Breath of Air by Katie Jennings Page A

shakily lifted a glass of champagne to her lips.
    She’d never had champagne before, but she found the dryness of it didn’t appeal to her. She’d set it down before she’d barely tasted it.
    “Isn’t it just the most wonderful champagne you’ve ever tasted?” Rhiannon said as she sat suddenly beside Capri. She reached for a bottle herself and poured generously into a glass.
    “Honestly, I’ve never had champagne before so I wouldn’t really know.” Capri replied, annoyed that she felt foolish.
    Despite what Capri had been expecting, Rhiannon smiled. “Well, then take my word on it, this is as good as it gets.”
    “It must be an acquired taste.” Capri said softly, her brows creasing as she tried another sip. It really did not taste very good, but then again, neither had coffee the first time she’d tried it…
    “You’re probably wondering if this is all we do around here, huh?” Rhiannon said as she propped her elbow on the table and rested her chin in her hand.
    Capri glanced around at the dancing couples and at the others who were all laughing and drinking. A few, including the three Muses, were already visibly drunk and giggling with chorus bell laughter.
    “If you do, then I’ve really been missing out.”
    Rhiannon laughed openly, and Capri felt a stab of envy at her beauty. “You will be so happy here, Capri, trust me. You are where you belong, finally, after all these years.”
    Capri sipped at the champagne again, lost in thought. Everyone was saying that she was finally where she belonged, that she was home. She felt certain that she didn’t belong here, not yet anyways, and she certainly did not feel at home. It would take time, like her father had said, for her to adjust, to accept.
    “You know, when we were girls, you, me and Blythe were inseparable.” Rhiannon said suddenly, her lips curving into a soft smile. “I’m only two years older than you, and Blythe is one. We used to run around in the courtyard, pretending we were princesses.”
    Capri couldn’t help but smile at the thought. “I bet Liam felt pretty left out.”
    “Well, being the only Dryad boy had its advantages. When we allowed him to play he was always the knight in shining armor, come to rescue the three princesses.” Rhiannon sipped some champagne, her eyes glittering with humor. “I think the idea has gone to his head after all these years.”
    “He’s very kind.” Capri glanced out at the dance floor, where Liam and Blythe were still dancing.
    When she looked back at Rhiannon, the other girl’s eyes were filled with regret. “That was always his fatal flaw.”
    “How can kindness be a flaw?”
    “People can easily take advantage of you when you are too kind.”
    Their eyes held for a moment, pale gray into sage green. Capri didn’t know what to say, so Rhiannon continued.
    “Unfortunately, when you were gone, it was like the three of us couldn’t cope with each other. It was almost as if a piece of us was missing, and we didn’t know how to act anymore.” Rhiannon reached out for Capri’s hand and held it in her own firmly. “A divide had formed, most notably between Blythe and myself. It left Liam to stand in the middle, but in the end, even his kindness wasn’t enough to bridge the gap. A part of him was destroyed by it. Both Blythe and I knew it, but I suppose we were both too self absorbed by our own pride to care. In many ways, we still are. We barely speak to each other now. And the only one who suffers is Liam, because he is kind.”
    Capri felt the helplessness rise up within her, and she squeezed Rhiannon’s hand in an attempt to comfort. “I’m so sorry.”
    “It hurts to think about how different things might have been had you not been taken from us, had you been here to keep us together.”
    “I wish I had been here, too.” A tear slid down her cheek, but Capri didn’t move to wipe it away. It felt appropriate, so she let it cling to her skin, a symbol of everything she’d