"But Lillian…what about Lyric?" a small voice asked me as we grew farther and farther from a place I would always see as Hell. Tears brimmed on my eyelashes and I swallowed them down.
"She's dead, Flint. We can't help her," I said quietly. I could hear Willow sniff as she wiped her nose with her sleeve. We were all mourning one of the youngest members of our flock, but none of us said anything. We all knew the truth. She was dead. And there was nothing we could do about it.
I wanted to bawl my eyes out. My sister…my little baby sister was dead. I should have protected her better. I should have kept a closer eye on her. Kept the white coats away from her. I should have saved her.
"There was nothing you could have done," Ash said, coming closer to me. I looked over at him. His normally happy eyes were now sad and slightly filled with tears. I had never seen Ash cry before. And this in itself gave me the strength I needed to force down my own tears. I had to stay strong for my flock. I nodded at him and raised my chin a bit higher.
"Check in, everyone," I said. "Cedar, Apple?"
"Here," the twin six year olds called out.
"Willow, Flint?"
"Here," the nine year old girl sniffed, wiping her nose again.
"Here," Flint repeated. The small eleven year old was already being strong, brimming Willow's wings with his and comforting her in a way I was too upset to do right now. It made me smile.
"Ash?" I turned to the fourteen year old boy next to me. He smiled.
"Here," he said. I had to smile back because I knew, no matter what, that answer would at least always be the same.
"Alright. Come on, guys. We have to find a place to stay tonight," I said. I arced my wings upward and caught a drift of wind that would hopefully lead my flock and I to safety.