Cobalt groaned into his blanket in humiliation, hoping that his mum would forget she ever saw anything. He looked at his alarm - 7:47. He still had quite a bit of time before he had to head out to meet Sapphire at the park. In all the commotion of his mum catching him in his ‘compromising position’, it was only then that the details of his dream came rushing back to him. He began to relax a little as his mind drifted to thoughts of his half-sister, reminiscing on the intense pleasure he’d experienced.
After several more minutes of reminiscing, Cobalt finally gained the motivation to get out of bed. He tried not to think about the look that was on his mum’s face as he removed the pillow sheet, crumpling it up and wiping the remainder of his mess off with it before tossing it into the laundry basket. Rubbing his eye and scraping the morning crust out of it, the young Heeler gave out a yawn as he left his room for breakfast.
Breakfast with his parents was relatively uneventful, though Cobalt spent much of his time focusing on not making eye-contact with his mum and hoping she wouldn’t bring up anything embarrassing about earlier. After that, he gave his parents a quick goodbye before heading out on his bike to South Bank.
Cobalt took a moment to meditate as he rode his bike down the hill, trying to distract himself from his worries. Today he’d be spending as much time as he could with Sapphire, his favorite sibling - not that he would ever admit that out-loud. As he daydreamed about her, a thought suddenly crossed his mind.
He’d forgotten the pencils and paper that she’d asked him to bring.
‘Ah, fuck,’ he thought, not wanting to go all the way back to the house. Thankfully, he’d brought a bit of cash just in case, so he quickly stopped at a local grocery store to get some paper, a few pencils, and a sharpener from the office supplies section. He also stopped by the candy aisle, grabbing a few Zershey bars - Sapphire’s favorite chocolate with bacon bits inside - before resuming on his way.
Cobalt approached the spot by the Grand Arbour, where they’d always typically met up, before locking his bike to a rack. He looked around for a time, but didn’t see her anywhere. Sitting down in the grass, Cobalt closed his eyes and waited… and waited… and waited. Until finally, he heard a familiar voice suddenly waking him up just as he was about to doze off.
“You’re late.”
He opened his eyes to the sight of a beautiful white and blue Texas-Heeler.
“I’m late? You didn’t get here until… what time is it?”
“It’s 11:15, you dork. You weren’t here at 11 o’clock like you promised, so I went to the toilet quick. And I got us some German sausages.”
Sapphire held out her hand, presenting him with a steaming grilled German sausage that tantalized his sensitive canine nose.
“Th-thanks, Sapph…” he replied as he took the offer and sat up. He looked at the bike rack, unsure of how he didn’t notice that Sapph’s bike was already there when he first arrived. “Sorry I was late, I ended up forgetting the paper and pencils you asked for. But I have some now.”
“That’s okay, Cobe,” said Sapphire, taking a bite of hers as she spoke, “Speaking of which, let’s find a good spot for what I have planned.”
“W-what you have planned?” Cobalt asked, standing up before taking a bite of his own.
“Yeah, I thought you might prefer drawing me when we’re not in the classroom,” Sapphire replied. “So I figured it might be fun to do some ‘modeling’ for you. If you’re up to it, that is…”
Cobalt inhaled a large chunk of his food and pounded his chest as he coughed, his heart skipping a beat at Sapphire’s offer. She had never technically offered to model for him, only saying that she liked his art. But his sudden reaction only made Sapphire feel more self-conscious.
“...Actually, y-you don’t have to if you don’t want to. Maybe that was weird of me to ask. I didn’t mean to put you on the spot like that-”
“No no, it’s fine,” Cobalt finally said with a gasp of air after he was able to swallow the sausage, clearing his throat. “Of course I can draw you. I’d love to draw you. I-I mean, it’s definitely not weird at all, it’s just art, but… you weren’t exactly meant to see those drawings yesterday.”
Cobalt looked down and blushed, feeling a rush of embarrassment as he remembered those idle doodles of her. To him, he worried they might seem like the scribblings of an obsessive stalker.
“Oh. Well I didn’t mean to pry,” Sapphire bumped her hip against Cobalt’s in a sisterly manner. “But for what it’s worth, from what I got a quick glance of, your drawings of me were very flattering. You made me look so cute!”
“Well yeah, ‘cause you are cu-”
Cobalt caught himself before he said something he might regret, holding the word back as he noticed Sapphire turn her head in his direction.
