{"id":1226,"date":"2012-05-14T00:00:12","date_gmt":"2012-05-14T04:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=1226"},"modified":"2012-05-13T13:08:15","modified_gmt":"2012-05-13T17:08:15","slug":"autumn-chapter-11-01","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=1226","title":{"rendered":"Autumn – Chapter 11 – 01"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>All eyes were on Aoife as she sat with her back to the hearth and the anemic fire flickering there, but she wasn\u2019t looking at any of them.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Instead, she stared into the depths of the steaming mug of tea cradled between her hands, as if she believed if she didn\u2019t look at anyone or anything else, the questions would just go away.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>But they weren\u2019t going to just go away, were they?<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Her lips thinned and she sighed quietly, finally risking a look up, her gaze falling on Gray.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat did you ask, again?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI just want to know what happened three days ago,\u201d he said, seeming as reluctant to make eye contact as she was.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThat\u2019s all, Eva\u2014I just want to know.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>The words came slowly, hesitantly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I don\u2019t know if I want to tell them this.\u00a0 <\/span>They\u2019re just going to think I\u2019m crazier than they already think I am.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Can\u2019t just lie, though, can I?<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>No, I guess not.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>There isn\u2019t any way around it, is there?<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIt was my brother,\u201d she said quietly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHe\u2014something\u2014acch.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>She broke off, fingers tightening around the mug.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The urge to throw it was almost too strong to quell.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cSomething happened to my brother,\u201d she spat, forcing herself to set down the mug before it ended up broken.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThe bloody idiot probably got in over his head and got himself maimed.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>The others sat in stunned silence for a moment, not even moving.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Kes was the first, swallowing and glancing from Wat on her right to Gray on her left before her gaze settled on Aoife.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHow\u2014how did you know?\u201d she asked. \u201cThat he\u2019d gotten hurt, I mean.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>How did you\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI sensed it,\u201d Aoife said, cutting her off.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Her voice shook slightly as she forged on.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWe can do that.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>We can\u2026we can sense things like that, sometimes.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Not always, just sometimes.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>It has to be sudden or bad and usually <\/span>both<\/span><\/em> and this woke me out of a gods-be-damned dead sleep, so it was probably <\/span>really<\/span><\/em> bad.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Woke me out of a dead sleep and had me running barefoot into the damned woods to get him, like I could just run across a few hundred miles to get to him.\u00a0 <\/span>No doubt it was <\/span><\/em>bad<\/span>.<\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>She laced her fingers through her hair, holding her head.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cDamn it, I have to leave.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I have to go.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>She sprang to her feet and headed for her pack.<\/span>\u00a0 If I leave now, I\u2019ll have time to make it five, maybe eight miles before dark.<\/em><\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Gray\u2019s hand snapped out, fingers tightening into a death grip on her arm.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>His voice came out oddly flat, his eyes still on the spot where she had been, not the spot where she was now.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNo,\u201d he said.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>His fingers, already digging, tightened even more, dug even deeper.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cLet go,\u201d she hissed.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Gray stood up slowly, looking at his friends.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cExcuse us.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>He dragged her into one of the side rooms, mercifully not the one she\u2019d been sleeping in.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He kicked the door closed and finally let go.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Aoife rubbed her arm, grimacing.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat the hell is this all about?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI\u2019m not letting you leave like that,\u201d Gray growled.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cEven if I have to hog-tie you to something.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Not after everything that\u2019s happened so far.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Everything that\u2019s happened so far?\u00a0 <\/span>Your biggest goddamned problem would be things spitting in Teca\u2019s metaphorical, metaphysical eye if I hadn\u2019t shown up!<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cEverything like what?<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Like me showing up and starting shit and bringing new and novel problems to the fore for the lot of you?<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Please.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Things would get back to normal around here if I left and you guys could just forget I was ever here.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cForget?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>His voice sounded strange.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201c<\/span>Forget<\/span><\/em>?<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>You expect us to just forget?<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Screw that in twelve directions, Aoife.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>It\u2019s not happening because this shit doesn\u2019t work that way.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>She tried to ignore the fact that he\u2019d actually said her <\/span>name<\/span><\/em>, not <\/span>Eva<\/span><\/em>, but her name.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Her fingers flexed at her sides.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Gray seemed huge and the room seemed tiny.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Her breath quickened.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cGet out of my way and let me go, Gray.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNot a chance,\u201d he said.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNot until you promise that you\u2019re not leaving.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>She gritted her teeth.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI can\u2019t make that promise.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Part of her wanted to, though, the part that craved safety in numbers, a warm, dry place to sleep and people to talk to.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Those were the things she\u2019d sacrifice by running.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 If I leave, I might as well never come back because he\u2019s never going to forgive me.<\/em><\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>He<\/span> is never going to forgive me.\u00a0 <\/span>Why does <\/span><\/em>that<\/span> matter so much?\u00a0 <\/span>He\u2019s not the only one here.<\/span><\/em><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Their eyes met and she shivered at the fear and desperation she saw in him.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThen I can\u2019t let you out of this room,\u201d he whispered.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cBecause I can\u2019t let you just run away and abandon m\u2014us.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Abandon us.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYou mean abandon <\/span>you<\/span><\/em>,\u201d she said, voice bleak.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Her legs felt shaky and she fumbled her way to a chair, collapsing into it before her knees could give out.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cGray, why does it matter?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhy does it matter?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He moved away from the door, expression slack and gaze troubled as he came toward her and knelt down in front of her chair.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHow am I supposed to keep these yahoos safe without help?<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>You\u2019re the only one who can help me here.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>You\u2019re the only one who knows shit that I don\u2019t.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>You\u2019re the <\/span>only<\/span><\/em> one.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He shivered, looking away.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat was that thing I saw over you, Aoife?<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>When I found you in the woods three days ago.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI\u2014\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 What is he talking about?<\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>Her mouth snapped shut and she shook her head.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI don\u2019t know, Gray.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I don\u2019t remember it.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>He sighed and looked away.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYou can\u2019t just bail on us, Aoife, and I can\u2019t just bail on them.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWho said anything about you leaving, too?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 Shit.<\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>She leaned forward slightly, putting her hands on his shoulders.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cGray, you can\u2019t.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThen neither can you,\u201d he murmured, looking up at her.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cBecause you\u2019re not leaving here alone.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He swallowed hard.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cPromise me.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Gods and monsters.<\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>Aoife squeezed her eyes shut, her voice a whisper.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI promise.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 All eyes were on Aoife as she sat with her back to the hearth and the anemic fire flickering there, but she wasn\u2019t looking at any of them.\u00a0 Instead, she stared into the depths of the steaming mug of … 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":[38,35,49,14,39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1226","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-autumn","category-book-2","category-chapter-11-book-2","category-story","category-year-one"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1EBlN-jM","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1226","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=1226"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1226\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1227,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1226\/revisions\/1227"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1226"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1226"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1226"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}