Ander - Part 2: Subchapter 18
18
"Kai, wait!" Ander shouted. He was gaining on her fast (his legs were much longer than hers, after all) but what was he supposed to do once he caught up with her? Tackle her?
While pondering this conundrum, Sarah changed direction and sprinted up a path to a nearby farmhouse.
"Oh, for goodness sake..." Ander panted. If that was where she lived, then he could only assume her husband and son must be somewhere nearby. He couldn't imagine that chasing a panic-stricken vixen through the front garden would look very good, so he slowed down to a fast walk.
Sarah nearly ran full tilt into the front door in her haste to get away from him. She wrenched it open, hurried inside and -
*
- slammed it shut behind her. But that wouldn't be enough, oh no! She frantically fiddled with the latch, but the damn thing was stuck! How many times has she asked Michael to fix this stupid thing!?
"Mother?"
"Not now, Mat!" she said, not bothering to turn around. She pulled on the latch hard enough for the metal to bite into her fingers. "Come on, you worthless piece of -"
It finally broke free of its moor, scraping against the wood with an annoying _eeek_sound, and she shoved it into the locked position.
But would that be enough? That tiny little piece of metal hardly seemed secure. Hell, Ander was bigger than the whole door! If he really wanted to get in, she doubted a latch would stop him!
"Mother! Did something happen?"
Sarah turned around, bracing the door with her back. Mateo looked so concerned, the poor boy. He was always trying to look out for her, but now really wasn't the time.
"Where's your father?"
"He's out in the fields," Mateo said. "Should I go get him?"
"No!"
Now he just looked confused. "Mother, if you don't tell me what's wrong I can't help you. You look like you've seen a Living Soul!"
"Mat, I need you to go and..."
"Yes?"
"Go and... speak to Jonathan about trading for some grain."
"You can't possibly be serious?"
"Just do it! Go out the back way. It will, er... be faster. Run along!"
"Whatever's gotten you so spooked, I'm sure I can -"
Loud knocking against the door, hard enough for her to feel every blow vibrate through her back.
"Kai? I need to speak with you!"
Mateo's eyes went wide. He pointed at the door, his finger shaking in anger. "Is that...?"
"No! It's... just old Henry. He's drunk again. Please don't -"
"Kai! I need to speak with you! Right now!" Again he hammered against the door. Sarah could actually feel her whole body bounce against the wood with each strike. By the gods, why couldn't she just have left it alone?
"It's that damn Wolf again, isn't it!?" Mateo shouted. "I'll get my crossbow!"
"Mateo, wait!" Sarah called after him, but her son was already sprinting down the hallway to his room. By the gods, what has she gotten herself into? It felt like the whole world was sweeping her along a path she didn't want to walk, and she had no say in the matter. Just like the time -
"Kai!" Even through three inches of Birchwood, Ander's voice didn't sound muffled at all.
Three inches... That's how far apart they were at this very moment. Only three inches...
This terrified her, and at the same time made her feel a sadness she hasn't felt for many years. But there was a third feeling, one she didn't want to admit, but couldn't ignore.
Happiness.
Three inches. Three feelings. All tearing her apart.
Mateo suddenly came back into view, a fully loaded crossbow in hand, the bolts practically dripping with poison. "Get away from the door, Mother."
Sarah shook her head.
"Get away from the door, Mother!" Mateo shouted.
He was itching to raise his crossbow, she could see that. "Just wait, Mat. Maybe he'll go away on his own."
"And if he doesn't? What is he doing here, anyway!?"
"He..." What was she supposed to say to that? What could she say? She wished she could redo this day. She'd never have gone to Rufio and Bethany's house to say her own silent goodbye, watching as Ander carefully made his way through the crowd, standing head and shoulders above everyone else. She never would have followed him down the path to that blasted hill.
Oh, are you sure about that? an annoying voice deep inside her mind asked. It always came out in times like these, making her doubt herself. Because I think you'd do the exact same thing again, even if you could restart your day a hundred times. Do you know why?
No! Stop it!
It's because you never said goodbye the first time.
Shut up!
You just stood there, in the rain, not saying anything.
Stop it!
And then you left without a word.
No! That was over twenty years ago! Maybe it's not even him! There are hundreds of Wolves! Maybe this is a different one. Maybe it's all just one big coincidence. His name is all wrong! He can't be -
"Kai?" Ander said, just on the other side of the door. "How do you know my father's name?"
That did it. The wall she so carefully built in her mind over the years, brick by brick and yard by yard, cracked right down the middle, and she was powerless to stop the tears. They flowed down her face in uncontrollable streams, exactly like the thoughts flowing through her mind.
It's him...
It's him...
By the gods, it's really him...
*
Ander had his ear pressed up against the door. It sounded like she was... crying?
"Mother? What is he talking about?" That voice could only belong to Mateo. "And why are you crying? Did that bastard do something!?"
Sniffles, then a deep breath. "No, Mat. Please put that thing down."
"No! Hey, Wolf!"
"Mat, please!"
"If you did something, I swear I'll kill you! Mother, get out of my damn way!"
"No!"
Ander could hear a commotion going on. It sounded like a minor scuffle. He considered breaking the door down, but the noises were coming from right on the other side, and he didn't want to risk flattening anyone. He looked around for a window he might be able to squeeze through, if it came to that, but then...
"Mateo! Sit down and shut up!!"
Ander pressed his ear back against the door, wondering if he's ever heard any Fox yell as loudly as that.
He didn't think so. Not even Bethany.
Things stayed quiet for a while, then he heard several footsteps backing away from the door. "What did he mean when he said you know his father's name?"
More silence.
"Mother?"
Now he could hear a metallic kind of tinkering...
"Mother, what are you doing!?"
... and the scrape of a latch against wood.
Ander stood back just as the door swung open. Sarah stood in the open doorway, her eyes on the ground. He could clearly see two dark stripes running from her eyes down the sides of her muzzle, traced by her tears.
"Ander?" she said, stepping aside. "Please come inside. There's something that I... I need to tell you."
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