Part II: Never Forget Me
The months passed quickly for Abril, but for Cassian, Maya, and Lissana, those months felt like years. Lissana was in the palace garden; it was her fifth birthday, and she was having a tea party with Tarik and Uzziel. She wanted a party without adults, so Maya and Cassian watched from a distance, hidden behind some bushes. Although Lissana and Tarik were five years old, Uzziel was only three and a half. For Maya, her son was still a baby. Every time Uzziel lifted his tea cup, she got nervous, worried he might spill it on himself. That’s why she chose cold tea, not wanting her little one to get burned.
Cassian put his hand on her arm and said, “You’re being too overprotective, Maya. You need to calm down; they’ll be fine.”
“Uzziel is still just a baby. I’m worried he might get hurt.”
“He’s three years old. At that age, my father gave me my first sword.”
Maya shot Cassian a murderous look and said, “Don’t even think about giving something that dangerous to my baby if you want to live.”
“I’m surprised at how much you’ve changed. First, you were willing to die for me, and now you threaten me with death.”
“I wouldn’t kill you; it’s just a way of saying I’d give you a good beating. My life is tied to yours; if you die, I will too. And what would become of our baby?”
“I’m worried that your reasoning is only about what would happen to Uzziel. Sometimes I even wonder if you still love me.”
“I still love you, darling. It’s just that Uzziel has the first place in my heart, so I’ll always think of him first. But you hold the second spot.”
Lissana said to the children, “Thank you for coming to my party.”
Tarik pulled a small wooden box from his pocket and said, “I brought you a gift.”
Lissana hurried to take it. Before opening it, she shook the box and asked, “What is it?”
“Open it and you’ll find out.”
Lissana opened the box. Inside was a small red earring. She looked around for the other one, thinking she had dropped it when she opened the box, but found nothing. So she asked Tarik, “Is there only one earring?”
“Yes, there’s only one,” the boy replied, somewhat embarrassed. “I asked the queen what I could give you as a gift, and she gave me these earrings. They’re magical and make people feel close even when they’re far away. I know you’ll be leaving soon, so…”
Tarik touched his ear, where he wore the other earring. “Even if we’re far apart, we’ll feel close. Don’t you
like it?”
< Part II: Never Forget Me
+25 Points
Lissana took the small earring and tried to put it on, but she couldn’t. Tarik approached and helped her put it on. When he finished, he asked again, “Do you like my gift?”
Lissana touched her ear, where the earring was, and with a big smile said, “I love it, thank you so much.” She gave him a small kiss on the cheek, making Tarik blush.
Cassian watched them closely and said to Maya, “If my brother had seen this scene, he wouldn’t let that kid near Lissana again.”
“Yes, your brother is a bit overprotective.”
“I don’t want to hear that coming from you. I think you’re worse than him.”
Maya punched him in the arm, and he complained of pain. The children approached to see what the noise was, and when they saw them, Lissana asked, “What are you two doing hiding in the bushes?”
Maya and Cassian had been crouching. They stood up and said, “Nothing, just looking for something I dropped here the other day.”
“Do you want us to help you?”
“No, you continue with your party.”
Uzziel, seeing his mother, extended his arms for her to pick him up. Maya lifted him and asked, “Are you having fun?”
Uzziel nodded. His mouth was full of cream from the pastries. Maya took out her handkerchief and wiped his face. “Keep having fun and behave well.”
After saying that, she put Uzziel down and said, “We’ll be going now, continue with your party.”
Maya took Cassian by the arm, and they started to walk away. When they were far enough not to be heard, Cassian asked, “Are we really leaving?”
“Of course not, we’ll just find another place to hide.”
Lissana, Tarik, and Uzziel sat back down on the blanket under the tree where they were having their tea party. As they sat, Uzziel handed a small bouquet of flowers to Lissana and said, “This is my gift for you.”
“Thank you very much.”
Lissana smelled the flowers. They were sweet night, flowers resembling cherry blossoms with a sweet
aroma that glowed in the dark, her favorite flowers. She hugged her cousin and said, “I love them.”
The children continued eating and laughing until Uzziel finally fell asleep. Maya, seeing her little one sleeping on the blanket, couldn’t resist and went to get him. When Lissana saw her, she asked, “What are
you doing here, Aunt Maya?”
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