Home.
Jamison
BEFORE THE SUPERFLU, SEEING THE CABIN WASa relief. It meant the three-ish hour drive from Philly—depending on traffic—was over and we could get out and stretch. Seeing it now just brings fresh anxiety.
“Go ahead,” Niki says, probably sensing the worry of what—or who—I’ll find in the cabin. “I’ll give you five minutes. Newt, stay.”
Beside her, Newt sits and waits patiently until she hands him a few Cheerios from her jacket pocket, which he munches loudly. His obedience training has gone well the past few weeks, especially after we learned stale Cheerios are considered a high-value treat in Newt’s mind.
I take a deep breath and walk up the driveway to the cabin.
The door is locked when I reach for it, which is odd because I left it unlocked when I followed after Andrew. My body starts to buzz at the thought. Someone else is in there, and either it’s Andrew, or I’m so desperate for it to be him my body refuses to believe any other possibility. Because this isn’t the buzz of fear or anxiety anymore, it’s excitement and anticipation.
Instead of knocking, I grab the spare key that’s still hidden in thecompartment under Holly the Gnome’s toadstool, and my heart flutters again at the neon turtle next to it.
After I unlock the door, just for a second, I worry I’ve broken into the wrong cabin. But then I see the gun pointing at me.
And the boy holding it.
“See?” he asks, his voice full of frustration. “How doyoulike it?”
I laugh, and my chest feels like either it’s about to burst or I’m about to crumble into dust. Something otherworldly and uncontainable. Hearing him make a joke so easily—after not seeing me for such a long time—it means maybe things could be okay with us.
He sets the rifle down and we close the gap between us in half a second. His arms around me, mine around him. Holding tight, as though we’re trying to fuse ourselves together. It’s familiar and lovely.
“I’ve been planning that bit for months,” he says. “Just so you know.”
“Was it worth it?” I ask.
“No. But every other part of this is.” He leans away but keeps his arms wrapped around me. His smile drops down into a look of uncertainty. He wants to ask about Fort Caroline.
I shake my head. “It’s a long story, but I didn’t... he’s dead and I don’t think Fort Caroline is going to be the way it was, but I had nothing to do with it, in the end. You were right. I’m sorry. You were always right, about the Keys and about the revenge mission, and I never should have left you. I should have been open to creating a new family with everyone, but I couldn’t.”
“You were scared.” He kisses me, holding my face in his hands. “It’s okay. You’re allowed to be scared.”
“I know, but I shouldn’t have let that get in the way.”
“It’s okay.” He kisses me again. “You’re here.”
My eyes return to the walls. From where I stand, the kitchen looks bigger. The walls aren’t painted and instead have dark, minimalist gray wallpaper plastered over them.
“What did you do to my house?”
“Shhh.” He kisses me. “Don’t worry about that now.”
I laugh against his lips and pick him up, so he wraps his legs around my middle.
“I’m sorry,” I say.
“Don’t worry about that now either.” A short bark from behind us makes him startle in my arms and he pulls away from me. Newt stands in the doorway, his tail waving slowly behind him.
“Oh yeah,” I say. “This is Newt.”
Andrew gasps and drops down off me. “I love him!” Newt, sensing Andrew’s energy, bounds into the cabin and slams his backside into him, immediately demanding pets.
Then Niki appears in the doorway. “I gave you enough time. Andrew, where the hell is my brother? Hi. Nice to see you again.”
“Oh, hey, Niki.” His cheeks turn red as he looks over to me like I’m going to help him out. “He’s... nearby. There’s a farm through the woods they’re all staying at. Really nice place, I think you’re going to love it.”
