Chapter Ten

                                    

                                          
This text has been translated to a language you can understand 
Divana went into metamorphosis that day. 
Ezra and I stood next to her cocoon in the nursery; it was set against the trunk of a tree, near the pond, and was a pale brown color, with ridges going up and down it. 
Ezra yawned. She's going to be asleep for a month. We won't see her at all. 
We already barely see her as it is, I said absently. 
Ezra nodded slowly, sucking in a slow, deep breath. He was tired too, I knew, and it made me nervous. 
Would he be different when he came out of metamorphosis? 
Would he still need me? 
Everything was going to change, and that change was just a couple nights away at most. 
I found myself scared. 
I glanced at Ezra, and found him staring absently at the ground. Are you awake? 
He nodded slowly, rubbing his face with one of his hands. Yeah...I'm awake. I'm so tired though.   
Do you know when your metamorphosis will be? 
Soon. Ezra leaned against me, and for a moment a thrill ran through my body, and then I felt immediate shame. 
Your highness, um...maybe you should sit up. Do you want to go nap? 
He groaned. Tracey, just get out of your brain for once. I want to lay on you. No one is watching. Let me have this. 
I bit my tongue, but replied. This isn't how a prince and a Chiro should act. 
He didn't reply, but nuzzled his nose against my shoulder, which of course made me feel like I was glowing from the inside out. 
But I wasn't supposed to feel like that. 
And yet I didn't say anything else, because I knew that things would be so much different when he woke up from metamorphosis. 
So we sat there together, side by side, his head on my shoulder and his tail flopped over mine. 
I know we joke, he eventually said, but will you still like me when I come back? Will you still like being around me if I look so different? 
I was shocked to hear the question. I've been wondering if you would still want ME around after you came out. 
Trace, of course I will. He turned wide eyes on me. Of course I will. 
Well- of course I will want to be around you when you come out. Even if you look different. Even... even if I couldn't recognize him anymore, no matter how scary that was. But I couldn't say that, it was too real. So I tried to make him laugh. Even if you're not pink anymore. 
And it did make him laugh; it made him laugh hard, and he pulled away from me to turn and meet my gaze. I probably will be pink, let's be honest. 
Will you be unhappy if you're pink? 
Only if you make fun of me still. 
That made me laugh. I promise I'll contain myself. 
You'd better. He sniffed. 
He only started dragging more and more as the nights went on, and the next night he was almost completely sleepwalking.