"Okay, five more minutes to go!" Declared Eduardo's voice from the top of the cliffs. Roberto and Sophia sat, close together, on one of the rock stumps that rose from the water. The plunge pool surface lapped gently at Roberto's talons, from where they dangled over the side of the stone. The water rippled from how the waterfall and currents stirred it, moving the waterlilies slightly. He held the stick up, so that the water wouldn't extinguish the flame. Two lanterns sat between them, waiting to be lit.
"You've been awfully quiet, Sophia." Roberto said. "Are you alright?" She hadn't said a word since they'd got to this spot.
"This is hard for me." Sophia confessed. "You know, since she's been gone for four days..." there was a long pause. "Roberto, I'm sorry if I'm being a little insensitive. But who do you send your lantern up to? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but... I've never found out."
"Well, I..." Roberto had never told anyone about his family, or their dreadful ending. He had never gathered up the courage. Only Mimi and Tia had known about his carvings in the Wall of Memories, which was where every dead tribe member's name got written into the back of the cave behind the waterfall.
"If it makes you uncomfortable, I understand." Sophia murmured, resting her wing upon his.
"No, no... it's okay." Roberto closed his eyes, and inhaled deeply. "I send my lantern up to my mother, father, and sister." Sophia blinked, and he knee by the curiosity in her eyes that she wanted to know more. "They... I was very young, and we all got stuck in the middle of a deforestation. One tree exploded and... my sister went missing, I think I saw my father's wing sticking out from under a tree trunk... and my mother. She got impaled by a shard of wood. She managed to get me away from it all, but then she collapsed and... she died, Soph."
"Oh, Roberto... I'm so sorry." Sophia's voice was hardly a whisper. "I didn't know. What... what were their names?"
"My mom was called Alessandra. Ramon was my dad, and my sister... she was called Talitha." A permanent weight on Roberto's chest seemed to lighten. He had felt it everyday since their deaths, but as he talked about it, it started to melt.
"You never told anybody?"
"No. After Alessandra died, I just freaked out. That's when..." His voice died away.
"Is that when you were found by the tribe?" Sophia guessed. "I remember Jewel found you in the stream, didn't she?" but he shook his head.
"Well, that is true, but that happened a few weeks after. After Alessandra died, I ran through the forest, you know, since I was too little to fly - that's when I got caught in a trap." Sophia blinked in suprise. To his own, he kept going. Roberto told her everything. He told her how he was kept in the unbearable heat by those two humans, and spent every night terrified that he would be killed by their cat, or would spend the rest of his days imprisoned. He told her how he had spent the days evading being handled by tourists, how he had almost died of starvation and thirst, for the man had only fed him vile 'crackers', dry and bland things that choked him with each mouthful.
"Oh, Roberto..." She sounded horrified, but he wasn't finished.
"I thought I escaped that day, when the chain fell, and I flew for my life. But I was wrong." This was it. No going back. With one talon, he reached under the feathers of his leg, and pulled the ring down, exposing the heavily gnawed white material and faded black scrawl. Sophia gasped, in horror. She leaned forward to get a better look, prodding it with her wingtip, before recoiling at the human creation. "I know. It's terrible."
"Roberto, you've had to deal with that, all this time?"
"Yes." He sighed, deeply. Sophia took both his wings, her eyes even darker than before, with her sympathy.
"I swear to you. You've done so much for me over these past few weeks, and now I'll do something for you. I promise, I'll help you get rid of that thing."
"But Sophia... I've tried everything."
"Humans created this... thing. They'll have invented something to remove it."
"Sophia... I don't -"
"They're building the Spix's Wing. They'll find a way. I don't like humans anymore than you do, but you have to trust me. You can't live with that." Despite his fear, Roberto knew she was right. The humans at the Spix's Wing weren't like the ones he knew - if they could remove it...
"Thank you, Sophia." He murmured. Was this the right time? "I -"
"Time to light the lamps!" Shouted somebody, cutting him off. Shaking his head, Roberto picked up his lantern, setting it alight, and then Sophia's. He flicked the flame away, and it fizzled away into the water. Above the trees, glowing lights were beginning to spin upwards as they got released. He held his lantern, heart wellling with emotion.
"Love you, mom, dad, Talitha. See you in a couple of years."
"I hope that's many years." Sophia murmured. He glanced at her, hoping she meant what he thought she did. Roberto then let go of the leaf, and, defying gravity, it floated upwards, far above. His vision blurred, as tears came to his eyes. "Mom, dad..." Sophia whispered. "I... I miss you both. And Jespa does too, in his... own way." She then lifted the leaf lamp upwards, giving it a boost, and it spiralled up swiftily, until it joined Roberto's. Like fireflies, the lanterns floated in a great cloud above the ravine, golden glows. Sophia sniffed, wiping at her eyes with her wing. When she dropped it, it intertwined with Roberto's own, and she rested her head on his shoulder.
Later
Sophia stood at the side of the dance, clapping and bouncing her toes to the beat of the music. The band played their strings and blew into the flutes and other wind instruments. Others struck the drums. It was lovely music - the old-fashioned kind some kids would find boring compared to modern day music, but the kind their older relatives would love. This music brought back memories.
She couldn't believe what a bit of good music could do to her mood. Had Zenaida really been dead for four days? The pain was no where near as bad. It was just a pity Jespa didn't feel like same. Where was he? Usually he was trying to flirt with or annoy some uninterested female on the dancefloor, but now, he was no where.
"Quite the party, isn't it?" Jewel dropped to the ground beside her, looking bright. "I've missed this... how are you feeling, Sophia?" There it was again - so many macaws had asked her how she was feeling, since Zenaida's death was so recent.
