{"id":737,"date":"2011-10-05T00:00:44","date_gmt":"2011-10-05T04:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=737"},"modified":"2011-10-05T08:27:40","modified_gmt":"2011-10-05T12:27:40","slug":"day-18-chapter-11-02","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=737","title":{"rendered":"Day 18 – Chapter 11 – 02"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Thom folded the letter back up again, into thirds and then in half once, in half again, and tucked it back into his pocket.\u00a0 It was becoming a familiar ritual; he\u2019d read his cousin\u2019s letter seven times over the past three days.\u00a0 It still didn\u2019t make sense to him, still made him ache.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Was she right?\u00a0 Were all of them right?
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 She wrote the letter on the fifteenth.\u00a0 She never called.\u00a0 Why didn\u2019t she call?<\/em>\u00a0 He squeezed his eyes shut, hunching a little and ignoring his complaining ribs.\u00a0 The September morning was chilly as he perched on a broken slab of concrete near the newly-dug well.\u00a0 A mist clung damply to the ruins and the grass, though it was slowly dissipating with a slight breeze.\u00a0 His fingers were already cold, but he wasn\u2019t ready to go back to the fire yet.\u00a0 He rubbed at his eyes, stubborn tears refusing to stop welling up against his lower lashes.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t want any of them to see him crying.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHey Thom.\u00a0 Everything okay?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He blinked, looking up slowly at the sound of Leah\u2019s voice.\u00a0 She was standing a few feet away, carrying a tackle box, bucket, and fishing pole, head cocked to one side as she looked at him with a concerned smile on her face.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAre your ribs bothering you?\u201d\u00a0 She asked, setting down the tackle box and bucket.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNo,\u201d he said, shaking off his initial surprise.\u00a0 \u201cNo, they\u2019re okay.\u00a0 Where\u2019re you going?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 She looked at him like it was the stupidest question he could have asked, and if he were to admit it to himself, he knew that it was.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Damn.\u00a0 Where the hell did I <\/em>think she was going with all of that?\u00a0 But by herself?<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m going down to the river to do some fishing.\u00a0 I know that there\u2019s a few people that won\u2019t risk eating any of it, but we can\u2019t keep being afraid of the river forever, right?\u00a0 Even if I don\u2019t catch anything, I can bring some sand up when I come back.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Thom didn\u2019t bother to ask about the sand, shaking his head a little.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re going down there alone?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Leah grinned.\u00a0 \u201cWhat, are you going to tell me that you\u2019re going to come down with me as an escort, with your ankle and all?\u00a0 I\u2019ll be fine.\u00a0 A couple of the guys already went, I\u2019m just going to join them.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I don\u2019t remember seeing\u2026bah.\u00a0 They probably said hello and I didn\u2019t even hear them, or they went down before I came out here.<\/em>\u00a0 Either explanation was equally likely.\u00a0 Thom shrugged a little.\u00a0 \u201cYou sure you\u2019ll be okay climbing down by yourself?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou bet.\u201d\u00a0 Leah grinned, shaking her head slightly.\u00a0 \u201cYou shouldn\u2019t worry so much, Thom.\u00a0 I think Marin and Kel worry enough for all<\/em> of us, especially when they\u2019ve got Jac to help them worry.\u201d\u00a0 She winked at him, shrugging a little as she started to gather up the tackle and the bucket again.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s an easy trail and the bank\u2019s still really stable.\u00a0 Doesn\u2019t look like it\u2019s eroding as fast anymore.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When the river\u2019s current had picked up two weeks before, they\u2019d been worried about that, but the river had settled down again over the past few days, back into is normal flow.\u00a0 At least, that\u2019s what Matt and Dr. Doyle had said about it, and Thom didn\u2019t have any reason to disbelieve them.\u00a0 If the banks were stable, more the better for the long run.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Thom just nodded, watching her gather her supplies.\u00a0 \u201cBe careful,\u201d he said.\u00a0 Leah laughed.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI will be.\u00a0 I\u2019ll see you around lunch, okay?\u201d \u00a0She nodded to him with a grin and headed on her way, toward one of the trails they\u2019d beaten down to the ravines and the river below.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The hairs on the back of his neck stirred and he shivered at a sudden chill.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Time to go back to the fire.<\/em>\u00a0 He pushed himself to his feet, hobbled back toward the tent to find Matt starting breakfast at the fire with some help from Tala, who seemed to be doing most of the work.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDoes it itch yet?\u201d\u00a0 Thom asked Matt as he lowered himself to the ground near the fire but out of the way.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Matt snorted.\u00a0 \u201cStarting to.\u00a0 Jay and Jac said that\u2019s a good sign; means it\u2019s healing.\u00a0 It\u2019s starting to make me crazy.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNot a far putt,\u201d Thom said, giving Matt a teasing grin.