Aria spoke a bit more with her sister as they both sat on the bed in her room, cuddled up together, unwilling to let each other go. Their arms wrapped around each other like lifelines, fingers tangled tightly, as though loosening their grip might tear open the fragile peace between them.
They talked for a while longer, their voices trembling with emotion, crying half the time, their cheeks wet and eyes swollen. After everything, they had both decided that finding their mother was the one thing they had to do—something solid to cling to amid the wreckage.
"After that we'll all escape together," Liora whispered under her breath, her voice soft and rushed, like she was afraid even saying it too loud might curse it. She continued talking, her words barely above a whisper.
"...it will be a mostly human city where we can live normal lives," she added, though a hint of worry clung to her voice like a shadow she couldn't shake.
