Prompt #1: Crux
It was another night without sleep, another night she woke up in a cold sweat.
Despite telling herself she had moved on, the faces of those she'd loved kept coming back to haunt her, and even faces of people she'd held dear in the past. Their names were forever etched in her mind, and in some ways, they left their brand on her, some literal, some not.
She swung her legs over the bed, glancing over at the two kits sleeping soundly in their crib, and exhaled slowly. The lights were still on; she never slept in a dark room anymore. It was bright enough to light up the room but dim enough to not disturb the sleeping toddlers. She stood, moving to grab a bottle from the shelf and sat in front of the fire, poking at coals to bring the embers back to life. She took a pull from the bottle, wrinkling her nose at the bite of the rum. She was happy, she told herself. She would be fine on her own.
Would she though? That creeping darkness came back in her mind, try as she might to avoid it. How would she raise two children alone? No one would want the baggage she carried.
No. she told herself. I WILL make it. And I will keep my family close and those I care for as well, as few as they are.
The names of those she'd lost echoed in her head again. Omai Ja. Kyhana. Tzu Ja. Stray. Shinji. Yimir. Runah. Ajirai. Some her mates, some her family. But still, she would press on for them.
She owed it to them, after all.