“-uuuriously observant, heh.”
‘Whew, close one.’
But for some reason, Cobalt got the feeling that Sapphire’s mood had suddenly dampened just a little - like she was disappointed about something. He had no idea what.
“By the way,” Cobalt spoke again, noting something different about Sapphire. “I noticed your hairpin. It looks… nice.”
Sapphire looked up and touched her hairpin with her fingers, as if double-checking that it was still there. It was a glittery orange and black butterfly.
“Thanks! It’s a Monarch. My mum gave it to me for my 13th birthday, but I hadn’t really worn it all that much until now. Do you think it looks good on me?”
“U-uh, yeah,” Cobalt replied bashfully, scratching his cheek, “It suits you. Oh, by the way, before I forget, I uh, got us some Zershey bars.”
He reached in his bag and pulled out two chocolate bars, which were starting to sag just a little in the Australian heat, but otherwise still solid.
“My favorite! You know me so well,” Sapphire said, grabbing one. “Thanks, Cobe.”
They ate their candy as they walked, careful to not let any stick to their fingers or melt onto their fur.
“So anyway… what do you think about drawing me here?” she asked once they finished and threw their wrappers in a bin, looking around as they continued walking through the arbor for some time. “The flowers are lovely.”
Hm…” Cobalt thought. Although it was undeniably a beautiful place befitting a girl like Sapphire, it just didn’t feel quite right. “Nah, there’s too much shade here. Plus there’s too many other dogs walking through, and there’s not really anywhere for us to sit down. Let’s find somewhere else.”
“Okay, I trust your judgment. Somewhere with more light and seats, then. But less dogs.”
The two of them blushed a little at the thought of having total privacy together, as unlikely as was at a tourist destination like this.
They looked around as they walked through the long and winding arbor, searching for a good place. The Epicurious Garden would’ve been an ideal spot, but it was so packed with tourists at the moment that they’d have no room for their art session. The Picnic Island Green looked nice, but Cobalt decided against it - with so many rowdy kids around, there was no telling if one bad apple might snatch his paper and pencils right out of his hands. Until finally, they reached Streets Beach. Although there were still quite a few dogs around, most of them were simply staying near the beach itself and in the water. But on the other side of the pool, near the deeper end, there was a long and short stone wall that would be perfect for Sapphire to sit on. There were even a few benches on the other side of the pathway facing the water that Cobalt could sit on as well, so it worked out perfectly.
“Okay, sit over… there,” Cobalt said as they reached a spot with a good angle of the sun, directing his half-sister to sit on the stone barrier.
“Here?” she asked, sitting straight-forward with her hands resting on her knees.
“Yeah, but… kinda face the side. With your legs up on the wall.” Cobalt answered, making his way to the bench and getting his supplies out of the plastic bag he’d been carrying around.
“Like this?” Sapphire asked, facing right at a 90-degree angle with her legs flat on the wall.
“No, more like with your front leg bent and your head facing me.”
“I’m not sure what you mean,” Sapphire sighed. But then, she suddenly got an idea. “I don’t know how you want me to pose, Cobe. You’ll have to come over here and pose me how you want.”
“O-oh, uh…” Cobalt hesitated, but tried not to come across as flustered. He set his pencil and papers down on the bench, returning to her. “Okay, so kinda like this…”
With a gulp, he gently held the back of her right knee with his hand and took her right ankle, slowly moving it towards her body with her foot flat on the surface. He then took her hand, resting it just behind her with her palm flat on the wall’s top as well. He could feel his own palms sweating as he pressed his hand onto her chest, gradually shifting her body into a slightly reclining position. Noticing her head was still facing straight-forward, he quickly licked his drying lips as he reached on the other side of her soft white cheek, carefully turning her head to face him at just the right angle.
“How’s… this?” Sapphire asked while looking into her brother’s eyes, with an adorable smile that melted Cobalt’s heart quicker than ice cream in the sun. He was so completely entranced by her that he nearly forgot to respond.
“...Perfect.”
They spent the next several hours chatting as Cobalt drew his muse. Cobalt wanted to do everything he could to impress Sapph - this wasn’t just some random doodle in his notebook, this had to be perfect. In fact, nearly half of his time was spent erasing a line if it didn’t look just right. He also did as much detail in the background as he could manage, although it was clear he wasn’t quite as experienced with drawing scenery. But Cobalt didn’t mind, he’d gladly spend all day and night here on this bench if it meant getting to spend some one-on-one time with his favorite dog in the whole world. And although he didn’t know it, Sapphire felt exactly the same way..
