By the time Theora's eyes reached the bottom of the letter, she was full-on sobbing. When a hand gently landed on her shoulder, she was so startled that she almost jerked away, until she recognized Cylea's sorry expression.
"Sorry," her cousin muttered. "You've been very still and reading the same line for a while..."
She handed Theora a handkerchief, who took it with a trembling hand, letting the letter fall on her lap. Cylea gently hugged her shoulder with one arm. Theora hadn't even noticed how much she was shaking, nor the thick trail of tears on her cheeks. She had never been one to cry much, if at all, but her mother's letter had broken some invisible dam. Cylea's hug meant a lot, however, and she was glad she hadn't shut her cousin out and read this by herself.
"...Are you alri
