Chapter 4

...𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑...

...𝙰 𝙶𝙻𝙸𝙼𝙿𝚂𝙴 𝙾𝙵 𝙲𝙾𝙼𝙵𝙾𝚁𝚃...

ᴵᵐᵃᵍᵉ ⁴• ᴬᴵ ᴳᵉⁿᵉʳᵃᵗᵉᵈ•

꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭

The silence in the room grew heavy, almost suffocating, broken only by the steady *tick-tock* of the rain outside.

Lisn could smell the fragrance of whatever the girl was preparing—it was surprisingly pleasant, comforting in a way she hadn’t expected. She watched the girl taste the concoction, a small motion that piqued Lisn’s curiosity. ‘What kind of antidote or energizer is that?’ she thought.

“What’s that smell?” Chugar’s voice broke the silence, and Lisn turned to see her, along with Junaia, both freshly showered and looking slightly more at ease.

“It smells so good,” Chugar added, stepping toward the couch where Lisn was sitting and settling beside her. “Is that some kind of mixture we can be injected with?”

Lisn’s heart skipped a beat. ‘This girl,’ she thought, panic rising in her chest. She quickly covered her mouth, afraid that Chugar might say something that would frighten the little girl.

Memories of their past bubbled up—flashbacks they all tried not to think about. ‘We had been helped before, by strangers in the village...’ Lisn’s mind raced back to that moment when Chugar had, without thinking, done something abnormal, and the villagers had reacted violently. They had called them crazy, throwing stones to chase them away, as if they were nothing more than pests.

“Hmmm!” Chugar muttered, shoving Lisn’s hand away from her mouth with force.

“I’m sorry,” Lisn murmured, her voice barely audible, filled with hopelessness. She cast her gaze downward, praying the little girl hadn’t heard.

Somehow, Lisn could feel Chugar and Junaia’s eyes on her, soft and understanding. It was clear they knew why she had reacted the way she did.

“No, I’m sorry,” Chugar said, her voice low. “I shouldn’t have acted that way.”

“I... I shouldn’t have been so comfortable in a place I don’t know,” Chugar added, her head bowed, tears starting to form in her eyes.

Lisn sat frozen, unsure of what to say. They were all in the same position—lost, displaced, and unsure of who they could trust.

Lisn’s gaze softened as she watched Chugar silently crying, a deep emptiness in her eyes. Then, a soft motion caught her attention. The little girl who had offered them shelter was gently touching Chugar’s forehead.

“Does your head hurt?” she asked, her voice innocent, her eyes wide with concern. “Is that why you’re crying?”

Chugar didn’t respond at first, clearly startled by the girl’s kindness. Her eyes were wide with shock, as if she couldn’t quite believe someone was speaking to her this way.

“Stop crying,” the girl said gently, wiping Chugar’s tears with a small handkerchief. “That won’t do you any good.”

‘What is that?’ Chugar wondered, her mind racing. She stared at the girl, trying to process the gesture. ‘I’ve read about it in a dictionary before…’ she thought, her eyes widening as the definition clicked into place.

‘Consolation.’ She had heard the word, but never really understood its meaning until now. This was the first time someone had offered her comfort without asking for anything in return.

She felt a strange warmth in her chest, something unfamiliar. The girl wasn’t just comforting her because she was sad; she was offering her something real. Something Chugar had never received before.

‘She’s consoling me because I’m sad...’ Chugar thought, her heart trembling with the weight of the realization.

‘She’s giving me comfort because I cried.’

The thoughts flowed through her like a rushing river, too fast for her to catch them all. They tumbled together, a mix of confusion and wonder, until one thought brought her to a sudden stop: ‘But... I shouldn’t feel this way.’

‘We’re not supposed to shed a single tear.’

Her lips trembled as she bit down hard, fighting the tears that threatened to spill. Her hands shook, the sensation of emotions she had long buried rising to the surface. It was as if this was the first time in her life she was truly acknowledging her feelings—the first time someone had recognized them as valid.

‘Why?’ The question echoed in her mind. ‘Why does it feel so... right?’

𝓣𝓸 𝓫𝓮 𝓬𝓸𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓾𝓮𝓭...

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