Part 3 — A Promise to Keep
The paper unfolded slowly beneath David's fingers.
He was careful with it, smoothing the creases against his knee as though the slightest careless movement might damage something that could never be replaced.
Nyra's handwriting filled the page.
He recognized it immediately.
The letters were neat, although some leaned slightly to one side, particularly where she had written more quickly. He remembered seeing that same handwriting in her Academy notebooks, sometimes accompanied by small corrections in the margins whenever she changed her mind about something.
David ran his thumb along the edge of the paper.
For a moment, he couldn't bring himself to look at the words.
The living room remained quiet around him. Afternoon sunlight stretched across the wooden floor, and the cup of tea beside his father's chair had stopped steaming. Beyond the window, leaves moved gently in the breeze.
He looked toward the mantel.
The photograph of Gamma Squad stood beside the picture of his parents. The little stuffed fox sat nearby, its cheerful expression unchanged.
David lowered his gaze.
The letter began with two familiar words.
Dear Dad,
He took a slow breath.
And began to read.
*Dear Dad,*
*I hope you're doing well.*
*I know that's probably a strange way to start a letter when we haven't been apart that long, but I wanted to ask anyway. You've always been the one checking on me, making sure I'm eating properly, getting enough sleep, and not doing anything reckless.*
*Although, considering where I am right now, I suppose that last one might be a little difficult to promise.*
*Before you start worrying, I'm fine.*
*Really.*
*And yes, I'm taking care of myself.*
*I can practically hear you telling me that saying I'm fine doesn't mean I actually am.*
*You know me too well.*
*I miss you, Dad.*
*I miss having breakfast with you before you leave for duty. I miss listening to you complain about paperwork while pretending it doesn't bother you. And I even miss those terrible jokes you tell whenever you think I'm taking something too seriously.*
*Don't get too excited about that last part. They're still terrible.*
*I've been thinking about home a lot lately.*
*Not because I'm unhappy here. Actually, I think you'd be surprised by how much I've come to enjoy the Academy.*
*When I first arrived, I wasn't sure what to expect. I knew there would be training, rules, and instructors who expected us to follow orders without arguing.*
*You prepared me for most of that.*
*Although I still think you enjoyed making me run those extra drills when I was younger.*
*You always said I'd thank you someday.*
*Well, I suppose you were right.*
*There. I said it.*
*Please don't make me say it again.*
*The Academy hasn't been easy, though.*
*There have been days when I've been exhausted, frightened, or so frustrated that I wanted to throw my swords across the training room.*
*I haven't actually done that.*
*Yet.*
*But I've learned a lot.*
*Not just about fighting.*
*I've learned that being strong doesn't mean you have to face everything alone. Sometimes it means trusting someone else enough to let them help you.*
*I think you'd be happy to know that I've found people I can trust.*
*I wish you could meet all of them.*
*My squad has become something I never expected.*
*We're more than classmates now.*
*We're friends.*
*And I think, in some ways, we've become a family.*
*You already know a little about Gamma Squad from our conversations, but I don't think I've properly told you what they're like.*
*Lucian is probably the most responsible person I've ever met, aside from you. He takes everything seriously, especially when it comes to keeping everyone safe. Sometimes I think he worries more about us than the instructors do.*
*He can be stubborn, but he's someone you can always depend on.*
*June is completely different.*
*I'm not sure how to describe him without making you think he's a terrible influence.*
*He makes jokes about everything. And I mean everything.*
*Sometimes I wonder whether he knows how to have a serious conversation without turning it into something ridiculous.*
*But when things become dangerous, he's always there for us.*
*I think he uses humor to hide how much he worries.*
*Don't tell him I said that.*
*Mira is quiet, but I really like her. She notices things the rest of us miss, and when she does speak, it's usually something worth listening to.*
*She and June have become especially close.*
*Neither of them seems to realize how obvious it is.*
*Or maybe they do, and they're just pretending.*
*Castiel is difficult to explain.*
*He's calm most of the time, but he has this way of saying something completely unexpected with such a serious expression that you don't realize he's joking until everyone starts laughing.*
*He's also incredibly loyal.*
*Especially to David.*
*The two of them are almost always together, and I think David trusts him more than he trusts anyone else.*
*I'm glad he has someone like that.*
*And then there's David.*
*I know I've told you about him before.*
*Probably more than once.*
*Actually, now that I think about it, I've probably mentioned him in almost every conversation we've had lately.*
*You haven't said anything about that, which makes me suspicious.*
*You're usually not that subtle.*
*David is different from most people I've met.*
*He's quiet when he first meets someone, and sometimes he seems to spend more time watching everything around him than actually joining the conversation.*
*But once you get to know him, he's easy to talk to.*
*He listens.*
*I know that probably sounds like a small thing, but it isn't.*
*When I tell him something, he really listens. He doesn't interrupt or try to turn the conversation back to himself.*
*He remembers little things I've said, even things I barely remember mentioning.*
*And he cares about people more than he lets on.*
*Sometimes too much.*
*He has this habit of putting himself in danger whenever someone else needs help. I admire that about him, but it also frightens me.*
*I've told him he doesn't have to carry everything on his own.*
*I'm not sure he believes me yet.*
*There's something about him that makes me want to stay close.*
*I don't think he realizes how much he means to the people around him.*
*He can be so serious sometimes, especially when he thinks someone might get hurt. But he has a softer side too.*
*And when he smiles, really smiles, it's hard not to smile with him.*
