Departure Filled with Smiles, Forgiveness, and Goodbyes

For a second or two, the light of the morning sun blinds Ercilia, but soon, the beauty of the sky comes into view.

It's of a periwinkle hue, and with the clouds, it appears like a soft bed of cotton. She turns around, seeing the jewel that is the outskirt of the city. There are trees everywhere, the greens so vibrant. 

Ercilia smiles. 

Pulling her bag closer to her chest, she expresses her gratitude to the crew. She then gets off of the boat, meeting with Ruxandra, who is waiting for her at the dock. Even though she could have just seen her off, she still left the island to keep her company all the way there. 

When their eyes make contact, they smile at each other with newly-found warmth. 

"You're really going, huh?" her aunt said as she walked up to her.

"I guess so. Thank you for letting me stay at your place," she replied. 

"It's no big deal. You can visit again if you want. Just call me up."

"That's kind of you."