ANDEN
CHASING THE SUN
Everything seemed at peace. As if Anden and Dani had grown up alongside Henry in the Grounds. There were many things Anden struggled with in Caido. The biggest was finding ways to talk with Dani. He wasn't gifted with words, or naturally social. Seeing Dani and Henry talk so freely... So actively, it worried him - and the fact that it worried him, bothered him. Was he not good enough for Dani? Was he too silent? Anden wasn't an artist by trade. His hands were rough from years of manual labor, still he did his best to follow Henry's directions and example to craft his own lantern. He silently worked away as Dani and Henry continued to exchange words. In many ways, this was the closest he felt to home since he arrived in Caido.
How Dani always managed to look at life and see the positive he wasn't sure. Even in a world like Caido she saw it as a blessing, while Anden saw it as a curse. Her positivity was infectious though, and with each passing day he started to see things differently. He wasn't sure he would ever see the Grounds, or Caido as a blessing like Dani, but he was certain with time he could see it as his home.
Anden caught himself moving to wipe the tears that would never fall from his eyes, as Henry finished his story of his grandparents. He'd never felt loss like Henry did. The closest was when he was pulled away from his home by The Voice. Except Anden could still have hope. Somewhere out there was Eloise Marie, if not in this world than in his last. There was still hope that he might one day be with her, and his family again. Henry didn't have that luxury.
Breaking his silence Anden spoke up. "It sounds beautiful. Like shooting stars across the skies." Anden stopped cutting the wax paper, to put his hand on Dani's shoulder. "Maybe we should go see it. It's as good of a reason as any to see what else is out there." Caido was a world filled with beauty, and Anden wanted to see it all.
He turned his attention back to Henry. "You'd have to come though. We could all use a break from this place." Anden said as he looked out the window of the sanctuary and into the gloomy Grounds. "What better way to celebrate their life than to live yours. He offered a smile to Henry.
The trio were similar in many ways. All seeming to want more from life, but none ready to take on the world on their own.
