Ouroboros Spine Choices

You like him, don't you mom?

It hurt to hear those words. Angel blinked, her eyes burning and her throat tight. Inside, she was screaming. Yes. Yes, mom, what if? What if he comes back? What if you're not there waiting for him?

But she'd been thinking about this for a long time, now. She knew all the answers. But she wanted Raindrop to answer anyway. She wanted her mother to have a better answer, because the pain of Sumac's absence was too deep to comprehend. Why wasn't he here? Nothing would ever make sense until he came home.

But he should have been back a long time ago.

"What if he gets home tomorrow? What if he never gets home? What if my legs turn into tree trunks?" she murmured, her voice rough. 

She felt bitter. Angry. Afraid. She wanted so desperately to be happy, and for her mother and sister to be happy, and she didn't know what path might lead there most faithfully.

"Dad's not here," she said, blinking a tear out of her eye. "We don't know if he ever will be. We don't even know why."