Chapter 40: Other Side of the Coin
As it often happens after a blizzard, the world was at peace. The sun was shining in the cold blue sky, the snow gleaming in its rays, beautiful and clean. The wind was gone, and in its absence, everything seemed calm. Claire and I walked to the lakeside and sat on a bench, maybe the same one we had shared a long time ago. Now we were sharing a cigarette, watching the seagulls fly over the water.
Somewhere near, the Protectors were hiding in the shadows, watching us. For the first time in a while, I allowed myself to forget about their presence. I needed that respite before things that were about to come.
We were silent for the last ten minutes. It wasn't the awkward silence that pursued us through the past month, sometimes apparent, sometimes hidden between words of meaningless conversations. This silence was comfortable and right, the silence of two friends enjoying each other's company.
Claire was the first to break it. She stretched her legs, relaxing, and said:
'It was nice to meet your family.'
I looked away, somehow wounded by her words.
'They're not my family.'
'Really? But you seem so close.'
'They're just people I share history with.'
She breathed out a cloud of smoke, passed the cigarette to me.
'Isn't that what family is?'