Silent Springs (Chapter)

Now if you were to tell me that two days after my eighteenth birthday I would be sitting at the dinner table with Nathan and I holding hands at one end, and Caleb and my father looking through committee documents at the other, I’d say, ‘ha ha, funny joke.’

So why wasn’t I laughing?

“I would have come sooner if I had known this happened so fast,” Michael Patterson, Inept Father, stated unbuttoning his suit jacket and settling into his seat.

Oh, yeah. Rush home because your daughter has powers, not because she’s graduating high school or you miss her or anything. I would speak if I didn’t think the moment I opened my mouth I would ramble off a flow of curse words.

“You knew about Kara’s Becoming?” Caleb asked. I was surprised to see him so calm, as if Michael were an old friend, dropping in to say hi.

“Of course. I knew of Kara’s Becoming far before she was born.” He looked to me, smiling with adoration. Gag me. Who did this guy think he was?

“What?” Nathan blurted, not bothering to censor his anger. “You knew about this, but you left Silent Springs anyway? Why didn’t you say anything? Do you realize how much easier you could have made this all? The Committee was ready to throw Kara in The Courtyard. We’re lucky she’s here right now.”

“Yes we are,” Michael smiled still, but his face dropped into business mode once he turned his attention toward Nathan. “It was safer to keep it a secret. Imagine how many people would jump at the opportunity to take advantage of the most powerful of our kind. This was the safest way.”

Oh, so that’s why you left. Not because you were a disgusting drunk? News to me. I clenched my jaw tight and squeezed Nathan’s hand under the table. “So why are you here?” Nathan asked harshly. I was glad he wasn’t as calm as Caleb. I needed to know I wasn’t the only one at the table who was extremely confused and—more importantly—pissed off.

“I’m here to help,” he stated as if it were the most obvious explanation in the world. This was just too weird.

“I think you came about six months too late, Michael,” Caleb admitted. “Kara finally has this thing under control and is more than prepared for her evaluation tomorrow.”

Was Michael an idiot? We didn’t need him here, he served no purpose. Maybe he was just looking for an excuse to show up uninvited and impress old friends with his expensive clothes and seemingly sober demeanor.

He turned to me, looking at me like—well, like a father looks at his daughter. “Do you not wonder where the dreams come from? The terrible nightmares? Your lack of control and need to use your facets? I know you stay up at night wondering if you will ever break out of that prison in your mind. I see it in your eyes, you know I’m right.”

I ground my teeth together. What was he trying to do? More importantly, how the hell did he just sum up the inner workings of my mind better than I had ever been able to?

“She’s taking pills for her episodes and they’re helping,” Caleb argued.

Michael only chuckled. “You think the pills are helping? She doesn’t need pills.”

“How do you know what she needs?” Nathan snapped.

“Because I’ve dealt with this before, and I know exactly what’s going on up there.” He placed a long finger to his temple.

Caleb shook his head, confused. “Kara is the only female to ever Become. Everyone knows that. There’s nothing in the Histories—,”

“Ah, that’s where you are wrong, my friend,” Michael interrupted him. “There has been exactly one other female to Become before Kara.”

“Who?”

He smiled with perfectly white teeth that could have only been obtained by permanently removing the yellow cigarette stains. “Have you not figured it out yet, Kara?”

I waited, impatient, Nathan’s hand the only thing keeping me from jumping over the table and ripping his throat out. My father hadn’t seen me in eight whole years, yet here he was, sitting in my home like he owned the place claiming he knew my situation better than anyone else.

“You’re not schizophrenic,” he started. “And neither was your mother.”

That was it. I snapped, jumping up from my chair and pointing an accusatory finger in Michael’s face. “Don’t you dare say two words about my mother.”

Michael never lost his grin. It was almost like this was a game for him—a sick, twisted game that only he had all of the pieces to. “Wake up, Kara. Your mother experienced her Becoming when you were only four years old. She hid it to protect you. I was the only one who knew.”

I ignored the bomb he had just dropped as my rage became too much to bear. “You knew what was happening to her and you chose to leave her anyway?”

“Your mother,” he started, his tone turning bitter, “Couldn’t handle it. I couldn’t help her. I had no choice but to leave.”

“You bastard!” I shouted, jumping over the table, my hands ready to wring his neck. Nathan held me back, restraining my arms. “You killed her!”

