Imperfect (Disappeared #1)

Chapter Thirty

Breakfast ended soon afterward. Everyone gathered up the dishes and placed them into a net that was lowered down to the stream for washing. Theodosia spotted Xochitl and Yoltzin by the river. The two of them ran over and hugged her hard. Theodosia bent down and kissed Yoltzin on both cheeks. Though the little girl looked nothing like Louisa, the same fierce determination shone in her eyes. Theodosia's heart began to ache as she looked at her.

Xochitl grasped her hand. "Theo, my dear, I'm so glad to see you. I was worried sick about you after you left last time. That you'd think Ahuil had been hurt and that you might not be able to come back." She laughed deeply. "As if I don't have enough to worry about! Here, come help me wash up and we'll chat. I'm sure Ahuil can spare you for a moment."

They fetched buckets of water and began scrubbing the plates in basins. Theodosia noticed that Xochitl's twin brothers stood just beyond them, looking into the forest intently. She supposed they were on guard duty. At that moment, it didn't feel unsafe. The river glittered in the weak light and mist hung in little cotton ball clumps over the rippling water. Yoltzin danced around them while firing off a series of questions.

"Why were you gone so long? I was very mad at you when you didn't come back."

Theodosia laughed. "I'm sorry, my pet. It's a little difficult to get here from my house."

The little girl frowned. "Then why do you live there? You should live with us in the settlement and then you'd never have any problems."

"She doesn't mince words," her mother said as she scrubbed a particularly dirty pot. "Yoltzi, Theo has her own family, and if she lived here she'd miss them."

"Then they should come here too!"

Theodosia snorted. "What a thought! I can't even imagine."

"Yoltzi, go get us some more water," her mother said. She sighed. "She's such a handful. How are you? It feels like I haven't seen you in so long."

"It's only been a day in my world." The stout woman's eyes widened. "I know. I don't want you to think I forgot about you. I think our worlds are going further out of sync."

"Well, I'm glad you were stubborn enough to make it back. I love your faithful heart, my dear, especially considering what's going on now."

Theodosia leaned in closer. "Ahuil's brothers seem to believe I'm some kind of good omen."

"Just another reason why it's dangerous for you here. People are getting desperate." She rinsed out her pot and put it aside. "Thankfully, Ahuil can protect you, to an extent. I'm sure he's told you that his eldest brother, Yaretzi, is our leader. And that Cualli assists him."

Theodosia put down the bowl she was scrubbing. "He didn't say anything of the sort."

Xochitl snorted. "Of course. He's not much attached to his lineage. As the third brother, he has no official status, and so he was always free to lead his own life. But times are changing. We will need him, I fear."

Theodosia put aside the clean bowl and dipped a plate in a basin full of clear river water. Her mind was swimming with this new information.

"It's not as if they rule us," Xochitl quickly put in. "They guide, instruct, and solve disagreements. And every year there is a vote as to whether the heir should continue to lead or if there should be an open election. Such things have happened. However, Yaretzi is a wise governor that the people respect. His leadership has never been contested."

"That can't be more different from England." Theodosia brushed stray hair back from her face. "We have a host of elected officials."

"I have a feeling our world is a mite smaller. You need more cooks in the kitchen, so to speak." Xochitl threw away the basin water and picked up the tray full of clean dishes. "But seriously, I'm so glad you're back," she said in an undertone. "Ahuil missed you so much. He's never been attached to a woman before. I always thought he was too independent to partner." She smiled quickly. "I'm glad you proved me wrong."

Ahuil came up then just as a fearsome blush was spreading over Theodosia's face.

"You two are deep in conversation. Talking about me, are you?"

"In your dreams. Men, so conceited," Xochitl said before sweeping off with the clean dishes and calling her daughter as she went.

Ahuil took Theodosia's hand and suggested they go for a short walk. They strolled beneath the towering oaks nearby. Little delicate white flowers were peppered among the dense ferns and creepers. The sun shone but its light was swallowed by the silent mists that glided along the ground. Theodosia couldn't stop thinking about what Xochitl had just told her.

"You're awfully pensive," Ahuil said, breaking into her thoughts.

She met his eyes. "Why did you never tell me that your brother is the leader?"

"I guess Xochitl told you." Ahuil eyed her cautiously. "And I suppose she also said I'm nothing. I have no status."

"Just so. Yet I still find it odd you wouldn't say anything. Your brother, after all, isn't 'nothing.' I wonder that you didn't tell me last night at least."

He sighed in resignation. "You're right, I'm a bit odd about it. When I was young, I learned from my parents how to lead, just as my brothers did. In case they were found unfit. When my brother proved a good leader, I realized I had no place in the settlement. I wasn't good for much, so I decided to build my own life in the woods. Find out how I wanted to live. Not just be a backup to people who were better than me."

They paused by a bend in the river. He took both of her hands in his and searched her eyes. "Are you mad at me? I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I guess I didn't want you to know me by my family and position."

Theodosia chuckled. "I suppose I understand. It's so refreshing that you know me just as Theo. Not the daughter of an earl."

He squeezed her hands and leaned in close, his golden eyes crinkling in the corners. She caught the scent of him — pine and smoke again.

"It's hard not to see that, even if you hadn't told me," he joked. "The way you carry yourself. And a certain air about you..."

"You think me a snob." Theodosia frowned. "Am I really that bad?"

He was just about to reply when a man came racing out of the forest. He was dressed in torn clothes, stumbling and shouting at the same time in the sing-song language of his people.

Ahuil grasped her arm. "He says that the fog took his family. They're gone..."

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