when I hear the name Jakey. I hate that damned name.
He doesn’t make eye contact with me, but Leo lifting his head might have something to do with it.
Jake leaves with him, "Be back in a bit."
I look at Anna, "What is the deal with the Jakey?"
She rolls her eyes, "It was what our mom called him. Every morning it was 'wakey wakey, Jakey the snakey' and Will used to get so excited when it was his turn to say it. Jake was always a sleeper. Even when he was a baby, he was lazy as hell." She shrugs, "Will always just called him that. He was pretty little when Jake was born. They were old and trouble by the time I was born. I was princess Anna."
A snort escapes from me, before I can stop laughing at her.
She glares, "I used to like nice stuff. I was so little and all those Disney princesses and shows were my favorite."
I nod, "I see." I don’t. I can't see her like that.
She passes Leo the bone of the leg, that she has eaten to nearly clean, and takes the jug of juice from me. Leo nibbles at the meat carefully. I reach for the bone but he growls.
"LEO!" I snap. He cowers. I stroke his head and turn his face. He sees my angry eyes and lowers his head in shame. I look at Anna, "Cooked bones are bad for him. He could get hurt."
She shakes her head, "I have never heard him growl at you."
I stroke him and slip the bone from his ashamed face. I pass it back to her, "Leave with it quickly." I say calmly, "Bring him a raw one." She gets up slowly and leaves the tent. I stroke him softly, "What did they do to you, baby?"
He turns and faces me. His soft Leo face is back, but he still seems funny, ‘off’ maybe. She's back and tosses it on the ground of the tent. He gives me a look. I nod once. He humbly picks it up and crawls under my bed. I can feel him under me, like the Princess and the Pea, but with a wolf.
"He seems weird." She sits and tucks her feet up.
"He might be worried about me, he might be upset about Marshall being here, or he might be slightly traumatized from the captivity. Could be anything," I mutter and try to ignore the lump under my back.
"Want me to stay again?" she asks.
I nod.
She gets comfy in the chair and closes her eyes.
I close mine and feel safe with her there. "I need a new bow," I say when my body starts to relax.
"I got your old one. I found it in the basement when the building never blew."
I open one eye. She smiles at me, "I knew I would be seeing you again, so I saved it."
I smile back, "Thanks."
She shrugs, "You're my sister, Em. Even if you never pick which brother you like better, although I will say, it seems to me Leo has chosen for you."
I snicker, "Yeah, he sure likes Jake."
She grins, "Not as much as he likes me."
"Nope. Besides me, Leo loves you the most," I close my eye again and drift away into a clean sleep. No bad dreams, dirt, or infection—just Leo, the woods and Anna.
Chapter Seven
The walk down the hill makes my stomach grumble with nerves. I can't help but think nonstop about the goodbye I gave Marshall. I snuck into his tent before we were leaving and watched him sleep. I wanted to shove a pillow over his face, but I didn’t. Doc was watching me and it felt wrong to do it, without him being able to fight. I leaned down low to his face and returned the whispers that he had given me so long ago.
"I should have killed you when I had the chance." I looked back at Doc and smiled, "You keep him safe for me."
He smiled nervously and I left the tent.
Jake nudges me out of my daydream of smothering Marshall, "You excited to get to the retreat?" Seeing the farmhouse scares me. I don’t know why.
I ignore it and nod anyway, "I need to figure out how I'm going to stop my…uhm… them." He isn’t my dad. Lenny was my dad. Lenny has been with me every minute of this life; he has kept me alive. His wisdom has made me who I am. The terrible things they did to the baby I was, has been kept at bay by Lenny and Granny and Gramps. I was
He doesn’t make eye contact with me, but Leo lifting his head might have something to do with it.
Jake leaves with him, "Be back in a bit."
I look at Anna, "What is the deal with the Jakey?"
She rolls her eyes, "It was what our mom called him. Every morning it was 'wakey wakey, Jakey the snakey' and Will used to get so excited when it was his turn to say it. Jake was always a sleeper. Even when he was a baby, he was lazy as hell." She shrugs, "Will always just called him that. He was pretty little when Jake was born. They were old and trouble by the time I was born. I was princess Anna."
A snort escapes from me, before I can stop laughing at her.
She glares, "I used to like nice stuff. I was so little and all those Disney princesses and shows were my favorite."
I nod, "I see." I don’t. I can't see her like that.
She passes Leo the bone of the leg, that she has eaten to nearly clean, and takes the jug of juice from me. Leo nibbles at the meat carefully. I reach for the bone but he growls.
"LEO!" I snap. He cowers. I stroke his head and turn his face. He sees my angry eyes and lowers his head in shame. I look at Anna, "Cooked bones are bad for him. He could get hurt."
She shakes her head, "I have never heard him growl at you."
I stroke him and slip the bone from his ashamed face. I pass it back to her, "Leave with it quickly." I say calmly, "Bring him a raw one." She gets up slowly and leaves the tent. I stroke him softly, "What did they do to you, baby?"
He turns and faces me. His soft Leo face is back, but he still seems funny, ‘off’ maybe. She's back and tosses it on the ground of the tent. He gives me a look. I nod once. He humbly picks it up and crawls under my bed. I can feel him under me, like the Princess and the Pea, but with a wolf.
"He seems weird." She sits and tucks her feet up.
"He might be worried about me, he might be upset about Marshall being here, or he might be slightly traumatized from the captivity. Could be anything," I mutter and try to ignore the lump under my back.
"Want me to stay again?" she asks.
I nod.
She gets comfy in the chair and closes her eyes.
I close mine and feel safe with her there. "I need a new bow," I say when my body starts to relax.
"I got your old one. I found it in the basement when the building never blew."
I open one eye. She smiles at me, "I knew I would be seeing you again, so I saved it."
I smile back, "Thanks."
She shrugs, "You're my sister, Em. Even if you never pick which brother you like better, although I will say, it seems to me Leo has chosen for you."
I snicker, "Yeah, he sure likes Jake."
She grins, "Not as much as he likes me."
"Nope. Besides me, Leo loves you the most," I close my eye again and drift away into a clean sleep. No bad dreams, dirt, or infection—just Leo, the woods and Anna.
Chapter Seven
The walk down the hill makes my stomach grumble with nerves. I can't help but think nonstop about the goodbye I gave Marshall. I snuck into his tent before we were leaving and watched him sleep. I wanted to shove a pillow over his face, but I didn’t. Doc was watching me and it felt wrong to do it, without him being able to fight. I leaned down low to his face and returned the whispers that he had given me so long ago.
"I should have killed you when I had the chance." I looked back at Doc and smiled, "You keep him safe for me."
He smiled nervously and I left the tent.
Jake nudges me out of my daydream of smothering Marshall, "You excited to get to the retreat?" Seeing the farmhouse scares me. I don’t know why.
I ignore it and nod anyway, "I need to figure out how I'm going to stop my…uhm… them." He isn’t my dad. Lenny was my dad. Lenny has been with me every minute of this life; he has kept me alive. His wisdom has made me who I am. The terrible things they did to the baby I was, has been kept at bay by Lenny and Granny and Gramps. I was
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