Tears brought her there, to the solitude of there. Crying did not come naturally to her as it did so readily to Oriana. The deserted courtyard gave her the void in which to indulge. Her tears need to be shed, but only with the stars to see her shed them. She did not live in the clouds with dreams; she had but one dream, one as elusive as the clouds themselves.
Sophia threw herself to the ground, silent sobbing wracking her bent and folded body. She cried in eerie silence until she could cry no more, could do nothing but gasp for breath with short, gut-wrenching inhalations. As her breath returned, an eerie calmness stole over her, one born of disbelief, denial, and exhaustion. She leaned up against the cool stone of the wellhead.
From inside the house, she heard Ignacio and Vito taking t
