Chapter 2
The Walk Home
As they walked back through the deserted human neighborhood, Rowan talked. About everything. At first she talked about how nice it was to see other Holten, since the only others she'd had to keep her company were the occasional human bodies the original Holten had missed on their clean-up rounds. As the walk durated, though, the conversation took a more solemn turn. Her parents had died at an early age, leaving her to take care of her brother, Ty. After Ty stormed off to face the world at his own jurisdiction, she'd been left to care for herself. So she'd hunkered down in the treehouse and scoured the neighborhood for any and all resources.
"I always pictured myself as a fierce warrior, tromping all over the world to keep my brother and I safe," she recounted. "And after he left, it made me realize that all I do is look through abandoned houses like an animal, living day to day, with nothing but survival to think about." She sighed. "All I thought I was was wrong. I wasn't any warrior. I'm just a scavenger."
It took a second for that to sink in. Damn, he thought. "To quote the human George Bernard Shaw, we are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but the responsibility for our future." he replied.
They walked in silence for a while, neither of them saying or thinking anything in particular.
Rowan sighed, then looked at Theodore. "I just spilled my guts to someone I only met an hour ago," she confirmed. "I must be more socially deprived than I thought. You came along and I instantly told you my life story. Sorry." She cringed.
"Don't apologize. We've all been through a lot since the Malfunction. I'd tell you my life story, but it seems that you're pretty adept at finding those things out for yourself," he mused.
"I've been searching for other Holten for quite some time," she remarked. "So when I felt your consciousness, I wanted to find out everythng I possibly uncover. I know your parents are gone like mine, your home base is in a deserted house, your sister left you, and you think you're going to enjoy the new addition to the group."
"There's really no point in telling you anything, is there?" He chuckled.
"Rowan Winters, reader of minds, at your service." She mock-saluted Theodore then laughed.
He enjoyed walking with Rowan. They could have a solemn conversation one minute then the next, it would take a completely different tack. "Do you cook?" He inquired.
She gave him a look that said Do-I-Look-Like-I-Cook?, crossed the short distance between them and put her hand on his shoulder. Theodore was startled, but didn't make any moves to remove it; It felt warm, like he hadn't felt in a while. "Trust me, Theodore Haasra, let me near a working stove, and you will soon find your stove is a pretzel," she disclosed. And that was that; there was nothing more to be done, only accept.