\u00a0 The younger man rolled his eyes and shook his head.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cTakes one to know one,\u201d he countered, then poured Thom a mug of tea.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re up early this morning.\u00a0 Marin\u2019s still sleeping, isn\u2019t she?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Thom nodded.\u00a0 Was when I left, and I\u2019d rather leave her to catch as much as she can get before I wake her.<\/em>\u00a0 Her sleep had been restless the past few days, as if something was bothering her\u2014something she wasn\u2019t quite willing to share.\u00a0 He\u2019d been trying not to pry.\u00a0 She probably wasn\u2019t telling him because she didn\u2019t want to fight.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Things were going too damn well for him to pick a fight now.\u00a0 Especially<\/em> after last night.\u00a0 It\u2019d been the first time since the world had come apart, but they\u2019d both needed it, and both enjoyed it.\u00a0 His ribs were a little more sore this morning than they had been the day before, but he\u2019d decided it was worth it.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Matt stared at him for a moment as he handed over the mug.\u00a0 \u201cYou two okay?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 One corner of Thom\u2019s mouth curled in a smile.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, we\u2019re okay.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Matt eyed him for a moment longer until Tala whacked him in the thigh with a wooden spoon.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cMove, you\u2019re in my way.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He moved out of the way, giving her an exaggerated bow.\u00a0 \u201cA thousand<\/em> apologies, m\u2019lady of the Smoked Meat.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Tala glared at Matt, then glanced at Thom, shaking her head.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s been like this all morning.\u00a0 It\u2019s starting to make me crazy.\u201d\u00a0 She waggled the spoon in his face.\u00a0 \u201cAnd if you make the same wisecrack about me that you did about him, you\u2019re going to end up with this spoon where the sun don\u2019t shine.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Thom choked on a laugh, nodding.\u00a0 \u201cRight, right.\u201d\u00a0 He waited until Tala had turned back toward the fire and Matt was seated again before he asked, \u201cDid the folks fishing down by the river eat before they left?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Matt frowned and Tala stopped, looking over her shoulder.\u00a0 She shook her head slightly.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s no one fishing down by the river this morning.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201c\u2026Leah just went down there.\u00a0 Said a couple of the others were already there.\u201d\u00a0 She wouldn\u2019t have lied about that, would she?<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Matt shook his head slightly.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve been up for at least two hours.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t see anyone get up to go down to the river.\u00a0 Is that where Leah was going?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s what she said.\u201d\u00a0 Thom frowned.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThen she went alone,\u201d Matt said slowly.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re\u2026we\u2019re not supposed to do that.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Thom felt a shiver work its way down his spine.\u00a0 \u201cThink we should send someone down after her?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sure she\u2019ll be fine,\u201d Tala said softly, turning back to the fire.\u00a0 \u201cNothing ate her or anything when she was the one going for water all the time, after all, and she usually did that by herself.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Right.\u00a0 Just paranoid over nothing.\u00a0 Safety in numbers, but what\u2019s going to get her down by the river?\u00a0 A deer?\u00a0 She\u2019s a big girl.\u00a0 She\u2019ll be fine.<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He didn\u2019t want to be the one to tell Kellin and Marin, though.\u00a0 If that made him a coward, he was fine with that.\u00a0 Let someone else tell them the rule had been violated\u2014someone who could have done<\/em> something about it.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Still, he frowned, and brooded, staring into the fire.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Why did she lie about someone else being down there?\u00a0 Why did she go alone?<\/em><\/p>\n

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\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Thom folded the letter back up again, into thirds and then in half once, in half again, and tucked it back into his pocket.\u00a0 It was becoming a familiar ritual; he\u2019d read his cousin\u2019s letter seven times over the … 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":[30,29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-737","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-chapter-11","category-day-18"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1EBlN-bT","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/737","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=737"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/737\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":755,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/737\/revisions\/755"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=737"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=737"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=737"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}