Chapter 11: Chapter 11

“Well, if it isn’t one of them rapists from down south.”

Daniel Redd’s voice grated on Rain’s ears like the screech of a long, pointed fingernail on a glass window. She stopped walking just a few feet away from him, her plan to simply walk by whomever was standing in the shadows on the far side of the alley given up now that she knew for sure it was him. She still couldn’t see his face, the dark patches of night obscuring his features, but that voice had been ingrained in her mind the first time she heard it, and she felt confident, should they both live another hundred years, she would recognize it then, too.

“Leave me alone,” she said, turning her head in his direction as he slowly began to emerge from the darkness. “You don’t want to mess with me.”

He scoffed, stepping into a thin beam of light cast from a lamp so far down the alleyway, it barely reached him. It was enough, though. Enough to illuminate a face she’d seen inside of the armory, amongst Seth’s friends.

The would-be attacker wasn’t nearly as big as Rain had expected, based on the anger in his voice. He was shorter than Seth by at least four inches, and his shoulders were barely wider than hers. Rain felt slightly more confident when she looked into his eyes. One of his, the left, began to twitch erratically, which was slightly frightening. Still, she hadn’t come all this way to be harassed by this meager excuse of a man.

Daniel took another step forward. “What do you mean I don’t want to mess with you? What are you planning to do? Rape me, like you did that poor miserable bastard I met at Seth’s house?” He took another step toward her. “Maybe this time the tables will be turned on you, little lady. Maybe someone will teach you what it’s like to have someone on top of you when you don’t want them there.”

The sour taste of strawberry punch she’d swallowed before the dance with Seth coated the back of her mouth as images of Daniel trying to force himself upon her filled her mind. Rain shook her head, trying to clear the pictures from her thoughts. He was too close to her now. She took a step back but changed her stance around, crouching slightly, one foot forward, her hands up. “Stay back! I know martial arts.”

Again, he snickered at her. “Who’s Marshall? The other guy you left at the house?”

Realizing the imbecile thought she’d said a name, she shook her head. “No, idiot. Martial arts. Karate. Taekwondo. I can snap the bones in your puny arm before you even lay a snot crusted fingernail on me.”

He’d closed the space between them while she spoke. Rain was just about to get a chance to test her hand-to-hand combat skills, something she wouldn’t have expected to be using against anyone but the Mothers since this journey began, something she never would’ve expected to use at all before she left home.

As Daniel reached for her with both arms, an attempt to shove her backward into the brick wall behind her, she moved with the fluidity many years of practice had engrained in her brain. Her hands shot out, grabbing hold of his arm, twisting as she spun her body and jabbed her elbow into his gut. It all happened so quickly, she almost didn’t hear the crunch of the bones in his arm as they snapped, punctuated by the wheezing sound of him attempting to inhale when she’d clearly knocked all of the air out of him.

Daniel grunted, and Rain released him, turning to face him again and backing up. His face was scrunched up in pain, turning the crimson shade of his last name as profanities flew from his mouth. Rain readied her hands again as he came at her once more, but this time, she didn’t rely on her training from martial arts to inflict pain. Instead, she lifted her knee at precisely the right moment, hitting him squarely in the groin.

With the second blow, he doubled over, attempting to grab his manhood with both hands before he remembered his arm was broken and screeched again. “You bitch!” was all she understood of what he snarled as he stood there, tears of agony streaming down his face.

Just then, Rain heard her name shouted in a frantic, familiar voice. “Rain!” She turned to see Seth running in her direction from the way she’d come. At the same time, the shuffle of Daniel, heading the other direction as quickly as he could in his current state, brought her head back around for an instant. She let him go. He’d be beyond idiotic to mess with her again.

Seth’s arms were around her, pulling her close, as soon as he reached her. “Thank God you’re okay,” he said, breathless. He pressed her back to arm’s length and glanced down her body. “You are okay, aren’t you?”

“I’m fine,” she assured him, turning to look in the direction where Daniel had disappeared. “Your friend might not be.”

