The depths of the Earth still stung her nose and brought a sense of fear. Forcing herself to breathe in the air saturated in dirt, the voices of concerns were pushed away to the back of her mind. They would never leave, regardless how many times she entered the Earth Realm. She would use every ounce of control, putting one foot in front of the other with a gate of confidence. The daises that rested in her left hand suddenly were held with a tighter grip as she moved through the market to her first destination.

Though her gifts were not as strong, she could still hear voices and conversations as she passed by. Most did not pay attention to her presence, since it was not uncommon for Guardians to visit. With this in mind, she ignored the words that could have formed around her, and her impromptu visit. She was seen so little on her own Realm, that the visit to it?s opposite showed some importance to the few that had noticed.

Just the thought of her visit brought unhappy lines to the corners of her eyes. Her mourning was tightly concealed, only coming to the surface around Ewan. Still, she hid the magnitude of her guilt to keep the concern away. Even still her father seemed to expect her to break down at any moment again. The need to show her strength kept her smile firmly in place. It was not always forced, but she did not allow the sorrow to overwhelm.

Reaching the commune of her destination, she quietly weaved through the stone homes. They were nearly all the same, except for the few that held mountain symbols on the front of their doors. They were not given any more attention than the next, her mind already set on a home. During her childhood when the darkness held a weaker effect, it was her second home.

The house held no extra decorations, only bearing Jeremiah?s symbol outside of its door. Storm stood quietly outside the door, a few paused beats in silence showed that no one was home. Relief lifted from her shoulders, despite the eventual need for contact. Soon she would come when Jeremiah?s parents were not in such deep mourning. The image of presenting her newborn to them brought a hint of a smile, seeing the pride and joy on their face.

Their support only made Storm?s guilt shift into something greater. No one else blame her except herself. Lifting her hand, it ran over the familiar symbol on the door before plucking a daisy from the bouquet in her hand. Carefully leaning down, the bundle of flowers was left leaning against the door. She stood there for a moment longer, before turning and heading for the next home.

The library appeared to be the room where the least amount of change was given. Almost all of the bookselfs were nearly full, just the way Storm remembered them to be. His desk had a few loose papers, something that was highly unusual for the organized Earth. The small couch and varied chairs were in the same place, welcoming and inviting for a room that she thought was cold. Long nights of long, frustrating studies brought a small smile to her face without sadness in her eyes.

"This book should be titled, 'All Things that are Boring Underground" A History.'" A younger version of Storm with softer features and skinny limbs rolled her eyes. "What is it that I am looking for again?"

Jeremiah didn't even look over the book that is face was in, "At least it is not 'Things that Should Not Fly: Volume One'. And we are looking for the first crystals that were recorded."

A single note of soft laughter moved passed her closed lips as she moved her way to his desk. So many times they had endured each other's realms, it made her memories more precious. Looking down on the loose pieces of paper, Storm blinked when her name was distinctively written across one in a form of a letter. Lifting it, she skimmed the words once, and made a more careful second read. In one of the desk drawers, there were two bags that were meant for her.

The note was unsigned, but she knew that the words were written by Jeremiah's mother. Gingerly, she pulled open the biggest drawer to find two bags that were indeed waiting for her. Taking a deep breath, she removed them and moved to sit on one of the chairs. She was rather sure that she wanted to see what was inside from a sitting position.

The first bag was easy to guess what was inside. There were a handful of books that she had given to Jeremiah over the years, some for serious and some for teasing purposes. And each one held a simple note that she would write inside of the cover. It was a tradition that she had, but one that started with Jeremiah.

Setting that bag aside, she braced herself for whatever was in the second bag. Dipping her hand inside, she grasped what were easily pieces of wood, and brought them out to her line of vision. In her hand were two wooden figures that were in the same design as those in Avery's collection. For the past year and a half, Jeremiah had slowly been constructing wooden figures for her son's enjoyment. The two in her hand appeared to be of royalty, and when Storm studied their faces, she thought the figures could pull off for Ewan and herself.

Another smile appeared on her face, this one bittersweet. Putting the toys aside, one hand reached into the bag again while the other made soothing motions over her stomach. When her fingers reached something soft, she frowned and pulled out whatever she grabbed. Two small plush clouds, one light blue and the other a sunshine yellow, fit in the length of her hand. Unsure of their meaning, she simply pulled the bag flaps apart so she could look within. Several more plush clouds with the dual colors were scattered around a wooden frame. Upon a closer look, the wooden frame was meant to spin and hold the clouds in a dancing movement.

When understanding finally came, she clutched the plush clouds and grieved over their bright colors.