Just as Cobalt was finishing the final touches on the shading on Sapphire’s muzzle, a dog on a bicycle suddenly zipped down the walkway, nearly clipping Sapphire.
“Aah!” she yelped out as she lost her balance, falling back into the water.
“Sapph!” Cobalt shouted, running over to her rescue while turning his head to the cyclist; his inner Aussie came out as his blood began to boil on her behalf. “WATCH WHERE YA GOIN’, YA FUCKIN’ CUNT!”
But as much as he wanted to chase the inconsiderate dog down and cuss him out further, Sapphire needed him more. Without hesitating, he jumped into the water after his sister, expecting her to be drowning.
However, he didn’t get to be quite the hero he was imagining himself to be as Sapph was already treading water at the surface, shaking her wet hair to get the water out of her eyes.
“Sapphire! Are you okay?!” Cobalt asked, holding onto her shoulders as he kicked his legs in-time with her.
“Y-yeah, I’m fine, just a little- hang on, did you just call me ‘Sapphire’?” she asked.
“Well, yeah, that’s your name,” Cobalt replied. “Wait… oh no, you don’t have amnesia, do you?!”
Sapphire laughed, nudging his shoulder playfully.
“No, no, I don’t have amnesia, ya spaz. I just can’t remember the last time you called me by my full name,” she said, giggling again.
“O-oh, sorry. I won’t call you ‘Sapphire’ again if you don’t want me to…”
“That’s not what I meant! What I meant was that… oh, nevermind. A boy like you wouldn’t understand, anyway,” she chuckled coyly.
“What?!” Cobalt scoffed. “Whad’ya mean ‘a boy like me’?”
“Nothing, nothing at all,” Sapphire smirked, rolling her eyes. But before Cobalt could press her further, she held her breath and bobbed herself above the surface before plunging back into the water.
“What the- ARF!” Cobalt felt a hand grab his ankle, pulling him down into the depths as well.
When he opened his eyes, he saw only a blurry silhouette of Sapphire reaching her arms around his sides. He nearly blurted out in surprise at his sister’s sudden hug, but held himself back so as not to lose what little oxygen he had. Instead, he hesitantly wrapped his arms around Sapphire as well, leaning into their private underwater embrace.
It didn’t last as long as he would’ve liked, however, as he could feel his lungs giving out. He hummed as a signal to Sapphire, and together they kicked their legs back up to the water’s surface.
“Wha… wha…” Cobalt struggled to get a word in as he caught his breath. “Sapph, what was all that about? What’re you doin’?”
“I… I dunno…” Sapphire’s cheeks went rosy as she said quietly,
“...What are we doin’?”
Something about the way she said those particular words in that particular order made Cobalt’s brain force a factory-reset, his mind drawing a complete blank in oblivious denial. This was the sort of romantic thing he might fantasize about with his sister, so to experience this sort of awkward tension for real-life felt almost unbelievable. Surely he was just reading too much into things, he thought. There was no way his own half-sister would ever happen to also have the same feelings for him as he did for her. No way. It was all just wishful thinking. One misread signal could spell disaster for their entire relationship as half-siblings - even worse, it could destroy their friendship. So until he was completely sure of himself, he couldn’t take any chances.
“Y-your drawing… it’s done, I think,” he said, pulling away from Sapph’s arms and lifting himself back up onto the stone barrier, reaching down into the water for his sister to grab ahold of.
Sapphire wore that disappointed expression on her face again for a moment as Cobalt changed the subject, but her face quickly lit up again as she looked forward to seeing how her portrait had turned out.
“Really?” she asked as she took his hand, and once he lifted her out of the water they shook their bodies to dry themselves off. “Let me see!”
“Alright, but keep in mind, I’m still just an amateur…” Cobalt chuckled modestly as Sapphire approached the bench, picking up the paper to see for herself.
She held the paper in her hands for a few moments, looking down at it in complete silence.
“Is this really how you see me?” she finally asked, not looking back at him.
‘Aw, she must really think it’s piss…’ Cobalt thought with a disheartened sigh as he stood behind her. “That bad, huh? S-sorry I might’a messed up the-”
Sapphire suddenly turned around and hugged Cobalt tighter than she ever had, letting out a soft sniffle as tears welled up in her eyes.