“He’s not my friend.” The conviction in Seth’s voice was clear. “I wish you would’ve waited for me .I was afraid he might try something like that. I looked around for him in the dance hall and didn’t see him, so I came after you.”

“Well, he’s probably wishing he’d stayed put.” She wondered if he’d run to Mary’s house to set his arm. Would he tell her the truth? Would she know the girl wearing her daughter’s dress had been the one to mess him up so badly?

“Look at you,” Seth said, his hands cupping her face as her eyes met his again. The smile on his face was one of pride and relief. “I can’t believe you just did that. You’re… amazing Rain.”

Her eyes widened as the adrenaline rush she’d felt before began to dissipate, and she realized exactly what she had done. Looking into his eyes, feeling his touch on her skin, Rain caught her breath, her hands flying up to his shoulders of their own accord. “Thank you, Seth. I’m pretty sure I’m okay.”

“Good.” His voice was just a whisper now. “I’m so glad….”

“Me, too.” She stared into his eyes a moment, felt his warm breath near her mouth, and realized he wasn’t thinking clearly. His emotions had overcome him, and he was still riding that wave of fear and relief.

But that didn’t negate the fact that his lips, his perfect, soft, pink lips were only inches from hers, reaching for hers in a way she had never experienced before. He wanted to kiss her. Seth wanted to share that kiss with her, the way she’d meant to kiss Adam earlier. And she wanted to kiss him, too. Whether it was because of the turmoil they’d just been through or the fact that she was attracted to Seth for so many reasons she couldn’t rightly name at the moment, she wanted to experience what it would be like to have his skin on hers, to taste him, to close her eyes and lose herself in his scent.

“Seth! What are you doing!”

Hannah’s voice reached her ear like the squawk of a bird, crying out in protection of its nest. Rain and Seth both turned to look at the petite girl at the end of the alley at the same time. She had her hands on her hips, her head tipped down, her forehead scrunched in wrinkles so deep, they were even visible at this distance.

“Shit,” Seth murmured. “I told her I’d walk her home.”

Rain took a step back, Hannah’s hurt falling between them like a door dropping to cut her off from an escape route. Or perhaps the girl had actually provided Rain with the exit she needed. “Go ahead,” she said, slipping an easy smile into place. “I’ll be fine.”

“Are you kidding?” he asked, a hand raising to his hair. “Rain, Daniel just tried to attack you.”

“And… now he’s limping away. Seth, I’ll be fine. Walk your girl home. I’ll see you at the house.”

He looked over his shoulder at Hannah but then turned back to Rain. “She’s not my girl. I just explained that to her.”

Rain nodded, not sure how she felt about that. Had he reminded Hannah that they were not an item because he wanted to be with her? Or was that just the way of it? “Okay,” she said. Then, giving him a light shove, she said, “I’ll see you in a bit.”

Seth let out a deep sigh before he acquiesced. “Fine. But lock the doors when you get inside. Both of them.”

She raised an eyebrow. “All right.” She thought that seemed unnecessary, but she’d do as he asked. If Daniel was able to walk at all right now, he’d have to be looking for medical attention, not trying to hunt her down. “How will you get in?”

He smirked at her. “I have a key.”

“Oh.” She hadn’t seen any codes on the doors; the ideas of keys were foreign to her. “All right. Take your time, Seth. She likes you. A lot.”

His handsome face shifted, from the top of his forehead down to his chin, as a wave of sadness paled him. “I know.”

It seemed like she should say something more, or maybe she should wave at Hannah, say something like, “It was nice to meet you,” but she hadn’t, and it wouldn’t have been. The girl clearly hated her, and Rain couldn’t blame her. Even if she hadn’t kissed Seth, she’d wanted to. She would have. If Hannah hadn’t appeared at that very second. What that would mean for her and Seth--for her and Adam--she wasn’t sure, but Hannah had made it so that it no longer mattered.

As Seth headed back to Hannah’s side, Rain spun on her borrowed heel and surveyed the darkness around her. There was no sign of Daniel or any other threat, so she headed on her way, secretly hoping Seth did not take his time.