*I wish you could see that.*
*I think you'd understand what I mean.*
*Do you remember that evening I told you about, when we all went into the city together?*
*We had such a good time.*
*It was nice to forget about training and examinations for a few hours and just be ordinary teenagers.*
*We played games, ate far too much, and spent most of the evening laughing at one another.*
*David was trying to win a prize at one of the arcade games, but he wasn't having much luck.*
*I managed to win a little stuffed fox for him.*
*You should have seen his face.*
*He looked so surprised when I handed it to him.*
*I don't know why that made me so happy, but it did.*
*He thanked me, and for the rest of the evening, he kept the fox with him.*
*It was such a silly little thing.*
*But I think I'll remember that night for a long time.*
*We also took pictures together in one of those little photo booths.*
*June made everyone squeeze inside, even though there was clearly not enough room for six people.*
*I don't think I've laughed that hard in a long time.*
*We all looked ridiculous in the first picture.*
*But I love them.*
*I want to show you when I get home.*
*Maybe I'll put one in a frame.*
*Oh, and Dad, remember how we talked about having David come visit us this summer?*
*I still think it's a wonderful idea, and I really want the two of you to meet.*
*I know I told you I'd ask him, but I haven't gotten around to it yet.*
*Every time I think about bringing it up, something seems to happen, or I convince myself there'll be a better opportunity.*
*But I promise I'll ask him soon.*
*Maybe before we leave Kharos Vale, if I get the chance. Otherwise, I'll ask him when we get back.*
*I really hope he says yes.*
*I think the two of you would get along, although knowing you, you'll probably spend half the visit embarrassing me with stories from when I was little.*
*Just promise me you won't show him the pictures.*
*Actually, I already know you're going to show him the pictures.*
*I miss you, Dad. I can't wait to see you this summer.*
*There's something else I haven't told you.*
*And before you start worrying, it isn't anything bad.*
*At least, I don't think it is.*
*I'm just not sure how to say it.*
*It's strange, because I can stand in front of an opponent with a sword in my hands without feeling nearly as nervous as I do trying to write this.*
*I suppose that should tell you how important it is.*
*Dad, I think I'm in love with David.*
*Actually, I shouldn't say I think.*
*I know I am.*
*I don't know exactly when it happened.*
*At first, he was just someone I wanted to get to know better.*
*Then he became my friend.*
*And somewhere along the way, I started looking forward to seeing him more than anyone else.*
*I started noticing little things.*
*The way he smiles when Castiel says something ridiculous.*
*The way he tries not to laugh at June's jokes, even when they're funny.*
*The way he watches over the rest of us, sometimes without realizing he's doing it.*
*And the way he looks at me when we're talking.*
*Sometimes I catch him looking, and he turns away so quickly that I almost want to laugh.*
*But I don't.*
*Because the truth is, I do the same thing.*
*I feel happy when I'm around him.*
*Not because everything is perfect or because nothing bad ever happens.*
*It's because I feel like I can be myself.*
*I don't have to pretend I'm stronger than I am.*
*I don't have to hide when something frightens me.*
*And I don't have to find something interesting to say just to keep him beside me.*
*Sometimes we can sit together without speaking, and it still feels comfortable.*
*I never understood how much that could mean until I met him.*
*I think you'd like that about him, Dad.*
*You always told me that the right person wouldn't make me feel like I had to become someone else.*
*I think I finally understand what you meant.*
*I haven't told him how I feel.*
*I've wanted to.*
*So many times.*
*There have been moments when I've looked at him and thought that all I needed to do was say it.*
*Three simple words.*
*But every time I get close, I lose my courage.*
*I know you're probably laughing at that.*
*Your daughter can face dangerous creatures on another planet, but she can't tell a boy she loves him.*
*It's embarrassing, isn't it?*
*I'm afraid of making things awkward between us.*
*What if he doesn't feel the same way?*
*What if I tell him and everything changes?*
*I don't want to lose what we already have.*
*But I also don't want to spend the rest of my life wondering what might have happened if I'd been brave enough to say something.*
*So I've made a decision.*
*When we return from Kharos Vale, I'm going to tell him.*
*I don't know exactly how.*
*Maybe I'll ask him to take a walk with me.*
*Maybe I'll find a quiet moment when we're alone.*
*Or maybe I'll just say it before I have time to change my mind.*
*Whatever happens, I'm going to tell him.*
*I want him to know.*
*And I hope, more than anything, that he feels the same way.*
*I don't know what the future holds, Dad.*
*I know our lives aren't always easy, and I know that being part of the Academy means facing things most people never have to think about.*
*But lately, I've found myself looking forward to the future in a way I haven't before.*
*I'm excited about coming home.*
*I'm excited about spending the summer with you.*
*And I'm excited about the possibility of spending more time with David.*
*I keep imagining the three of us sitting together at home.*
*You asking him far too many questions.*
*Me telling you to stop embarrassing me.*
*And David probably being polite enough to answer every single one.*
*I think we'd have a wonderful time.*
*I should probably finish this before I end up writing an entire book.*
*You always say I write too much when I have something on my mind.*
*I guess you were right about that too.*
*I love you, Dad.*
*Thank you for everything you've done for me.*
*For raising me, for teaching me, and for always believing in me, even when I wasn't sure I believed in myself.*
*I know I don't say it often enough, but I'm proud to be your daughter.*
*And I hope I've made you proud too.*
*Please don't worry about me too much.*
*I'll be careful.*
*I'll look after my friends, and they'll look after me.*
*When we get back from Kharos Vale, I'll tell you everything.*
*And I promise I'll ask David about visiting this summer.*
*I can't wait to see you.*
*Love always,*
*Nyra.*
---
"Goodbye, Nyra."
"I'll keep my promise."