open;; sometimes i still see your face

[Paint]

Somehow
I'm singing this song
And someday
you'll sing along
'Cos sometimes
I still see your face
And someday
I'll come back to this place.

Esmerelda wasn't a very big fan of the rain. She didn't hate it- she didn't really hate anything, actually. But she didn't particularly like being out in the rain. For a wolf that thrived on feeling airy, light and free, rain could really dampen your mood. It soaked through your coat and made it heavy and much harder work to run. It ruined your vision and if you slipped, ruined your gracefulness.

So Esmerelda slipped silently into Riverrush Cave, the sound of the meandering stream above filling the cave with a gentle hum which complimented the thumping rain outside. It had let up for a little while, but now as Es shook her pelt out, she saw that the rain was slowly becoming more torrential. It might be a long wait.

She settled down in the misty open space, enjoying the dry dirt floor. Her paws pressed into it and she let her dusty mixed brown body relax. She wasn't used to staying still for long periods of time. She closed her eyes, began humming a tune she remembered her mother singing to her once, and drifted off into dream world again, ears still flicking every so often to show she wasn't asleep but simply daydreaming to pass the time.

And you won't say how you feel
Suddenly it became too real
So what happened? You say
I made you this way.

[[Midnight]]

It wasn't as if they were a couple, or they were truly the best of friends. To Justyn, however, it seemed almost like a break up of some sort. Like Rose was calling off the steady bonding that they had been going through lately because she was afraid; afraid of the future, or afraid of Justyn himself? He wasn't sure of that just yet.

Because Duke's daughter had seemed to be taking up most of his thinking time, Justyn had almost forgotten about the appearance of his sister and uncle, whom he had not seen since they had once again parted seperate ways. Fortunately for Justyn, he hadn't yet had to tell either of them that he was the Beta of Falling Moon - but it was only a matter of time before he had the face that truth in front of Ez's and Roan's disapproving eyes. Just like he couldn't read Rose's mind, he couldn't judge his sibling's reaction, nor Roan's, to this huge family betrayal.

It was raining outside. Normally he had no problem with the rain, since it cooled down his anger sometimes. But today he was too stricken with anxiety to deal with the annoying pitter-patter of raindrops against his back, and so he sought out shelter in the nearest dry place. This happened to be Riverrush Cave.

At first, when he entered, he had no idea that he wasn't alone in this hiding spot. He shook the water out of his fur and began to groom himself to pass the time. He thought he heard something in the deeper parts of the granite and rock, but he ingored it as simply nothing but bats.

Several minutes passed and finally Justyn felt dry enough to lay down on the cold ground, beginning to relax; well, as best as his nerves could manage, anyway. It was always nice to get away from home every once in a while, but a lot of times it seemed hopeless. If you were going to be attatched to something, surely the memory of it would follow in your footsteps. And it did.

Rose... How can I prove that I mean what I say, without hurting your feelings in the meantime?

Suddenly, his ears twitched and cocked forward. There, there were noises again. It sounded almost like a bat screeching, but it became a constant sound. It had tones and pitches, like a wolf's voice... Bats don't sing.

He stood up, his cold legs a bit stiff from sitting down while damp. It was obvious someone else was in here, humming a tune... Who could it be? Maybe it was Rose, who had come here to be alone and to reminisce? But as he padded a little deeper into the dark cave, his heart began to flutter.

That melody... I think I've heard it before.

Yes, yes he had. He knew that tune. His mother used to hum it all the time, to all of her children. But she loved to sing it especially to her only daughter, when all four of them were still very young...

He couldn't help the hopefullness that filled his heart all at once and made him dizzy. His mother, here? In Riverrush Cave? Could it really be? No, it couldn't. She died a long time ago, he knew she was dead - he had seen and smelled and sensed her dead corpse for days after the Empyrean quakes. He had abandoned her memory and had been angry with her even in death.

Still, the old child in Justyn was entranced by the humming and he slowed down his pace to a curious padding. The closer he got, the louder and more recognizable it became - and Justyn found himself truly believing that he was about to walk into some strange dream where he'd see his mother again, looking down upon her pups and singing them a song while they drifted into innocent slumber. Ohh, how he wished for those carefree days again, where he had no responsibilities, no fear, no regret, no heartbreak...

The shape of another wolf was quickly recognizable in the shadows. The song was coming clearly from her... But as he crept closer, peering with all his sorry little might into the darkness, he realized that this was not his mother.