* * *

Bolting the door seemed silly, but she’d promised Seth she’d lock it, so as soon as Rain was safely back inside the Green residents, she did so. She paused to take a deep breath and take in the ambience of the house, which seemed empty, before she turned to walk to the kitchen to lock the back door, as he’d instructed. No sound came from Mist and Walt’s room. Imagining that meant they were asleep, she didn’t go in to check on her friend. If there was a problem, Walt would let her know. Of that, she was certain.

The back of the house was mostly dark, save for one dim light on over the stove. Rain assumed she was alone in the kitchen until a small movement amongst the shadows at the round table they’d eaten at earlier caught her attention. She froze, her hand flying to her heart.

“Did I startle you?” Esther’s voice spoke into the darkness as she shifted in her chair, causing a thin beam of light to illuminate part of her face, a grin letting Rain know she thought the situation slightly amusing.

“Oh, a little,” Rain said, regaining her ability to speak as she was no longer petrified in place. She continued on her way to the back door, just a few feet from where Esther sat, apparently doing nothing but enjoying the solace of a blackened kitchen. “Seth told me to lock the doors when I got home… so I am.”

“Why is that?” Esther asked, turning to face her. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, it’s fine.” Rain’s eyes had adjusted enough to the dark that she could at least see Esther’s expression now. She contemplated sitting but didn’t. Taking off these heels and getting back into her regular clothes seemed urgent, even if that was only because it was an excuse to get back to how things had been before. She wished she could erase the dance from her history, from Seth’s history, as well, but she couldn’t. Still, putting on her jeans and a long sleeved T-shirt before he arrived home from walking Hannah seemed like a good way to pretend it away.

“Then why does he want the doors locked?” Esther wanted to know.

It was a legitimate question. Rain rested her hands on the back of the chair nearest her and said, “Because… Daniel Redd is a jerk, that’s why.”

A low rumble met her ears as Esther agreed with a chuckle. “Did he do something?”

“No. He tried to, but I’m stronger than I look.”

Esther wasn’t laughing now, as she realized Rain was serious. Her forehead creased. “Are you all right, dear?”

“I’m fine. I suspect he can’t say the same, though.” She thought of how she had heard snapping when she twisted his arm, how she’d used every bit of force she could muster to jam her knee into his testicles. Daniel Redd would stop and think for a long time before he bothered another woman in a deserted alley--or elsewhere.

“I’m glad to hear you’re all right, dear, but that is concerning.” Esther shook her head. “I do wish that Seth wasn’t so kind hearted. He ends up befriending these people who are not worth his time and effort. It’s really quite disheartening to watch. As a mother.”

Rain could imagine. “I don’t think Seth and Daniel are friends anymore,” she offered.

Esther nodded. “I don’t think Seth will be calling any of these folks friends for much longer. He’s leaving, you know? One way or another. He’s been planning to go find some farmland to call his own for years. Now that you’re here, well, I imagine he’ll change his mind, that he’ll go with you to Louis City, perhaps on to Quebec, and not come back for years. Maybe never.”

The melancholy tone of Esther’s voice had Rain’s mouth slipping into a downward pucker. She had no idea what it must be like to have a child and then see that offspring decide to go, to put thousands of miles between themselves and home, from their family, from their mother. But she did understand the feeling of loss. Not only had she imagined many times how she would feel if she were asked to give up her own child, the way all Mothers were in Michaelanburg, she’d also thought about how she had missed out on so much by not having her own parents in her life. Most of the time, it was only her mother she’d considered, but the more she thought about who that woman might be, the more it occurred to her to think about her dad as well. There was nothing happy about either situation, hers or Esther’s. But at least they both knew Seth was old enough to take care of himself and loving enough to keep in touch with his family.

“Seth hasn’t said anything to me about going on with us,” she said, hoping to relieve some of Esther’s fears. She hated to be the reason this mother and son were no longer under the same roof. She wasn’t sure that what she’d stated was true. Regardless of what Seth’s official plans were, she had a feeling he would continue to go with them, particularly if Adam was… delayed.

