Sounds of Fire

16

The night was hot.

Anatolia had hoped that the sun falling would bring a nice chill to the air but, sadly, that was not the case. She walked with no urgency across the grounds, getting reacquainted with old spots she had ran in as a child. She hadn't had a good stroll in her own backyard for a long, long time. She needed it, despite the thin sheen of sweat coating her skin.

Derek was following her at a safe distance, he had been for a long time and she knew it, but she let him. She didn't care. She was only glad to be away from Lady Grace for a little while. Lady Grace hadn't understood what she was truly asking for when she wanted Prentiss' mind to be shattered. Anatolia didn't want to explain it. She pushed through a line of hedges and sat down behind them, picking leaves from her hair. She heard Derek sit down on the other side.

He simply sat for a long time. His deep sighs floated across the night. "I told her what happened with Minnie," his voice finally said, obstructed slightly by the hedges and the night conversations of insects.

Anatolia hugged her legs and rested her chin on her knees. There was a twig on her shoe. She brushed it away. "You actually talked to her?"

"I did what I had to do... for you."

A cricket stopped singing, the song taken up again by a far off friend. Anatolia stared out into the darkness. "What did she say?"

"For once, not much. She was too surprised by the both of us." He paused. "I touched her."

Anatolia's head swiveled to narrow her eyes at the hedges. "What did you see? Wait- don't tell me. No, yes, tell me. No." She wanted to know what her brother had seen, but she also didn't. What if he saw something terrible? What if he saw Lady Grace with someone else? What if he saw-

"She regrets asking you to do that to Prentiss," he said. "She's still upset that you let Prentiss go, but she understands why."

Anatolia kept her mouth shut. She had done something to Prentiss, just not what Lady Grace had originally wanted. She wondered if that was acceptable. If it wasn't, it didn't matter, she'd have to pay for it. The Earth needed payment.

"Do you think you've have enough time alone?"

Listening to the insects nearby, Anatolia didn't respond. She had left the office not long after Prentiss, and had had the driver take her home. She remained roaming the halls like a ghost, asking herself if she did the right thing. She had a short talk with Kristie that didn't help, but it didn't make things worse either. It was nice, actually, to talk vaguely around the subject without the pain of buzzwords. Kristie knew when to stop pestering, too, and knew how to seamlessly change subjects. The girl didn't even mind when Anatolia had decided to spend a few hours outside alone. Kristie had come out every hour or so, not to bother Anatolia, but to leave out beverages and snacks on the veranda as if Anatolia were a stray dog. And like a stray dog, Anatolia had returned from the bushes and trees to snatch up the handouts when Kristie was gone. Empty glasses and crumb-ridden plates had been the only sign that Kristie's kindness was appreciated.

Anatolia leaned her head back and gazed at the speckled sky. One of the speckles was gliding across the darkness and blinking. It was a helicopter. Anatolia sighed, her images of the heavens ruined. She rested on the grass and turned over onto her belly. "You can tell her I'll be in soon, if she wants to talk. Or don't tell her. I don't care. I'll be in soon, okay?"

There was rustling on Derek's side of the hedge. "Okay," he said. "Don't stay out too long. Nan is more than worried. She was this close to coming out here herself and dragging you inside to have a sit down with Lady Grace, but one of the housemaids- Kristie, I think she said her name was?- stopped her. Nan's really taken to the role of being your guys' keeper. I know you don't want to think about marriage, but I'm fairly certain Nan is planning one raging wedding."