Ander - Part 2: Subchapter 12
12
As time went by and evening changed into night, the atmosphere inside that house grew more and more heavy, as if to match the lengthening of the shadows. Candles were lit, dinner was served, but nobody felt much like eating.
Except for Bethany. She seemed set on keeping the family routine, even if she had to do it by herself. She came back from the Elders' a while ago bearing news that didn't come as a shock to anyone.
For the safety of all Foxes, by noon of the next day, Ander must be outside Grovenglen's borders, or he will be forcefully removed.
This news struck Kiana and Layla particularly hard, but it didn't make any difference to Ander. He would have left anyway.
Things have been quiet as the grave since then. Rufio would occasionally puff on his pipe, and Bethany tried to get some life back into her daughters as they cleared the table together, but they simply went about this chore without saying a word.
This lack of distraction was taking its toll on Ander, as well. Leaning against the wall without anything to keep his mind occupied, it was free to dwell on tomorrow without restriction. Even though he didn't want to, he kept envisioning himself walking up to the gates of his tribe, watching it swing open for him like it had done a thousand times before, the decorative skulls rattling against the wooden stakes. They would come for him then, his real family, grabbing and tearing, screaming Banno's name. They would -
There came a knock on the door. Soft, barely audible, even to Ander's ears.
Rufio looked up and listened, a frown on his face. When it didn't come again, he went back to stuffing his pipe. Ander has noticed he does that more often when he's stressed.
The knock came again, slightly louder than before, but still quick, almost as if the person on the other side didn't want to be heard.
"Is there someone at the door?" Bethany asked of no one in particular, but Ander took it upon himself to answer.
"Yes. One Fox."
Bethany hurried over to the door, mumbling something about visitors coming in at the most ungodly of hours, and pulled back the latch.
As the door swung open, Ander wondered whether he should make himself scarce. After that debacle with Mateo's mother the last thing he wanted was a Fox passing out on Rufio's front porch.
"Sarah?" Bethany sounded surprised. "What are you doing here? Did that fall hurt you after all? Do you need my help?"
Fall?
"No, Beth. Really, I'm fine."
Ander's view was blocked by the open door, but he would recognize that voice anywhere. It belonged to Mateo's mother!
Ander shot a quick glance Kiana's way, but she looked just as surprised and confused as he was.
"I'm so sorry to bother you so late at night, but I, er..." the Fox Bethany had called "Sarah" stammered. "I've heard that the Wolf is staying with you. Is... Is that true?"
"You mean Ander? Yes, he's right here."
What's going on? Ander silently mouthed at Kiana. She could only shrug.
"Could I... I mean, is it all right if I spoke to him? For a while?"
Bethany leaned back a little to check with Ander.
"Uh..."
"Of course it's all right," Beth said, stepping away from the door. "Come on in before you catch your death of cold."
"I won't stay long, I assure you," Sarah said as she came into view. She wore a long green travelling cloak, with the hood pulled up over her head. Rather than lowering it now that she was indoors, she pulled it even tighter around herself as she nodded her greetings to Rufio and the girls, finally coming to a stop at Ander.
She stared at him for such a long time, she was beginning to make him feel uncomfortable. And she had the strangest look in her eyes. Was she about to pass out again? Ander tentatively raised his hand in greeting, not sure what to expect. The others were just looking on.
Sarah pulled her cloak even tighter around herself, squeezing it into a bunch at the base of her neck. "Your name is... Ander?"
She was trembling so badly Ander thought it best not to speak. He simply nodded instead.
"I..." She wrung her cloak between her hands, twisting the fabric into a thick rope before unrolling it again, her eyes cast down and to the side. "I just wanted to... to let you know that I... I'm sorry for the way I reacted. When I saw you. It... I'm sorry..."
Ander wasn't expecting this, and judging by the way Rufio had his eyebrows raised, this was unusual behaviour for this particular vixen.
"You have nothing to be sorry for, really," Ander said. "To be honest, I was expecting more Foxes to react like -"
"No, you don't understand," Sarah said, her eyes still glued to a spot in the far corner. Ander didn't think she's looked him in the eye even once since that first stare. "The way I acted... You must have felt like... I didn't mean to! It was just... such a shock, seeing you. Of course I knew there was a Wolf in the village. Mateo told me so, but then, at the top of that hill... I saw you and I just... I didn't... I'm just so sorry."
"No really, it's all right," Ander said, taken aback by this sudden onrush. It looked like she was on the verge of tears!
"Sarah, dear?" Bethany said. "Why don't you sit down and I'll make us all some tea? You've had a difficult day."
"No!" she said sharply. "Um, I mean... No, thank you. That's very kind, but like I said, I can't stay long. I need to get back home soon, you understand."
"Sarah," Rufio said, leaning back in his chair. "Does Michael know you're here?"
She flinched as if stung. "O-Of course he does! Why wouldn't he?"
"Just asking."
She turned her attention back to Ander, but her eyes still wouldn't go any higher than his knees. "Ander? I... I'm just..."
It was unnerving, seeing this vixen tremble before him like this. A part of him wanted to go to her, maybe put an arm around her, and tell her that he didn't blame her in the slightest. But that would be unbelievably stupid, of course. She could barely stand to be in the same room as him, that much was obvious.
But then why did she feel so compelled to come here and - ?
She suddenly looked him straight in the eye, a single tear running down her cheek. "I'm sorry Ander," she said. "I'm so, so sorry. For everything."
"For everything? What do you...?"
"I have to go."
"Wait!" Before Ander could do anything, she rushed out the open doorway, nearly bowling Bethany off her feet, and practically fled down the road. Ander ran to the nearest window and squinted into the shadows beyond the glass, watching as she sped off into the night, a dark figure with her cloak trailing behind her, until she disappeared around a corner.
"Humph! How rude!" Bethany said, locking the door. "Didn't even say goodbye!"
"Weird," Rufio agreed, although Ander had the feeling he was commenting on more than Sarah's manners.
Ander kept looking through the window for quite a while, hoping to catch a glimpse of her running between the houses, but all he could see was his own reflection staring back at him, a pale ghost in the darkness.
The glass was cold underneath his hand.
*
"Goodnight, Ander," Layla said. "Um... I wanted you to know that... everything you've done... It's because of you that I still have a sister, and I just..." The poor girl looked at a loss for words. "Thank you..."
"It's okay, Layla, I understand. Sleep well."
Layla nodded and slowly made her way up the stairs to her bedroom. It was probably the only time Ander has ever seen her not fly up there two at a time.
Now it was just him and Kiana.
"Kiana?"
"No."
"No?"
"No!" she said, suddenly angry. "I'm not going to say goodbye twice, Ander! Tomorrow will be bad enough as it is! I'm not going to say goodbye twice!"
"But Kiana, I just -"
"Goodnight."
With that, she followed her sister up the stairs without another word, leaving him alone in his room with nothing but his final night stretched out before him.
As he climbed into his bedroll and closed his eyes, Ander knew that last thought was all wrong. This night wouldn't last long at all.
It would fly by.
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