“I’m just saying…we are staying in their village. Shouldn’t we maybe try to follow some of their customs?” Andrew asked, falling a few steps behind Sam who, as always, confidently stride forward her balance not even shaking on the uneven dirt ground.

Either side of them were tiny houses that went as far as Sam could see. They had been lucky enough to find this place while on the run and had met a nice couple who allowed them to stay at their hut, the only problem was all the huts looked near identical. Red/orange clay walls, a single window and a wooden door made of a type of wood Sam had never seen before.

“Look if you want to go a write a wish and send it up in a lantern I am not going to stop you. I am trying to find a shop for you as we speak.”

Andrew’s head tilted as Sam finished her sentence. It didn’t make sense, it felt like she was shutting him down but there she was asking locals about where to find a lantern.

He didn’t understand her at all. At least with Zoe he knew she was mean but would be nice when no one was around. At least with Ethan his bluntness and general lack of knowledge about people matched Andrew’s.

Sam was a mystery to him. Even after all this time they had spent together. She was impulsive and thoughtful. She was passionate while detached. She had so many powerful emotions that Andrew was jealous of.

Having not realised it Sam had stopped while Andrew was lost in thought. She was kneeling by a small child who was crying over a broken lantern. Before Andrew could see what was wrong Sam had done something and given it back to the girl who beamed at her, laughed a thank you before running off.

“What?” Sam asked, turning to see Andrew staring. “I can’t be nice to kids?”

“It’s just…” Andrew’s voice died as he remembered the day before. A vivid image in his memory of Sam tearing through trees, water swirling around her, ripping into agents of the earth murdering them without a second thought.

“You think because I kill those who deserve it I can’t be kind as well?” Sam smirked, confident eyebrow raised. She read him like a book.

“Weird. It’s weird to see.” Andrew said after a long break.

“Look you know better than anyone. I made mistakes in the last few years but I have been trying to get better. Just because I’ve killed some bad people doesn’t mean that’s all I do.”

Andrew nodded, she was right. More than once she had saved his life and the lives of his whole team. She wasn’t the same girl they had met years before, hell bent of destroying them and plunging the world into chaos.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have looked at you like that.” Andrew said, his head dropping.

“Ahhhhh don’t even worry about it.” Sam laughed going to punch him in the shoulder before catching herself. “Oh yeah right, no touchy touchy.”

She carried on walking this time taking the next left.

“Where are you going?”

“That little girl pointed to where she got hers. You want one and it is rapidly getting darker.” Sam explained.

The two were able to find a lateen each sold to them by a wrinkled old mad. Making their way back to their hut the two sat outside watching the sky move from blue to purples and oranges.

“What are you writing in yours?” Sam asked, peering over to Andrew’s lantern.

“What? No you can’t read them. Doesn’t that mean they won’t come true?”

“I’m pretty sure that’s birthday wishes. Come on, I can tell you mind first if you’d like?” Sam offered.

“I wished that Alex and Ethan are safe, that they will stay safe until we get to them.”

“What about after that?”

“We will be with them. We can keep eachother safe.”

“That’s sweet.” Sam smiled, always in awe of the compassion that Andrew had. She couldn’t fathom how he could care so deeply for so many people. For her caring about a few took all the strength she had and even then it sometimes wasn’t enough.

“What about you?”

“Oh. Mine seems silly in comparison. Don’t worry about it.” Sam said, covering her red slip with her hand.

“Oh…ok.” Andrew said, looking up to the sky. The darkness now seeping across the sky, the retreating purples fading.

“Urgh fine.” Sam said. Not wanting to hurt Andrews feelings. “I want to have a normal day. I wrote down a few things that normal people have told me about that i have never got to do.”

Andrew smiled, Sam looked st him concern.

“Don’t tell me you are going to laugh. I don’t think that I could handle that.”

“No. No not at all. Its just.” Andrew sat, thinking. Wanting to choose his words carefully. “Ethan and I spent quite a while trying to do the same, after the tournament and the mission. We wanted exactly the same. I think it’s sweet.”

Sam sat. Stunned.

“Huh. I guess that makes sense. We all had our childhoods robbed. Funny isn’t it. Most people on this planet wish they had powers like ours. But here we are, just wishing for one day like them.”

“It’s what we deserve, just because we have more responsibility because of our powers doesn’t mean we can’t also want what others have.”

“Like always for us. We just have to work a little harder for it.” Sam smiled. Taking out a lighter and lighting it.

Andrew help his latern up for Sam to light, holding it while she did the same.

The two stood, look up to the once dark sky. Now glittering with hundreds of red lanterns.

Both reached up towards the sky letting their wishes fly to the heavens. Hoping one day soon they would come true.