They were sitting in a pub in the city, nursing two beers as they waited for night to fall, so they could return to Kayden.
"What do you think she'll decide?" Graham asked, sipping his alcohol.
"She's a smart kid," Nix shrugged, "Chances are she spent the whole day trying to choose whether to tell Luna or not."
"You know why she doesn't want to," Graham exclaimed, "That kind of panic and stress could be more harmful to Luna than helpful."
"Yeah and not telling her then something happening can be just as damaging," Nix counteracted, "Which is why Kayden is stuck. And we have to help her decide."
"If she hasn't already," Graham shrugged, swigging his beer, "She's smart, she might have already come up with a plan. I mean, if you were her what would you choose?"
"Me?" Phoenix stared at the almost drained bottle, "Never had much in the way of siblings. Just my parents. But if I found out their life was in danger and there was one option available I'd take it without a second thought."
"And condemning an innocent?" Graham asked, "You think Kayden wouldn't blink twice at that?"
Phoenix thought about it for only a moment, "If my mother life was in danger and it was her life or another yeah I would choose hers. I'd find some ass who deserved it too, keep my conscientious clear."
"Well Kayden doesn't have any nearby assholes," Graham laughed, "So lets be glad she isn't headlong and won't do anything hasty or rash."
They both stared at each other for a few seconds, their smiles dying. Then they jumped up in unison, pressing coin into the table as the fled the city.
"Why did we fucking leave her!" Nix snapped, racing through the trees, "After six months we should know her better by now! And we had to tell her
everything needed to be done. Why didn't we withhold information?"
"Because we thought complete honesty was necessary," Graham huffed beside her, his heart already pounding, "We still might make it!"
Her eyes scanned the clock, seeing it was half past ten. Phoenix and Graham would come long after everything settled. Turning her attention back to her beautiful sister, she listened as Luna talked animatedly about some of the wisdom Reyn had imparted on her for the upcoming new bundles. Kayden’s heart restricted, seeing the glow on her sister’s skin, the excitement in her golden eyes. It was one of the very rare times Luna was showing any excitement for her unborn twins in the last three weeks.
Just watching her made Kayden’s resolve all the more clear. That voice that had been nagging at the back of her head all day returned, trying to push her confidence down but instead only encouraging her more.
I just hope she’ll understand.
Waiting till Luna paused, Kayden voice piped up, her voice velvet smooth, all her true intentions well hidden, “You know, Ashlin was telling me once that this elder in her village always said you could tell if your unborn child was a boy or a girl by reading the mother’s hand.”
Kayden laughed, “Ashlin showed me how, although she doesn’t believe it would ever work.”
Taking Luna’s hand gently, she explained it to her jokingly, her finger running along a line on her palm, “See this one is supposed to say your age…”