Page 32 of Sparrow

And who then left me sitting there like none of it mattered.

My smile turns to a frown and I pass the cup of coffee and head for the fridge. I don’t need much in the way of breakfast. Something portable and easy that I can take with me out into the sunlight. A quick glance into the fridge, however, shows me that everything in there needs to be cooked. Eggs, bacon, and a range of ingredients with unknown origins. I don’t see anything that could mean breakfast.

I do see enough to think that the meals Mars made last night–some mix of vegetables, chicken and rice–is how he normally cooks. A one pot king, evidently.

I shake my head, slam the fridge, and walk toward the garage. Fine. I’ll get food in town.

Maybe stop by the bakery like Penny asked me to.

I pass through the hall to the garage, my mind ticking through my mission for the day. I know I want to head back to New York and to my family, and to do that, I need to know what sort of resources Hawke’s Wood has. Is there a train station here? A bus depot? Does the bank allow wire transfers? I don’t have any money left, so if I’m going to get home I’ll need money from my father.

The thought brings a weight I don’t like, a memory of how unpleasant it is to ask him for money, and right after that comes the next unwelcome thought. Surely my kidnappers asked for a ransom. And just as surely, he refused.

Will he give me money if I call and ask for it?

Does he even want me back?

My steps stutter to a stop at this, which is too dark, too real, for me to shove away, and I stare into the darkness of the hallway for several moments. He didn’t pay to get me back, I’m sure of it, and though I’ve never considered the implications of that before, now they’re all I can see. He refused to bring me home. One of the most powerful men in the city, attached to the most powerful family, and he didn’t even bother trying to find me.

Because if he’d tried–if the Rossi family had tried–they would have succeeded. I know it.

And instead, I was transported into the mountains to Hawke’s Wood.

If I suddenly appear again, will he welcome me home with open arms?

I’ve known my father long enough to doubt it.

The door in front of me opens so quickly it nearly hits me, and I look up into the light, dazzled. Suddenly the glow dies and someone is standing there, blocking out the sun, and I shake my head, wondering if I’m seeing things.

But it’s just Mars.

And he’s looking at me like I appeared out of thin air. His eyes drop down my frame, taking in my bare legs and feet, and then travel back up. I squirm, unsure how to feel at the feelings rushing through me, and watch his eyes land on my face.

“Where are you going?”

“Into town.”

He grunts. “By yourself?”

What does he think, I’ve already got friends waiting in town for me? “Um, yes? I need clothes. And a book.”

His face grows dark. “No.”

What?

“I can’t get clothes? Or a book?”

“You’re not going by yourself.”

He yanks the door open again and turns, throwing the shop rag he was holding at Rookie. “Rooks, I’m taking an early lunch,” he snaps.

Rookie looks up as Mars drags me through the door and takes the time to give me a lopsided grin, then shoots a questioning look at Mars. “When’ll you be back?”

“Later,” Mars says sharply.

He stalks out of the garage into the sunlight and, when he realizes I haven’t gone with him, turns back to me. “Are you coming?”

“Oh!”