The Ascent: Forlorn Savior, Book 1 by Peter Regg

Author:Peter Regg [Regg, Peter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-10-01T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter 43

Presea gave up pretending to be mad at Wes sometime that afternoon. Every scenic landscape they passed chipped away at her until she seemed to completely forget she had been upset in the first place. Every bird and butterfly caught her attention, and she smiled widely as she watched them pass. She ran her hands through the tall grass along the road whenever she could and frequently bent to look at flowers scattered by the roadside, though she never picked any. She would even hum along to the birdsongs that echoed through the air.

Wes couldn’t help but smile along with her. He had been through so much pain, so much loss. Yet, looking at this girl, watching her enjoy the world around her, Wes felt the strangest warmth in his stomach. Her presence seemed to melt some invisible block of ice wedged in his gut. At first he fought the sensation, because he knew he didn’t deserve it. But as he continued to watch her, her happiness eventually wore him down.

It’s alright, he thought with a sigh. He would do everything he could to fix what had happened. Although it had all been a result of his own stupidity, making himself suffer through the reparations wouldn’t bring them about any faster. He was allowed to smile without guilt crushing his insides.

He wondered if she was keen to his subtle shift in mindset. Judging from the carefree expression on her face, he had a feeling she wasn’t aware of much beyond her own childlike enjoyment of the world around her.

“So what do you like to do for fun?” Presea asked him out of nowhere as they walked.

“For fun?” Wes repeated. His preoccupied mind took a few seconds to catch up.

“Yeah, you know, that thing people feel when they enjoy something.” She snickered at his questioning look. “Before all this started, what did you do with your time? What were your hobbies?”

“Hobbies?”

Presea rolled her eyes.

“I guess I didn’t have many hobbies,” Wes returned quickly.

“None?” She squinted skeptical eyes at him. “The way Aurelia talks about the villages of New Batical makes it sound like you’re all a bunch of barbarians. Surely you have some interesting things to do.”

Wes returned Presea’s skeptical look. “Barbarians?”

“I mean, it sounds so exciting out there,” she said. Her eyes floated to the sky, following a buzzing insect. “What’s it like living in a village?” she asked. “And being part of festivals and celebrations?”

Wes couldn’t help but stare at Presea with an eyebrow raised. “I guess . . . I’ve never really thought about it. Living in Gooseberry is . . .” He paused. “Well to tell the truth, it’s boring.”

“Boring?” she asked in disbelief. “But there are so many people, and so many things going on, aren’t there?”

“I guess so.”

“Then what’s so boring about it?” she asked, and then she gave him a wince. “Let me tell you about boring. Try living in a tower with only Hex and Aurelia, barely getting a chance to see the outside world or meet new people, never able to tell anyone who you really are.

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