Forlattena Prison, Desmond, 10416 P.C.

It was day four in Forlattena Prison, and Todd couldn't believe how fast time seemed to fly. Things were calm, and it was nearly unnerving. That coupled with both Matthew's and Annabella's transformations made the days strange, yet entertaining. On their third day there, Anthony had shown them the rope swing he had built to swing into a small pond, and although the weather was chilly, Todd took the plunge. And why not? The way he saw it, he might not ever have the chance again. Stephanie and Annabella finally caved and joined him and Anthony, and it had taken a team effort to pull Jessie in. Todd had never seen the girls have so much fun — for a long, happy, freezing cold hour, the air was filled with shrieks and laughter as they were kids again. Not even the cold had been able to dampen the mood.

Only Matthew hadn't joined them. No one objected to his refusal — Todd remembered all too clearly the boy's clear aversion to water — and they had found him later chopping up wood and entertaining conversation with Annabella's parents back at the cabin. Todd was glad that Matthew was more open to conversation — it was nice to have another boy his age around — but while Annabella had embraced the smiling and laughter, Matthew was quieter about it. He didn't seem keen on ignoring the fact that the Veiled Lady was watching them. Todd wasn't keen on ignoring the fact that Matthew could be the Immortal One's son. He had tried talking to Annabella about it, but she could only shrug her shoulders and tell him what Stephanie had said. Todd wasn't convinced.

"What do you think, Todd?" Stephanie asked him suddenly, and he looked up in surprise from studying Annabella's hand-drawn map of Desmond on the counter. Stephanie was in the small living room, sitting on her bed of blankets. Matthew was hanging upside down off the makeshift couch, acting younger than Todd had ever seen him. He seemed to be in a playful mood, batting at Stephanie's pillow.

"Weirderester is definitely a word," Matthew said. The seriousness of his tone contrasted with the ridiculousness of his position — and his words.

"It is not!" Stephanie exclaimed, but she was grinning as she snatched her pillow away from his coltish hands. She smacked him with it, and he flipped off the couch, collapsing behind her with childish laughter. She smacked him with the pillow. "Hey! I just made my bed! You're wrecking it!" She smacked him with the pillow, but he grabbed it away from her. "Get off!" she yelled and made a grab for the pillow as he laughed. Her short reach was a great disadvantage against his long arms. "Give it back!"

Todd watched the scene with a pit growing in his chest. Over the past couple of days, the two had been getting more playful and physical, and he could see what Anthony had pointed out the first day. There was an obvious attraction, and he didn't know what to do. If Stephanie was the Immortal One's daughter, and Matthew the Immortal One's son, that meant they were brother and sister. And that made things very, very complicated.

"Guys, look," he started, trying not to sound too strange about it. "Um, how about some, uh, distance?"

Jessie, who was at the table playing chess with Anthony, make a strange noise as she clamped her hand over her mouth. She was giving him a wide-eyed stare, and he heard Anthony snicker behind his own hand. Stephanie was staring at him in confusion. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Todd straightened, clearing his throat. "I mean," he stuttered, "I, well, you both are a bit close... physically, and it's a bit, well, I mean, it can be a little awkward for the rest of us..."

Matthew sat up, cheeks blazing red as he tossed Stephanie's pillow aside and avoided Todd's gaze.

Stephanie hardly noticed. Her frown was deepening as she stared at Todd. "What are you talking about? What's wrong with us having some fun?"

Uh-oh. Todd had dug himself a hole, he could see it in the narrowing of her eyes as he stumbled on. "I mean, you're both a bit young, and I just, you know, it's kind of supposed to be, like—"

"We aren't a couple, Todd," Matthew stated flatly, cutting him off.

It was Todd's turn to flush. "I wasn't saying that," he stumbled on. "I was saying it's just... isn't it a bit soon to be so..." He fought for the right word. "Close?"

In the corner of his eye, Jessie was exaggeratedly mouthing the word run.

"Whatever." Stephanie snatched up her pillow and hugged it to her chest, shoving herself to her feet and plopping down on the couch. She curled up into a ball, refusing to look at him. Matthew stayed still, his cheeks still flushed as he played with the corner of a blanket.

Todd knew he had killed the mood, and the silence was grating and awkward. He folded up the map and left the cabin, suddenly desperate for outdoor air. Once outside, he exhaled loudly and shoved his fingers into his hair. "That was a disaster," he mumbled to himself. The knot in his chest was becoming something of an intricate macrame design. Trying to shake off the discomfort the situation with Matthew and Stephanie was leaving him with, he trudged along the side of the cabin. As he reached the corner, he heard someone humming. Surprised, he slowed, carefully peeking around the corner into the garden.

