Page 62 of Forever My Siren Luna

Now, it’s like we are in a bubble of bliss.

Communication. It’s what our relationship always lacked.

Westley and his friend, Riley, are sitting in the dirt, drawing pictures of circles, arguing over whose is roundest. I laugh softly when the newer little boy draws a rectangle around Westley’s circle to prove it’s an oval and not a circle at all. Westley responds by wiping Riley's circle away all together.

Kids are great. Their problems are so much simpler it seems.

Since both these boys are orphans, their problems really aren’t that simple on the grander scale of things, but watching them getting carried away in arguing about such silly things like circles and ovals is comforting. It shows they still have their innocence and can get lost in the simplicity of things.

Lachlan hugged me to his side, kissing the top of my head while murmuring “good luck”, before calling Meldec and Kent to join him.

Kent looks at Riley worriedly, but Riley doesn’t even seem bothered by being left with his friend. It makes my heart happy to see the trust Riley has in Westley. If Westley is fine staying with me and Cedric, he is too.

Cedric is watching me with apprehension, like he is expecting me to explode any moment.

I never should have blamed Cedric without hearing him out. Yes, I felt betrayed by one of my best friends, but I know he had his reasons now. He was trying to look out for me, and he has been punishing himself for something that was never his fault.

“Hi, Cedric,” I smiled gently. “Um, can we take the boys down to the beach for a bit so we can talk?”

He lets out a deep breath, nodding as a familiar, but slightly guarded smile lifts his face.

“Hi, Princess. Sure. I would like that.”

Nineteen

Cedric and I walk in an awkward silence, trailing behind the kids as they lead the way to the beach. Westley found a giant stick along the way, and snapped it in half, giving one part of it to Riley so they could use them as swords.

I laughed when Riley twirls it above his head, and Westley’s eyes bug out in amazement.

I love children. They are fascinated so easily.

Taking a peek at Cedric, I can tell he is nervous. My smile faltered as guilt settled in my chest.

Tentatively, I reached out and touched the back of his hand.

“I’m sorry,” I said softly. “I was pretty horrible to you the last few times we spoke. You shouldn’t have to feel this nervous around me.”

He gave me a hesitant smile back. “You were righteous in your anger. I would have been angry too if I had suffered as you did.”

“Maybe, but I had no right to ever take that anger out on you. I didn’t even give you a chance to tell me the whole story. I got mad and sent you away. The fault there lies with me and me alone.”

He grimaced. “Not entirely. If I had…. If I had been near you when you ran, I could have-”

“You could have done nothing, Cedric. Nothing would have changed. Not for the better, anyway.”

We had reached the sandy shore, so I kicked my shoes off to carry in one hand and walked to the familiar piece of driftwood, the one doomed to hold all my heartfelt conversations.

“I’m sorry, princess,” Cedric sat on the log beside me, both of us facing the two boys who are now using their sticks to draw pictures in the sand. "But, what do you mean by that? Not for the better?”

I stared out across the ocean, trying to find the right way to word what I wanted to say. “I was stuck in my own sorrow here, Cedric. I was lost in my past, and it was hurting the way I viewed my future. I never would have broken out of that mold my trauma trapped me in. I was trying to rely on my own strength, but I didn’t know how to do it.”

I pressed my lips together, my eyes moving to the three ships anchored at sea.

“When I woke up upon Jack’s ship, that all too familiar fear and anxiety creeped over me, inhibiting me from doing anything but cower while searching for a way to escape. What was different was that I was among people who went through similar traumas as me. They helped show me how to use my past as a source of strength. I never would have imagined being able to fight like I can. You should see Val. She is magnificent in battle.”

Val growled playfully in my chest, thrilled with my praise.

“I could see that,” Cedric mumbled. “I had never been more scared in my life.”