Silver Bound Girl

Chapter 27

            The grey sky was nearly a match for the worn concrete that made up the sidewalk and sides of the overpass. The low rumble of a train passing underneath mixed with the dull roar of passing traffic. Willow wrinkled her nose at the scent of the exhaust fumes she was forced to inhale, but her smile was quick to reappear. She was looking forward to the movie, the latest mindless action, and having someone to see it with.

            Rune caught sight of the expression and smiled back at her. Neither tried talking until they’d reach the base of the road’s hump, knowing they’d only hear each other if they shouted. The dip of the road flattened out, the sidewalk they were one following it as it passed the green oasis of a park, set amidst a gas station, two apartment buildings, and a retirement home.

            Willow sighed, enjoying the much quieter area. “So, do you know what this movie’s supposed to be like?”

            Her friend shrugged. “It had decent enough reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, so it can’t be that bad. And it’s an action movie. It’s pretty hard to screw one of those up.”

            “Tell that to someone who hasn’t seen pretty much every superhero movie ever. Some of them are beyond bad. I don’t mind if they’re so bad they’re funny, but some are terrible with nothing at all to redeem them.”

            “Comic fan?”

            She shook her head. “Not hugely, but Ed is, and since I’m the only one he could find who was willing to sit through them, I’ve watched a lot of them. He also tried to get me reading them, with mixed results. Deadpool’s my favourite, and probably the only comics I’ll read without Ed harassing me.”

            “Can’t say I’m familiar. I’ve always liked Batman. Oh, and Black Panther. He’s a badass.”

            “I thought you’d be all about Superman or Spiderman, what with wanting to be a reporter and all.”

            “I don’t choose my favourite super heroes because of their jobs.”

            She chuckled. “Sorry, that’s how Ed did it. And a couple of my younger cousins, who Ed’s trying to indoctrinate into the comic legions now. It’s why Caleb’s all about the Hulk right now.”

            “Huh.” For several seconds, Rune said nothing, just stared ahead. His unwavering, nearly unblinking stare had Willow wondering what it was he was thinking about. Until he stopped and turned back to her. “What’s up with your family?”

            Sweat broke out all over Willow’s back as she felt her face heat up. A moment later, it was like her face and hands had been doused with ice water. Then she felt the fire-like heat return and the cycle began again. She got herself under control within seconds, doing her best to ignore her body’s rapidly fluctuating temperatures, and met Rune’s gaze steadily. “What do you mean?”

            “Well for starters, as you pointed out, there are a huge amount of you in this one town. Like a ridiculous number of you. And that’s not all that odd until you realize most of you only hang out with each other. Like, I can count on one hand I’ve seen you or any of your cousins spending time with someone who’s not related to you. Except for you with me. But that’s another thing, your cousin Ed doesn’t seem to think much of me, and seems to spend a lot of time lecturing you. But I can’t figure out why. You do well in school, you go to class, most people either like you or are indifferent, and it’s not like you’re a crazy partier who’s into drugs and alcohol. And then there’s your necklaces.”

            Willow’s hand rose unconsciously towards her cross before she caught herself. She swallowed, her mouth dry, before saying, “We’re just a bit old-fashioned. It’s a tradition to give a silver cross to a kid when they’re born, has been for as long as anyone can remember, and everyone ends up wearing them. It’s also why we all stick together. We’re just used to all existing as one giant group.”

            “There’s more to it than that. I know. I’ve been watching you and your cousins, the way you act around each other and non-family members, the way you whisper to each other, it goes beyond just being a tight-knit family.”

            She forced a laugh, hoping it didn’t sound as fake to him as it did to her. “It’s really not. Sometimes we’re just talking about family business. And there are things we don’t want spread around the school, you know how fast and how far rumours travel.”

            Rune looked at her, his grey eyes inscrutable as he studied her face. She met his gaze, hoping he’d believe her. If he didn’t… Her nerves were stretched tighter than if they were at the drawn part of being hung, drawn, and quartered. Finally, Rune shrugged. “If you say so. Now, onto more important things. If I buy candy before we get to the theatre, is there enough room in your purse for me to hide it there?”

            Willow could only stare for a moment before his words properly registered with her. Then she laughed, this time for real. “Yeah, I should have enough room. I always bring my bigger purse when going to see a movie, just for that reason.”

            He grinned. “That’s the only problem with being a guy. People look at you funny if you’re carrying a purse.”

            She smiled back, but inwardly, part of her knew she was in trouble. Big trouble. She knew Rune too well to think he’d drop a story that easily.