Annabella sat in the dirt with her back to him, humming a song to herself as she worked at clearing away the dead plants. Todd watched her in silence for several long moments, a bit breathless. Singing and music had been forbidden, just as smiling had — just days ago, Annabella had been against all of it. Now, not only was she smiling, but she was singing. Well, humming. But was there really a difference? She was happy, genuinely happy, and it left Todd awestruck. She had always come across as cold and stiff, and now in just a few short days she was becoming a whole different person.

Her humming stopped; she turned, catching sight of him watching her. "Oh. Hey."

"Hey," he said. "Mind if I join you?"

"Have a seat," she replied, turning back to her self-assigned job. Todd stepped over the dead and dying shrubs to kneel beside her. Weeds had taken over the dying garden, but Annabella seemed to be ripping out everything.

"Mama already gathered what seeds she could," Annabella explained, yanking on a stubborn weed. Somehow, the weeds were still vibrant despite the winter chill and patches of snow. "We just need to clear out the dead stuff.

Todd pulled his gloves out of his coat pocket and slipped them on. "Alright." He ripped out a yellowed plant before venturing, "You were humming."

"Oh, you heard that?" She tossed a handful of dead leaves aside.

"Yeah. What song was that? I thought music was forbidden."

"It is."

"Then how do you know a song?"

"How do you know I wasn't just making something up?"

"Oh." He fell silent, working hard on digging out the stubborn root of a weed with his fingers.

Annabella was quiet for a moment before she admitted, "It is a song, actually. Alexander sang it a lot. He said Mama would always sing it to us before bed. When I asked her about it, she said she learned it from her mom who learned it from her mom going back a lot of generations. It ran in our family all the way to the Cominuote."

Todd had heard that term before. "What's the Cominuote?"

"It's what the P.C. stands for in our dates," Annabella explained. "We are in the Post Cominuote age. The Cominuote was when the people rebelled and the Immortal One banished them to your world. Amissah is only four hundred years old, you know."

He hadn't known. He nibbled on his bottom lip, savouring this new information. "What were things like before the Cominuote?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. No one remembers. Most of the stories are lost. I do know that the song was written before the Cominuote. It was sung to one of my very great grandmothers and it's never been forgotten." She gave him a mysterious smile. "Mama said it was first sung by an angel."

Todd loved her smile. It felt real. "Sounds like a nice song. Can I hear it?"

"Oh." Annabella ducked her head sheepishly. "I can't sing."

"Why not?"

"I haven't sung in... like, ever, Todd."

"Now's a good time to break that streak, isn't it?"

She frowned at him for a long moment before she took a deep breath. "Fine. Just... don't judge me."

"No judgment here," he replied, trying to hide his smile as he focused his attention on the weeds.

She was slow in starting, clearing her throat several times before softly finding the notes she had been humming and putting words to them.

Time goes fast, don't hold your breath

Breathe deep, don't live in the past

Don't wait for another chance

Just take it right now, breathe it all in

You will be safe, believe and you'll win

Her voice was holding, growing stronger as she straightened up. She closed her eyes, fiddling with a leaf between her fingers as she continued. Todd couldn't help but stare. Her face had become relaxed, the stony lines from years of hardship softening. Todd barely recognized the girl sitting beside him.

Calm your fears, it is okay

Peace will come to you today

Just close your eyes, you'll be alright

You're here in my arms, I'm not letting go

Holding you safe, holding you close

Someday soon, it'll be done

All fighting gone, the battle won

No more fear, and no more pain

A heavenly home, eternally

At peace in my arms, forever you'll be

A heavenly home, eternally

At peace in my arms, forever you'll be

Safe

Silence reigned as the last note echoed off into the frosty air. A faint smile spread across Annabella's lips, and she opened her eyes to look at him, joy dancing in her eyes. It was filling him with a deep, all-consuming warmth, seeing her like this. "Jauliks, that felt good," she whispered. "I didn't know I could do that."

"You can sing, alright," he agreed, a smile on his own lips. "I mean, wow, you can sing."

Her cheeks flushed. "Thanks. I think."

"Yes, that was a compliment," he was quick to assure her. "That was really beautiful. I haven't heard anyone sing since..."

Since before Michael's death. Mikayla had always loved to sing, whether in competitions or just bouncing around the house belting out her favourite tunes. Neither he nor Michael had been musically talented — Todd could dance, and Michael had played a good wallflower. But Mikayla, she had an incredible voice. Remembering that made him solemn. Had she started singing again, or had Michael's death and his disappearance sucked the joy out of her life?

"What's wrong?" Annabella asked.

He blinked away the memories. "Nothing, I just... I was thinking about home." He called it home, but was it really home anymore? He wasn't sure.

He regretted the way his words drew the solemnity back into her gaze. "You miss your family."