“Are you kidding me? I love it, Cobe. I love it so much. Thank you.”
She rubbed her cheek affectionately against his, wiping a few of her tears off on his face as she held onto the drawing tightly in her hand. Cobalt’s cheek felt like it was instantly burning up like lava at her soft touch.
“N-no problem, just glad you like it,” he said as their tails wagged back and forth, feeling his heart pounding as he returned her hug while making sure to cherish this tender moment.
“I love you, big brother,” Sapphire whispered into his ear.
Cobalt’s body tensed up in surprise at first, but quickly reeled his thoughts back to reality. The way she called him ‘big brother’ had kept his expectations in check; it was perfectly normal for siblings to express their love for one another, he reminded himself. Safe, platonic, familial love, and nothing more.
‘Don’t make it weird,’ he scolded himself for getting his hopes up for even a moment.
“...Love you, too. Little sis.”
Just then, his stomach growled lightly.
“Heh, I guess that German sausage barely hit the bottom, aye?” Sapphire teased with an amused giggle, pulling back just a bit but still holding their embrace intact. “You are a growing boy, after all.”
“Hey, gimme a break, Sapph,” Cobalt said, trying to hide his embarrassment. “We’ve been here for hours now, and drawing really works up an appetite.”
“I’m only joking,” Sapphire replied with a smile, finally breaking the hug and looking at the drawing in her hand again. “I’m pretty hungry too. Let’s head to the cafe, I could really go for a panini right about now. And then, maybe… the Wheel of Brisbane after?”
Cobalt nodded.
“Sure, that sounds-”
A thought suddenly crossed Cobalt’s mind. For as many times as they’d been to South Bank, they’d never actually gone on the Ferris Wheel together. Two teenagers, all alone in a small cabin, high above the town, and with no one else around to watch them…
‘Snap out of it,’ Cobalt silently scolded himself yet again. ‘This is your half-sister, nothing’s gonna happen.’
“Sounds great.”
After their mid-afternoon meal of panini sandwiches at the cafe, Cobalt and Sapphire headed all the way to the farthest end of the park to get on the Wheel of Brisbane. Cobalt let Sapphire get on first, and then stepped in after and took the seat across from her.
“What’re you doing all the way over there, Cobe?” Sapphire asked as the operator closed the door behind them, patting the spot on the seat next to her as there was plenty of room. “I don’t bite.”
“O-oh, I just uh…” Cobalt stuttered, trying to come up with an excuse. “I thought too much weight on one side might-”
“Hm, are you implying something?” Sapphire asked, raising an eyebrow.
“What? No, nothing!” Cobalt backtracked, realizing how what he said might’ve sounded insulting. “I don’t think you’re-!”
Sapphire laughed.
“I’m so sorry, Cobe! I’ve been teasing you all day, haven’t I? And you didn’t deserve any of it, especially after that beautiful picture you drew for me. It’s just…” Her face began to glow a shade of pink and she looked out the window, playing a bit with the fluff on her cheek as they lifted up off the ground. “It’s fun to watch you get so flustered like that. It’s really cute.”
Cobalt didn’t say a word, simply looking down at his feet as he struggled to maintain his composure. He didn’t appreciate being teased, and yet… when Sapphire was the one doing it, he couldn’t deny that he enjoyed it. At least a little bit.
About halfway to the top, he finally gathered his courage and got up out of his seat, taking Sapph’s offer and stepping across the cab to sit down next to her.
“Thanks, Cobe,” Sapphire said, discreetly snuggling up to him as she looked out her window. “I was getting lonely over here.”
“Mhm.” Cobalt hummed affirmatively, looking out the window on his side to avoid eye-contact.
“I had a really nice day,” she continued, resting her shoulder against his. “Well, except for that a-hole on the bike. But everything else? Couldn’t’a been better.”
“M…me too,” Cobalt mumbled quietly. Without even realizing it, he was unconsciously inching his pinky finger across the seat and over to his sister’s hand. He realized this as soon as he made contact with the silky white fur of her paw, and began to slowly retract his hand back to his side. However, just as he pulled his finger away, his heart felt a jolt as Sapphire’s palm suddenly rested atop his hand.
“Are you nervous about something, Cobe?” she asked, turning to him. “Your hand’s shakin’ a bit. You’re allowed to hold your sister’s hand, y’know.”
