Private Adrift

[Colette]

Life had gotten complicated. Maybe too much so. Colette stretched her arm, gaze drifting around the room. It hadn't changed. The bed was the same, and so were the rest of the decorations Valery had insisted she keep. The faint smell of dust and the quiet though, that was certainly new. Valery must have been outside with the kids. Colette continued to look around the sparsely decorated room. Her gaze caught the drawings still taped to the wall. Memories made eternal in crayon. The handiwork was immaculately sloppy, but that made them all the more precious. They would grow out of all this — and that thought that scared Colette far more than it should have.

She hadn't announced her return. They'd know she was here eventually, and right now she preferred to be by herself. She eased the bag off her shoulder and onto the floor. The soreness from yesterday's arm pass flared and she gently pressed a hand to her shoulder to roll it out.

All she needed now was water. That meant the kitchen, and after that — well, the couch looked as comfortable as ever. With a fresh serving of water in her canteen, Colette eased herself into the cushions and felt her mind fade away. The silhouettes of the trees beyond the great patio etched themselves into her vision. She allowed herself to sink deeper and deeper into her mind again. There, in the silence of her home, she could simply sit and breathe as she wandered through the hallways of the mind to take stock of everything that had happened.

The good.

The bad.

The all too ugly.

The sensation of her thumb brushing against the edge of her canteen kept her grounded. Its once sharp edge had been sanded down over years of sessions just like this one. Her mind was gone, and for the first time in ages it felt like she could sit back and enjoy the silence. Her breath was steady but quiet, trapped somewhere between being all too awake and a deep slumber.

It felt good to be home again.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

A soft melody carried through the air while Colette's mind drifted somewhere between awake and slumber. She would recognize it in an instant — it was a tune Valery always seemed to hum when she was in the kitchen. The scent of steeping tea mingled with something sweeter at the same time, the warmth of baked bread or pastries spreading through the house and chasing away the stillness that had lingered too long.

When Valery turned, her hands were still dusted lightly with flour. She smiled the moment her eyes found Colette. "There you are," she said, "It's good to see you home again."

She set the cloth aside and moved closer, "The little ones have been asking for you," Valery went on, a soft laugh escaping her as she spoke. "You should have seen their faces when I told them you'd be home again sooner or later."

For a moment, she studied her daughter. She could tell something lingered behind Colette's eyes, but she didn't mention it. Not yet, anyway. Instead, Valery tilted her head toward the counter. "Tea's almost ready. Sit with me? You look like you could use the rest."

Colette ​

 

[Colette]

Valery Noble

It wasn't immediate, but the sweet sourness of the berries from the pastries slowly drifted into her mind. Colette didn't snap from her slumber but gently began to stir. Then it was the soft clink of a spoon and the soft melodies that were hummed pulled her the rest of the way back to consciousness.

Colette blinked. The imprint of the trees lingered like a bright spot behind her eyelids. A wet, languishing yawn forced Colette to stretch her back until all comfort was practically gone. Sleepy time was over, she figured. She shuffled in her seat, sitting up straight to look around the room.

"Oh!" she grumbled. "You're here."

Her gaze swept across the room in confusion. How had she not managed to notice when Valery had come over? Where had she been when the pastries were put in the oven? Had she actually been asleep or had she truly been that far gone?

A flicker of panic rose, but Valery's invitation quelled it fast.

"Oh, yeah… Sure." Colette groaned and pulled herself out of the couch's warm embrace. "Sorry, I didn't notice when you came back."

She shuffled across the floor to the seat Valery had pointed at, her hand rubbing at her eyes.

"Yeah, I'm… Tired," she admitted as she placed herself on its cushioned surface. "Just need some good sleep and I'll probably be back to normal again."

The keyword was 'probably'. Colette knew the weight it carried on its shoulders.

"How have things been for you?"