Chapter 21 : moments of peace
IAN
She was trying to walk as though nothing had happened. Her injured leg betrayed her with every step. She winced. Just barely. Most people wouldn't have noticed. I did. I reached out and gently caught her arm before she could take another step. "Hey." She turned toward me. "Your leg didn't get any better," I said quietly. "And it won't get any better if you keep walking like this." My eyes dropped to the swelling around her ankle before meeting hers again. "You need rest too." For a second, she looked ready to argue. I could almost see the protest forming behind her eyes. But... Nothing came. Instead, she let out the smallest sigh. I took that as permission. Without another word, I matched my pace to hers, supporting part of her weight as we walked through the quiet streets of the shelter. The evening had settled peacefully over the camp. Warm lanterns glowed outside the wooden homes. Children's laughter echoed faintly somewhere in the distance. People were rebuilding fences.
Others carried supplies. Life continued.
Somehow... It always did. Our houses came into view. Side by side. Almost identical from the outside. I glanced toward my own front porch. I haven't been home in days.
Between training Elena... Helping the soldiers... Preparing for the children's rescue mission... I'd barely even stepped inside. Home had become nothing more than a place I slept. If I slept at all. I blinked away the thought and focused back on Elena. She was trying far too hard to pretend she wasn't in pain. Once we stepped inside her house, silence welcomed us. The warm wooden interior felt comforting after the tension of the meeting. We slowly made our way toward the staircase. Halfway there, she looked at me with an awkward smile. "I'll be fine."
She rested one hand on the railing. "I can get up on my own." No... you can't.
She could barely put weight on her leg.
I looked into her eyes for a moment, debating whether I should cross that line.
Would she be embarrassed? Would she hate the idea? Would I make things awkward? To hell with it. Before she had the chance to object, I slid one arm beneath her knees and the other around her back. Then I lifted her into my arms.
She gasped softly. "I-Ian"
"It's fine." I adjusted my grip carefully.
"You'll hurt yourself even more otherwise."
She didn't argue after that. Instead...
She quietly wrapped one arm around my shoulder for balance. I climbed the stairs slowly, making sure every step was steady.
She weighed almost nothing. The silence between us wasn't uncomfortable It was...
Different. Just two exhausted survivors trying to make it through another day.
When we reached her bedroom, I walked over to the bed and carefully lowered her onto the mattress. As I leaned forward to help her settle comfortably... Her lips accidentally brushed against the back of my ear. It lasted less than a second.
But my entire body froze. A wave of goosebumps rushed across my skin.
Shit. Did that just happen? I kept my expression perfectly neutral. Years of keeping my emotions hidden finally proved useful. Inside, however... My heartbeat had become painfully loud. Don't embarrass yourself. When I looked up, Elena's cheeks had turned noticeably pink.
She swallowed before speaking almost under her breath. "Thank you, Ian."
I frowned slightly. "It wasn't a big deal."
She shook her head. "No..." Her voice softened. "But thank you for everything."
She looked around the room before her eyes returned to mine. "Everyone in this shelter has been so kind to me since I arrived." A tiny smile appeared on her face.
"But you..." She hesitated. "...out of everyone..." "You made me feel like I belonged." Her eyes shimmered with tears that refused to fall. "You made me feel like I had a home." "...Like I had a family."
Something tightened painfully inside my chest. Family. That word always carried weight. More than people realized.
I smiled gently. "There are no outsiders here." I looked around the room before meeting her eyes again. "Everyone's family." She smiled. A real one this time.
The room fell quiet again. I pulled the chair beside her bed closer and sat down.
Outside the window, snowflakes continued drifting lazily from the grey sky. Winter was swallowed in July. Nothing about this world made sense anymore. After a moment, I broke the silence. "So..." I rested my elbows on my knees. "How do you know Leila?"
Elena took a slow breath as she adjusted herself against the pillows. Instinctively, I almost stood to help her. She noticed.
With a small wave of her hand, she silently assured me she was alright. I sat back down. She exhaled. "Before I ever actually met her..." "I heard guards dragging someone away." Her voice grew quieter.
"They were taking her against her will."
She swallowed. "I didn't know who she was." "I only found her file later." She looked toward the window. "It contained everything." "Her identity." "Her background." "Everything the Reestablishment had stolen from her."
Her fingers tightened around the blanket.
"We met a few times after that." A faint smile crossed her face. "Mostly because she used to sneak little treats to Nowella."
My stomach twisted. She continued quietly. "The other children weren't always kind to my sister." "They made fun of her."
"They isolated her." "But Leila..." "She never did." "She always treated Nowella like she mattered." Silence settled over the room.
I couldn't imagine what that must have meant inside a place like the Reestablishment. I looked at Elena. "I'm sorry." The words felt painfully inadequate.
"I'm sorry she had to go through that."
"...I'm sorry you both did." She lowered her eyes. I leaned forward slightly. "It'll be alright now." My voice came out steadier than I expected. "We'll find your sister."
"I promise we'll do everything we can."
She looked back at me. For the first time since the meeting... There was hope in her eyes. Small. Fragile. But real. She nodded once. "I know." Outside, the snow continued to fall. Inside, neither of us spoke again. Sometimes... Silence carried hope better than words ever could.19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4FIS8laJpZ
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