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I find Milo at Edna’s doorstep, happily tugging at her hand as if she is part of his little world. Edna looks up at me, her eyes calm and reassuring. “Why are you crying?” she asks softly, tilting her head.

I blink, wiping at my red eyes. “Because I’m just like her,” I whisper to myself. “Thanks for taking care of him. Can I stay with you tonight?”

She nods, pulling me in without even asking anything else.

The door closes behind us, and Milo stays in front of me, confused and worried.

“Hi, firefly,” I whisper.

Milo’s little eyes met mine. “You look sad Reya.”

Then, I press a kiss to his hand, and he just smiles up at me.

“Never, when I’m with you.” I hug him tight, feeling his warmth seep into me.

He runs to Blue who was watching us the moment we came back in, leaving me alone at the entrance, trying to breathe correctly again.

How did I survive this long? How did I make it through every night, every scream, every hand I shouldn’t have had to pull away?

Maybe it was because I had a new goal. Milo’s happiness. It kept me alive.

After a few minutes, I walk toward them, putting my big-sister’s mask back on. I stay with them, laughing when all I feel is exhaustion, playing with them, cooking dinner as if nothing happened.

Later, when the house finally grows quiet, I carry Milo upstairs, and tuck him into bed. I pull the blankets around him, smoothing his hair away from his forehead and lean it to let a small kiss on his cheek.

“I love you firefly. Always.”

A big grin appeared on his face and he lifted his hand. “Pinky promise it’s forever?”

“Pinky promise.”

125

Mireya

Play - I was all over her by salvia palth

All yours. Forever yours

A whole week passed since I grabbed all our things from the house. Dad wasn’t there the next day, probably too busy being out there getting drunk somewhere far away from his mistakes.

Damien asked me to stay with him before leaving Seraphin Bay. So I took Blue, and went there. He has slowly started treating this place like his own, finding new windows to sit next to, and corners to disappear into to scare the hell out of me.

Milo has come by a few times, sometimes with Hayzel, and somehow the house has begun to feel less like his, and more like a safe haven we’re building together.

He hasn’t asked me to tell him about how it went, or anything.

He stayed, taking care of me. Letting me work stupidly on a case he’s almost abandoning. He leaves food beside me when I forget to eat, and forces me to draw more even if it hasn’t been a success.

He sits close when he can tell I don’t want to be alone without ever asking me why.

It’s four in the morning when I find myself looking out at the ocean again. I’m on the rooftop, except this one feels different.

The rooftop I used to hide on had always felt like somewhere I could sit for hours staring at the water and wonder what it would feel like to let it take me with it.

This one is his. And somehow that makes it safe.

The ocean is closer, the cliffs too, and the darkness hasn’t changed. But I’m not alone with it anymore.