Thayla
37
I sit with myself for a second, both mourning and embracing the decision I’ve made in my mind.
It’s truly…freeing.
“V,”I say.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Much better,”I breathe.“Will you ask the guys to come to the hot spring, please?”
“Of course,”he hoots.
I wipe my face and laugh a little when two seconds later they all pop up and rush to me.
“You okay, little goddess?” Kyzen asks, then looks around. “Where did Seismet go?”
“Seismet?”
“Yeah. V said you were out here venting and to give you a minute. We thought…” he trails off, staring at my arched brow.
“I was with Iric. Not Seismet.”
His mouth pops open, and the others look just as shocked.
“Did he use his power on you?” Creed grits out, scowling.
I smirk.
“He did. With my permission.”
The glare on his face only softens the slightest bit.
Amick hesitates, studying every inch of me. “And?”
“It went great, but…” I take a deep breath and let my gaze roam across them. “I need all of your help with something.”
“Anything,” they echo.
“I need you to cut my hair.” They flinch like that was the last thing they expected me to say. “I hate how long it is. That’s why I always keep it up.”
“Then why have you always kept it that long?” Riven asks with his head cocked to the side like he’s so confused.
I chuckle, then sigh.
“My mom…her name is Anylah. She was the most stunning person I’ve ever seen in my life. At the time they left me, her hair, which is the same color as mine, was down her butt. I used to think it was so beautiful. She’d let me play in it, braid it, do whatever I wanted. I loved it so much.”
My fingers rub the blades of grass and I close my eyes, pretending for just a moment it’s her hair.
“I swore I’d never cut it and once they returned to me, it’d be the same length as hers. I…I don’t care about that anymore. I don’t care for her pride or approval. I don’t care to hear my dad tell me how much I look like her and how the only thing he contributed to me was the colors of my eyes. Honestly, I don’t want them to come back. I’m beyond ready to let go of the daydream I’ve built up in my mind. It’s not reality, and it’s not my truth. I want this, and I want you all to do it for me.”
The small smiles on their faces are so minuscule compared to the massive amount of love they’re pouring through their souls and into me. It’s breathtaking in the best way.
“Okay.”
Their agreement pulls a deep breath from my lungs, and I relax my tense shoulders.
