Farewell

The evening sky unfolded before them, a canvas of fiery orange and deep purple. The last traces of sunlight bled across the horizon, casting a glow over the quiet streets that led to Rachel's apartment. The world around them seemed still, the chaos of the earlier ceremony now a distant memory. The soft hum of the city was a gentle reminder of the peace that was hard to come by, a rare gift after the storm.

Rachel, walking in step with Elena, let her gaze linger on the sky for a moment, the colors shifting as they neared the apartment. She tried to enjoy the calm, to push aside the gnawing unease that clung to her heart.

But Elena's voice brought her back to reality. "You've been quiet since the ceremony. Are you okay?" The concern was real, hidden beneath her usual teasing tone.

Rachel nodded, her eyes flickering away from the vast sky and back to Elena. "I'm fine. Just... a lot happened." Her voice was smooth, the words carefully crafted. She wanted to say more, to explain what weighed heavily on her chest, but she couldn't. Not now. Not yet.

Elena stopped walking, her brows furrowing as she turned to face Rachel. The moment the words left her lips, the worry returned to her eyes, more persistent than before. "Rachel, I know you. That wasn't just any awakening, was it? Something happened up there, didn't it?"

Rachel stopped too, her breath catching in her throat for the briefest of moments. Her gaze drifted to the ground, and the weight of everything she had just experienced—of everything she was carrying—hit her like a crashing wave. She wasn't ready to tell Elena yet. The secrets, the unknowns, the dangerous uncertainties—she had to keep them to herself.

She turned to face her friend, her ocean-blue eyes shimmering with something unspoken. She looked at Elena, not as a friend anymore, but as someone who was waiting for answers that Rachel couldn't give. Her tone was soft but firm, "Elena, it's something I can't talk about. Not now. Please understand—it's... confidential."

There was a flicker of understanding in Elena's eyes, but a frown tugged at her lips. She wanted to push, to demand an explanation, but she could see it—the wall Rachel had built. Elena sighed, the sharp edge of her worry softening, though it didn't entirely disappear. "Alright," she relented, her smile returning, but it was tinged with that same concern. "But if you ever need to talk, you know where to find me."

Rachel's heart warmed, and for a moment, everything felt almost normal again. "Thank you, Elena. That means a lot," she replied softly, her voice quieter now, the weight of her own emotions just beneath the surface.

As they continued walking, the streetlights casting their long shadows across the pavement, Rachel felt the silent promise between them—no matter what was coming, they would face it together. Even if the storm inside Rachel was just beginning.

The city hummed softly around them, unaware of the quiet bond that had just strengthened in the face of everything unknown. And Rachel, for the first time in a while, felt a flicker of hope.

Some things, she thought, were worth holding onto.

As Rachel and Elena reached the fork in the road, they paused for a brief moment, their eyes meeting one last time before the inevitable separation. The evening had carried its weight, and the air felt heavier with the realization that their paths were about to diverge.

Elena, usually so full of energy, had quieted in the last few moments. She glanced at Rachel with a bittersweet smile, the corners of her lips pulling down slightly, betraying the usual cheerfulness she wore so effortlessly. "Well, I guess this is it for tonight," she said, the words hanging between them as they both seemed to process the weight of the moment. "I'm heading back to my parents' house. I'll be leaving for Ravenheart tomorrow, so it's going to be a while before I see you again."

Rachel nodded, her throat suddenly tight with the knowledge that this might be the last time they'd share such a casual moment for a long time. Elena had always been the one who would stay at Rachel's apartment for the night whenever she felt the need to be away from her own space, but tonight, that was not the case. Elena would be relocating with her parents, heading to Ravenheart, which was far enough that they wouldn't have the usual freedom to drop by each other's places as they once had.

"Take care, okay?" Rachel added, her voice soft but firm, unwilling to show any weakness. Elena was her closest friend, and she was about to leave for a place Rachel couldn't follow. The gap between them was widening, no matter how hard she tried to deny it. She wished Elena the best, but the looming distance between them felt heavy.

Elena hesitated for a moment, her gaze lingering on Rachel. There was a flicker of uncertainty in Elena's eyes, a recognition of the changes ahead. "I'll miss you, Rach. If you meet anyone weird or brooding at Titanfall, don't forget to write about it. I want the whole drama in a letter." Her teasing smile barely masked the quiet sadness behind it. She reached out, pulling Rachel into a quick, tight hug.

Rachel returned the hug, feeling the weight of Elena's warmth as they held each other for a moment longer than usual. The sound of Elena's footsteps soon faded as she turned and walked toward her parents' house, her figure becoming a silhouette in the dimming light of the evening.

Rachel stood there for a while after Elena disappeared from view, her gaze fixed on the empty street. For a fleeting moment, she felt as if everything was slowing down. The city's noise, the hum of distant voices, and the creak of a nearby streetlamp seemed to blur into a quiet backdrop to her thoughts. This was the first time Elena wouldn't be just around the corner, ready for a spontaneous hangout or late-night talk. For the first time, there would be space between them.

With a soft sigh, Rachel turned and made her way to her apartment. Her steps felt slower, as if the weight of the day had finally found its anchor in her body, sinking her into a kind of quiet exhaustion