Antumbra - A Lost Cause

Broken Pieces - Chapter Twenty One

Arva stepped out of the car as Marcus held the door for her. It had been a long drive, and it was almost dark, yet despite how much she'd slept she was still exhausted. Her whole body felt sore and weak, the bandages itched, and she felt unsteady on her feet. Despite that, the sight of her home reinvigorated her enough to stand straight, not wanting to make Gramma or Hannah worry about her when she got home. She turned to Marcus, and clasped her hands awkwardly in front of her.

"Thanks," she said, "for the ride home, and... well, everything."

"It was my pleasure," Marcus said, closing the rear door and returning to the driver's side. Arva twisted her hands in front of her, and summoned the courage to speak up.

"Hey do you-" she said far louder than she had intended, and adjusted her tone, "uh, want to come inside? For dinner, I mean if..." Arva immediately regretted her words. Now she just felt foolish. Marcus closed his eyes and gave her a friendly smile.

"Goodnight, Arva," he said, stepping into the car. She nodded. Of course, she thought, he's probably very busy and it was a stupid question. She walked back to the house, chastising at herself under her breath, and stepped inside. Almost immediately she was tackled by her sister.

"You're back!" Hannah blurted out over and over again, her words muffled as she buried herself in her sister's arms.

"Thank God," Gramma walked over, putting her arms around Arva, "we were so worried, when those men came and told us, we thought-"

"I'm fine, Gramma," Arva hugged her back warmly. As soon as she let go her grandmother examined her face, looking at all the new bruises and cuts.

"My goodness," she said.

"I just got a little banged up," Arva pulled back, "that's why they kept me for so long, just to make sure I was alright."

"Well thank the divines," Gramma sighed with relief, but still fretted over Arva's condition, "but your poor face."

"Yes, my poor face," Arva rolled her eyes, "it's fine, really. In a few days I'll be good as new."

"Where did you go?" Hannah asked, looking up with innocent curiosity.

"Some very nice people took me to the hospital," Arva explained, "you know when you bump your knee and need a bandage? Well I bumped my whole body, so they needed to put lots of bandages on me!" Hannah giggled at Arva's explanation. She felt better already.

"How did you do that?" Hannah asked cheekily, but as Arva looked up she could see Gramma looked just as curious. Arva froze up, unsure what she could say. Many people had seen the "angel," and Arva wasn't sure exactly what felt under their disclosure agreement, nor if anyone had seen her climb into the Argonaut. Surely rumours would spread sooner or later, so Arva tried to think of the best explanation she could. She knelt down to be at Hannah's level, directing the response to her.

"Something really... bad came after us," she explained, "and we were almost hurt really bad too, but Eclipse saved us." It was close enough to the truth, Arva felt. Gramma seemed to accept it, so Arva left well enough alone.

"Can I get you anything, dear?" Gramma asked.

"I'm okay," Arva said, feeling tightness in her legs as she stood up, "the doctor said I should rest, so I might just take the night off if that's okay?"

"Of course!" Gramma said, giving her a comforting rub on the shoulder before hobbling away. Another thought popped into Arva's mind

"Gramma, can I use the phone really quick?" she asked. Gramma nodded, and Arva headed upstairs to her room. She plucked the phone from the receiver and sat down on her bed, pleased to be back in familiar surroundings. She looked through the call history and selected Deborah's number, feeling anxious as it rang.

"Thanks for calling the Cut Cloth," Deborah answered, "Deb speaking, how can I help you?"

"Deb? It's Arva," she said, immediately standing up out of anxiety.

"Oh my Gosh, Arva!" Deborah said with concern in her voice, "are you alright, honey? I heard about what happened in the Lows, and when you didn't show up-"

"I'm okay, thanks," Arva interrupted before Deb got too worked up. Her concern was comforting as well as a relief, at least she wasn't angry Arva missed work, "sorry I didn't come in today."

"Oh don't be silly," Deborah said, "are you sure you're alright? How's your sister?"

"We're good, really," Arva began to pace about the room. She ended up in the bathroom, saw herself in the mirror, and frowned. "Just a little shaken up. I just wanted to let you know I'll definitely be in tomorrow, and sorry again for missing my second day on the job, it won't happen again."

"Not a problem, hon," Deborah said, "we'll see you tomorrow then." She hung up, and Arva let out a deep sigh. The sooner her face healed up the better, she hated seeing herself like this, all banged up. Arva did, however, like the clothes they'd given her. They were just a simple t-shirt and pants combination, but they fit her perfectly, and the dark grey colour with the tastefully simple Eclipse logo made her look mature. Almost like she was a soldier. The thought made her chuckle from the absurdity, though it made her injuries feel less like wounds and more like battle scars, which was a nice spin. She wanted to keep this given outfit nice and changed back into her normal, less-fitting clothes. She folded the Eclipse garb nicely and put it away before heading back downstairs. Gramma had already started dinner, it smelled great, and Arva decided to sit on the couch next to Hannah, who laid down. Her sister was watching TV, wrapped in blankets, resting her head on the arm, almost asleep. She looked very tired, which Arva understood. It had been a harrowing day for a kid like her. Arva tucked her legs up and leaned on the arm rest next to her, placing her hand on her sister's head, and settled in for a quiet night at home.