Turn 22 - The Music of a People who will NOT be Slaves again (Part 3)
<POV change to Jeremy>
You were staring at a wall.
Yet you saw nothing.
You were awake. You wouldn’t hurt this much inside if you were asleep.
You wished you were dreaming.
Dad had wanted to fly Sarah.
You could have driven her.
She’d not be in the hospital then.
Dad wouldn’t be dying then.
You could do nothing.
Your mother was in the next room.
She’d left you to watch the twins and Thanh.
But they were in the same state as you.
You clenched your fists.
You hated being helpless.
There’s a small stir behind you, but you can’t be bothered to look, too lost in your thoughts.
And Bastet is still purring softly as she tries to comfort you.
You feel an arm around your tense shoulders. You look to the side and the world comes back into focus.
It’s Alita.
She has the most fragile expression you’d ever seen.
But there’s no way she got in here without bullying the Queen’s Own into letting her pass.
You sag into the embrace, then return it.
Then you take a deep breath.
You can’t afford to be helpless.
You are the crown prince.
More importantly, you are the oldest child of your parents.
You had to be strong.
For your siblings.
For your family.
For your people.
“Thanh, get some paper.” you hear yourself saying, almost as if from a great distance.
“Quan, James, get some markers.” you take a deep breath.
“Sarah will be missing her birthday.” you continue, forcing the tears down. “So when she wakes up let’s make sure she has something from all of us to wake up to, OK?”
Alita squeezes your shoulder, giving you her support.
You look over, setting one hand over hers.
You don’t have to be strong alone.