Total pages in book: 143
Estimated words: 130275 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 651(@200wpm)___ 521(@250wpm)___ 434(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130275 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 651(@200wpm)___ 521(@250wpm)___ 434(@300wpm)
I put my phone down, the sprint in my heart slowing to a normal pace. I wiped my eyes, then waited for the usual ache that came with trying to sleep. Nighttimes were always the worst for me. Maybe because that was when Cillian had passed. In the dark. Maybe because nighttime gave me time to overthink. But tonight, the ache was reduced.
And, with a slightly lighter heart, I slept better than I had in a while.
Loud Colors and Louder Laughter
Savannah,
My favorite part of being your and Ida’s sister was how much we laughed. How we thrived in one another’s company. Although we had friends, we never needed anyone else. We were as close as close can be.
I think that’s one of the things I’ll miss most when I’m gone—laughing with you both. Even now, I’m thinking of the night Rune came to the door after he found out about my illness. He was there to take me on a date, and we were laughing at Daddy’s horrified reaction from the doorway as Rune stood there, looking like trouble in his dark clothes and boots. I remember the punch that image gave to my chest. I’ll miss every minute that I’m not laughing with my little sisters.
Laughter is the medicine that heals the soul. You have always been the most serious out of us all, Savannah. Because of that, I would strive to make you laugh. And when you did … ah, my joy would be unbridled! You have the sweetest laugh and the brightest of smiles. They must be shared more. As your big sister, I insist.
So, find joy in the world again, Savannah. Find reasons to laugh, no matter how trivial or minute. Laugh so hard tears stream down your face. And know that I’ll be laughing along with you as I watch you beautiful and free.
I’ll always adore you,
Poppy
* * *
Savannah
We were all dressed in white. It was early morning, and already we could hear people readying outside. Smell the burned-out bonfires that had been lit last night, and the excitement from the streets pulsed like a tidal wave of happiness through the hotel walls.
Today was the Hindu festival of Holi. A day where followers of the faith celebrated the coming of spring, eternal love and the triumph of good overcoming evil. The festival is a riot of color. Brightly colored water and powder are thrown with joyous abandon. It is filled with laughter and happiness, and for a day, everything is good and filled with positivity and light.
The people of Varanasi had been preparing for days. I was generally averse to participating in mass social settings. I often felt too intimated. But even I felt a fissure of excitement. I smiled at the sight of Cael dressed in all white too.
“I can see you looking at me again, Peaches,” he said playfully. I decided I adored this version of him. The cheeky, playful side. He cast me a prolonged side eye.
A surprise peal of laughter left my lips and burst in the air above us. “I’m just not used to seeing you in anything but black.” My heart beat faster. “You look so handsome.” Cael’s eyes melted. It was true. When he dressed in white, his dark hair stood out proudly, his silver-blue eyes even brighter and more alluring than normal. White clothes turned his turbulent gaze into a serene calm sea.
Cael curled his fingers into my hair, which was tied in a high ponytail. “You’re going down, Peaches,” he said, holding tightly to the bags of colored powder Kabir had given us all. We would be able to get more if we ran out, back here at the hotel or from vendors on the street.
I laughed again. It felt good. The lightness. This brief departure from grief. Celebrating the turning of spring and brightness, of evil not prevailing. I may not have shared the Hindu faith, but I was happy to embrace the ceremony and throw myself into just one day of pure fun and happiness within the most beautiful culture.
It seemed Cael was in that mindset too.
“Ooh, fighting talk,” Dylan said, moving up next to us and rubbing his hands together. He nudged me in the arm. “What do you think, Sav? Me and you versus Cael and Trav?” I laughed as Travis stood beside Cael and rested his arm on Cael’s shoulder. Travis was a lot shorter than Cael, and the sight of him trying to rest against Cael was comical. Travis’s bright red hair stood stark against the white clothes too.
“Teams?” Lili asked, smiling in excitement as she and Jade joined the fray. We were all waiting at the door of the hotel like racehorses stomping in the stalls to be set free and run.
“Three teams,” Travis said. Dylan swung his arm around my shoulders, towering over me. Since our talk, Dylan had seemed a little lighter. He’d confided in me more. Had told me story after story of him and Jose and their life together. Each time he finished a story, there was a new fleck of brightness to his amber eyes. It had become my goal to see them fill with life once more.