‘Don’t make it weird, don’t make it weird, don’t make it weird….’ he repeated to himself in his head, feeling his palms begin to sweat more and more. As much as it filled him with pent-up tension, it was best to play along with it. Act casual.
Cobalt gave in and held her hand, and she interlocked her fingers into his as their cabin slowed to a stop at the top.
“Cobalt…” Sapphire said, turning back to face her brother.
“Y-” he choked, clearing his throat a bit as he turned to her as well. Their noses were mere centimeters apart. “Yeah?”
“What do you… think of me?”
Cobalt felt a faint whimper in his throat. He wanted to tell her so badly how in love he was with her. That she was all he ever thought about. That she was the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen. That she meant more to him than anything else in the whole world. The words were building up in his throat, just ready to burst out for all to hear.
‘Sapphire…’ Cobalt said, closing his eyes tightly, ‘I LOVE YOU SO MUCH, YOU’RE ALL I EVER THINK ABOUT, YOU’RE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GIRL I’VE EVER SEEN, AND YOU MEAN MORE TO ME THAN ANYTHING ELSE IN THE WHOLE WORLD!’
Sapphire scowled, distancing herself from him with a look of repulsion and disgust on her face.
‘What?! I can’t believe you actually… you’re in love with me?!’ Her scowl turned into an evil grin, and she began to laugh. ‘You wanna bang your own sister?! You’re such a gross pervert! Wait until everyone at school hears about this!’
Cobalt, his heart broken to pieces, began to cry. Water slowly began to rise outside the windows of the Ferris wheel, and the glass began to crack.
‘Did you actually think I would ever, EVER like you in that way? You’re such a loser! And you always will be! I never want to see you again!’
With the entire cabin now underwater, the windows imploded with a loud shatter under the pressure.
“Ah-!”
Cobalt blinked with a gasp, and everything was strangely back to normal in an instant. Sapphire was still holding his hand and smiling sweetly at him.
‘What the…’ he thought, ‘Another vivid daydream?’
“S-sorry…” Cobalt blushed, “Could you repeat that?”
“I said, what do you…” Sapph then sighed downheartedly, turning away. Her grip on his hand loosened, and she sadly pulled it away again. “Oh, nevermind. It’s not important anyway.”
Cobalt’s ears drooped, feeling like he’d ruined the moment. He continued looking at his sister, fearful of these visions he’d been having. Daydreaming was one thing, but these recent hallucinations he’d been having were terrifyingly realistic. It was something to look into when he had the chance. He just hoped he didn’t need therapy - that would not go well if anyone from school found out.
As the cabin began its descent, Cobalt suddenly noticed something about Sapphire.
“Hey Sapph? Where’s your hairpin-thing? The butterfly?” he asked, gesturing to the top of her head.
“What?” Sapphire asked, feeling around her hair. It was nowhere to be found. “Oh no! My hairpin’s gone! It must’ve fell off when-!”
“When you fell into the water…” Cobalt finished.
“Fuck, my mum’s gonna be so upset…” Sapphire leaned forward and put her head in her hands in despair.
“I’m sorry…” Cobalt said sympathetically, hesitating for a moment before rubbing her back. “But hey, knowing your mum, I don’t think anything upsets her.”
“I guess… you’re probably right…” She wiped her eyes with a sigh, sitting up again. “But still… that butterfly hairpin meant a lot to me.”
As the cabin began to approach the ground again, Cobalt knew there was only one thing for him to do.
“Thanks again for today,” Sapphire said as they finally reached the other end of the park approaching their bikes they’d left on the rack. The sun was slowly but surely approaching the horizon. “And I really love your drawing, I mean it.”
She looked at the picture one more time before safely putting it away.
“You’re welcome, I’d…” Cobalt averted his eyes shyly. “I’d be happy to draw you again, if you want.”
“Hm, I’d love that.” Sapphire said with a happy hum, unlocking her bike and pulling it out of the rack. She turned it around but stood still by it for a moment, as though she were deep in thought. Then, without warning, she turned back around and stepped towards Cobalt before pressing her lips against the side of his muzzle in a quick kiss.
“Ah, er, wha, uh…” Cobalt froze up with his eyes wide, wondering for a moment if this was just another daydream.
“See you Monday, Cobalt.”
