way of life, I tell myself. Children grow, and they leave their homes. I know Temra isn’t my child, but she might as well have been, since I raised her.
When I’ve got myself under control, I finally allow myself to look at the beautiful man before me. I reach out and take his hand.
“What’s next?” I ask.
“Are you hungry? Should we grab some lunch?”
“I mean for us, Kellyn.” I take a very deep breath.
“I don’t understand. Why do you look like the end of the world is coming for us again?”
In a sudden movement, I stand, putting distance between us. I pace the space in front of him, because I need tomove.
“You brought up marriage. We talked about how we felt about each other. But we never talked about how we would make it work.” I risk a glance at him. “I’m terrified of this conversation because I don’t want to lose you. But we want different things. I want to be safe. I don’t want to go adventuring all over the world. I’m a homebody. I like staying indoors.
“But you want to travel. You want to swing that sword and meet new people. And I just don’t see how we can be together when we want different things.”
“Oh,” Kellyn says. He stands with me, paces his own little line. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