Feeling more lost and stupider than ever, Justyn sighed and sat down on his rump, shaking head.

"Hey, Esmerelda."

[zacharias]

The air was humid, it felt thick and heavy. The creature stopped his seemingly endless plodding for a moment to quickly absorb his surroundings. The large, black head of the beast turned to the heavens; his two silver eyes examining their state. Rain was coming. Dark clouds loomed above him, threatening to break at any moment and shower him with that freezing cold liquid that he despised even at the best of times. His obsidian fur was thickening with the arrival of Autumn, and rain made his bulky new coat so heavy that it took twice as much energy to function properly.

Urrgh. Best look for some shelter.

His dreary plodding turned to a brisk trot as he attempted to beat the rain. After a minute or so, he was sidetracked by the sound of rushing water. His large head turned upward to consult his surroundings once more. This time, however, his nose did the examining. His torso expanded as he drew in a long breath that verified that distant sound of rushing water. He was close to a water source, a river or a waterfall maybe. Whatever it was, it meant thick vegetation couldn't be too far off. Thick vegetation wasn’t all that effective at keeping one dry, but it was his best option so far.

His course turned in the direction of the water source. Small drops of rain began to drizzle from the clouds forming a light mist. The creature quickened his pace to a sprint; he was running out of time and knew if he didn’t hurry he would be caught out. Soon enough, the heavens opened and a heavy downpour collided with the creatures back. Marvellous. He skidded to a stop from mid-sprint and snarled menacingly at the ground. This was just his luck, always, always his luck! Fruitlessly, he tried to shake himself to remove some of the water but in a moment the weight had returned. Blinking into the distance, he continued in the direction of the water. The rain had obscured both the sound and smell so he was now playing by chance.

Sure enough, after a short walk he made it to the source. The dangerous terrain of the Cliffside had proven itself to be quite more of a challenge than he had first anticipated. The rocks had been slippery and the fall would have been fatal. As he looked upon the river that had swelled with the pelting rain, he found that the vegetation was not the type he had desired. Much of it was shrubs and vines and very little canopy. He grunted, blinking through the rain to try and get some kind of idea of where he was.

By chance, a small opening in the rock behind the waterfall caught his silvery eyes. Perfect. His lips tightened into a satisfied smile; at least his efforts weren’t completely wasted. In a few long strides he drew himself closer to the waterfall. As he edged closer the thunder of the waterfall grew ever louder. His ears pressed back a little, re-thinking the safety issues that this opening could present to him.

It was at this moment of carefulness that the strong, burning odour of other wolves stabbed at his nostrils. He instinctively pulled back from the opening, unsure of who could be lurking. How careless of him to be in such a vulnerable position when trotting straight into the unknown. He pulled himself together, now with the knowledge that there could be someone else using this little cave as shelter. He moved forward again, making no real effort to conceal his presence at all. After all, he was in no-man’s land. A mere loner didn’t muster any major concern.

...No major concearn that would cancel out getting wet, anyway.

[Paint]

One moment, she was alone. Esmerelda was in her happy place, her dream world, where it never rained. It looked a lot like Empyrean valley, and perhaps it was. Not this valley, no, she was back in the old valley, running around with her siblings and chasing after their gentle mother while she sung this very same tune out.

Then there was heavy footfalls, and she frowned, continuing to hum so she wouldn't leave her dream world. As the footfalls came closer, though, sounding heavy and masculine, she could no longer see her happy brothers or gentle mother in her dreams. Instead, Caerwyn. He was stalking towards her, her own father, instilling fear into her very core at the malicious intent clear on his dark face.

When she heard him speak, she jumped, and her ears pinned back against her head. Her heart began hammering against her chest and she opened her bright green eyes, bewildered, only to see a large, dark wolf standing in front of her. She froze, before registering the voice, and very slowly her eyes adjusted to Justyn standing in front of her.

Her heart began to slow a little, and she swallowed.

"Hey, Justyn," she replied, slightly disorientated. She sat up in a fluid movement and stared at him, trying to get the image of their maddened father out of her head. Slowly, breath by breath, she calmed herself down.

Then a new wolf's scent entered her nose, and the panic started all over again. She craned around Justyn to see to the cave entrance. A silhouetted wolf, again one she couldn't place. She stared for a moment, fear rushing through her veins again.

