the silence in-between
what i thought and what i said

Merete watched Jetta’s reaction carefully, trying to gauge the girl’s feelings. Her voice was soft when she spoke, she seemed to care about her brother a lot… well, not her brother after all. Merete had always thought that her family situation had been complicated, but she thought now that this whole arrangement seemed a lot more confusing.

At Jetta’s mention of burdens, Merete offered a feeble smile. The idea was amusing, but only in an ironic way. She couldn’t help but let her expression fall into a frown when she thought back to it again.

“Actually,” she began, stretching the word slowly on her tongue as she considered how to explain. “I think I was the one who ended up burdening him in the end.”

She paused, shifting her weight restlessly. She felt fidgety and uncomfortable.

“He told me about his parents – his birth ones, I mean – and how they were dead… The thing is, they were my parents too… I don’t think he was expecting to run into his full sister… Neither of us were.”

She lowered her eyes, thinking on Diamant and what he might be doing now.

“He was pretty shocked. I think he needs some time to process, but he seems strong enough… He comes from strong blood, after all.”

She looked back to Jetta, half smiling at the words. They seemed the truest of them all.

MERETE

(het vuur x sterre)