Children of the Fence (The forgotten Children)

4. Supper

It all happened so quickly, I didn't have time to react.
There was a loud crash next to me, glass shattering on the floor.
I saw the blade of the knife coming towards me. Reflexively, I closed my eyes and shielded my face.
Before I knew it, I was holding his wrist in my fingers.
I heard a muffled groan coming from in front of me.
I opened my eyes.
Theodon was bent forwards. His free hand clutched his stomach. He was panting.
Layla glared at him.
Her cup had shattered on the floor, the liquid spreading across the tiles.
"Next time I'm gonna aim lower," she growled.
"You little rat..." groaned Theodon.
I realised I had stopped his attack just short of my face. His wrist was stiff in my fingers. The knife was still pointing at me.
I squeezed harder.
Theodon looked up. The anger still raged in his face and his brows were furrowed in deep frown lines.
He struggled against my grip and gritted his teeth, panting, as I squeezed harder and harder. He didn't break his gaze with me.
But in the end I was stronger.
The knife clattered to the floor.
He clenched his fist and pulled away from me angrily.

What he didn't realise was that the still half-full cup of tea in my other hand sloshed forwards with the jerk. The contents poured over him.
The dripping from his shirt onto the wooden floor made a rhythmic splashing sound.
He stood in front of me for a moment, his eyes fixed on me. Then he finally turned away from me and left the room.
I heard the front door slam loudly.

"Can someone help me with this?" Layla called out to the people sitting at the table, pointing at the mess on the floor.
They had all been sitting there until now, petrified. Many mouths were open in shock, but the spoons had spilled the food halfway down on the table.
Gradually they woke up, slowly arose and went into the kitchen. They came back with a handful of rags.
I helped Layla wipe up the spilt tea on the floor. They helped us dispose of the broken cup. Few words were spoken. Many murmured quietly amongst themselves.
When we had finished, two more chairs were finally pulled up to the table and two more plates were put down.

I noticed the little boy who had been trying to get my attention. He tugged at my sleeve.
"Are you hungry?" he asked.

I hadn't answered when he took me by the hand and led me to the table. "Come."
He pushed a chair aside. "Sit down, we've got enough for everyone."
I did as instructed and Layla took a seat next to me.
"Sorry for the mess earlier," she apologised.
Some shrugged and continued with their supper, others patted Layla on the shoulder as they passed.
"It's Theodon." A tall, slender girl sitting next to Layla replied.
"What else can you expect?"
She had short, light-coloured hair that reached just above her chin. Her skin was almost as pale as her hair, and she wore a loose hooded jacket whose black fabric had been patched in countless places. Colourful scraps of fabric and various patterns covered the jacket in some places.
"Don't blame yourself for his behaviour, I was expecting something like this."
Layla nodded.
"Look, it's already been forgotten." The girl made a quick gesture with her spoon towards the others, who were quietly enjoying their food.
"A bigger concern for me is Fenn."
I gave her a curious look. "Me?"
She took a spoonful of soup. "You walk in here, into a room full of strangers, and before anyone even greets you, Theodon tries to turn you into a needle pillow," she said between bites.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I'm alive."
She laughed.
"Perhaps I could have a talk with him later," I pondered. "Attempt to clear a few misunderstandings and sort things out."
There was an awkward silence. I felt eyes resting on me and cleared my throat.
"I mean... we used to be friends a while ago, didn't we?"
Layla sighed. "Not now, Fenn."
The tall girl grinned. "Better not talk to him without wearing a bulletproof vest."

Layla helped herself to a ladleful of soup and offered me one too.
Having something warm inside my belly after wasting half my tea on Theodon felt good.
His seat was still empty, the plate half eaten.
"He won't be back so soon," the girl remarked.
"I do hope so," Layla muttered.
The girl laughed.
"He's actually not all that bad sometimes. You remember when he bandaged Toni's shoulder after she fell off the cliff?"
She rested one arm on the back of the chair and leaned back, so she could see me.
"Only when it comes to poor Fenn, he always goes completely bonkers."
She patted me on the shoulder. "No offence."