A tear rolled down Zeke’s cheek, and I froze under his confession.
“No,” Ollie shook his head and pulled up his hands, signing and speaking eagerly. “Blood or spirit?”
Zeke’s eyes went frantic, and he pushed his tray forward angrily.
Ollie pounded his fist over the table to collect his attention. “Blood or spirit, Zeke?”
Zeke’s hands moved fluidly yet violently.
I looked over to Ollie whose expression transformed with each movement of Zeke’s hands. “I can’t keep up. What is he saying?”
“How is he your brother? Why haven’t you told me this?” Ollie said through gritted teeth.
My eyes snapped back to Zeke, whose hands and features were hot, brown curly hair bouncing as he moved.“He came for me. He fell in love. Now he’s locked away, and I’m stuck here forever. I can’t help him. He needs me, and I can’t help him. I couldn’t save Livy. I was supposed to look after her. I was supposed to protect her. He said, don’t tell anyone I’m his brother, or they would come afterme next.”
“Bloody, hell,” Ollie rubbed over his forehead, “You can trust me. I’m your family,” Ollie insisted. “We’re family. I’m your brother, too … in spirit. When we leave here, I promise to do everything in my power to free Tommy. Do you understand?”
Zeke nodded. Zeke understood, but the ability for me to catch up seemed impossible.
Later that evening, Ollie and I walked down the hill toward the vigil. Red, yellow, and orange painted across the sky as the sun simmered. The crowd forming the circle wasn’t nearly as large as the last one. People had lost interest in caring for others.
Ethan stood in the same place. His hands hid behind his back, and we exchanged nods.
Ollie stood behind me. The mere touch of his fingertips against mine reminded me he was always within reach. The circle was silent, but Ollie’s emotions shouted within him, illuminating like the sunset above. He dropped his forehead to the back of my head, whispering a prayer to himself. His words persuaded my eyes to close. His words wrapped a bubble around us, protecting us from the outside world. His words were the cause of the shortage of breath and my flickering pulse.
Ollie prayed for Zeke. He prayed for souls, for the lost and confused, and the selfish. Ollie prayed for love to prevail, hindsight to come forth, and the close-minded to blur their lines. He prayed to no one and everyone, believing in the higher power, whoever or whatever it may be. He prayed for Ethan, for me, for himself. Everyone Ollie’s eyes came across, and each person who hadn’t had the opportunity to meet him has been prayed for.
He lifted his forehead from mine and sealed his prayer with a kiss to the back of my head. I scanned the circle. Bodies relaxed and tears subsided, and Ollie threaded his fingers into mine. “Let’s go, love.”
Our feet landed on the last step of the stairs as we retreated back to our dorm. “What do you believe in?” I asked.
“I believe in a lot of things.” Ollie smiled. “You’ll have to be more specific.”
“Did you go to church? You know, before Dolor?”
Our pace was slow as we climbed the stairs, falling back behind the crowd.
“Why would I need to go to church? A building is manmade. I’m the creation of God. Our body is the closest thing we have to the eternal light, not a bloody building. I have the power to pray when and where I want. God hears me no matter where I am. No one can take that away from me. But a building? A building can be destroyed, knocked down, or turned into a McDonalds if the city permits it.”
“You believe in God,” I concluded with a nod.
Ollie licked his lips. “Remember the storyA Thousand Years Apart? The one I read to you at the hospital?”
“Yeah. Something about an eternal light.”
Ollie nodded. “That’s one of many I believe in, but what about you, love? Are you going to tell me a story on how God failed you? Or are you going to tell me a story on how our creator gave you strength to get through?”
Suddenly, I’d felt ashamed. “I don’t know what to believe.”
Ollie and I reached the top of the stairs when he stopped and faced me. “If you believe in nothing, then that is what you live for. And living for nothing is a waste, wouldn’t you say?”
“I hope our children take after you.”
We fell back into step. “How many?” Ollie searched with a smile.
“Well let’s see, how many croissants have you surprised me with?”
“Two, but I want three, so I owe you one.”
