Close Behind || Aaron Minyard

9

The next morning they both wake up stiff and irritated at themselves for sleeping on a couch as uncomfortable as this one, it made Wymacks feel like a king size bed. They sit up from being curled into each other and glare at each other.

"Next time you're restless at night," Naomi says with an annoyed huff as she flexes her hand. "You're going to the court alone."

"That's against the rules and you know it," Neil shots back, stretching his legs.

"It's too early to argue," Naomi whines, and Neil is probably the only person to ever hear her sound like that. "Let's go and steal coffee from Wymack so he can say something about damned kids."

Neil laughs and nods and they're off out the door. They lock up and turn the lights off behind them because they are good guests.

The jog back is filled with them quizzing each other on some Korean vocabulary and then going over the Spanish they've gotten rusty with. These will be one of their next languages, that's the plan their mother had when they were going to California. They were supposed to figure out which was easier when they got to an airport.

Wymacks door was unlocked when they reached it, they looked at each other and shrugged. Voice were coming from the inside, they sounded frustrated but not necessarily angry.

"Damn it, Kevin. I said sit down," That's Wymack.

"I won't," Kevin shoots back. He sounds desperate, almost terrified. "How could you let them do this?"

"I don't have any say in this and you know it. Hey!"

Naomi creeps closer to the door, Neil tries to grab her but she ignores it and looks inside. They aren't in sight so she slips inside.

After a second Neil follows her in, they both jump a little at a thud sound. There's a few more and Naomi wonders if they're just destroying the entire apartment. Glass shattering makes her flinch.

"Look at me," Wymack demands. "Look at me, God damn you, and breathe."

"I warned Andrew he was going to come for me. I told him!"

"It doesn't matter. You signed a contract with me."

"He could pay off my scholarship in a heartbeat. You know he would. He'd pay you off to take me home. I- I can't go back there. I can't, I can't, I won't, I-I have to go. I should go now before he comes for me. Maybe he'll forgive me if I come back; if I make him hunt me down he'll just kill me."

"Shut up, you're not going anywhere."

"I can't tell Riko no."

Naomi freezes, her entire body locking into place. One of the only reason being here has been safe was no Riko. Kevin not recognizing them was a blessing but in theory not entirely needed. He wasn't at Evermore, he wasn't likely to turn them in anyway, Kevin had been as afraid as them as children.

Riko was a different story. He was violent and angry and desperate for approval of people he never even knew. Those people included their father.

He'd been in the room as their father tore a man limb from limb, and while he didn't look excited, Riko had barely flinched other than when blood almost splattered on his shoes.

"Tell me it isn't true," Kevin says. Except he's speaking in french, Naomi almost violently flinched at the sound. "Tell me he didn't."

They both freeze a little, listen for a few seconds for the answer but can't find it. Naomi takes a tiny step further into the hallway to try and hear better but gets nothing.

The couch creaks under what must be Kevin trying to become part of it.

"Wait here," Wymack says. A few seconds later he steps out into the hallway, he pauses for a few seconds when he sees them but doesn't say anything and just continues to the kitchen. In the kitchen he's going through his alcohol, then he trudges to Kevin with vodka in hand. "Drink this. I'll be back."