The smile still hadn't faded from Destan's face the next morning, as he made his way to the kitchen to get breakfast. Yesterday he finally found something he'd been looking for for the past ten years. Hope.

After his grandfather had healed Elias, he'd taken the three to the storage building, the icebox, which was about twice the size of Destan's house. Remus had opened the door for him and asked him to place the food on the shelves.

It had shocked him how empty the shelves were. Granted, the last time he'd been there was a decade ago, but he remembered it to be fairly well stocked. Now, most of the shelves were bare. And it was October; winter would be upon them soon, which made it harder to hunt and gather fresh food.

Placing the tins they'd taken from town had felt immensely satisfying. Never before had Destan had the chance to help the tribe. Adding to the emptied shelves felt extra important.

As a reward for their success Destan had even been allowed to take a couple of tins of food for himself.

Before letting him go, his grandfather had put a hand on Destan's shoulder, nodded and said, "Well done, boy."

He had proceeded to inform them that he wanted to keep them on as a team for future tasks. He wasn't sure exactly what they'd be yet, though one thing was for sure: they'd be crucial for the survival of the tribe. And Destan was part of it. That, along with the proud look on Aruna's face, had made for an unwavering feeling of happiness like Destan had never felt before.

He hummed as he opened one of the tins that morning, dividing the contents over two chipped bowls. He carried them into the living room and set one down on the table, while holding the other out for his mother. His mum looked up from her spot by the window and glanced at it. Her eyebrows rose.

"Beans in tomato sauce," said Destan, grinning. "Have you ever had beans in tomato sauce?"

She glanced once more between the bowl and him, then croaked, "How?"

"From Grimsby. Me and the team succeeded the mission, mum. We did it."

Her eyes widened, but she didn't respond.

"I got to keep this," Destan continued. "From the icebox. Grandad let me keep it. I don't think I'm an outcast anymore, mum. He hasn't made it official yet, but it... It's happening. It's finally happening." He smiled so wide it hurt his cheeks.

For a moment his mum just stared at him. He was about to stand up and eat his breakfast, when she leaned forward in her chair and wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

Shock prevented him from moving as his face was buried warmly in her shoulder.

"I am so proud of you, darling," she whispered.

His vision clouded at her words. "Thanks, mum." His voice cracked. "I'll make it right. I promise. Everything that happened, everything I did... I know I can't bring him back, but I'll make it right."

His mother pulled back and looked at him, her eyes flashing with emotions that hadn't been there in years. "You have nothing to make up for, little bird."

Destan chuckled at the nickname. He'd gotten it the first time he used his powers to lift himself into the air, not long before his mum found out she was pregnant with Julia. He couldn't get very high, but his parents had laughed and said he looked like a little bird.

"I know you miss him," his mum continued. "I miss him too. But it's not your fault."

Not my fault? Destan gaped at her. "Of course it is! Dad died because I... Because..."

The words got caught in his throat. He couldn't even say it. The guilt had been gnawing at him for so long that it hurt to even think of that day.

She lay her chin on his shoulder, her arms still wrapped around his back. "Your dad died because of an accident. You were only a child. It was not your fault, my little bird."

The idea was so strange, so foreign, that he could barely convey its meaning. Why is she saying this? Of course it's my fault. I did it. I killed him. Grandad said it. Uncle Lys did, too.

"But... But I lost control." His voice was nothing more than the faintest whisper. A tear tickled his cheek on its way down to his chin.

She nodded. "I did too. I lost control of myself when my child was taken from me. You lost control for a moment. I lost it for a decade."

Tears now flowed freely. "So you don't blame me?"

She shook her head, her hair tickling his neck. "I would never, Destan. I'm so sorry that you thought that."

They held each other for a little while longer. When he let go, his mum looked pale. She said she felt exhausted, so Destan helped her get back to bed, where she quickly fell asleep.

***

The cold October chill, causing the animals in the forest to hide in their holes and nests, couldn't break his spirit today as he wandered into the forest. He knew where he wanted to be right now. Something so amazing had never happened to him before in his life. He had to share this with his sister.

Just inside the forest, a laugh to his right made him freeze. Two voices reverberated through the air to reach him. He immediately recognised one of them. Curious, he continued on his way, keeping his eyes out for his teammate.

"Don't be ridiculous, Ruul!" she said, laughing again, just as Destan spotted her through the trees.

A smile lit up her face, making her eyes shine. Keara picked up a twig and threw it playfully at the boy walking next to her. He was a full head taller than her, but had the same oval shaped face, the same thin lips curved into the same smile. Despite his hair being brown and his build much more muscular, he was convinced this was Keara's brother.

"You know, if I didn't have to work today, I'd grow this until it was as long as your arm and smack you with it. Because that was just rude!" he said, waving the twig around.

Keara twirled on her toes and teased, "But you do have to work, so you can't do that. Ha!"

Her brother chuckled. Destan turned behind a tree to stay out of their way.

"Will you teach me how to take care of wounds some more when you're off? Turns out it comes in quite handy with my new job."

"Yeah, I bet. Sure, I've got a few more tricks up my sleeve for you. But only if you make me carrot soup for dinner."

Keara laughed again, sounding like music to Destan's ears, before they disappeared into camp behind him.

From there it didn't take him long to get to the edge of the forest. He sat down in his normal spot amongst the shadows, his back against the tree.

She wasn't there. Not that he'd expected her to.

"Hey sis," Destan whispered. "Guess what? I did it. I finally did it, Julia. My team and I, we completed our task. I'm one of them now."

The empty bench on the other side of the stream stood motionless, as if mocking him. The sound of the water gently flowing was the only thing to break the silence.

"You should've seen how they treated me this morning," Destan whispered as he absentmindedly picked up a lone flower, floating it into the air. "No more glaring, no more ignoring. People nodded at me, greeted me."

The flower hovered above the bench as though unsure what it was meant to be doing. With a flick of his finger, he made it do its little dance on top of the wooden bench. As if she was there.

"Granddad hasn't even made it official yet, but everyone knows I'm not an outcast anymore. Not really. Because I helped them. The food we took is going to help the tribe survive winter." Destan chuckled. "I did it, Julia. I really did it."

His smile faded once he'd said out loud what he came here for. Yes, he had done it. His life would be better from now on. But he still didn't have Julia with him. His family would never be complete.

A wave of sadness overcame Destan and he tore his eyes away from the deserted bench. His own life might be better, but Julia still lived with her abusive brother. His mum seemed a little better this morning, but she was still depressed. His dad... He'd never get him back. Their family was still broken.

A black, empty hole grew in Destan's stomach as he stared at the spot Julia had abandoned, unsure if she'd ever come back here.

He might get his life back, but he'd never have his sister again. He'd never have what Keara and her brother had.