"Hey," Nita said softly.
Dairine didn't look up. "Hey," she responded, "did Dad send you up here to check up on me?"
"No. I came because I needed to talk to you."
"About what?" Dairine asked, her expression as blank as she could make it.
"Runt, you're not ok. Don't pretend that you are." Nita said gently.
Dairine did something that surprised Nita. She sighed, stopped typing, and put Spot down so that she could look Nita in the eye.
"Are you?" Dairine asked, her gaze fierce.
"No. I don't remember the last time I was ok."
"I do," Dairine said, "I was three. Mom took me outside to play in the leaf pile she had raked up, and I remember thinking, if only the world could always be like this. Bright colors and everything smelling like leaves. If life could always be beautiful."
Nita smiled. "Its not always that simple, but it is always beautiful, Dari. You of all people should know that."
Dairine's lip quivered, and she looked at her lap. "If only it didn't hurt so much."
"Have you ever thought about..." Nita stopped, unsure of how to go on. "...letting the pain run its course?"
Dairine eyes flashed. "I did, when Mom died," She said fiercely, "It nearly killed me." Her voice was low and dangerous, but not yet angry. "But he's not gone, Neets."
Nita's eyes widened in shock. "How do you know?"
"Timeheart." Dairine answered.
"Of course! Why didn't I think of that?"
Dairine shrugged. "You weren't close to him the way I was, Neets." She laughed at the expression on her sister's face. "No, not that way...will we ever get over that?"
"I don't think so," Nita said, grinning, and they both laughed.
"What are you going to do?" Nita asked after a moment of silence.
"Find him. I've got to, Neets. We have unfinished business."
Nita nodded slowly, then reached over and gave her sister a quick, tight squeeze. "I love you, runt," She said, surprising herself.
Dairine managed a smile. "Same."
With that, Nita stood, brushed herself off, and walked off across the lunar surface, leaving Dairine alone, but not quite.
The moon was Kit's favorite place to sit and think when he needed a time out from the breakneck pace of everyday life. It was usually a lonely pastime, so he was surprised to see Nita when he arrived at the spot where he had taken to arriving. Her jean-clad legs were folded underneath her, hands on her knees, dark hair falling into her face. She looked terribly sad and lonely sitting there all by herself, which made Kit feel like he'd been punched in the stomach, hard.
"Neets?" He called softly.
She looked up and tried to smile, but her eyes had a faraway look, and Kit knew that she must be thinking about her mother.
"Hey," Nita responded, "Didn't expect to see you here."
"Yeah, I come up here to think sometimes...when life down there just overwhelms me."
Nita nodded. "I know the feeling. I came up to talk to Dairine, though. She thinks Roshaun is still alive.
"And what do you think?" Kit asked, holding his breath.
"I believe her."
Kit's face broke in a smile. "That's great! I thought...we had lost him for sure."
"I did, too."
They were both silent for a moment, but it was a nice silence.
Then Nita prepared herself to ask the question she had promised herself she would ask. To her surprise, Kit beat her to it.
"Do you ever wonder...if maybe its all just too much?"
"All the time." Nita said, her voice soft. "do you want to know what keeps me going?"
"You bet I do."
"OK. I think about all the people I've lost, and I feel like my heart is breaking, one piece at a time, and soon I won't have anything left to give. Then I think of the people I would lose if I gave up my wizardry, and I think, hey, I can't get the people that are already gone back. But maybe, just maybe, I can hold on to the ones I've got. Till Timeheart, anyway. And mostly...I couldn't stand to lose...you."
Kit found Nita's hand. It was cold as ice. He held it between both of his. Slowly he drew her closer to him, and she rested her head on his chest and let herself cry.