THESE HIDDEN WINGS

[139] 3 AND CLOSER, 17 AND OLDER

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"A wife and three kids,"

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I LISTENED TO the sound of my mother's heartbeat, as I cuddled in next to her, her arms wrapped around me with a small grunt, a smile wedged onto the side of her face,

"Rough day?" she asked, rubbing my back.

Everything rushed into my mind about what had happened.

From being caught by Mr. Ogustus to being shown the splendor of the Amory tower and the statues, not to mention Lucas and Talos, the owl.

After lunch, it was colors class with Miss Almulese, and let's just say, that didn't go too well as we practiced with our wands, and now most of us could teleport.

Most.

After Colors class and the supper that followed,  I slipped into the King's Crown to see my mom, with Gravis' permission of course.

I had left the group before Claire left for her 'personal training lessons.'

I just didn't want to risk meeting Harvest.

I simply did not want to see him anytime soon.

The feelings that I was battling within me because of him were way too mind-boggling for me to even desire to face them.

I shrugged, humming instead as I curled deeper into my arms to which she chuckled, leaning her head against me.

"This reminds me of the time when you were three, and you sneaked into our room," she began with a low chuckle, "you were so quiet, we didn't even hear you come in, and you bribed Gravis, who was on duty to let you in with candy from your little candy bank so he wouldn't as I quote 'say nothing,' she grinned.

I laughed at this, even if I couldn't remember the exact incident as I was much too young to remember.

"I bribed him?" I echoed at this, sitting up, humor in my eyes at this.

"Ah yes," Mom replied, "you were much too short and skinny to open those heavy doors, and let's face it Gravis is a hard man to get around," she chuckled, "he let you in, for two pieces of licorice and your guaranteed word on your desert for a week."

My eyebrows arched at this.

"Really?" I echoed.

I simply couldn't imagine how I could have negotiated so badly, or even negotiated at all to that extent as Gravis has always been one-worded.

"You don't remember this, but you two used to be so close," she grinned, 'You had a way with each other. He used to take you up on his shoulders and race around your little room," she chuckled, "I always worried that you would fall because of how tall he was, but there had never been a man more protective than Gravis, second to your father,  of course," she added kissing the top of my head whilst I stared at the space in front of her hospital bed trying to remember those moments but coming up blank.

I sat up straighter, sitting cross-legged on her bed, pushing my bushy hair back for a second.

"So what happened to us, if we were so close?"

Mom sighed softly, "well, he was here," she shrugged, "for about six years, he spent more time taking care of this place, visiting only in moments," her eyebrows drawing together, "And you kept growing, and I guess you two grew apart. By the time he was around more, well, to you, he was your father's guard. I don't know if you've noticed but Gravis is a man of a few words," she chuckled, "He probably just didn't know how to be close again," she finished, brushing some specs of invisible dirt off the beddings.