The Storm
by R. A. Howard
"Nora!"
She turned away from the storm, resisting its siren call. A young man stood behind her, his long hair dark but for one lock which tumbled down the left side of his face matching the soft magenta of eyes which stared at her. Eyes which held mixture of concern tinged with fear. Her heart skipped a beat at that, though she knew not why. She... knew him. Didn't she? A part of her?
A small voice echoed, chipper and insistent. Ren. Ren? Pancakes! She blinked at that as her stomach suddenly rumbled and she glanced down toward her stomach in embarrassment. A heart-shaped hole in her shirt sparked memory. Nora. Yes. Yes, she's Nora. Or she had been.
The storm continued to call to her. The last storm of Spring. She needed to be there... she started to turn and paused at the gentle hand on her arm. "Nora, it's me. Ren."
Small hands grasped a proffered wooden hammer gratefully. She stared up at wide magenta eyes. "We'll keep each other safe." She blinked and the child was gone, the young man having replaced the child. He continued to stare at her, his hand on her arm.
Sister, the storm... Nora blinked and shook her head hard. She felt Ren's arms surround her, heard him murmur her name as he held her close. She felt safe. For once. For the first time since they faced Yang's mother and Nora's older sister... and that dreadful fight which left Yang clinging to life as Ruby screamed and the sky filled with white... leaving her sister... the Spring Maiden... "Ren?"
"Everything will be okay, Nora," she heard him, sensing the lie in his words. It was so hard staying herself. Resisting the storm.
It called.