"I miss my friends," he replied honestly. He wasn't sure if he missed Cathy or Henry. Cathy, maybe. Henry, never. "I'm worried about..." It occurred to him that he had never told Annabella about his life back in Amissah. Stephanie knew most of it, but Annabella had never been around to listen. "I'm worried about my friend, Mikayla," he said. "I... her brother was my best friend, and he... well, he died, like a week before I showed up here. So I'm just..." He shrugged helplessly, hating how awkward it felt to be bringing up Mikayla to Annabella. "I'm just worried about her, I guess."

Annabella was studying him carefully, concern flickering across her face. "You never told me you had just lost your best friend."

Would she have treated him any differently? He wasn't sure about that. He shrugged again, finding a leaf to shred. "It never really came up. I mean, I didn't really think you would have cared anyway."

She was silent for a long moment. He couldn't look at her, focusing on tearing another leaf to pieces. He moved on to a full weed.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. He looked up, surprised to see the sincerity in her eyes. She met his gaze, growing a bit resolute. "I'm sorry for the way I treated you, Todd. I was a jerk and arrogant and stubborn and I'm sorry that I treated you like you were incompetent."

Her words warmed his heart. "I forgive you."

"Thank you." She hesitated, and then pressed on. "You really aren't incompetent. I hope you know that."

He smiled faintly. "I still have a lot to learn."

"We all do." She returned to pulling on the dead and dying plants, and he joined her. A peaceful minute of silence passed between them before she revived the conversation. "What was his name?"

"Huh?"

"Your best friend."

Todd paused, smiling sadly. "Michael. He'd been my best friend ever since I was eleven. We knew each other inside out, basically. We knew all of each other's secrets — except one," he added quietly. "I never told him about my brother-in-law's abuse. I never wanted him or Mikayla involved in that." He glanced sideways at Annabella, seeing the question before she could ask it. "Yes, my brother-in-law was abusive. He and my sister took me in after my parents died, and well, he's not the nicest." He yanked extra hard on one of the weeds for emphasis. "I couldn't stop him," he added softly, feeling those familiar pangs of helplessness punch his gut. "He hit my sister, and I couldn't stop him."

"I bet you could now."

"Oh, I will," Todd said resolutely, yanking on another weed. "When I go back. If I go back."

Silence reigned between them for a long time. Annabella broke it once more. "Luke," she said. He looked at her in puzzlement, and she quickly explained. "The friend who betrayed me. His name was Luke. I... well, I guess you could say he had been my best friend. I told him nearly everything — a huge mistake, clearly. I almost let myself fall in love with him."

Todd gnawed on his bottom lip, surprised that she was opening up to him. "Almost?"

"I realized," she said slowly, "that I was leading him on. I knew that I was already betrothed, but for a while, I thought... I was like, well, maybe it's not true, and I wanted that... intimacy, I guess. I wanted it now. I was tired of being alone and scared and unloved and so for a while, I let myself live a fantasy. By the time I realized how stupid that idea had been, Luke had already gone off the deep end for me, and... I cut it off. Pretty hard. Really hard. The day before I met you, actually. I guess I... I really hurt him." She stared down at her hands, still as she reminisced. "He betrayed me in the name of love."

Todd didn't know what to say. He licked his lips, pulling out a weed, wondering how his mother would have responded to this. Tessa Vinson had always had an answer. "Well, I... sometimes," he stuttered, "we mess up, and we can hurt people a lot by loving them, I think. We think we're doing something good when we're only hurting them. It's Human." He laughed a bit, knowing his cheeks were reddening. "I'm sorry, I don't know what to say, honestly. You're not usually one to tell me your feelings."

She smiled at him. "I just don't want there to be secrets between us anymore. To be truthfully honest, Todd... you're the only person I know I can trust with all my secrets."

His cheeks, he knew, were flushed. "I'll guard them fiercely."

"Good." Gosh, he loved her smile. It brightened her whole face, springing up into her eyes. Sitting beside her now, he knew how easy it must have been for Luke to fall. He was feeling the inclination himself.

But he wouldn't. He wasn't going to make that mistake. She was destined for someone much greater than him — and he would live with it. He had to.

"Annabella," he said, capturing her attention once more. He had to tell her. "I trust you. Completely. I don't think I've ever told you that."

"I don't think you have," she whispered.

The setting was perfect. The cool air, the lack of distance between them, the intimacy. The way she watched him, with lips slightly parted and her breathing hesitant, he knew she felt the tug as well. He exhaled, snapping the connection like a twig as he turned away and pushed himself to his feet. "I think I'm gonna go back inside. It's a bit cold out here." It wasn't actually that cold, but he needed an excuse. He wasn't going to fall prey to such emotions.

"Todd," Annabella said as he was starting around the corner of the cabin.

He stopped, looking back at her expectantly.

"Best friends can be platonic, right?"

He smiled. "Definitely."

She returned it. "Good." There was no explanation — he didn't need one. She turned back to her weed-pulling, and Todd turned away, a sort of bubbling happiness filling his chest. Cherishing the warmth it gave him, he smiled to himself and returned to the shelter of the cabin.