Page 20 of Willow and the Wraith

She wanted to wrap her arms around him and tell him it would be okay, but she restrained herself. He was a grown male, not one of her students. He didn’t need her comfort. Did he?

“Thank you for telling me.”

They stared at each other for a long moment before he cleared his throat and looked away.

“It’s late. You should get some rest.”

She nodded, unexpectedly disappointed at his dismissal. As she turned to leave, she could have sworn she felt his eyes following her. But when she glanced back, he was focused on the controls, his expression as inscrutable as ever.

She was still remembering their conversation the next evening as she watched Sooni help Malacar prepare their evening meal. He had a contented look on his face, and she suspected he was still enjoying the abundance of food and the variety of ingredients. He was carefully chopping vegetables while Sooni chattered away.

“And then Wraith showed me the navigation system,” Sooni exclaimed, her yellow eyes bright with excitement. “It’s like all the stars all laid on top of each other. You should see it.”

Malacar chuckled. “Perhaps I will, little one. For now, let’s focus on not burning our dinner.”

She smiled at the two of them, warmth spreading through her chest. This felt so natural, so right. If the future wasn’t so uncertain, she could be happy with this life. A home. A family. People she cared about.

Sooni was still chattering happily, giving a somewhat confusing description of the navigation system.

“Wraith’s so smart. He knows everything,” she said, waving an arm enthusiastically.

Willow laughed, quickly removing the bottle of spices Sooni had nearly knocked over.

“I’m sure he is,” she said. “But I think Malacar’s right. Let’s focus on cooking, shall we?”

“Okay. Do you think Wraith will join us?”

As much as she wished he would, she didn’t think it was likely.

“I think he’s busy,” she said gently. “But you can take him a plate later.”

Sooni nodded enthusiastically.

“Then can we play a game? You promised to teach me one.”

“I don’t see why not,” she said and Malacar agreed, his wrinkled face creasing into a smile.

As they sat down to eat, she caught a glimpse of movement in the doorway. Wraith stood there, watching them with an unreadable expression. She opened her mouth to invite him to join them, but he turned and disappeared before she could speak. She bit back a sigh, glad that at least Sooni hadn’t seen him.

After dinner she let Sooni take him a plate “all on her own” while she pulled out the pack of cards she’d found in one of the ship’s storage compartments. The numbers and symbols were different of course, as were the number of cards, but there were enough similarities for her to teach Malacar and Sooni how to play a version of Go Fish, laughing at Sooni’s exaggerated pout when she had to draw another card.

As they played, she noticed Wraith again, just a faint outline in the shadows of the corridor. She pretended not to see him, not wanting to scare him off, but her heart ached at his self-imposed isolation.

Sooni’s excited voice drew her attention back to the game. “I have a pair! That means I win, right?”

Willow laughed, shaking her head. “Not quite, sweetie. But you’re getting closer!”

They played several games, and then Malacar told them a story about how one of the constellations in the Ssst sky got its name. Sooni fell asleep in the middle of it and Willow carried her to bed, gently tucking her in. She talked to Malacar for a while longer, then went to bed.

Sleep eluded her and she tossed and turned restlessly in her bunk. She kept replaying the events of the past few days in her head - both this unexpected sense of family and her encounters with Wraith. Wraith… Her heart skipped a beat at the thought of him.

Finally she sighed, giving up on sleep. She slipped out of bed and padded quietly through the darkened ship towards the cockpit, the distant starlight beckoning her.

It wasn’t until she reached the cockpit that she saw Wraith sitting in the dark, only his silhouette visible against the vast expanse of space. He turned towards her, purple eyes glinting in the dim light as they flicked down over her bare legs.

She was suddenly very conscious of the fact that all she was wearing was his shirt, even though it was so large that it almost reached her knees. In one of his silent acts of thoughtfulness, he’d left one for both her and Sooni to sleep in. She’d had a hard time preventing Sooni from wearing it all the time, even though it came down to the little girl’s ankles.

“Can’t sleep?”

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