The Meaning Of Eternity (TMOE #1)

Chapter 7: Ilara's day of giving

The sun, albeit covered by a thin layer of clouds, rose over South Kerilia and announced the presence of morning in the Hydrina theatre. There were fewer holes for the rays to shine through since Lucius had arrived a few years ago, thanks to the inhabitants' combined efforts to patch it up. They were still enough to sting Lucius right in his eyes where he slept though and he rolled over to the other side with a groan.

Hearing the quick footsteps of what he assumed was the only person who'd be excited to be up in the morning he soon realized his rest was over and done with, and he braced himself for unwanted physical contact.

"Happy Ilara day!" Mabel almost fell over him. "Time to go get presents!"

"Ow, no, ow! You're crushing my back," a fourteen year old Lucius said as he shoved her off and sat up from his sour smelling mattress. He scratched his tragically skinny arm where a dry rash had taken form and squinted at his friend with a yawn. "Ilara day doesn't start until... Well, the day."

"And we get ready in the morning." Mabel nodded, throwing a shirt at him. "On with your clothes, and tie your hair back, we need to look pretty today!"

"We're not gonna get any presents for looking pretty." Lucius threw the shirt back at her. "Remember last year? There were hardly any donations."

Mabel stopped in her tracks and sighed.

"Well... That was last year. Now's a new year."

"Right, I'd forgotten how much more popular we are since last year." Lucius shot her a sarcastic smile and stretched his legs. Mabel ignored this and instead looked over at Claudia's empty spot.

"She's already out?" Mabel sucked in a breath. "Stealing on Ilara's day of giving. That can't be good for her afterlife."

"Well, holiday or not, we need to survive." Lucius jumped up from the mattress to get his shirt again.

"Yeah, but I don't like her being out when the guards are mad at us."

Lucius shrugged.

"They're always mad at us, but you know they can't do anything about it. We're too many anyway."

"Can't do anything about it?" Mabel looked at him skeptically as she repeated his words. "How about arrest her? Execute her?"

"Why do you always jump to morbid conclusions?" Lucius rolled his eyes as he wrapped a makeshift sash around his dress. To his bitterness it seemed to have grown longer again as he managed to wrap it further than usual, but he knew that wasn't true.

"I like to be prepared."

Lucius sighed.

"All right, listen... If it helps, I'll go with her next time."

Mabel averted her gaze in annoyance.

"So both my friends are getting executed now? Oh happy day."

Lucius shoved her shoulder.

"Come on," he tried. "Let's enjoy Ilara's day then. And also, happy birthday."

Mabel couldn't help but grin.

"Happy birthday to you too—Oh, oop, sorry!"

The corner of Lucius' mouth twitched. They'd spent three fake-birthdays together so he thought she would've learned his reluctance to birthday celebrations by now.

"Uhh, so did you get me anything?" Mabel tried to steer away from the issue.

"I will after I've laid hands on the precious treasury of some fancy mansion and gotten executed along with Claudia."