Holding My Breath [Wattys 2016]

1 2 ~ R u s t y

Flashback ~ May 8, 2011

When I first walk into the house that Blue brings me to, I'm surprised to see how big the house is on the inside. The foyer is too dark, haunting shadows casting on the floor from the afternoon light filtering past us in the entryway. I briefly admire the stretching silhouettes of Blue and me on the hardwood, but after a second they're gone.

A staircase lined with old family photos rises to my right and to my left is a living room. Ahead is a hallway heading into what looks from where I stand like a kitchen, natural light illuminating the table and barely reaching us.

It all seems so strange after my string of motels and alleyways. The warm, safe environment makes me take a step back involuntarily.

I don't really know what to do with myself so I just stand awkwardly to the side as Blue shuts the door behind him and flips on the lights, giving the place a new sense of belonging.

"Dad!" He yells, not bothering to show any concern for my eardrums. "I got a lost puppy for you to patch up!"

Blue smiles, despite my obvious confusion. He pushes his hair out of his eyes and glances back at me.

"Are you calling me an animal? Because I take offense to that." I step out of the way in towards the wall.

"My dad won't come down unless there's a good reason," he explains, glancing up the steps for any sign of life from the second floor. "He likes animals. If there is a poor lost puppy who needs some stitches, he'll break from his work for a few minutes."

"And this--" I point to my shoulder, which is successfully smeared with blood now. "--isn't a good enough reason?"

He pulls off his jacket, throwing it across the banister at the foot of the stairs.

"You're not an easy thing to explain while yelling. I'm sure he'll figure it out once I've lured him out of his natural habitat."

I smile at that, even though I'm trying to keep my distance and shouldn't even be here. But what choice did I have?

"Dad! Did you hear me?!" He yells it so suddenly that I jump, falling into the wall in surprise. He smiles sideways at my reaction. I glare back, but his gaze is already moving on to the stairs.

"Whaaaattttt?" The thundering voice, which I presume would be Blue senior, wasn't what I expected. I don't know what I thought he would sound like, exactly, but the deep tone certainly wasn't it.

I stay silent and keep twiddling my fingers.

The voice descends as its owner comes down the stairs, a man in his fifties, with a gray beard and solid build. His facial structure is really similar to Blue's, with the deep-set eyes and strict jawline.

When he sees me his eyes squint and a jolt of fear runs through me. Does he remember me from somewhere? Before I can think anymore, the man turns to glare at his son. "This isn't an injured animal."

Blue shrugs. "She's more like a lost puppy."

"I'm not lost," I grumble under my breath. I think Blue Senior must have had dark hair at one point, but now it is just silvery gray with underlying dark curls. I can see the resemblance between the two easily-- from the way they hold themselves to the lingering height.

"Besides," Blue continues, "I shot her and I thought you could help with that." He mumbles and looks away from his dad now instead of letting his loose personality free. I kind of miss that easy-going aura of simplicity that he put off. Now he seems a little stiffer than I am.

"I told you to go out and get me a deer, not a girl." Blue senior shakes his head in genuine disappointment.

"And I told you that I didn't think hunting was going to get me anywhere," Blue snaps back, but then goes quiet.