| Let the moment break you, Beyza/Caledonia |

[caledonia]

I have glass in my throat when I sing about what an almost love it could've been

She smiles at her sister, watching her tentatively propose the game and then shift so easily. It reminds her of the dove that lives within her, but so much more. In all things, her sister was so much more than her. She watches in awe, not catching the boy’s suspicion until she hears him declining the offer. The words are sharper than she would have guessed, and she turns her dual-colored gaze back to him, curious.

The dove’s wings that had been beating so swiftly against her chest just a moment before, preparing to shift and meet her sister in the air, die down in disappointment, in a shame that she is not sure that she understands. Her gaze is wounded and defensive of her sister in the same breath.

“It’s still your body,” her voice is gentle, laced with confusion.

Why was he acting like Beyza had offered him poison?

She looks back to her twin, trying to read her expression to see if she understood. But unlike Beyza, she has no gift of seeing below the surface and she remains puzzled and uncertain. She rolls her shoulders again, a delicate motion to convey her acceptance. “But if you’d prefer to not play, that’s okay, too.”

Perhaps Beyza and her could take a turn at this game later, when it was just the two of them.

Perhaps she could become a butterfly. Something small and light and free.

“It’s okay,” she assures him, even though she is not certain that is. Not certain at all about the interaction any longer. “If you want to talk about it, we can,” she is sure she will be rebuffed, but she offers regardless. “We are just wandering.” She wonders why she feels like she has to explain themselves, like she has to defend their time here when moments before it had felt like some grand adventure.

“Are we not supposed to be here?”

Caledonia