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Page 87 of Of Grief And Gratitude

‘Omelettes and waffles.’ Ella smiles, looking over my shoulder. ‘Killian sleeping in? Looks like most of you are.’

I go and sit at the bench. We’re the only two here. ‘He didn’t come to bed last night.’ I lower my gaze, yanking the brewed coffee toward me, pouring a large cup.

‘Oh. Why not? I thought—’ Ella glances at the frying pan, then comes over to me. ‘But you two were dancing for ages, I thought things were—’

‘I know. I thought so too.’ I bury my face in my mug. ‘I guess I was wrong. He’s still keeping his distance.’ I avoid adding, since the whole dosing Carter thing. I don’t need to shove that in Ella’s face.

My friend reaches out, squeezing my hand. ‘Well, he’s trying. That’s something.’

I nod, not wanting to talk about it. Her hand in mine, I have to remind myself not to yank away from her. Water wolf. No, easy. She’s your friend. Instead, I slowly draw my hand back, as though I just want to warm my hands on the mug. ‘So, does omelette and waffles mean no bacon?’

Ella watches me withdraw my hand without saying a word. Pity shines in her bright, blue eyes. And guilt. She offers an easy smile without calling me out on it, thankfully. ‘I can make bacon. If you help me find another book to read. I… sort of finished the one Moira gave me last night.’ She fans herself with the egg flip. ‘That sex scene in the last chapter—’

‘Ah! La la la! Spoilers! God, woman.’ I laugh. ‘Deal. Next book. You sped through that one.’

Ella nods, setting a few strips of bacon into a new frying pan. ‘Yeah, well.. there’s… not much for me to do here. Apart from cooking and cleaning. Which I don’t mind, I just… the guys train and have political stuff to talk about.’ She faces me with a shrug. ‘Back at the water estate, my days were filled with chores and things. I guess I have a lot of free time now.’

‘Oh.’ Somehow, this never really occurred to me before, and I feel selfish. ‘Well. Is there something you’d like to do?’

Ella flips the bacon, which smells amazing, biting her bottom lip in thought. ‘I don’t know. I guess… I’d like to be part of a community, where I’m helpful. Somehow.’

I nod. That’s fair. ‘We have a couple of days left here. I don’t know where we’ll go.’

Ella smiles. ‘Are you sure?’ She slides the plate of bacon, and an omelette-shaped piece of food which is not bacon, before me. She leans on the bench, eating from her own plate.

‘Well, yeah. We can’t stay here. It’s not like I’d go to Water Pack—’

‘Which leaves your home, or Air.’

I sigh. I guess she’s right. I eat all the bacon in about two minutes. ‘Where do you think we should go?’

Ella pushes the omelette toward me. ‘I think we still have things to do here before that decision should be made. There’s a lot we don’t know about our hosts. If last night told us anything, it’s that they don’t trust us. I would like to spend what time I have left here changing that.’

I perk up. ‘How?’

Ella holds the plate in front of my face. ‘You can’t just have bacon.’

‘Watch me. How?’ I repeat.

‘We go to the town centre, make some friends. Let them see we’re not as they fear. They aren’t used to us. Water, Fire. They’re wary. What if we could let them all see that we want to be friends?’

I nod. ‘I’m in. Wait, town centre. Do you think they have bookstores there?’

Ella smiles. ‘I think you’ll have to get dressed and come find out with me.’

I look up. ‘What about the others? Should we wake them, bring them with us? It might be better to have Elijah come.’

Ella shakes her head. ‘No. Two of us is good. We’ll leave a note. Let them sleep.’ After a moment, she adds, ‘Would you like me to wait in your room while you wash up?’

I finish my coffee, noticing for the first time that Ella’s already dressed in a sundress, her hair braided back. Wow, she really is a morning person. Silently, I nod, welling with gratitude.

Ella smiles, sets the dishes in the sink and writes a note for our friends, then ushers me up the stairs.

I don’t know how to make friends with the people of Terran, but it seems like a nice idea. Hopefully it will also keep me distracted from thinking of Killian.

*scene break*

Ella seems to instinctively know her way from the guesthouse, down through the courtyard where the guys usually train, and to the left of the alpha estate. There, I follow my friend through a path cut between tall, manicured hedges. I would have expected this town centre to be a big area, not something found from a little path, but I keep quiet, enjoying the journey, the fresh air on my face, waking me gently, stirring my lashes.