Song: "Forever Still" by Adrian Von Ziegler

You died when you were thirty-three, Mother, on your birthday in the month of Juillet. It wasn't fair for the day to be so sunny when it sent you off. After it happened, I fell asleep and didn't wake up for almost a day afterward. Father thought I might be ill too, but when he found out I was just sick from sorrow, he dragged me out of bed and forced me to carry on with my life. I don't know how he managed to forget you so quickly.

❂❂❂

Micah paced the room, his eyebrows knit together and his expression tense. His heart leaped when he saw Light Spinner exit her bedroom, having returned from her meeting. News about Tropicilas. Finally. "What did they say? Are my parents okay? What happened?"

She sat down with him on the couch, her expression grave. "The terrorists attacked the pauperum again - they're surprisingly skilled with guerilla tactics. Most of the pauperum fled, and the western area is completely deserted. I'm sorry, Micah."

No. No, no, no. "We have to find them, Light Spinner!"

"We can't," she replied, her voice soft. "They're waiting to migrate to Salineas from the eastern coast, sold to the Horde by those bandits who live in the Crimson Waste, or in the Whispering Woods. I'm not a soldier. Neither are you."

Why me? Why, of all the parents and people on Etheria they could target, why me? He swallowed, sickness settling in his gut. "You can cast a location spell, right?"

"I suggested that to Norwyn, but even those have their limits," Light Spinner said. "There's nothing we can do for now." Micah stared at his shaking hands. Were his parents dead? What would become of him and Castaspella? Even if they did survive, would they ever see them again? Would Casta remember them when she grew up?

Light Spinner closed her hands around his, her voice gentle. "Breathe," she said. "I can't guarantee you'll see them again, but you and your sister are safe now. You cannot dwell on the what-ifs, or they will take over your mind."

They can't be dead. They're probably running away. As long as they aren't dead, there's hope.

Till then, I'll be living here in Mystacor. In a fancy house, cared for by a woman with a heart of gold.

✧✧✧

Weeks passed, and Micah's skill in sorcery lapsed. Light Spinner's feelings matched his, though it wasn't anything new to her to see someone struggling after the loss of a parent. She'd been lucky, in a horrid way, that her father had died just after her graduation. If it had happened during the school year, she would have become an even worse student than Micah was right now.

She took him outside to practice mirror-travel. She had her reservations about allowing him to do such things at present, since mirror-travel was a risky practice, but it was important that he continue learning. An idle mind was sure to brew unhealthy responses to one's circumstances - this much she knew.

Micah shivered in his overcoat, gazing at the mirror. With a gloved hand, he drew the spell to enchant a mirror, then spoke to the large object. "T...take me to Light Spinner's office."

He's freezing. She frowned; perhaps after this lesson, they would go inside and make something warm to eat. Micah stepped inside the mirror, and she craned her neck, watching for his figure in the window of her office.

Moments passed by. Light Spinner's stomach froze, and she gasped. Holy moons, he's stuck! She cast a tendril spell - one that was exceedingly hard to master for someone with her stamina level - and threw it into the mirror, praying it would locate Micah. As soon as it grew taut, she wrapped it around her knuckles and yanked with all her strength.

Light Spinner's body responded with fatigue, and she dropped to her knees, panting as Micah flew out of the mirror. He coughed out silvery liquid from the In-Between onto the snow, rubbing his eyes and gasping for air. She checked his chest, stomach, and body for broken bones. Mirror-travel was no small feat - it required the ability to stand up to immense pressure.

Micah opened his eyes. "Thanks..." he groaned. "Sorry for getting distracted. I just can't stop thinking about them."

Light Spinner sighed. I understand. "We must take a break. Come inside - Norwyn brought me some cookies the other day, and we should be able to make a pot of ginger tea to go with them."

Micah nodded, closing his eyes, his breathing slowly fading back to normal. He took her gloved hand and stood, leaning on her as they went inside.

✧✧✧

Light Spinner folded out the couch-bed for him, and he half-sat, half-lay there, his head on the pillow as she disappeared into the kitchen. Rattling sounded from in the cupboards, along with her humming as she gathered tea ingredients for them.

How could she be so calm? She was likely trying to be strong for him, to not show any of her own anxiousness, but sometimes she was as unreadable as any foreign language. His parents were displaced, his home was in shambles, and Micah didn't know if he would ever see them again.