“Emilia killed herself.” He stood, letting his business like façade drop and the monster he really was come through.

“You could have helped her!” I struggled against Nathan’s strong hold. “She needed you and you left her!”

“I wasn’t going to throw my life away to protect that psychotic woman. By the time we figured out what had happened to her, she’d already lost it.” Michael’s voice dripped with malice. He had honestly hated my mother and had no problem admitting it. In his mind, she was the one who tore our family to shreds.

I broke from Nathan’s grasp in just enough time to hold the fiery, red orb in my hand. I let it sit there, building its own energy. This would put a gaping hole right where his heart was supposed to be in less than a second.

“Oh, don’t be so dramatic. You’re not going to kill me. I’m the only one who can testify for you at that Committee meeting tomorrow. You think they’re just going to let a schizophrenic teenager with enough power to take over cities live her life normally? They’re going to lock you away, Kara,” Michael reasoned, confidently.

I stood there, breathing heavily through flared nostrils, weighing my options. I could kill him, right now, ridding my life of this awful man once and for all and continue about my business as if none of this had ever happened, or I could let him live, with his stupid suit and white teeth, and have him help my case with The Committee.

The orb fizzled out and I dropped my hand. Michael smiled, reveling in his small victory. “That’s what I thought. Now, let’s get down to business.”

Caleb looked unsure as to whether or not that was such a good idea. He looked to Michael, then back to me, assessing if there were any possible way for this situation to get any worse, but in the end, he realized we did need Michael’s help, and with the evaluation coming up in the morning, this may have been our only chance. “Just take a seat, Kara,” he instructed calmly. He knew I wasn’t going to do anything stupid. At least, not yet.

I sat…reluctantly. Breathe, Nathan sent me, as he held my hand under the table again. I scooted closer to him. Michael eyed us curiously, but kept his comments to himself. Smart.

Caleb took a deep breath. He was a natural peacemaker. “Look, Michael, how is your testimony going to help Kara? If what you say is true, bearing witness to Emilia’s Becoming only proves the power is too strong for anyone person to handle. I mean, if it drove Emilia to insanity—,”

“That is where you are wrong,” Michael interrupted. “These abilities, powers, whatever you want to call them, are a part of us. These visions Kara sees are not delusions of grandeur, they’re projections.”

Projections? That just didn’t make any sense. I felt it when Nathan and Caleb would infiltrate my mind in some form or another, but the visions felt too natural—I would have known if it was someone else doing these things to me. Caleb was skeptical as well. “Who would project these images on Kara?”

I jumped in before Michael could answer. “It’s impossible. I would feel if it were someone else. This is definitely coming from me.”

“Exactly,” Michael nodded.

And then it clicked. “You think I’m projecting these images on myself? That’s ridiculous.”

“Your body is holding too much power. It has to expel it in any way it can. And don’t think it’s just the projections either. Your mind constantly uses facets—the mind reading, for instance. I bet if you thought about it, you could speak the thoughts of everyone in this room, and you wouldn’t have to summon any powers because unbeknownst to you, you’re already using the facet. Am I right?” He continued when I didn’t answer. “You need to use your gifts whenever possible. Learning control only puts a band-aid on the problem. Your body wants what it wants. Once The Committee realizes you’re psychologically sound, there will be no room for concern.”

He sounded so… so smug. He triumphed over the fact that he was now somewhat valuable to me, but I wouldn’t let him have it. “I’ve already passed two psychological exams. I’m going to pass this evaluation regardless of what you have to say,” I snapped.

Michael chuckled, amused at how worked up I became. He shook his head. “You have never been safe. Do you think everything will work in your favor because someone you know has yet to hear otherwise?” he motioned to Caleb. “You’re a person of interest, Caleb. Of course they’re not going to express their true motives.”

“Which are?” Caleb pressed.

Michael’s eyes switched to me then back to Caleb. “Not important. What is important, however, is that The Committee is aware of Emilia’s case and the factors that led to her demise.” He cleared his throat. “Clearly, Kara has the tools and support necessary to avoid a similar outcome.”

Maybe I would have been grateful if Michael were some random guy from off of the street here to tell me helpful secrets from my mother’s past, but this was a man who had abandoned me and my mother. A man who left his wife to die and his daughter to survive. He wanted to prove that I had the support necessary? My mother had the same support—her husband—who just so happened to choose a life of liquor and drugs instead. I spoke through clenched teeth. “My mother did not have to die.”

