food. He watched her
as she fumbled with the chopsticks for a while. Finally she glanced
up at him and decided she didn't care if it was rude. She set the
chopsticks down and picked up a piece of cashew chicken with her
fingers. It was quite messy. He smiled a little.
After she chewed a bite she asked, "So did
you… uh… eat?"
"I drank from a deer, yes," he said.
"Is the deer dead?" she asked.
"No, I can drink from a large animal without
killing it. They have enough blood that I don't have to. I didn't
want to leave any evidence for Geric to find. I don't know how many
different ways he might be trying to track us."
That made her lose her appetite a little, but
she forced herself to take small bites. She did need the
sustenance.
"I found us a place," he said as he watched
her play with her food. "An abandoned farmhouse."
"Oh?" she said. "We can't stay here?"
"I figured they would be looking for us at
public accommodations. Seemed safer to go off the grid
somehow."
She frowned as she picked at the chicken.
"Will we have to do this forever?" she asked. "How long can we run?
Until I die of old age?"
"No," he said quietly. "I think things will
come to a head before that."
She glanced up at him quickly, a little
startled by that statement. "What will we do?" she said, and her
voice came out small, young sounding and afraid.
He reached across the table and wrapped his
fingers around her wrist, avoiding her messy fingers. It made her
smile.
"We will have to think of a plan," he said.
"We'll be ready for him the next time he catches up with us. He
won't take you from me."
"Okay," she said, exhaling. She hadn't
realized she'd been holding her breath. "Tell me about the
farmhouse."
"Well," he said, thinking for a moment. "It's
a little rough. The water has been turned off, but there is a hand
operated water pump by the barn. Someone at some point built an
outhouse about twenty feet behind the house. And there's a wood
burning stove in the kitchen. So, we can take baths by heating
water on the stove and pouring it into the bathtub." He looked
concerned.
"What is it?" she asked.
"We can't use debit cards or credit cards. I
assume he can find a way to track them. Maybe I could go to another
town to withdraw some of our money from our accounts, so we can buy
food. And throw them off our trail."
She sighed. "This is so complicated. We will
run out of money eventually."
"I know," he said. "I can't think of a way
for us to take jobs without exposing ourselves too much. We don't
want anyone to remember they saw us to answer questions about
us."
"Then maybe it'd be better if Geric found us
sooner than later," she said, feeling defeated.
"We will beat him," he said.
"And if we can't?" she said. She turned a
piece of chicken in her fingers, staring at it absently.
"I could turn you… if nothing else," he
said.
She looked up quickly to see his blue eyes
staring into her.
"But that would be your choice. Always your
choice," he said. He squeezed her wrist with his hand, then pulled
his hand away from her.
She broke away from his gaze and took another
nibble of her chicken.
Chapter 15
"Looks like it's your turn."
She looked up from drawing pictures in the
snow with a twig she'd found. It was the biggest boy in school, a
grade ahead of her. Craig, the most feared bully. His friend Steven
was standing next to him, smirking.
"What do you mean it's my turn?" She was only
seven and he was nine. She thought he flunked a grade. He towered
over her.
"I'm gonna beat up every kid on this
playground," Craig said with a smile.
"Why? What did I do to you?" She tried not to
cry, but she could feel the tears welling up. She looked around for
her friends. They were playing near the swings and hadn't noticed.
Her heart started to pound.
He laughed. "I don't need a reason." He
shoved her so she fell to the ground. She was so shocked she didn't
know what to do. She started to cry. Some other kids on the
playground had
as she fumbled with the chopsticks for a while. Finally she glanced
up at him and decided she didn't care if it was rude. She set the
chopsticks down and picked up a piece of cashew chicken with her
fingers. It was quite messy. He smiled a little.
After she chewed a bite she asked, "So did
you… uh… eat?"
"I drank from a deer, yes," he said.
"Is the deer dead?" she asked.
"No, I can drink from a large animal without
killing it. They have enough blood that I don't have to. I didn't
want to leave any evidence for Geric to find. I don't know how many
different ways he might be trying to track us."
That made her lose her appetite a little, but
she forced herself to take small bites. She did need the
sustenance.
"I found us a place," he said as he watched
her play with her food. "An abandoned farmhouse."
"Oh?" she said. "We can't stay here?"
"I figured they would be looking for us at
public accommodations. Seemed safer to go off the grid
somehow."
She frowned as she picked at the chicken.
"Will we have to do this forever?" she asked. "How long can we run?
Until I die of old age?"
"No," he said quietly. "I think things will
come to a head before that."
She glanced up at him quickly, a little
startled by that statement. "What will we do?" she said, and her
voice came out small, young sounding and afraid.
He reached across the table and wrapped his
fingers around her wrist, avoiding her messy fingers. It made her
smile.
"We will have to think of a plan," he said.
"We'll be ready for him the next time he catches up with us. He
won't take you from me."
"Okay," she said, exhaling. She hadn't
realized she'd been holding her breath. "Tell me about the
farmhouse."
"Well," he said, thinking for a moment. "It's
a little rough. The water has been turned off, but there is a hand
operated water pump by the barn. Someone at some point built an
outhouse about twenty feet behind the house. And there's a wood
burning stove in the kitchen. So, we can take baths by heating
water on the stove and pouring it into the bathtub." He looked
concerned.
"What is it?" she asked.
"We can't use debit cards or credit cards. I
assume he can find a way to track them. Maybe I could go to another
town to withdraw some of our money from our accounts, so we can buy
food. And throw them off our trail."
She sighed. "This is so complicated. We will
run out of money eventually."
"I know," he said. "I can't think of a way
for us to take jobs without exposing ourselves too much. We don't
want anyone to remember they saw us to answer questions about
us."
"Then maybe it'd be better if Geric found us
sooner than later," she said, feeling defeated.
"We will beat him," he said.
"And if we can't?" she said. She turned a
piece of chicken in her fingers, staring at it absently.
"I could turn you… if nothing else," he
said.
She looked up quickly to see his blue eyes
staring into her.
"But that would be your choice. Always your
choice," he said. He squeezed her wrist with his hand, then pulled
his hand away from her.
She broke away from his gaze and took another
nibble of her chicken.
Chapter 15
"Looks like it's your turn."
She looked up from drawing pictures in the
snow with a twig she'd found. It was the biggest boy in school, a
grade ahead of her. Craig, the most feared bully. His friend Steven
was standing next to him, smirking.
"What do you mean it's my turn?" She was only
seven and he was nine. She thought he flunked a grade. He towered
over her.
"I'm gonna beat up every kid on this
playground," Craig said with a smile.
"Why? What did I do to you?" She tried not to
cry, but she could feel the tears welling up. She looked around for
her friends. They were playing near the swings and hadn't noticed.
Her heart started to pound.
He laughed. "I don't need a reason." He
shoved her so she fell to the ground. She was so shocked she didn't
know what to do. She started to cry. Some other kids on the
playground had
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