It was rare that Esmerelda was scared. Rare, because she was usually out in the open, and there was nothing to fear for her out there. She had no will to fight, no thoughts of loss- if she was threatened, she could run. Run, and run, and run all over the world and hide where nobody could ever find her.

Here, in the back of the cave, she felt trapped and panicked, even with her brother before her. Still, he stunk of Falling Moon. So, she panicked all over again, eyes flickering wildly from wolf to wolf.

[zacharias]

From his position just outside the cave, he could hear soft voices. Two voices, to be exact. His ears had gently pressed forward to try and catch the remnants of what was said but all other sound seemed to be buried in the trash of the waterfall. His silver gaze struck both figures and carefully modified his stance to sit on the floor so his body was now under the cover but his tail was still out in the rain. He was far enough away to be able to snap back into position if anything happened to get nasty.

Suddenly his eyes blazed. He lifted his nose ever so slightly, and drew a long breath. The smell of fear clouded the little room. To this wolf, there was no better cologne. His lips slipped over his off-white fangs to reveal a pleased smile. His ominous stare fell to the female, her fear radiated off her like heat waves. The wolf allowed an amused chortle to enter the atmosphere.

His ears twitched as he lifted his head slightly to view the male. He was an impressive size, but something about him was off. He looked... broken. The wolf didn’t consider either as much of a threat, but like a shark to blood; this wolf thrived in the presence of fear.

“Darling, I’m flattered.”

His voice echoed off the walls of the cave, his attention turned back to the frightened wolf, pressed to the cold, damp floor. He offered another amused laugh before falling silent, allowing the roar of the waterfall to replace him. Hopefully his intentions would become clear; he had no objective to start a fight. It was a simple matter of keeping out of the rain.

[[Midnight]]

Seeing the frightened look on Esmerelda's face made him frown. Was she scared of him? Perhaps she finally realized what pack he lived in, and thought he was a threat to her safety.

Well, the sad thing is, you might just be a threat. In the future.

Giving her a small but concerned smile, he took a step forward, not at all realizing that they weren't alone in this cave. Es was like a stranger to him now, but perhaps he should get to know her, see what kind of wolf she had turned into. Hopefully it was something better than what he had become.

"Hey, are you alright, Ezzie?"

Then, a voice echoed from behind. It startled him at first, causing him to swing his head around and bare his teeth instinctively. He didn't like what he saw. Or heard.

A smart-ass-rat. Those were the three words that popped up in conjuction with his thought process. This stranger was dark, from the look in his eye to the color of his pelt. And the way he seemed to watch them like he was better than them both - ohh, Justyn wasn't going to hold back just because this was a stranger.

A powerful surge and desire to protect his sister from this male stranger overwhelmed him for a moment. It was as strong as his feelings of loyalty to Rose, which bth surprised and scared him.

"Don't take a step closer," Justyn snarled, lowering his head in case this quickly turned into a fight. From the smell of this fellow, it seemed like he wasn't in any pack. Must be a traveller or a permant Caden Valley loner. "And stop looking at my sister that way, whelp. I'll tear through your throat and straight to your jugular."

This wolf looked older than Justyn. If not by one year, than by several. He needed to be careful incase this sudden encounter really did resort to violence. Experience verses pure youth and brawn; tough choice.

[zacharias]

Just as he was making himself comfortable, he felt the piercing gaze of the male turn to him. A moment or so beforehand Zach had turned his sights to the damp cave floor where small pools of water were forming as a result of his saturated coat. His stare snapped up to the male as the snarl entered the atmosphere. Hostility? Well, it was to be expected. It was a common thing for this dark loner to come by. His smile widened as the male attempted to ward him off with threats.

Don't take a step closer

Zacharias looked down again, shaking his head and grinning. As much as he tried to stifle it, the adrenalin began to build beneath his skin. His hackles blazed down the length of his back and his tail stood upright to signal that he wasn't going to take any of it lightly. A soft growl rumbled in his chest but he wasn't about to go running into a fight just yet...

His sharp ears pressed forward as the next couple of sentences were shot in his direction. Something in his tone triggered his anger. He shut his eyes again, chuckling softly before taking a short breath. He looked like he had calmed himself down, the whole time he managed to keep a smile etched into his dark face.

"Ah, I have heard it all."

