It's Cami

Jesse was just as relieved to have his sister back as he imagined she was to discover that he was alive. He would have never expected to run into her, and why would he? Everyone he had put his trust in had told him that she, along with the rest of his immediate family were dead. He squeezed her tight as a response to her comment and pulled away as she did, nodding. The question would have likely seemed vague to anyone else, but Jesse had an immediate reply. “The Order –” Though, he stopped, suddenly feeling unsure of himself – unsure of everything. “There was an attack… And I don’t remember a lot of it, or anything really…” He swallowed, frowning slightly as he spoke.

“It’s not just me, Jess.. Mum and Dad too..” A slight, small smile crossed her lips as she wiped away her tears. “We all thought-” Camila shook her head, sniffling heavily. “It doesn’t matter, what matters is that you’re here and- you’re alive.” She spoke, more to herself in hope of allowing the details to sink in. Listening to him speak, Camila’s gaze softened as she peered up at him. “Do you know who.. Who attacked you?” She questioned, sucking on her bottom lip anxiously.

The wizard hadn’t been expecting the woman to throw her arms around him and pull him into a hug, and yet he was entirely accepting of it. He returned the hug, squeezing her tightly as he did so. “I’m sorry, Cami.” It wasn’t really his fault that he had been pushed away from his family and yet he felt the need to apologise. “I’m sorry.”

Camila didn’t quite know what to do, or say, hence why she had initiated the embrace with her brother. Her heart pounded heavily against her chest, yet she couldn’t decide if that was because she hadn’t had a drink for a couple of hours, or if it was relief for having her baby brother back. “Stop it.. You have nothing to apologise for.” The young woman pulled back, locking her gaze with his. “What happened Jesse?” The open question could have been relating to many things, yet the only one she wanted to hear was a reason for how he could possibly have been stood in front of her, alive and well.

Jesse could almost see the process of emotions that made its way through her mind. From shock, to disbelief, to sadness and heartbreak. In fact, he felt an ache in his own chest, as if someone had grabbed hold of his most vital organ and was attempting to take it from him. He waited for a moment as she took a step back, but finally his feet moved forward and his hand came out to touch her arm – slowly as if he was scared she might flee or flinch. Which, honestly, would have hurt him more. “Cami,” he repeated, “I’m here.” His chest was so tight it was difficult to speak and he felt his own eyes glassing over, too. “I thought you were gone as well…” Regardless, his voice remained soft, not wanting to hurt the witch any more.

Camila’s heart thrashed heavily against her chest as her brother spoke her name once again and she shook her head, refusing to believe that what she was seeing was really there. Though as she felt his touch on her arm, her gaze flickered toward it, another sob falling through her lips. “They- They told us you were..” Her words were cut back by another sob and she threw herself toward him, arms wrapping around him. 

The face that Jesse was met with when the brunette turned around took the wizard off guard. The only memories he had of his family were from years and years ago. So, when this woman turned around and looked the spitting of his sister, only many years older, he couldn’t quite believe it. Much less because he had been informed that his family were likely dead and at least missing. He supposed this counted as missing to some degree. While the witch’s reaction mirrored that of many other individuals he had bumped into during his stay at the town, it didn’t bring up anger or irritation as it usually did – only sadness. “Cami?” The word struggled to leave his lips and came out quietly, barely audible to anyone but her. 

The brunette’s eyes began to glaze over as she heard him speak her name, her entire being quivering as she took further steps away from him. “No- You’re not him- You’re not-” She covered her eyes, rubbing them heavily as she shook her head. It almost felt as though her heart was breaking all over again, as though the hole in her chest was slowly being torn back open. “This is a dream, I’m dreaming..” She spoke to herself before peering back over her hands, seeing he was still there. “You died- You’re not.. You can’t be here.” Her words came out in heavy sobs.

Making his way into the lobby, coming in from the short walk he had taken that afternoon. Of course, a short distance behind him a guard entered the lobby also. It was when a familiar tune filled the air that he stopped in his tracks and his eyes fell on a brunette. She was facing the other direction, but he still felt his chest tighten as he recognised the tune. He found his legs moving in the woman’s direction, if only slowly. And that’s when he felt the need to get her attention. “They’re a nice choice,” he said, in reference to the flowers she was replacing. Honestly, the dying ones had suited the atmosphere of the hotel better, but he wouldn’t say no to new ones to brighten the place up.

Hearing the voice that complimented her choice of flowers brought a smile to Camila’s face as she continued to prune the bouquet. “Thank you, they really brighten up the place, don’t you think?” The dark haired young female spoke before turning to face the other, her heart stopping in her chest as her eyes widened. Her brother stood before her, looking almost exactly how she remembered him. Fear laced her features as she stared at him, her heart racing. “No- No.. You-” She stumbled back, hands raised toward him, palms facing him. “You can’t be-” Jesse had died almost three years ago, so how was it that he was standing here before her.