“You can have holes when we need more, too,” Keary says. “You’re the best of everything.”
I kiss the top of Drystan’s head, trying to hide my smile in his hair. Neither of us point out that he lets his walls down when Drystan has a panic attack. We see his truth loud and clear.
I’m sure even Rainer does right this second too.
Keary settles in sitting across the room with his back propped against the wall and begins to read. I’m not sure if it’s his voice, the story, or the fact that for right this very second there’s no arguing, but something has us all feeling at peace with each other.
This is how we’re supposed to be every single day. I simply don’t understand why Keary insists on fighting it.
I study him in the contorted light of the flashlight and try to puzzle out the answer. You can’t tell me that he prefers fighting. I know for a fact that he would rather we be here with him than actually give him what he says he wants and leave.
We’ve done that before, and he was even angrier with us when we eventually caught up again.
Rainer’s hand lands on mine, and in the dark of the room, I link our fingers together. One thing’s for sure. If Keary doesn’t want to lose our human pet, we need to work this out as soon as possible.
If Rainer thinks Keary is exhausting now, just wait until he sees a monster-level tantrum.
RAINER
Mama said never to dismiss how someone tells you they’re feeling. If they’re brave enough to have a conversation about it, then you need to give them enough courtesy and respect to listen.
The low rumble of thunder penetrates the thick walls, but it’s quiet. I barely hear it over Keary’s voice as he continues to read to us. Mama taught me to read when I was small, so it’s been a long time since I was read to.
Learning to read wasn’t common in the larger colony of Nyc City, but Mama said that appreciating the library for what it was meant that I’d respect it more. If I respected the library, it would always be open for me.
She also told me it was important that I learned to read so I could read signs as I travel. That way, I’d always know where I am and where I’m going. She wanted me to be able to read our history as a species. She wanted me to escape into a story.
I love libraries. Not just for the security they bring but for the reasons Mama instilled in me. Libraries, more than any other place, are a hub for knowledge. If there’s an answer you’re seeking, you can probably find it in a library.
Thinking on what Keary told me about the Library of Alexandria, I imagine that’s why those libraries wanted copies of every manuscript on Earth. The endless pursuit of knowledge.
My eyes get heavy as I listen to Keary read. He does really well reading out loud. Every character has a different voice and personality that he makes come to life. For just a second, I’m a small child sitting in my mother’s arms, listening to her read to me.
It might be Keary’s voice or the constant static background noise of the rain on the roof or how comfortable and warm I am cuddled up against Drystan and Kaida, or it could just be the near absolute darkness of the room save for the flashlight Keary is reading by, but it isn’t long before my eyelids get heavy and I fall asleep.
I’m not sure how long I sleep. I’m in the same position I’d been in, which makes me think it’s only been minutes.
A quiet click of the door makes my eyes open, but the room is still completely dark.
“The storm over?” Notto asks, his voice quiet.
“It’s moved on,” Keary says. “There’s another storm cell moving north of us that I’ll keep an eye on, but I think it’s going to stay north. We’ll stay here for another day or two.”
“Is it a swamp outside?”
Keary snorts. “A giant puddle. Why did you bring him out in the storm?”
“It wasn’t storming when we left. Only rain. If you wouldn’t have taken offagain,we wouldn’t have been in the storm.”
“You could have just stayed behind.”
“You could have left Rainer alone,” Notto counters.
Kaida growls quietly.
“I’m not going to wake him, lut,” Keary says. I feel his body press against mine, and Kaida continues to growl quietly. “See? That’s it.”
Silence fills the room for a minute. It’s so quiet without the rain that all I hear are our breaths.