Esther smiled at her. “Regardless of where my son goes, I know it’s time for me to let him back out into the world. We’ve become close, all these years, living here, doing our part to protect the borders. It was Seth’s grandfather, my daddy, who insisted we give up the farm and come do what we could to make sure our friends and family in Oklasaw were always safe. Seth has his fighting spirit. I think that’s why he was so keen to help you, even before he knew for certain that you were who you said you were.”

Rain had no recollection of that since she’d been unconscious for much of those first encounters with Seth, but she could see that. He spoke fondly of his grandfather. It was a surprise to her that he wanted to go back to farming. “Why doesn’t he want to stay here? There might be plenty of opportunities to defend Oklasaw against Michaelanburg since we’ve come.”

“There are at the moment,” she said with a heavy sigh. “The fighting wages on. Above us… to our west. Mostly, our forces are taking shots at the Mothers from the shadows, attempting to pick them off and slow them down so that our more vulnerable neighbors out in the farmlands can take shelter. We haven’t suffered many casualties, and we have been able to slow them enough that Adam may have a good chance at completing his mission.”

The news that Adam had help in getting the tracker to the river was enough to make Rain relax slightly, though she was still on edge. She hadn’t allowed herself to think about the possibility that the reason he hadn’t called yet was because he’d already been taken out by the Mothers. Now, knowing that their enemy had been delayed, that there was a good chance they hadn’t reached him yet, gave Rain what she needed to force oxygen all the way into her lungs, something she hadn’t done all day.

Another comment Esther had made had caught her attention, though. “You said Seth’s dad didn’t want to be part of the defenses of Oklasaw?” she asked. She’d heard next to nothing about Seth’s dad. Again, the idea of what her own dad might be like, what might’ve happened to him, came to mind. “What was he like?”

A fond smile took over Esther’s face. It was clear she’d loved her husband very much. “He wanted to keep it simple, to stay out on our farm and provide for ourselves as much as we could. That’s what we did up until he died. Then, Grandpa decided it was time to do what he wanted to do, which was to come here and help with defense. We don’t do any fighting. But we do keep an eye out, as you know.”

Rain nodded. As much as Esther obviously loved the man she’d had two sons with, it seemed clear she didn’t want to stay on the farm too much either. Perhaps she found speaking of him painful. “What was his name?” she asked, wishing she could put a name with the made-up image she’d drawn to mind, a man who looked much like Seth, though older.

“Samuel.” Esther said the name like a mourning dove, cooing her loss. “His name was Samuel. He got ill when Peter was three, and died the next year. He tried to keep doing his work, tried to stay out in the fields, but he couldn’t manage after a few months. Then, it was all I could do to keep him in bed, raise two sons, and keep up with the farm work. Grandpa helped out as much as he could, but he had a limp from a previous farming accident, one of the reasons he was done with that sort of life. Anyway, it was hard there for a while. But we managed. Then, when Samuel said goodbye, we decided to move here.” Esther had tears in her eyes as she finished. She didn’t wipe them away, and they didn’t fall. After a moment, they disappeared, as if she’d willed them back inside of her, the way Rain imagined she had many times before. “Anyway, that was a long time ago.”

Rain took that to mean Esther was done speaking of the subject and nodded. “I’m going to go change clothes. Seth should be home soon. Thank you, so much, for all of the trouble you went to to help me experience my first dance. It’s something I’ll never forget.” That much was true--Rain wouldn’t ever forget it, even if it wasn’t anything at all like Esther had hoped.

Without responding at all to her remarks about the dance, Esther slid her phone across the table. “Here, dear. I’m going to bed. You best keep this. In case… Adam gets a chance to call.”

“Thank you,” Rain said with a nod. “Goodnight, Esther.”

“Goodnight, Rain, dear. Pleasant dreams.” Esther pulled herself up from the table and patted Rain on the arm as she went around her, headed down the hall to what had been Peter’s room before these strangers had shown up and upset everything. Now, Peter had been sleeping with Seth, Walt and Mist were in the guest room, and Rain had Esther’s room. She should’ve told the woman to go to her own room, that she’d sleep on the couch, but she knew Esther wouldn’t hear of it anyway, so there was no point in trying. Instead, she took the phone and headed back to the room she’d claimed to change her clothes.