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

17. Constellations

Lili, Eternity, Jake, Abby, and their ghostly guardian made their way up a flight of stairs and managed to find an empty guest room containing two beds where the exhausted looking Abby and Jake could rest. Bags were thrown into a pile on the floor, and the two youngest Wibberlys took turns going into the bathroom to change and brush their teeth. Soon they had slipped into their beds and were both fast asleep.

Lili looked at her siblings from her perch on the end of Abby's bed. She had told her siblings goodnight and watched them fall asleep, like her parents would have wanted her too. Then she turned to Gabriel and Eternity who were sitting on the small couch propped near the door, the latter asking the former just how many rooms were in the Rose Citadel and other questions about the island. 

"They crashed immediately. Must have been something like jet lag from all the teleportation they did today," she said softly.

Gabriel nodded, "that happens to Emma sometimes when she makes several trips in a row. Is it affecting you two at all?"

Eternity shook her head, "I usually stay up way too late anyways, so this isn't bad."

Lili nodded, "I do the same. Uncle Michael says that's how the teenage sleep cycle works. Also, I have a hard time putting down books and going to bed."

"Makes sense," Eternity shrugged, standing up, "however weird teenage hormones aren't stopping me from being hungry. Anyone know where a girl can get a snack around here?"

Gabriel gave her directions to the food storage where she was sure to find something, and with that, Eternity left the room. Soon as she was gone, Gabriel turned to Lili, "your friend is taking this all very well."

Lili didn't bother correcting him and saying she and Eternity weren't quite friends yet, they had just met. Instead she responded, "she's a bit odd herself, and very stubborn."

"Fits in perfectly with your family then," Gabriel mused. 

Lili grinned, "guess it was a stroke of luck that out of all the people I could have ran into, I ran into her."

"I suppose for you it is. But you have made sure you aren't putting her in danger without telling her people, right?" Gabriel asked.

"She chose to come, and she can handle herself. I mean, she escaped a bunch of imps all on her own," Lili replied.

"Impressive," the ghost said.

"And its just her. She doesn't have any people, she says," Lili finished.

Gabriel frowned. He had always believed in community, coming from a village where everyone took care of each other. He had become an honorary member of an equally tight knit family when he took on a mentor and parental role for the Wibberly siblings, and now was a staple in the lives of the next generation. The thought of any child growing up alone was not one that he liked to dwell on. But when he was forced to, he wanted to know how this terrible thing happened and what could be done to help.

Lili noticed his expression and commented, "yeah, I'm curious about how and why she got into that situation too. But she's made it clear she doesn't want to talk about her family or anything, so we're all giving her privacy."

"I understand," Gabriel said, "though that might be hard for those two." He nodded to the sleeping children who typically questioned and investigated everything they saw.

Lili snorted, "I'll say."

The minutes dragged on, and still Eternity did not return. Finally getting worried about her getting lost, Lili decided to go look for her. Gabriel promised to tell her parents where she was if they returned, and to keep an eye on her siblings.