Tears & Candles.
A few weeks ago...
It had been a gloomy day in Stormwind as her eighteenth birthday came and without celebration. The sky had let its own tears fall over the cobbled streets and onto the heads of those beneath the graying clouds. Only the flowers and foliage had joyed that day, soaking in the quenching liquid that would allow them to grow healthier. They would then wait patiently for the nutrients of the sun to reach their petals so they may stretch toward the heavens in fierce strength, to show the world they had weathered the storm only to see another day.
Then there were some who lingered in the fogged windows, peering out to the world below, wondering why life had been so cruel. Love had been lost. It had been lost for some time now, and it was surely not to be recovered. Petra knew that Veth was gone, that alone causing her to withdraw into herself. Her fading hope had finally withered her into a husk, her jovial and upbeat personality shifting to nothing more than a mechanical being who only stayed alive by ingrained survival instincts.
And then Vivian… oh, her sweet, baby niece. She was gone too. The one light that had arrived by storm and had been dowsed out as quickly as it broke through clouds that overwhelmed them all. What could she do? She was nothing but a young girl… well, woman now, as Susan kept saying anyways.
“Peety…” come Susan’s gentle words, pulling her from her bleak thoughts. She whisked her lovely dress to the side so that she could settle her body beside her youngest sibling. She had even brought a blanket to wrap around her chilled frame, and secured it snugly around the two of them. “It’s your birthday today,” she said quietly.
Susan, once a proud and prominent figure in society, was sullen and withered as well. Her daughter was missing. Her family spread out through the world. And she, like Petra, had no one. They only had each other, it seemed, and it was hard enough to endure the fact that… well, what if something happened to the other? Then they would truly be alone, a thought that terrified Petra more than she could ever voice.
Petra forced a smile, her once vibrant, sky-blue hues dulled significantly in their sadness. She leaned against the elder sister, nudging her weakly. “I know. But I rather not celebrate it this year.”
Tears already stung the backs of her eyes as she recalled previous birthdays where her entire family gathered and they doted on their youngest sibling. Feasts and presents. Dancing and music. Such a wondrous time…
Susan smiled just as sadly, those hazel eyes boring into her young sister with an adoration that was not often spoke of, but more often seen. She withdrew a small plate from around her where she’d kept it hidden easily and on its surface was Petra’s favorite. A strawberry cupcake with rich, cream cheese frosting, some speckling of gold and pink sprinkles, and a single candle. Susan tried to keep that strong façade for her sister and withdrew a lighter from a pocket of her dress, sparking the wick to life as the single flame ignited the gloomy apartment with a warming glow that made it feel a bit cozier than the dreariness that permeated the walls and hearts of those within.
“Happy birthday, my sweet Petra. Now go on, make a wish.”
Petra snapped her eyes up to her beloved sister as both teeth clamped down hard on her bottom lip and the tears spilled freely. Her eyes closed tight, the concentration true and solid as she sealed the escape of more tears, not allowing them to trail down that porcelain flesh.
…and then she blew out the candle, the flame extinguishing as if it never existed leaving only a small trail of smoke that remained to indicate that it once was warm and alight but would soon dissipate… much like her own heart.
(@susan-gampre - @musingsofamute for soft mentions)
