Letters And Forever

The compound was unusually quiet the next morning. Most brothers were out on patrol or fixing the damage from the last attack. I sat cross-legged on the floor of our room with the old letters spread around me like fallen leaves. Colossus sat behind me, his long legs on either side, his broad chest a warm wall at my back. His arms were loosely wrapped around my waist, chin resting gently on my shoulder as I read aloud in a soft voice. He didn’t interrupt. He just listened, occasionally pressing a kiss to the side of my neck or squeezing me a little tighter when my voice cracked. In one letter, my father wrote: “She’s only four but she already has your fire, Elena. I watched her try to fix a broken toy with a spoon today. She’s going to change the world with those hands. I just hope I’m