He chuckled. Whelp! Of all insults. Zach seemed to be on the verge of hysterics but in a split second the facade was dropped and in one fluid movement he closed the gap between them. The growl that emerged was dry and menacing. His face had drawn back into a wrinkled snarl. Saliva pooled at the base of his mouth beneath his pink tongue, dripping between gaps in his sharp white teeth. The chilling sound only lasted a second or two before his jaws clamped shut again. He waited for the echoes to fade before he made any more movement.

He dug his silver glare right into this other wolf, he made sure to meet the gaze of the stranger for a good while before allowing a chuckle break the tension slightly. As if he was going to listen. This wolf should have predicted that an arrogant loner on unclaimed territory would do the exact opposite. Zach took another few steps forward and dipped his nose. He drew a long breath only centimeters from the he-wolf's skin. He was no loner, he had himself a pack. Zach drew back to look him in the eye again

"You have a pack, wolf. Do you really think it's a smart idea risking your life by picking a fight with a mere loner?"

Earlier his voice had been velvety and almost inviting, but it had since morphed to a husky growl. He was close enough for their noses to almost touch, he had never been a strong believer in personal space. The way this male had structured his threats made Zach assume he was nervous - hopefully inexperienced.

"I am sure you would thoroughly enjoy ripping the jugular from my neck... The question is though, do you have even the slightest chance? Even if you did, I have nothing to lose." Zach laughed.

"So, what happens if I kill you? I take your... beloved sister." He dropped his gaze to the she-wolf. He tutted and allowed his attention to return to the male, grinning venomously. Finally, he took a step or two backward to give them both some space. He tilted his head to the cave opening, allowing the light to touch his face. The scars that littered his mug, eyes and cheeks were trophies of past battles. He hoped his point would be emphasized.

"I would take greeeat care of her."

Of coarse, not even a wolf like Zach would want to cause harm to a female... but the bluff would hopefully taunt the young male into battle.

[Paint]

Esmerelda knew what was coming. Before she could even reply to her big, strong brother, the air was filled with snarls and tension and the stranger of wolf had stepped closer. Fear for her own life immediately evaporated, and while she didn't doubt Justyn for a second, she didn't want him to get hurt.

So in a movement just as fluid, as silent, as the stranger wolf's, Esmerelda dipped between Justyn and the new wolf, and she stood between them, facing the stranger. She had no fear of Justyn attacking her while her back was turned.

The stranger was talking scary, but Esmerelda was not stupid and naive as most took her for. She was far away from her dream world now, snapped back to reality, grabbing ahold of it any way she could to gain control. In this way, the Alpha blood running through her veins sometimes dictated her- perhaps everyone thought she would stay cowering in the back of the cave.

No, because just like this taunting wolf, Esmerelda had nothing to lose.

Her brother, her half brother, perhaps. But she didn't stake her life above theirs and if it came to it, she'd happily give it up. She had no one depending on her. She'd chosen to be a loner for this very reason, although she'd never thought through it all too much before. No one would honestly miss her if she disappeared off the face of the earth, she never had to worry about breaking someone's heart.

"Let's calm down, now," Es replied calmly, not a hint of a tremor in her tone, looking up at the stranger who could easily snap her neck right now from the position they were in. Maybe that'd give Justyn time to escape? Probably, and that made Es feel better. "We don't need to fight. I take it you came in for shelter from the rain, just like Justyn did, and myself."

She stared up at him with her bright green eyes.
"Let's be mature about this," she suggested firmly, not budging an inch despite the stranger's previously threatening tone and words.

[[Midnight]]

If it were not for Esmerelda's intervening, Justyn would have snapped beyond control. The burning fire in his stomach seemed to flare worse than it had in a long time as soon as Zach took another step forward. The egotistic attitude of this bastard, believe it or not, was already ten times more annoying than Duke's - at least even Duke knew boundaries and often respected them if you earned it.

His blood was still boiling, but he didn't dare lash out at Zacharias as long as his sister was in the middle of it all. Apparently she seemed to recognize that Justyn had temper that was hard to control, and was trying to stop this fight.

A wicked smile came to his face, and he let out a dry and irritated laugh.

"You spoke of my pack, but you obviously don't know what kind of home I live in," he breathed quietly, staring daggers at this stranger who spoke like he was some sort of king. Oh, Zacharias didn't grow up in Falling Moon. It was embarassment on his part to even talk about Falling Moon like it was your ordinary fight-for-your-family sort of place. Yes, he might have a few scars, but by the time Justyn or Duke would be done with this arrogant know-it-all, he would be nothing but a whelp with his tail between his legs. And because they were a pack had nothing to do with it. Like almost all of the earthquake survivors here in this home, they all had nothing to lose.

