Page 175 of Seven
She hugged me like she wanted to put the bones back in my body.
I stood there, arms limp, every nerve in my skin ready to snap. The smell of her hair—clean and flowery buried itself in my brain. I remembered flashes of it, flashes of her voice in the dark, singing to me when the lights went out or when our parents argued.
I'd forgotten I could still cry. I'd cried once before—when I'd found out who I was.
My vision blurred and then doubled, and I squeezed my eyes shut until the world steadied. I didn't know how to hug a family member back yet, so I just let her hold me. My hands hovered, then landed awkwardly at her shoulders, and I felt the heat of her through the fabric.
Kimmy stood off to the side, watching. I looked at her. She smiled, but there was a shine in her eyes that said more than any words could. She let her arms hang loose, giving us space.
Priscilla finally stepped back, and when she did, her hands stayed on my face, mapping the years and the damage.
"You're alive," she said again, this time like a prayer.
I nodded. "I'm sorry I took so long to find you."
She laughed. It was wet and broken, but it was a laugh. "You're a dumbass, you know that?"
"Yeah," I said, and it almost felt normal.
Priscilla looked at Kimmy. "She your girlfriend?"
Kimmy stepped up, extending her hand. "Kimmy," she said. "I'm just here for moral support and to keep him from driving away."
Priscilla ignored her hand and pulled her into a hug too. Then she looked at my face like she was memorizing it, making sure it didn't go away again.
At that moment, my heart was full and happy.
And even though I'd been operating in the shadows of morality for so long, I had hope that somewhere down the line, I'd find a way to deserve all of this.
But for now, it was enough to know I wasn't alone.
THE END
