Message in a Bottle [LGBTQ+] [ONC 2024]

Chapter Thirteen

"We can go back inside if the light is too bright for you," Victoria said, keeping her hand tightly gripped on Eli's elbow.

"No, it's alright. My cap is keeping most of the light out."

Eli tugged on the edge of his cap to keep the bright sunlight from reaching his eyes, though he longed to feel the sun on his skin. His left leg dragged a little as he walked with Victoria. Were it not for her helping him, he never would have made it beyond the threshold of the house.

Although he was recovering — the bruises were fading, his vision was returning to normal, and the pains were fading — he still struggled to walk more than a few steps. The days spent in bed with little movement had left his already thin body a shadow of its former self. If he had been weak before, that small slither of strength was gone. He hoped to rebuild what he lost, but he knew it would take time.

For the moment, he was just grateful to feel the cool breeze on his bare arms and be able to breathe fresh air. Eli stopped for a moment. He took a deep breath and let the cool air fill his lungs for the first time in days. Despite the small twinge of pain in his lungs whenever he took a deep breath, Eli welcomed the fresh air that had been hidden from him.

"Come on, let's find somewhere to sit and talk," Victoria said.

"I wish we could go to the pond."

"Not yet, maybe soon."

Eli sighed, stumbling on a small rock jutting out of the ground. He licked his lips. "Soon feels like a long way away."

"You're making progress and soon will be here before you know it."

Victoria helped him across the yellowing grass to two wooden stumps beside the barn that Eli and Constance used to use as chairs when they ate supper outside in the warm summer air. Eli settled on the stump. He tilted his head back just enough for a sunbeam to pass over his cheek, just avoiding his eye and preventing the headache he no doubt expected.

They sat in silence for a few moments, Eli enjoying the sunlight on his skin for the first time in almost two weeks. He longed to be sitting on the edge of the pond with his feet dangling in the water and the grass tickling the back of his legs, but he would make do with the sun on his skin for a few minutes longer.

Eli tilted his head away from the sun for a moment. He glanced across the farm to watch his father emerge from the upperfield, mud and sweat covering his shirt and skin. Their eyes met for a moment, just a handful of seconds that Eli could have counted on one hand, before his father looked away.

They had been on bad terms before his attack, but the attack had lessened his feelings towards Eli, a fact that Eli was all too aware of. Throughout his recovery, his father had barely spoken a word to him. Eli knew that he was disappointed in him for not trying to defend himself as a real man would, but Eli had never been much of a fighter.

"Do you want to have that conversation now?" Victoria asked once Eli's father had disappeared.

Eli nodded, though his palms grew clammy. He'd been waiting for the opportunity to finally sit down with her and talk about Samuel and the letters, but with his mother always nearby the conversation hadn't happened. Now the opportunity was there, he was scared about what he might uncover.

"Ask away, though you know there is only so much I can say. Samuel has his own things he wishes to tell you when the opportunity presents itself."

"I know." Eli brushed his hands over his thighs, ignoring the slight headache forming behind his eyes. He tugged his cap further over his face. "When we first met by the pond, when I told you my name, did you know who I was?"

"Yes. I already knew your name and that you would go to the pond regularly. Samuel asked me to go out just to see, but I didn't expect to see you there. I wanted to tell you who I was, but I couldn't bring myself to do it because I knew you would ask me how I knew who you were."

"So you knew about the letters?"

"I did. Samuel wants to tell you why himself, but you should know that it wasn't to joke or laugh at your expense. He was true to his words about just wanting someone he could call a friend, but it is a complicated situation."

Eli frowned, wanting to press a little further, but he knew he wouldn't get the answers he wanted. Not yet. "Why did you move back to the village? Mama said your mother moved away before I was born but that it was sudden."

"That's a loaded question." Victoria exhaled a little, her leg tapping against the grass. "Mother moved away from the village because she was pregnant with me, but she wasn't married at the time. She left before word got out. Before she gave birth, she met and married the man that I would call my father and together they had Samuel. We moved back after Father died because my grandmother still lives nearby."

"You and Samuel are only half siblings?"

"Well, yes, but I never saw him as such. He was always just my brother."

Eli nodded, the headache building as he tried to muddle his way through the information. His mind was still foggy after the attack, and he struggled to make sense of what people were saying, but he let the pieces of information from Victoria slide into place.

He wondered if Victoria's birth had been the reason why Samuel had been so reluctant to meet him, but Eli knew nothing about it. Not even his mother had mentioned it and Victoria had been to the house several times since Eli's attack. Although he was glad to have a handful of his questions answered, there were still several things Eli wanted to know.

He hoped his eventual meeting with Samuel would be able to answer those questions.

~~~

First Published - April 20th, 2024