"I don't know where your from or if you have any relations around here... But this is Caden Valley, stranger. I've survived through more hardship in my childhood alone than you probably have in your entire life. All of us have."

Of course, now the male was probably going to spurt out some insults and lift his head with confidence, hoping to pursue a fight again. Predictable. But thanks to his older sister, he could think a little straighter.

[zacharias]

Zach's muscles trembled under the pressure of holding himself back. His ears pressed flat to his head as he readied himself for an imminent attack. His entire body then tensed as a blur of colour impaired his view of his opponent. His silver eyes dropped to the bold female that now stood between them. He had to take a step back, obviously taken-aback by her valiant interception. He took a moment to read her face, it was fierce but her eyes seemed to hold something deeper. His ears cocked forward in confusion.

He could tell by the way she held herself and by the way she smelt and spoke that she, unlike her brother, didn't belong anywhere. He exhaled softly, piecing together the reason to why she would throw herself between two fully-grown, seething males. It made him compare her to himself, though obviously she and him were very different; they perhaps shared the same element of loneliness and rejection. For a moment he felt relieved; comforted by this simple commonality. His thoughts completely muffled the female’s words, his expression must have been quite odd to the two. One brow was raised and eyes narrowed, his head tilted slightly to the right and his mouth ajar. She certainly caught him off-guard.

As the male spoke again, Zach pulled himself from that somewhat detached state and gritted his teeth. He averted his gaze back to him as more hostility droned from his lips. Zach snorted, this wolf had obviously misinterpreted his comment on having a pack and it had sent him on a tangent that only managed to re-light the flames after the she-wolf had doused them. The growl that followed was not as malicious as his previous one, but it still managed fill the tiny area.

“Every wolf thinks his story has been hardest. Every. Single. One.”

He paused between those last three words, they were filled with such passion and such hate that they grew louder as each one passed his lips.

“You have so much to learn." He growled "Lesson one: There is a world outside this valley. A world that I have lived in for far too long. You may think that life inside this valley is the only life but it’s not. Death, disease, destruction, loneliness – it is a daily routine. If you are expecting some sort of sympathy or understanding or GOD FORBID some kind of concurrence on the idea, you will find nothing in me.”

His chest rose and fell in an uneven motion; but he seemed to be in control of his anger now. His eyes once again fell to the female for some sort of solace. He shook his head and growled

“No need,” he paused to grit his teeth and swallow the anger that bubbled below the surface “I was just leaving.”

He wheeled around, his body – now partly dry – slipped toward the entrance with heavy footsteps. Behind him, over 130 pounds of kinetic force possibly trampling forward. If it were, he was quite confident in his rage to give him extra strength to rip the brute limb from limb. He paused at the mouth of the cave to get one last look at the female that still stood strongly between the two. He knew he would see both of them again.

Outside the rain still hammered down from the sky. It saturated him on impact and seemed to sooth the burning sensation that Zach felt in his chest after the odd confrontation. Zach moved in the direction that he had arrived in, passing an old tree. His muscles tensed and suddenly propelled him toward its trunk. He dug his claws deep into its bark and pulled them down with brute force, stripping away some of the bark and leaving deep wounds in the tree’s trunk. Remarkably, this helped to remove most of the anger that he let build up in that little cave.

Now what would he do for shelter? Back to the drawing board...

[Paint]

Esmerelda wheeled around, enjoying the space the other wolf had left. She faced her brother, staring him straight in the eyes over a hard brow, looking him deep in his eyes. He may be much taller than her, but she was his older sister and obviously he still had a lot to learn.

"Justyn will you calm down," she hissed at him. Although her back was exposed to the entrance of the cave, and any moment the other loner may come barrelling back in and rip her apart, she had no fear. "For god's sake, I knew you'd changed but I didn't realise how stupid you were."

For the first time in a long time, a growl slipped between her teeth and she shook her head angrily. She didn't like confrontation when she knew it'd end in a fight, but this was different. She wasn't scared of Justyn.

"You think that just because you're a Falling Moon now, the world just works that way? You can fight everyone? The Falling Moons are sick bastards, and you know that. You know that and yet your turned your back on your supposed dead family and followed the wolf that ripped our grandfather's throat out."

