{"id":1040,"date":"2012-01-30T00:00:03","date_gmt":"2012-01-30T05:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=1040"},"modified":"2012-01-27T11:36:16","modified_gmt":"2012-01-27T16:36:16","slug":"autumn-chapter-3-marin-01","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=1040","title":{"rendered":"Autumn – Chapter 3 – Marin – 01"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I watched the sun slip slowly toward the horizon, arms crossed and holding my jacket tight across my shoulders.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>It was a chilly evening, as Michigan evenings can be as September gives way to October, slowly but surely.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Tonight was the night.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>We\u2019d have to leave soon for the burial, to make sure we could make ready before we lost the light completely.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Phelan still wasn\u2019t happy about the prospect of doing this at twilight, but the combined might of me, J.T., and Carolyn wasn\u2019t giving him much choice in the matter.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Rory, I think, would have been just as happy doing it in the dead of night, and Kellin had been damnably ambivalent the past few days when it came to arguing a case for or against anything.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Regardless of what Phelan said about edges and crossings, I was starting to get more than a little concerned\u2014and annoyed.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>At least we hadn\u2019t felt the eyes on us again since that day by the fire.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Whatever Greg had managed to do apparently had warded them off, at least for now.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI\u2019m coming with you.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I startled and turned, blinking at Thom.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He was leaning on one crutch instead of two, which would have J.T., Jacqueline, and Leah all up in arms, but they were probably busy doing something else at this time of the evening.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He took a few limping steps toward me and gingerly slid his free arm around my waist.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I looked up at him as he leaned into me, hip to hip.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI didn\u2019t think you\u2019d want to.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>He smiled briefly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNot sure why.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>It\u2019s paying respects and making the ground safe for our dead.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Considering I was almost among them, only seems right I should be there.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I winced and he squeezed me gently.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cOf course, if you don\u2019t want me to tag along, I guess I could stay here.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIt\u2019s a long walk, Thom.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Nervous flutters filled my belly, like a dozen butterflies trying to win free.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Stubborn though he was, sometimes logic won out over his stubbornness.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>It <\/span>was<\/span><\/em> a long walk, and it\u2019d be hard on his battered body.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Not to mention what we were going out there to do might be hard on his battered spirit.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>He sighed quietly and shook his head.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI haven\u2019t been anywhere but here in camp for almost five weeks, Mar.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I think I\u2019m starting to go crazy.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cStarting?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I teased gently, smiling at him.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He cracked a grin and shook his head again.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYeah.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Starting.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I put my arms around his waist for a moment and squeezed.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He winced slightly, then sighed.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I just looked at him.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAre you sure?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAbout coming with you guys?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He nodded.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI\u2019m sure.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I want\u2014I need\u2014to see what the rest looks like, Mar.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I need to know what\u2026\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>His voice trailed away, broke a little in the middle.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201c\u2026what\u2019s happened to this place.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>It was our world.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Sitting here, I\u2019m not going to figure that out, you know?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I nodded.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI know,\u201d I said softly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I squeezed him again, kissed his jaw and just held on.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cSo you\u2019re not going to argue with me about this?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He whispered into my hair after a few moments of silence.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNo,\u201d I said.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cBut the others might, and that\u2019s a battle you have to win yourself.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cMm.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>His gaze drifted toward the sky, painted in vivid reds and oranges, pinks giving way to deepening blue somewhere above us.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>We were silent for a long time, just standing there together, listening to the activities of camp in the evening behind us.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI dreamed of Kira last night,\u201d he said after a long time, so softly I almost didn\u2019t hear him.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 So that\u2019s why he was murmuring her name in his sleep.<\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>I knew he was worried about her, despite Phelan\u2019s assurances that she was fine.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Thom would never really be sure his cousin was fine until he saw it for himself, and that was an impossibility at this point.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I rubbed his back gently.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cDid you?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>He nodded slightly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cSaw her by a fire, talking with a woman I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever seen.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Teague was there, and another man I\u2019ve never seen.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>She seemed…fine, I guess.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>If it was more than just a dream.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He buried his nose in my hair.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I smiled weakly up at him.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThom, if you saw more than just her and Teague, do you really think it\u2019s only a dream?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNo,\u201d he said softly, the word muffled by my hair.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cBut I can\u2019t be sure.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWe\u2019re never sure,\u201d I said quietly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThere\u2019s no way to ever be sure when it comes to all of this.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Educated guesses, instincts, and hope.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>What does that tell you?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>He laughed.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThat my unconscious is focused on things I\u2019ve got no control over.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Probably something I should fix.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Maybe, maybe not.<\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>I tilted my face toward his to kiss him lightly before I slowly let go of him.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cCan I help with that?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>After a moment\u2019s consideration, he shook his head.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNo.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Probably not.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Where are you going?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI have a few things I have to pull together for tonight.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>If you stay here, I\u2019ll bring you your other crutch before J.T. or the girls catch you wandering around with one.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cToo late for that,\u201d J.T. rumbled from behind us.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cCarolyn\u2019s looking for you, Marin.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Thom mimed looking stricken and I laughed, shaking my head.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cTake your lumps like a man,\u201d I called over my shoulder to him as I headed back toward the tents, where Carolyn probably was.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI\u2019ve got too many of those already.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Another lump and I\u2019ll break!\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Thom called back, but he was grinning.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>J.T. just shook his head, smiling wryly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I could hear him starting in on Thom as I walked away, though his tone was more good-naturedly stern than angry.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I shook my own head and shoved my hands into the pockets of my coat, only feeling mildly guilty for abandoning Thom to explain not only why he was limping around with only one crutch, but also to tell his best friend that he\u2019d be accompanying us on the long walk out to the burial mounds that needed blessings this evening.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>That was probably going to be a fairly interesting conversation, to say the least.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I watched the sun slip slowly toward the horizon, arms crossed and holding my jacket tight across my shoulders.\u00a0 It was a chilly evening, as Michigan evenings can be as September gives way to October, slowly but surely. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[38,35,41,14,39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1040","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-autumn","category-book-2","category-chapter-3","category-story","category-year-one"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1EBlN-gM","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1040","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1040"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1040\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1041,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1040\/revisions\/1041"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1040"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1040"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1040"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}