Angel Eyes

+Irena's P.O.V.+

Some days Mum gets anxious. She paces, bites her nails, flutters her wings. Father always stops her, looks her in the eye and says, "Ruthie, you're okay."
And she looks back helplessly. She whispers, "Zuriel, I'm not okay."
And when she does that, he hugs her for a long time and murmurs in her ear. So he always hugs her, every time she gets anxious.
Today she was worried about Reuben. She does get worried about him a lot, though, so it really shouldn't be a surprise for anyone.
I woke up this morning to the sound of Xeya whining and Isaiah shaking my shoulders. I opened my eyes and they looked down at me, brown eyes next to blue. I smiled, sitting up and hugging them both at the same time. My smile faded, however, when I heard the footsteps out in the hall.
"Mummy's walking  around again," Xeya said, a frown forming on her young face.
"She's been pacing for hours," Isaiah told me, looking out the doorway of my room as Mum passed us.
"Did you tell Dad?" I asked.
Isaiah shook his head.
"Well why not?"
"He's sleeping," Xeya informed me seriously.
I rolled my eyes. "So? If Mum's pacing we should tell Dad so he can calm her down."
I stood up, straightening out my robes. Isaiah and Xeya didn't move.
"Well, come on."
I lent a hand to Xeya while Isaiah rose from his crouching position. I led the two down the hall, carefully avoiding Mum. When we reached our parents' room I pushed open the door and let go of Xeya's hand. My siblings remained in the threshold as I walked over to Dad.
"Dad," I said, shaking his shoulders. "Dad!"
He rolled over, keeping his eyes shut. "Yes?"
"Mum's pacing again."
This woke him up. Within three seconds he was out of bed and through the door, stepping around Xeya and Isaiah. I leaned out of the room to watch.
"Ruthie!" Dad called.
Mum stopped and turned to him. "Yes?"
He came closer, put his hands on her shoulders. "Ruthie, you're okay."
"Zuriel, I'm not okay. And neither is Reuben." She looked at him seriously. "I'm worried."
"Dear, you're always worried."
"Not as much as I am now. Trust me, Zuriel, this isn't my usual 'he's so sad without me there to cheer him up' kind of thing. This is serious." She walked to a nearby transmission station, pulling up a file and switching it to project on the wall. "Look, just watch."
I don't think Dad wanted to watch, and I don't think he believed it was serious, but he watched anyway to make Mum happy.
There was a room, one Mum often described to us as the place she would sleep when she was little. One girl, with pitch black hair, was writing. After a few moments she slammed the book shut. The other girl, a younger one with fiery hair, asked, 'Another poem?' The first girl nodded. After some discussion about the subject of said poem the pair left the room. The visual, of course, followed their path down a hallway, and they entered another room, where a woman took the book from the first girl and read it aloud to the two girls and a man who had just entered the room. The first girl stood awkwardly and listened as the man and woman began to argue. The second girl crossed the room, taking little notice, and studied a piece of parchment on the wall. After a long time the argument closed with the man leaving the room, slamming the door behind him, and the woman crying under the blankets on her bed. The two girls eventually left after a few words and then Mum cut the projection. She turned to Dad.
"Don't you see now, Zuriel?" She pleaded. "Reuben is convinced there'll be another war and he's argued with Lark to both their breaking points! Jenni's broken and depressed, and Mariana will surely follow, I tell you! Do you get why I'm worried now?"
Dad nodded, wrapping his arms around Mum. "Don't worry, Ruthie. I'm sure it'll all be okay. Uriah even told me a few days ago when he came to check in with the Bureau that he had befriended Jenni and that he would make sure everything turned out fine. He's in love with her, though, I can tell."
Mum nodded, her frown lightening.
"It's going to be alright, Ruthie," he said. "It's all going to be okay."
I walked forward, hugging Mum around the waist and she smiled down at me. Isaiah and Xeya soon joined me, wanting to make sure Mum was alright.
"It's okay," Dad repeated. "It's all going to be okay."