Clare looked solemnly at the sky.
In a way, this was good. She was alone, happy, and a full sorceress. In another way, she was isolated, sad, and a little jealous of Nick leaving.
Clare had the ability to leave if she wanted to.
Nick had given her a warm hug before he left, but Clare was a little starved for her cousin. Not because she loved him any more than reason, but because she felt like it had been a whirlwind that had taken her cousin from her. Clare knew better, though.
A while ago, Nick and Clare had had a conversation about him leaving. They were in his room, talking about the changes Nick was ready to take. He had to tell Madison that he was leaving town, and he had to tell Udonna and Leanbow, who had only just gotten their son back. Maybe she was jealous of the fact that he had a family.
That was stupid.
Clare had a family. Clare had her uncle and aunt and cousin. But it didn't make up for a mother. In a way, Clare felt a bit disconnected from her family because she felt like an outsider. These were dark thoughts. She pushed them away.
But not really.
Thoughts weren't just things that Clare could push away. She had a wandering mind, and things just seemed to seep in like water. It could be overwhelming, but she smiled a sad smile to the sky.
Leanbow's voice came from behind her.
"Clare?"
Clare didn't jump. She turned with a weak smile and blinked before recovering. "Yes?"
"It's time for dinner."
"Oh."
The older man walked over to her with a friendly stride. It was only a short distance, but it was closed quickly. He sat down on the chair that Udonna had conjured for tea.
"You look haunted."
Clare blushed. "I suppose I am."
"Care to talk about it?"
"Not particularly."
Her eyes darted away towards Briarwood over the wooded horizon.
"I just… miss him."
Leanbow nodded in understanding. "I do too."
"You're supposed to. You're his father."
"You're his cousin," he responded with a smile.
There was a small blush. "I feel a little betrayed," she admitted. "In a second, Nick had a mother and a father. The way I was raised, I was told my mother was a villager who perished horribly in the war."
"Betrayed?"
"Well, yes. I suppose it's because I was lied to all my life."
"Yes, that would do it."
"So dinner," Clare said quickly. She was trying to avoid her feelings.
Leanbow gave a small chuckle. "Trying to ignore your emotions isn't wise, Clare."
"I'm not ignoring them. I'm working through them piece by piece."
"Have you ever considered talking to Udonna about this sort of thing? She's understanding. You know that."
"I don't want to break her heart."
"So much like your mother," Leanbow muttered.
"Why?"
"She cared more about other people than she did about herself. She tried to spare everyone."
"I wouldn't know. But I guess it's good to know I'm like her."
"I have a photo if you'd like to see it," Leanbow offered with a smile.
Clare's eyes shot to him. "Do you?"
"I do! It's in a family album somewhere. But you'll need to ask Udonna."
"I don't want to."
"But you should."
Clare huffed.
"So dinner," she tried again.
This time, Leanbow gave in. But he didn't really. "We're going to have to talk about all this. All of us."
"I know."
"You need to understand that everyone's on your side," he added.
"Thanks, Uncle Lee." She paused and looked into the room through the doorway that Leanbow left open. She pushed through it, with a mind full of thoughts.
Leanbow pushed in the chair and followed her.