With You—Short Story

This short snippet is kind of a practice snippet between the dynamic of Ava and Elias in the second book of the Alis Saga. Happy reading! 

***

“You need to stop blaming yourself.” 

Elias took a deep breath as he lifted his head to watch Ava come over and sit beside him on the edge of the rooftop. He raised an eyebrow. “How did you get up here?” 

“You realize I had to keep up with all of you somehow,” Ava smirked, brushing some of her hair out of her face. “So, since I don’t have wings, I resorted to climbing. It was nothing to get up here.” 

Elias smiled softly, before turning away, the smile disappearing. He gazed out across the rooftops at the mountains beyond where the golden sunlight slowly receded, causing the sky to be painted colors ranging from blue to pink. 

R would have loved this…

“You do realize it isn’t your fault, right?” Ava asked, breaking the silence. Her glowing green eyes settled on him with concern written all over her face. “R made her own decisions. She left. You had no control over that.” 

Elias sighed, tucking his knees up to his chest. He set his chin against his legs and squinted hard at the sunrise. He didn’t say anything. Words couldn’t seem to come to him at the moment. He could feel Ava’s hard gaze on him, but he only shrugged it off. 

“Look at yourself, Elias Atara,” Ava said, moving in front of him so that he had to look at her. “You’re becoming as bad as Luke with how much you’re worrying. You are one step away from becoming a hermit in the city, watching and waiting for R to come back. You’re lucky you had the sense to come back and visit me so I could shape you back up. Snap out of it! You aren’t going to become a hermit. That’s final.” 

Frustration boiled up inside of him. “I came to you to ask for your help, not a lecture,” He snapped, looking up into her face. “My sister could be dead or in danger. I’m not becoming a hermit and I’m not waiting around! I’m going to look for her. If you don’t want to help, fine! I’ll find her myself like I was already planning on doing!” He pressed his hands onto the flute rooftop and got to his feet, almost tripping as his limp got in the way. Straightening, he pulled up the hood of his jacket and began to walk to the edge of the roof. 

Ava bolted up to her feet and grabbed his arm, pulling him back to face her. “I want to find R just as much as you do. I care about her. I just…” 

“You have the city to worry about, I know,” Elias growled, screwing up his face in disgust as he looked across the city. It was a place he’d rather forget about, if he was honest. 

Ava lowered her gaze and began fiddling with the hem of her jacket. Then she scratched the back of her neck before looking up into his face. “I do have the city to worry about…but you’re right…” She paused, glancing out at the sunset. “R matters more than this. I love this city…but I can’t do it anymore. Let’s go find R.” 

Elias felt his eyes lit up as a smile spread across his face.

A mischievous smirk came across Ava’s face. “Besides, I’ve got a new car I’d love to take for a road trip.” 

“Just…don’t kill us with your driving,” Elias grinned. 

She rolled her eyes dramatically. “I won’t.” 

Elias stepped closer to the edge of the building before pausing and looking into Ava’s eyes. “Do you really think I’m becoming a hermit?” He raised his eyebrows. 

“Erm…a little bit,” Ava replied, giggling. “Mostly because you have a furry rodent attached to your face.” 

Elias furrowed his eyebrows, rubbing at the edge of his beard self-consciously. “What do you mean?” 

Ava was trying to suppress her laughter. “I mean that you really need to shave, Elias. I liked you better without it.” She sat down and slid her legs off the edge of the roof, sliding down onto the ledge of the window. 

Elias grinned as his wings appeared on his back. Then he lept off the edge of the rooftop, his heart beating fast inside of his chest. 

They were going to find R. 

***

Until next time,

A.J. Syngraféas