Time's Tragedies- The Books Of Beginning [2]

89. Already Home

A week had passed since the final battle with Robert, and Eternity was attempting to come to terms with her memories of it all through paint and canvas. 

The week had been a full one, with a funeral for the deceased to attend, one which the Wibberlys had gone to out of sadness for the losses and respect and gratitude for those who had fought with them. Eternity had gone as well, but had to step out midway through because she was about to break down thinking about how close Lili had been to being one of those they were burying. Kate had come after her and held her tight, then, and the two had sat in silence until the funeral was over.

Aside from all that, the Wibberlys had been trying to adjust back to a normal life, getting ready for the upcoming school year and the end of summer, and all in all trying to heal from all they had been through. It was clear they were in for a bittersweet, lengthy process, one that had Abby and Jake knocking on their parents' door in the middle of the night to check that their mother was still with them, or Eternity waking up convinced that her hands were stained with Lili's blood. Michael and Wilamena called frequently to check on Kate and their nieces and nephew, and Emma had dropped in twice with Gabriel and lunch for everyone; a surprisingly thoughtful gesture from someone who, while well-meaning, wasn't quite good at thinking ahead.

It had been quiet and somewhat tense, like those moments after a storm while the sunshine, despite being welcome, didn't feel quite real. Eternity wasn't sure what to do with it. So much had happened, and she couldn't go back to the person she was before. Neither could the Wibberlys. But more than that, Eternity had met them because of Robert, she had only ever known them in this time of crisis. She was terrified that now that the hurricane had ended, the wonderful relationship she had built with this family would deteriorate.

Her brush dripped with watercolor paint as she painted a bright stoke of dark yellow across the canvas. The liquid seeped into the porous material, staining it with color. The product of an afternoon's work was taking shape, and Eternity felt as though the calming movement of rendering an image in art was all that was keeping her calm as she tried to piece her life back together once more. (She knew that Lili was doing much of the same: the blonde had been at the piano or writing poetry at her desk for much of this week.)

Eternity bit her lower lip, studying the light and shadow of the piece. It was a bit off. She dipped her brush into the white and mixed it with a touch of yellow to create a bright sunshine-gold color that turned into highlights when she began to apply it.

"Hey Eternity!" Rafe's voice pierced the bubble of her thoughts.

"Hi," Eternity said, not looking up from the tiny dots of light she was applying to create a hazy effect, like dust particles in the air. "How was the store?"

"Same as always, but we have eggs now, so that's nice," Rafe replied. "I guess everyone else is still busy?"

"Lili went to go play the piano at the manor," Eternity said, "and Abby and Jake are out back. And Mo... er, Kate's upstairs on her computer. She said she was sorting through all the emails she's missed over the past few months."

"Ah." He mercifully didn't comment on her slip of the tongue. Eternity had come to consider Rafe and Kate to be parental figures of sorts, but that didn't mean they would be comfortable with her addressing them with such titles, even if she wanted to.

"Yeah."

"What are you painting?" Rafe asked .

"Take a look," Eternity said, "I still have some of the detailing on the stone and sky to do, but everything else is pretty much done."

She moved away from the canvas so that he could see, habitually tucking her paintbrush behind her ear as she did so. Rafe looked at her artwork appraisingly, an impressed noise catching in his throat.