[This post is from Marin’s point of view.]
“You’ve got that look,” I said to my brother as he emerged from his room into the hallway’s gloom. He squinted at me in the dim, frowning briefly.
“What look?”
“What’re you worried about?” I asked by way of answering his question. I crossed my arms, which mostly had the effect of looking like I was cradling Lin in the sling across my chest, but I figured he’d get the point one way or another.
Matt made a face and I knew that he had. “It’s nothing you need to worry about.”
“Really.”
His expression darkened. “Yes, really.”
I didn’t buy it, but he knew that. So I just shrugged and let my arms drop. “Fine.”
I started toward the cookfires and he fell into step with me, shoving his hands into the pockets of his hoodie and brooding as we walked.
“Is it the day?” I asked after we’d gone a dozen steps. I glanced toward him, my brow arching. He scowled at the ground in front of his feet. “The date on the calendar?”
“I don’t know why we keep track anymore,” he muttered.
“I know it doesn’t seem like it makes sense,” I said. “But there are things we want to be able to track. You don’t want to know what your nephew’s birthdate is?”
Matt heaved a sigh but didn’t look at me, just kept walking. His silence was all I needed to know that I was right, he did want to know things like that. I also knew that it probably was the day that at least was part of what was upsetting him.
The rest? I had no idea.
“Thom still in bed?”
I nodded. “He’ll be up soon, but for now, he’s getting some more sleep. He didn’t sleep very well last night.”
There was a hesitation, then he asked, “The day?”
I just nodded.
