She lifted herself from his chest and said, “I saw something today.” She nervously chewed on her fingernail.
He gently pulled her hand away from her lips, placing it on her thigh with his warm hand still on top of hers. There was a softness in his eyes when he said, “Tell me.”
She fidgeted. “Well, I saw a bird. I think it was the same bird that scratched me and broke into the house. In fact, I think it might have been the same bird that I yelled at on our walk home after the Wyrd. I shouldn’t have yelled at it. You were probably right that it could understand me.”
Cahir half smiled, a singular dimple accenting his cheek, and encouraged, “Go on…”
“Well, I followed it into this grove of trees way out past the Gardvord. It led me to this hidden wall that was covered in vines.”
She picked up her other hand this time to bite her nails and then set it down herself and took a deep breath. “You’re going to think I’m crazy.”
“Never.”
She hesitated and then forced out, “I touched the vines and they moved on their own. Then I saw a door with a hole in it, so I peeked through and saw… and saw…”
Seda paused what she was saying and winced. Thinking back, how could she really know if what she saw was real? Benny was right. She hadn’t eaten, and maybe her mindwasplaying tricks on her because of the stress.
Maybe she never even saw the bird.
“It’s okay, Sed. Tell me what you saw.”
“I don’t know. Maybe I’m just tired and hungry, and maybe I didn’t even see anything.”
“I would like to know.”
She lingered for a long moment, discomfort creeping as her own memory resurfaced.
“Well…” She took another deep breath and continued, “I looked through the hole in the door, and I saw this giant forest with this massive stump, and when Benny found me, the whole thing disappeared.”
He looked at her intently, his face showing no pretenses. His eyes flicked between hers, then he paused briefly before saying, “I believe you. There’s a lot beyond the dome, and magic still exists.”
Magic?
“How do you know that?”
Cahir looked away from her and stared at the photo of them on the side table. “Because I have trust that there’s beauty beyond this place that confines and hurts its people. I have faith and hope that one day things will change for the positive. I know magic exists because this dome exists. It’s something ancient, something right, etched into the bones of this world, and I do not believe that we have learned everything there is to know yet.”
Seda leaned back on the couch and pulled her legs to her chest.
“Thank you for believing me.” She smiled at him and gave him a playful nudge. “That was beautiful, by the way.”
Cahir smiled back at her and then stood up. “Well, I’m hungry after all of this. Would you like to eat with me?”
Seda nodded as her stomach growled in response. She got up from the couch, and they headed to the small kitchen to quickly prepare a meal with the ingredients they had on hand.
After they finished dinner and cleaned up, each of them took ashower. Seda grabbed his clothes for him, and they both made their way into the bedroom when they finished.
Cahir paused at the doorway and saw his crumpled bed with Seda’s bed on the opposite side in pristine condition.
“Was someone else here?” he asked, a look on his face that Seda couldn’t place.
Seda blushed and fiddled with her fingernails. “No, I slept there while you were gone.” She felt her nerves tighten, fearing he might be upset with her for invading his personal space.
With a sigh, Cahir rubbed his neck and stepped into the room. He settled onto the bed and patted the space beside him, inviting her to sit. She gladly complied.
“Will you lie with me tonight? I’ll give you all my pillows if you’d like,” he asked her.
A fragile laugh slipped past her lips. “I can get my own pillows, and yes, I’d love to sleep here too, if that’s alright? Although it’ll be pretty cramped. This bed is barely big enough for you as it is.”
