Kari permits us to spend a few days in Sunia, relaxing and preparing for the next leg of our journey. Perhaps, she too is intoxicated by the place. No one seems ready to leave even as our packs are filled and our wounds are healed. The only matter that clouds my otherwise brilliant time is whether or not I should join them. This aside, the hours are pure paradise.

Ohna is incredible. She takes advantage of the time, trying to convince me, though she hardly has to try. We visit the foothills of the mountains collecting mushrooms and climbing trees. We walk the sun-drenched coastline, hand in hand. We swim in the ocean and lay out to dry, over and over, until our bodies are crusted with salt and sand, our chests heaving from laughter and exertion.

She teaches me simple poultices. I learn how to identify the plants that grow here, which are edible, which are poisonous, and which have healing properties. We sample fruits and berries until I marvel at the ingenuity of nature. The sheer beauty of it. The beauty of her.

Even Wart seems to love it here.

Mab and her fawn frequent the meadow. She is seen less and less in the company of Köv and Agan these days, preferring her former solitude. Teak and his raccoon are outrageously popular among the town folk. Wherever he goes, there follows a trail of children tempting Tiva with sweets. I swear the animal is growing rounder before my very eyes.

A pair of bungalows have been vacated for us. As usual, Teak and I stick together. He seems as in love with the city as I am. That he must continue on to the next, however, is not up for debate. Köv and Mab seem desperate to get as far from Balai as they can, and, for some reason, Teak intends to stay with them.

"We have to stick together," Teak insists, ever loyal. He knows my reasons for wanting to stay (to mixed opinions, everyone has taken notice to the long hours Ohna and I spend together), and makes no attempt to convince me, though I know he will miss me almost as much as I will miss him. This place, though. These people. They make me the happiest I've ever been. And I am not in danger of being sought out as the others are.

Agan doesn't talk much, but it is assumed that she is with Köv for the duration. Ever since they were children, the pair have been together, a mismatched set. Köv doesn't seem to mind her silence, and Agan tolerates his domineering. In that way, they are perfect for one another.

Mab tries to run into me in private, and the reversal is amusing. Her interest in Ohna, in our relationship, is obvious. I almost feel bad for enjoying it so much.

"I just don't trust her."

"Why? Because she's different? I'm different, in case you'd forgotten." 

It is hard not to take offense to the word that was undoubtedly used over and over as a reason to keep me at a distance all these years. Growing up in Balai had been miserable... The distrust was palpable. Always being underestimated by my teachers. Never having any close friends. Never getting a second glance from her. Mab, the queen of everything. Now it is her turn to be the outsider, and she resents it. I can see it in her eyes. I just wish she could be happy. Or at least happy for me.

After every coarse word, I try to make it up to her. Books, flowers, fruits. The potential offerings here are numerous, and she often forgives me with a hug. I want her friendship more than anything. For years, I have struggled to know her, to understand, but the jealousy is too much. Especially when it manifests itself as xenophobia. 

It may be easy for her to forget in this far-flung land that I am not Balaiin, but I was never allowed that luxury. When I was there, they never would let me. Now, I don't want to forget. I am not Balaiin. I am an adventurer. My home is where I make it.

I am apologizing to her with an offering of chocolates left on the bungalow doorstep when Ohna finds me.

"You're a strange one," she says, quirking her full lips at me. "You chase after that girl, but all the two of you do is squabble." There isn't a hint of envy. It is more amusement, bafflement, than anything. "You disagree about everything. You fight. You apologize. You fight again. Doesn't it get old?"

"She is going through a lot."

"So are you. So are we all. Always. If you want to get along, you're going to have to learn to control that temper."

"You're right," I tell her, mostly because I hate disagreeing with her. I'd rather be in her good graces. Life is much more pleasant that way.

"I am right, you silly boy." She pushes me away, laughing, as I try put my arms around her. "You are a mess, Kal." I try to hold her hand, and she shakes free of it. "I am not trying to get involved with a boy who is clearly so infatuated with someone else." I venture to argue, but she puts a finger to my lips. "You are infatuated with her. I can see it. And that's fine. I just deserve someone who loves me. Only me." She returns my grasping hand to my side. "Until then, we are just friends. Okay?"

I watch her leave and realize that I am alone. Without Ohna, without Mab. And all because I couldn't stand to have one without the other.