Michael stared me dead in the eye and folded his hands. “Gentlemen,” he addressed the room, never breaking contact. “Would you please give us a moment?”

Caleb stood, but Nathan stayed at my side. “Are you going to be alright?” he whispered low.

I gave his hand a quick squeeze and nodded, and before I knew it, I was alone in my kitchen across from the man I was supposed to call Dad.

Michael sat back and loosened his tie. “Alright. Go ahead.”

I glared. “Excuse me?”

“You obviously have a few things to get off of your chest, so, here’s your chance.”

Oh, he better believe I had a few things to get off of my chest. I spoke softly, not wanting my temper to get the best of me. I wanted my words to sound like they mattered, not like an endless stream of frustrations.

“The last time I saw you, you were passed out in the middle of the family room wearing torn jeans with a bottle of Jack Daniel’s in your hand, and now you’re sitting here fully sober, in an Armani suit expecting me to welcome you with open arms? You knew what was wrong with mom and you left anyways. Do you know what it’s like to be ten years old and see your mother swinging in the closet?” I took in a deep breath. There was no way I was going to cry in front of this man. “I would have been in my own closet a long time ago if it weren’t for Nathan and Caleb and I can’t help but think, if you would have been at least somewhat coherent while your wife was slowly losing her mind, she might still be here. But instead you decided to leave without any explanation to a life that has apparently treated you much better.”

Michael spoke softly in an attempt to placate me. “There are some things you are not meant to understand. I put my life together so that I could come back and finally support you. I always knew this day would come and I wanted to be prepared. Whatever happened between Emilia and I is our business.”

“What about what happened between me and you? You’re acting as if mom was the only person you hurt. I was ten years old, Michael.”

He winced at my casual use of his first name. “All of this,” he motioned to his expensive attire, “Is for you. I work for some of the most powerful of our kind in order to keep an eye on you. I left to protect you. Why can’t you see that?”

“You’re trying to hide your cowardice behind my safety,” I argued, floored by the utter nonsense streaming out of his mouth. “I don’t need mind reading abilities to tell why you left—it’s written all over you. You were scared, so you ran without any regard for the consequences.” I was so ready to remove myself from this situation. I didn’t want to speak anymore and I sure as hell didn’t want to hear anymore. I rose from the table, proud I was able to get through the entire conversation without a physical altercation, although the idea was still very tempting.

“I did what any father would do,” Michael pressed.

“You want some fatherly advice?” I stepped forward, hoping my words were enough to scar him. “Talk to Caleb because he’s the only father I’ve ever known.”

And with that, I turned sharply, and stormed out the back door.

I longed for a normal human brain—one that was forced to compartmentalize information—but instead, I was forced to deal with every single piece of information I had just been fed in the past thirty minutes.

My father was alive and currently in my kitchen, my mother had abilities just as I, and there was a huge possibility that I now would not pass my final evaluation—that is, without the help of my loving father. I had always regarded him as if he were dead or just totally non-existent. If his return would have come at any other point in my life, I am fairly confident I would have slammed the door in his face and reveled in the fact I would never have to see him again, but his testimony really would help my evaluation and I needed him now. The thought set a sour feeling in my stomach. I was bitter. I was really bitter, and I was terrified after all of the emotional progress I had made, I was about to fall backwards.

I stomped my way out far into the yard and away from the house hoping the distance between Michael and I would help me fight the urge to destroy something, but I couldn’t help letting the vibrant, red orb form in my hand. I threw it with the force of all of my frustrations at the line of trees in front of me, feeling better once the red sphere collided with a tall maple, causing it to crack straight in half, and split in two. The tree fell over with a large thud, but it was too dark to see if I had destroyed anything else.

I fell back, sitting in the grass, taking deep breaths. The anger I had pent up inside was now lost in the trees and replaced by anxiety. The Committee could kill me tomorrow if they really wanted to. Would Michael’s testimony really make a difference?

I frowned, realizing putting my trust in Michael was the only option I had. As much as I hated to admit it, he was right; the Committee was going to do everything and anything possible to lock the schizophrenic away. I had deluded myself into thinking things would work in my favor, but that would be too easy.

“Hey,” Nathan said softly, sitting in the grass beside me. He put his hand to my cheek, wiping away a tear I was unaware I had.