"I'm alright, I suppose." Sophia shrugged. "You know, I thought I'd be crying for weeks, but... I'm not."
"It hasn't got anything to do with Beto, has it?" Jewel said, innocently. Sophia looked up sharply, and Jewel laughed. "He loves you, Sophia. Anyone could see it." At Sophia's stare, Jewel rolled her eyes in amusement. "Haven't you noticed? He told me and Blu earlier, when you were helping Bia and Tiago with the lanterns! Everyone's talking about it." Someone then called to Jewel throughout the crowd. "Have fun, Sophia." Jewel said, before disappearing into the dance.
He loves me? This was unbelievable. Sophia could barely believe it - she loved him back. She had to find him - she wasn't sure where he had gone. She made her way around the edge, trying to spot him somewhere. Sophia's heart was lurching within her chest, as she remembered what had happened the last time she'd said she loved someone. Jacques had been acting shifty, but when she told him he had said the dreaded words: I don't love you. Now she knew Jespa was responsible for most of her boyfriends dumping her, Sophia was sure that Jacques had left her because of him.
But as Sophia passed a bush, claws latched into her shoulder. She gasped as she was hauled into the leaves, and thrown against the earth wall. She was pinned by the neck; Jespa's amber eyes bore into her own. "How dare you join in this nonsense." He snarled. "My mother has been dead for four days, and you're acting as though nothing happened!"
"You mean our mother." Sophia corrected, bitterly. Jespa snorted in disbelief.
"You killed Andre, now her. Are you proud of yourself?"
"I never killed Andre." Sophia hissed. "Zenaida was the one who pushed him, but you didn't see that happen. I was just in the wrong place, at the wrong time."
"Why did she feed me the same story? The same lies?"
"Hmm. Maybe you should stop to consider... oh, that's it, isn't it? Because it's the truth!" Sophia raised her wings, seizing Jespa's, prizing them off her neck. She shoved Jespa into the bush. "You're going to stay away from me. You'll stay away from me, and you'll stay away from Roberto. You won't ruin this for me, like how you've ruined my other relationships." Sophia stormed past him, determined to find Roberto.
"You deserve to die alone." Jespa spat, behind her. "Maybe that day will be soon." Sophia stopped in her tracks. Slowly, she turned around.
"What are you implying?" She hissed. Jespa didn't utter a word. Disgusted by the very sight of him, Sophia ran out of the bush, her heart leaping into her throat. The band had now been joined by a male macaw.
"This is for all you lovers, out there..." he began, before starting to sing. Sophia pushed through the crowd, searching desperately, aware that Jespa wasn't far behind. She had to find Roberto, quickly - she didn't want Jespa with her. Relieved, she spotted him.
Roberto sat at the edge of the dance, wondering where Sophia was. She seemed to have vanished after the release of the lanterns. Several females had asked him to dance, but he had declined. He only wanted to dance with one, and that would have to be Sophia. But then, to his relief, she appeared out of the crowd. "Thank goodness. Can we dance?" She asked.
"Of course." Roberto said, leaping enthusiastically to his talons. Taking her outstretched wing, Roberto lead the way through the crowd to where most were dancing. They had never had a proper dance, except perhaps for their performance in the club. Once they were in a good spot, they finally joined both wings, and started a simple dance, spinning and ducking under a raised wing. But there seemed to be something on her mind, for her face was plagued by a frown. "What's wrong? Thinking about Zenaida?"
"Well... that's one thing. I just..." The worried look on Sophia's face seemed to melt away. "You know what? It doesn't matter. But I do have something to say. I've been thinking an awful lot. About..."
"About what?" He asked.
"About us." She replied. Their dance slowed down.
"Us?" Roberto repeated, pausing now. His heart increased it's pace.
"Yes. I'm just going to say that..." She paused, looking at something behind him. Roberto didn't have to turn, for he could feel Jespa's presence. He didn't look round, however. He didn't want this moment to spoil. Was she going to say what he thought she was? She bit her lower beak, still looking at Jespa. But then she shook her head, and looked straight at Roberto, with a steady gaze. "I love you." Sophia admitted.
Roberto's world tipped. It spun around him - the dancers blurred until all he saw clearly was Sophia. She looked petrified - fearful of what he would do or say. He knew it sounded cliche, but the joy he felt in that moment was not like any he had ever felt. Someone loved him, and that someone was the female he loved. What could he say in reply? But then the moment was broken. A harsh wing ripped his and Sophia's wings apart.
"Right, Sophia... you must have drunk one too many coconut waters." Jespa insisted. He grabbed her by the shoulder, and tried to pull her away. But Roberto narrowed his eyes, and then anger flared.
"Excuse me." He said. Roberto pulled Jespa's wing from Sophia, and before he knew what he was doing, he put his wing onto Jespa's chest, and shoved him away. Jespa went flying, straight onto the floor, hitting it with a gasp of shock. Several dancers paused, but then resumed, dancing into the gap between Jespa, and Roberto and Sophia, separating them. He turned back to Sophia, and raised one wing to touch her cheek. "I love you too, earth angel."
Sophia blinked rapidly. For a moment, they were just standing there. But it was Sophia who kissed him. She seemed reluctant at first, as if afraid he would walk away in disgust. But he didn't. He only kissed her back. It lasted for a few moments - when it ended, they were staring at one another in disbelief. "Did that really just happen?" Asked Sophia, in shock - but she was smiling.
"Get back here." Roberto laughed, kissing her again.