Her hair was as bright as the midday sun, but as deep as the dying light. Farah could have lost himself in those curls and gladly found his mind slipping every time a sunbeam passed through them. His companion turned away to the bag at her side, digging through her belongings for something she was sure to show him, and he didn’t much care. She always had something new; something fascinating, something foreign or bizarre. Barely any of it was interesting to him, but she…she was.

Somedays she wasn’t and she seemed to know. She knew what worked with him and what didn’t, so somedays she didn’t push. Her orange curls bounced again, entrancing him for a soft moment before she leaned over, her violet eyes nearly a blink away from his. There was nothing romantic in the gesture, though so many had assumed it was so. Why else would the new foreigner spend so much time with him, on his little island? They couldn’t understand a true bond; something unspoken, something odd. She brought the world to him and wasn’t the least bit disappointed that he wanted nothing to do with it. At first she’d grasped at whatever he let her see, and when she finally found it, that strand of commonality they shared, she’d held on tight.

His father didn’t know she was there. The one time he’d caught her Taavetti had tried his hardest to shoo her off, ‘for her own safety’ he’d said, since Farah’s moods were so unpredictable. Still, she came and like the tide those violet eyes became a grounding stone for Farah.

He’d taken the medicine so his world was a little off. Whenever he moved it felt as if it were a little too quick and the hybrid was prone to getting dizzy. She didn’t say anything, though; just held an arm out, as if to catch him before he fell, but she never actually touched him. Physical touch wasn’t allowed and that was her rule. He’d tried once, to touch her hand, and she’d simply said she didn’t like being touched, so he just…didn’t. Simple as that.

“Truth or Dare?”

“Hmm?”

“It’s a game. Truth or dare?” When he turned to her those eyes, those impossible large eyes, were boring straight into his. He’d learned that about her; that if she blinked she did so when he wasn’t looking or maybe she never did? He wasn’t sure.

“Dare.”

“I dare you to let me stay the night.”

Farah furrowed his brow. “He’ll catch you.”

“No, he won’t. I know he doesn’t come here at night anymore and I know you get lonely.”

It was true. Once Farah was of age Taavetti had taken to staying in the village and giving the young man his space. Space that Farah had never asked for. It made his twin’s absence all the stronger and the demons harder to fight. Having someone stay…. “I’ve never had anyone stay.”

“Then I’ll be the first. It’s common, you know; when you’re growing up.”
He wanted to say no. That he might do something, or say something, that would scare her away. Farah still wasn’t sure if this was some sort of spirit or an actual living being, but she…she was a positive thing to him. He didn’t want to risk running her off. And yet, having her stay did sound nice.

“Fine. Now you; truth or dare?”

“Dare.”

“I dare you to drink seawater.”

Her grin nearly split her face and the entire time she walked to the seaside Farah drowned in her curls. She drank the water, nearly gagging as she did so and that night, as they laid on the bare floor with only a few blankets to support them, they talked about it. They left the windows open, allowing the sounds of the surf to drink in and knock about the crude windchips Farah had created so many years ago.

She dared him to do things he’d never been truly comfortable with. Even now he was expecting his father to come in, see her sprawled out on the floor at his side and panic. And yet, here they were, stomachs full of broth and aged cheese with a light breeze kicking at their sweat slick skin.

There was nothing romantic between Farah and Jules, but a bond remained. One that he cherished above all else and not simply because he had nothing else. Jules was the first to enter his world of her own volition, not because of a blood bond and that meant something.

[761]