“Is he gone?” Maybe if I wasn’t forced to see Michael’s face, I wouldn’t think about him.

“Caleb sent him away. He’s staying at a hotel a couple of miles outside of town.”

I nodded and looked out into the trees. “Good.”

Nathan took my hand. “Are you going to be okay with him at the evaluation tomorrow?”

“Do I really have a choice?”

Nathan’s irises solidified into the hardest green I had ever seen. “You always have a choice.”

“He’s the only person who can help my case. I’d be an idiot not to use his help.” Nathan nodded, but still wasn’t satisfied. He was worried. He was always worried. “I’m fine,” I pressed.

He motioned to the large gap in the line of trees in front of us. “Are you sure about that?”

I fell back into the grass, filling my head with the stars. “This week needs to be over.”

Nathan leaned in and traced tiny circles on my shoulder. “Soon enough,” he sighed. “You should really try to focus on something else.”

I let out a sarcastic laugh. “Easier said than done.”

“Really?” he raised an eyebrow and hovered over me, our faces inches apart. He brushed the hair from my face. My pulse quickened under the weight of his body, giving me away. Nathan smiled his crooked smile and pressed his lips to mine, letting our bodies meld together and instantly washing all ill feelings away. I wrapped my arms around his neck as we rolled to our side, intertwining. “You’re so beautiful,” Nathan whispered in my ear, his breath tickling the nape of my neck.

We moved in tandem to the rhythm of beating hearts and the sounds of… drums? I pulled away.

“What is it?”

I looked around. “Do you hear that?”

Nathan shrugged. “Hear what?”

Great. I slapped my palm to my forehead. “If I told you to leave right now would you?”

“What’s going on?”

“It’s about to happen again.” I sat up and pulled my knees to my chest, preparing for the worst.

“It’s okay.” Nathan grabbed my hand. “I’m right here.”

I smiled lightly peering up through my lashes. Nathan tried to keep his composure, but I saw through him. I tried to reassure him, but he knew me too well. He saw the blind terror hiding behind my calm façade. I shut my eyes tight, waiting for the images to come.

Nathan waited anxiously by my side, wanting to hold me, but too afraid he’d make it worse. I wished he didn’t have to see this. I did my best to center myself. Maybe I could control this one. If I really was projecting these images on myself, I should be able to stop them just as easily. I was unwillingly using the facet and all I had to do was find wherever the power was coming from to turn it off, but I couldn’t place it.

The images came anyway, the sound of drums beating loud in my ears. It was a ceremony; a ritual of some kind. Fifteen or so people sat impatiently around a large fire, the flames licking up toward the sky. They were on a beach at dusk, but they were dressed in their best attire—evening gowns and suits. I couldn’t understand enough to make sense of the images. I was too busy trying to push the invisible facet away. 

Three men approached from off shore carting a small metal cage behind them. The people around the fire looked anxiously out into the distance, trying to see inside the cage. I couldn’t make it out. My vision was fogged and unclear. Did this mean it was working? Was I really pushing the facet away? I took in a deep breath as the Silent Springs forest unfolded around me.

I stared at Nathan shocked and unsure.

Nathan spoke. “Did you really just—?”

“Yeah, I think so,” I breathed.

Nathan put his hand over mine, studying my brain. “This doesn’t make any sense.” He shook his head. “You’re still projecting something. I can feel it.”

And that’s when it hit me—or engulfed me, rather.

Flames. I was on fire, but I couldn’t see it. I was still in the yard, still sitting across from Nathan, but I was on fire. My body contorted under the pain and I screamed in agony. I was dying. I was burning alive. This wasn’t a projection. It was two-thousand degrees of heat charring my skin. There was no way out—no relief. I felt myself roll around in the grass, but the fire only burned hotter. I couldn’t feel or see or think anything outside of the fire. How could it possibly keep burning? There was nothing left to burn! I had to have been ashes. I was nothing but a ball of heat and pain. This is what it felt like to burn alive? When did it end?

Every time I tried to take in a breath of air, the action was cut short by the cries of pain I couldn’t help but expel. How long was this feeling meant to last? I lost all sense of time as my brain was consumed with agony—agony and pain. If I had known when it would end, maybe I could have fought through, but this fire was endless and seemed to get stronger with every one of my screams.

