Smevy

6

The following morning was a Sunday, which was the day we didn't work, so I got up early- around 5 -intending to see how far I could walk, but my plans came to a screeching halt when I saw Baritone was outside with a girl through the window of the bedroom I shared with him. I'd never seen her before. She had rabbit ears, horns like Purplewing, and, when she turned around, a short, white, rabbit tail.

"Lapin," I muttered. One of the rabbit people. Who was she, and why was she looking at Baritone like he was a gift from The Good? I quickly darted to the door, pulled on my boots, and ran outside, just to see them locked in an embrace, their lips locked together.

"Gross!" I exclaimed, then remembered that everyone else was asleep and lowered my voice. "Come on, you guys!"

They unattached themselves and looked at me. She glanced at Baritone, who smiled and said, "Leila, this is my little brother, Joseph."

"Hello, Joseph," she said, sounding more than a little confused. She turned back to my brother. "Baritone, I thought you said everyone would be asleep."

"That's what I thought," said Baritone. "Why are you up, Joe?"

"I wanted to go on a walk," I said. "I didn't think I would see you guys..."

I scrunched up my face. It wasn't that I hated kissing- mom and dad kissed all the time, right before dad went out to work with the rest of us while mom worked in the house. I just thought it was a bit gross. Why in The Good's graces would someone squish their mouth up against someone else? It just didn't make any sense to me. What about germs? What if you accidentally bit someone's lips? What if your tongue touched the other person's?

The questions went on and on, and it only seemed more gross the more I thought about it. It must have shown, because Baritone laughed so loudly that it echoed in the still morning. Then he turned to Leila. See you tonight? Around 10?"

"It's a date," she said, then leaned in to kiss him again. I groaned and turned away.

After a few minutes I heard her walking away, so I looked back. Once she was gone, Baritone came up to me. "You're so silly about kissing," he said. "It's just part of humanity, you know."

"Neither of us are really human," I replied. "You're Ovella, I'm Husk."

"You know what I mean." His gaze softened, a glint of mirth shining from within. "You'll get it when you're older."

I didn't think I would, but I nodded anyway, then started to walk away. "You want to come with me?"

"Normally I'd say yes, but I'm exhausted," he said. "Maybe later?"

"Alright, see you then." I turned to go, then thought of something. If they were staying the night together...well, mom and dad had given me "The Talk." I knew. That also sounded disgusting to me, but that's a whole other discussion. Anyway, what if... I mean, it wasn't an impossibility. Suddenly I knew what I had to say. I looked back at him. "If you don't tell them, I will."

"Then I'll just deny it," he replied, unruffled. "You've got nothing on me."

Much as I hated to admit, he was right. But I still had to try. "I'm worried about you though. What if something falls on you and nobody knows where you are?" A thought struck me. "Do her parents know?"

"Her parents are gone," he said. "It's just us." He smiled at the word. "And that's exactly what we want." His face darkened. "So don't get in the way." And with that, he turned and walked inside. I briefly considered telling my parents anyway. He was right about me having no proof, but I was really worried about him. This wasn't a good idea, and the chances of something happening to him were too great to ignore.

But what could I do? Nobody would believe me, and it might even make them suspicious of where I was going. They were putting a lot of trust in an eleven-year old, especially one that had a history of wandering near abandoned buildings.

So, in the end, I didn't say anything, instead walking off into the gathering dawn.

The countryside spread out below me like a great carpet. In front of me (westward) were long grazing fields, criss-crossed by old, rusty fences. Beyond that was the forest, an edge of wheat and corn fields visible to the south. I knew that there weren't any farms to the northeast, so I turned around, facing the rising sun, and started on my journey for the day.

Our house was situated on a hill in a small glen of trees, an island in the middle of the green sea that surrounded it. A gigantic forest was to the north, and I gravitated to it, keeping to the same creek that me and Grya used to roam, though we were much further west and would go the other direction of where I was going.

I kept away from the road though- that was a magnet for unsavory folk, and, though I was confident I could fend them off with the long knife I'd received on my tenth birthday, there was no point in putting myself in a dangerous situation if I could avoid it.

I breathed a sigh of relief as soon as I passed into the forest. When I was alone, I was truly free. After all, isn't freedom just a word for having nothing left to lose? The quote, taken from one of the books in our library, wouldn't leave me alone, and I pondered that for the rest of the day.

I also watched the wildlife; dusty bucks, does, and fawns grazing by the waterside, birds twittering about the latest news, and black squirrels that chased each other along the forest floor, chattering endlessly. I also saw toads, frogs, and minnows in the creek water, and I smiled nostalgically as I remembered me and Grya hunting them. The memories came hot and fast, and it took me a moment to realize I was crying. I smiled through the tears, still winding my way through the trees. It hurt, but the pain was good. Wherever Grya was, I would keep her in my heart through reminiscing. I could almost hear her voice...

Then I stopped. I'd actually heard something. A voice, calling my name. Not just that, but my true name.

"Smevy!" The voice said. "Smevy, wait!"

I turned around, and I couldn't believe who it was.

"Grya?"