With that, Sapphire smiled and hopped on her bike before riding away.
As Cobalt pressed his hand to the warm spot on his muzzle, he understood what she had been trying to say when he’d called her by her full name before.
‘Ugh, I still can’t find it…’ he thought as he resurfaced from the water of the pool. No matter how many times he’d dived all the way to the bottom, he still couldn’t spot Sapphire’s orange Monarch butterfly hairpin. But the sun was setting, and if he wasn’t home soon, his parents would start to worry. And the more he made them worry, the more upset with him they’d be when he got back. He had been hoping to recover it for her as a sort of romantic gesture, but he’d looked all over this pool to see if it’d gotten carried somewhere else by the current, and it appeared that wasn’t going to happen after all.
‘Oh well… can’t win ‘em all, I guess…’
He got out of the water, shaking himself off and calling it a night as he headed back home.
That night, Colby stirred restlessly as he laid awake in bed. He couldn’t help but feel useless for not getting Sapph’s hairpin back, something that meant so much to her. And he felt like he’d messed up so many times today already - whenever things got too intimate between him and his sister, he ended up doing something to ruin the mood. But even after all of that, he still had that kiss she’d given him burned into his memory forever. Sure, it was only an innocent cheek-kiss. But then again, what if… it wasn’t? What if Sapphire really did feel the same way about him? What would be the chances of that? The more he looked back on that day, the more it seemed like she had been trying to flirt with him. But what if it was all just in his head? What if his teenage hormones were playing tricks on him? And these lucid daydreams he’d been having… if this kept up, he wasn’t sure if he could trust anything he saw anymore.
With everything on his mind, it was impossible to sleep. Cobalt looked at the alarm clock on his bedside table - 2:34 A.M. There was no way his parents would still be awake by now. He removed his blanket and got out of bed, determined to give it one last try.
Cobalt rode his bike carefully across town back to South Bank, keeping a flashlight on him to look for Sapph’s hairpin once he got there. Pulling his bike up to the same rack, Cobalt took out the light and shined it on the ground, making sure to retrace their steps throughout the day. Perhaps he had been going about it the wrong way before by only limiting his search to the pool. Maybe she’d lost it even before that. It was still a long shot, someone might’ve easily found it earlier on, but it was still worth a try.
He walked through the arbor, keeping an eye out for anything reflective where Sapphire had been. He knew it wouldn’t be at the restrooms, nor at the sausage stand, because she had still been wearing it at the time. He followed the trail to the Picnic Island Green, but no sign of it there. The Epicurious Garden was a bust as well. As Cobalt continued on the trail, his eyes were so fixated on the ground that he never even noticed that the night sky was a shifting kaleidoscope of colors, with the planet Mars looming above him in plain sight.
Cobalt sighed as he reached the Wheel of Brisbane, having traveled all this way for nothing.
“I guess someone must’ve found it already…” he said to himself with a sigh.
“You’re right - someone has.”
Cobalt’s ears perked up at the startling sound of an unfamiliar voice, turning around and shining his flashlight to see who was there. Standing before him was a blue heeler, who looked to be only a few years older than him, with black fur on his head and large blue freckles on his face.
“Who’re you? You… kinda look like my dad,” Cobalt said, tilting his head curiously.
“I’m just here to help, that’s all,” the stranger said, holding up an orange Monarch butterfly hairpin. “This is yours, right? Or I should say, you’re looking for this for someone else?”
He gently tossed Cobalt the piece of jewelry, which Cobalt caught with his right hand.
“Y-yeah, thanks! Wait, how did you…”
As Cobalt’s eyes shifted upwards with Sapphire’s pin in hand, he then noticed the colorful aurora of light above him, as well as how huge Mars was in the sky.
“I’m a friend,” the stranger replied, giving him a friendly wave. "Actually, you can think of me as more like... a big brother."
“...And I’m sure we’ll meet again soon.”
Cobalt’s eyes shot open as stared up at his bedroom ceiling, letting out a tired groan of disappointment. Apparently, he’d only dreamt about getting Sapph’s pin back, when he’d just been sleeping all along. He raised his fists to rub the crust out of his eyes as he gave out a disappointed yawn. But then, he felt something small and metal in his hand. With his vision clear, he looked down and opened his right palm. What he saw made him question everything.
There, in his hand, was Sapphire’s Monarch butterfly hairpin.
‘What… the… fuck.’