I felt strong hands pin my down, keeping me from moving. How could they not feel the fire that so easily smoldered my skin? I screamed out again, hoping the hands would snap my neck, kill me, and break me free from this misery.

“You can control it,” A familiar voice whispered harshly in my ear. “Force it away. Use all of your strength.”

Did he not know I was on fire? I couldn’t push it away. I needed to submerge myself in an arctic pool of water. I shrieked, helpless, desperate to make the pain cease.

“Your facet. It’s your facet. Find it and push it away,” the voice growled.

A small part of my mind awakened, finally comprehending the words of the mysterious voice. I was projecting the pain on myself. This was my facet.

I panicked. I couldn’t feel it anywhere. The flames were too much. There was no way I was strong enough to push this one away. The fire charred my insides, scarring whatever it could find. My nerves were too alive, forcing my brain to process the burning over and over again. I didn’t want to find the facet. I didn’t want to writhe in this hurting any longer. I wanted to die.

“Kill me!” I shouted at the voice. “Please kill me!” Anything to take the pain away. Anything at all. I struggled against the force of the arms holding my down, wanting to run, wanting to escape the fire.

“She’s going into cardiac arrest!” Another voice shouted.

I heard indistinct mumbling and then the harsh voice in my ear again. “Find it, damn it! Don’t you dare give up!”

He didn’t know what he was saying. I was too lost to find anything at all. The air around me grew thick, making it even harder to breathe through the flames. I wanted it to swallow me whole and entrap me in a sea of nothingness, but the fire had its hold on me and refused to let go.

A set of hands pushed down on my chest over and over as the flames continued to lick up the insides of my body.

A voice different from the other two fell into my mind. “Don’t do this to me, Kara. Don’t you dare leave me.”

Nathan?

“You’re not a quitter,” he said low and desperate. “Fight through it. Please, Kara, please.” I felt his hand in my hair, cool and safe.

Cool and safe.

I screamed one last time as I somehow pushed away the hidden facet with all of the strength left it me.

And then everything was still. No more facets, no more pain. Nothing at all.

My muscles loosened all at once and I opened my eyes to see Nathan, Caleb, and Michael hovering above me, a worried and frantic expression on each face. I would have spoken, but my brain refused to tell my mouth to move.

“She’s in shock,” Michael stated as he placed two fingers on my wrist.

“Kara, can you hear me?” Caleb held a cautious hand on my shoulder.

I could only blink, and Nathan let out the breath he had been holding in. There was something he wanted to say—I saw it in his eyes—but his thoughts were a mystery to me. If I was too drained to speak, I should have known reading minds wouldn’t be so easy.

Michael kicked into first-aid mode. “We need to get her inside.” He took off his suit jacket and draped it over me in a moment of sheer paternity. Caleb nodded and Nathan scooped me up with ease. I let my head rest on his shoulder and the sweet smell of his cologne invade my senses. The night air seemed icy now and I was thankful for Michael’s jacket. Weird. Only five minutes ago I was on fire and now I was so cold my teeth were chattering.

Nathan held me closer, looking straight ahead with his jaw clenched tight. I wished I knew what he was thinking. Michael and Caleb trailed close behind—as Nathan carried me into the warm house, up the stairs, and into my bedroom—the two of them whispering so rapid, I could hardly hear. Once I was settled into bed and it was established I was still alive, Michael motioned to speak with both brothers outside. Nathan shook his head and sat at my side, refusing to let his hand lose grip of mine. Caleb whispered something low to him before standing just outside the doorway with Michael.

I strained to hear their quiet voices, but finally picked them up. “…wasn’t even half as strong as Kara,” Michael finished a thought.

“We can’t cancel the evaluation. It will raise too much suspicion.”

“Do you realize what this means? This is unlike—,”

“I know. I know,” Caleb interrupted, frustrated. “This is bigger than any of us could have imagined.”

“Do you think she knows?” Michael whispered.

“No. There’s no way.”

“She’ll figure it out, Caleb,” Michael sighed. “You have to be prepared.”

“I don’t know what to prepare for.”

“Train her,” Michael pressed. “Teach her everything you know.”

“Will it be enough?”

“It has to be.”

There was a long pause before Caleb spoke again. “I’m not sure you staying around here is such a good idea,” He admitted. “I’ve never seen her so ready for a fight, and that’s saying a lot.”