She growled again, sensing that he might want to interrupt.

"Listen to me. I am not going to tell you how to live your life. I wish, above all things, that I myself would go back to the Dancing Stars pack and be a good, loyal wolf. But I got sick and tired of getting close to others, Justyn. You are not the only one who lost your family. What have you been doing all this time? Snuggling up to Duke and deciding that's where you belonged suddenly? Of course not, Justyn."

She shook her head, losing steam, looking down finally. She'd made her point.

"They're going to hurt you. They don't like you Justyn, they never will. You can't get close to anyone in Falling Moon, because they will hurt you- but it's your life."

She finally stopped, sitting down and sighing. Then she looked back up at him, wondering what Moons-worthy tyrade she was about to receive. Maybe he'd just walk off. Maybe he'd attack her. Good, if he did, maybe he could see what he had become.

[[Midnight]]

He had never felt so much more betrayed in his life. And that was saying something, because his own father had to be kicked out of the pack - sickness or no sickness, that does things to a little pup. Esmerelda barely knew Justyn anymore and now that the old guy was gone, she was trying to act like his mother. He bared his fangs at her in anger.

"Esmerelda, God dammit, shut up," he snarled, advancing on her more agressively than he had intended. He suddenly felt a mixture of emotions; hatred, regret, fear. "You have no idea, Esmerelda. You've met me twice in the past year and a half. Don't act like you know me. That's what I'm sick and tired of! It's people LIKE YOU that take me for granted!!"

He was yelling at the top of his lungs now - he needed to release his anger on something, and quick. Before he ripped his sister to shreds, he forced himself to turn around and walk a few feet a way, giving himself a moment to keep his cool.

She doesn't know anything. She's just like everyone else. She thinks I'm too soft to decide things for myself.

He saw a loose rock on the cold ground and he quickly knocked it away with his muzzle. Anger was still spewing straight from his core, but at least now he was controlling it. He hadn't had an outburst like that in a while.

When he turned around to look at Esmerelda, tears were beginning to brim in his hazel eyes. He didn't realize he was starting to cry until he tried to look at her but saw nothing but a blurry image.

"Unlike you, I haven't had a problem getting close to others. In fact, I need someone to cling to. You think I've changed: I used to think that too, but my eyes were recently opened. I haven't changed at all. You'd know that too if you were living with me. I still feel the need for loyalty. I still have the ability to love. But it's all on a new level; I'm not living for the sake of my pack, I'm living for the sake of other wolves. You're only living for yourself. You couldn't get it if you tried."

He spat at the ground and looked at her with nothing but disdain.
"I knew my sister wouldn't be so understanding. She makes assumptions just like everyone else. Maybe I should have let that guy take care of you."

He turned around again, but this time, he kept walking away without looking back.

[Paint]

The words stung.

They ripped into her and tore at her already battered heart. It was as if it had been held together loosely in a vague imitation of what it once had been, a fake heart rumbling in her ribcage to get her by. But those harsh, nearly violent words of Justyn tore apart her imitation heart as well.

Empty, again, and although Es was not violent and vicious like Justyn, she knew where she could hit him. Right where it would hurt.

"Next time, you do just that," she yelled after him, her usually melodical voice harsh and brittle like it should be after a lot of pain. She did a very good job of covering it up, in fact she'd actually begun to enjoy life again right up until that moment with him.

"Screw you, Justyn, you've turned out just like Dad!" she screamed at his retreating figure, and sat down roughly. She was at a point where not even her dream world would accept her back now. She slumped down, curling up, and deciding to just lay there until the rain passed. If anyone else came in, they could kill her for all she cared right now.

This is why she chose not to care anymore.

[[Midnight]]

She was right, it did hurt. It hurt more than anything Duke had said about Caerwyn, because he knew nothing about Justyn's father. But Esmerelda knew it all.

He paused right at the opening of the cave, feeling the moisture of the rain splattering in his face.

Had he just ruined it with his sister, too? Would he end up with nobody forever and always?

The worst question was... Did he really resemble Dad? Or was that just his imagination? Just the first insultive thing that came to Es's mind?

As he moved outside and into the rain, he could smell the stranger's scent. It hadn't been washed away yet. To make sure he avoided another confrontation, Justyn turned the opposite way and ran.