The tea kettle whistled, and Light Spinner brought two cups over, along with a plate of cookies. With a smile, she offered them to him, and he nibbled one halfheartedly. She didn't meet his eyes for a long while.

She has a parent, he thought, and a tear dripped down his cheek. She couldn't possibly understand.

Light Spinner looked up, passing him the tissues. His few tears turned to small, silent sobs, and he placed his cup on a coaster, then buried his head in his arms. Within moments, chills settled over his body. Why do things have to change?

"I know how it feels," she murmured.

Micah turned his gaze up at her. Her silver makeup shimmered as she lowered her eyes. He sniffed. "You do?"

She nodded. "I lost both my parents by the time I was eighteen. It's...something I usually don't talk about."

Micah wiped his eyes on a tissue. Light Spinner took a shuddering breath as he inched close to her and held her. "My mother was the first to go - died of some sort of illness. She was never good at recovery." She paused. "Then her husband died just a few months after my graduation. I'd wanted to go back to Bel Delvala and live with him, but then I got the news. It changed my entire course of life."

"That's horrible," he said. "I'm sorry for telling you to send your letters to your mom. I didn't know she was gone."

Light Spinner shrugged, though her eyes betrayed immense pain. "I have riches, but I'm not happy. And I understand what it is to be lonely. To be an outcast, a misfit, someone with a shattered family. I've dealt with it ever since I came to Mystacor."

He knit his brows. "But you have Norwyn, right? At least you have a parent to go to."

"My relationship with Norwyn is...complicated." Micah frowned; what did that mean? "But I'm going to be taking care of you until your family contacts him or me. I could be your parent till then...if you want."

She's so gentle, deep down. Micah smiled through his tears. "I'd like that," he said, calmness washing over him. He blushed. "My mom used to sing for me. Can you sing?"

"It depends on what you mean by can."

"What do you mean?"

Light Spinner chuckled wryly. "I have the ability to make a noise that sounds like singing. But if you're referring to whether I'm good at it, the answer is no."

"Well, how long has it been since you last sang?"

"A good fifteen years or so," she said with a shrug.

Fifteen years? That's crazy. "But you're, what, thirty now?"

"Twenty-nine."

"Okay, and I'm guessing your voice got better once you were an adult."

Light Spinner tilted her head. "More or less. My peers when I was studying for my Emeth in Arxia University told me I sounded like a boy."

Wow. "What? They're silly," Micah said, crossing his arms indignantly. "You'd have to be deaf to think that. C'mon, please can you sing to me?"

She sighed. "I suppose." She cleared her throat, then began to sing in a foreign language. Her voice echoed off the walls, deep and resonant, and with her eyes closed and her body glowing, she was almost angelic.

When Light Spinner finished, she passed a sheepish gaze to him, and Micah laughed. "That's amazing! What does it mean?"

"It's not a happy song," she said. "But I remember it best. It was written during the Obtainment War by some of the people Auctor forced into his experiments. Are you sure you want to know what it means?"

"Sure," Micah said. "I'd love to."

Light Spinner looked upward for a moment, mentally translating the words. "When the tides of sorrow roll, when the bell rings its dark toll, when the answer is inscrolled, I will still be there. When corruption has its way, when the mind goes to waste, when all I love ends up erased, I will still be there."

Micah tilted his head. "That's really pretty. But sad - kind of like you." He covered his mouth. Did I say that out loud? "Sorry. I didn't mean to - "

Light Spinner held up a hand. "It's true. But I've always thought of it to be about hope. Think about it - does the song ever say that the singer is alone?"

Micah shook his head. "It does say when all I love ends up erased, but that may not be talking about people."

"Exactly. I've always believed it to be about a person singing to the one they love," Light Spinner said, gazing ahead. "Even when they've lost everything, they will still be there for that other person."

Micah closed his eyes. "I like that meaning much better."

❂❂❂

Did you know...

● When Light Spinner/Shadow Weaver's debut came to pass for me the first time, I thought she was a man. You can blame the fact that I have 40% hearing loss and couldn't hear the "feminine" aspect to her beautiful smoky voice. 

● I've always thought she has a beautiful singing voice.

Tell me what you think...

● What do you make of the song Light Spinner sings to Micah? What does it mean to you?