“Keeping my daughter safe is my only concern. I have to testify at this evaluation and…”

Michael’s words trailed off as he and Caleb walked down the hall and into the study; much farther than my weak senses would allow me to eavesdrop. I brought my attention back to the room. Nathan’s eyebrows turned up in the middle and he had his face buried in one hand with worry lines carved into his forehead.

“I’m okay,” I croaked, barely a whisper.

Nathan shot up. “Hey,” he gently put a hand to my forehead. “How are you feeling?”

“Fine,” I lied. I curled my toes and wiggled my fingers. It was nice to know I could finally move. I did my best to sit up, leaning my back against the headboard. Nathan eyed me like I might shatter into a million pieces at any second. I knew he was anxious, and not really sure what to do. “Do you think I could have a glass of water?” I had almost screamed my voice away and I thought maybe if Nathan had something tangible to do for me it might ease his nerves.

He returned in record time and I motioned for him to sit next to me on the bed. The water slid down my dry throat, hydrating my poor vocal folds and I didn’t stop gulping until the glass was empty. “More?”

I shook my head and set the glass on the night stand. The room was silent except for the sounds of Nathan’s irregular breathing. He was looking at me like I was going to break again, studying every one of my features for any sign of distress.

“Could you please stop?” I blurted, surprising myself just as much as Nathan.

“What?”

The words fell out of my mouth like vomit. I blamed it on not being able to speak for so long. “You keep looking at me like I’m going to blow away. I’m not going anywhere. I’m right here, and I’m fine. And I can’t hear what you’re thinking and it’s killing me because I think I almost just died and now I’m really really worried about you.” I took in a long breath.

Nathan cracked a smile. “You almost just died and you’re worried about me?”

I nodded as tears welled up in my eyes, my emotions suddenly on high. I guess near death experiences do that to you. “I can see it in your eyes. Something is eating away at you, but I don’t know what it is.”

“Kara.” Nathan put a hand to my cheek as I blinked back tears. “I love you.”

I gasped. The three small words held so much weight to them. I had never heard Nathan utter them before, let alone directly to me. And I understood, finally, what was hiding in those eyes, and it wasn’t because I had a facet behind me or because I was simply good at reading people. It was because I loved him, too, and sometimes realizing that can give you all of the answers you never wanted to hear.

“This changes everything,” I whispered, meaning it in more ways than one.

“I know.” Nathan pressed his forehead to mine. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared.”

His words made my heart ache. “Please tell me what you’re thinking.”

“I—,” the sound caught in his throat. He had never spoken his honest feelings aloud before, but he was now… for me. “I couldn’t save you—couldn’t help you, and I had to sit next to you and watch you die, and I felt like I was dying, too, and I kept thinking over and over again what life without you would be like and I couldn’t picture it because all I saw was darkness.” His words came in one constant stream of unorganized thoughts. “And that’s when I realized I love you because I can’t see anything else without you. You are everything and it kills me to see you hurting because all I want to do is reach out and take the pain away, but I can’t.

“I remember that day those doctors performed all of those tests on you in that interrogation room and I had to watch through the two way mirror and I wanted nothing more than to burst through that door and sit by your side. And I remember they left you alone for a few minutes and you just buried your face in your hands because you felt so defeated and scared, and it was like I was the defeated one because I couldn’t be there for you. And I wish I could tell you just how much I love you right now, but I’ve never said anything like this to anyone and it’s making me nervous. Plus, it’s impossible to be articulate when you’re staring at me like that.”

Now I was the one to smile. “I think that was very articulate.” I brushed away the worry lines from his forehead. “When I was out in that field, I knew I was projecting that fire on me. I knew it, but it wasn’t enough reason for me to keep fighting. I wanted to give up. I wanted to die, but you know what pulled me out of that fire? It was you. I heard Michael shouting in my ear and Caleb above me, but it was something about your voice that made me want to stay alive and keep breathing. You saved me, Nathan. You save me every day and that is only one of the many reasons why I love you, too.”

I must have been convincing enough because Nathan said no more, only pulled me into him and kissed my hair. I rested my head on his breast and intertwined our fingers together. We kept as close to each other as possible, reveling in the presence of one another. We stayed silent, protecting the precious moment as if it were our last together because neither of us dared to say aloud what we were both thinking: you never know what tomorrow may bring.