✔ A Minute in Heaven || Wattys 2017

Chapter Thirteen - The Boy in the Brown Book

We will see each other again.

...

I woke up cold again.

I had grown so accustomed to Alfred's warmth that I'd almost forgotten was sleeping in cold felt like. Now that I felt it again, the familiarity of it troubled me greatly.

There was no brown bomber jacket at the edge of the bed. There was no arm wrapped around my torso. There was no, "Rise and shine, big guy," or, "Good morning, Ivan," no kiss on the cheek or shoulders, no finger tracing the paths of my scars around my neck.

In short, there was no Alfred.

I changed into some clean clothes, my movements slow and sluggish. I reflexively looked behind me to see if Alfred was in bed. He wasn't.

He wasn't downstairs, either. Natalia, her nose buried in one of the books Alfred had bought her, appeared uncharacteristically downtrodden. Katyushka was cleaning up the last of the dishes, sipping coffee from a cup from the teaset Alfred had gotten her.

"You just missed him," Natalia said. "Tipped out the door not five minutes ago."

I hung my head in oppressive guilt. Bypassing the kitchen, I went straight out the front door. Katyushka called out, "Ivan! Wait!" and hurried behind me. Natalia huffed, slapped her book shut, and took up the rear of the little procession.

"Ivan?" Katyushka asked. "Where are we going?"

I didn't answer. I just continued down the detour to the old building.

When we came upon the building, everything was eerily silent. I couldn't hear any clanging metal or heavy breathing. I began to fear the worst as I rushed inside.

Liberty Belle was still there. Her paint had been redone and every inch of her fuselage had been polished until she gleamed a brilliant silver.

"Didn't think I'd leave without saying goodbye, did you?"

Alfred leaned proudly against Belle's fuselage, smiling as jubilantly as the day I first met him.

"I wasn't gonna be that guy, you know?" Alfred said nonchalantly. "I wouldn't leave you hanging."

"This is your plane?" Katyushka gaped. Natalia let out a long whistle.

"Yep," Alfred crowed. "She's my way home."

Alfred walked over to Katyushka and put a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"I know you're Ivan's big sister," Alfred said, "but you've treated me like a little brother. And for that, I say thank you. I'm gonna miss you, Kat."

Alfred jumped and wrapped his arms around Katyushka's shoulders in a bear hug. Katyushka returned the hug, clearly trying her hardest not to cry.

When he finally let go of Katyushka, Alfred made his way over to Natalia.

"I know we didn't exactly get along at first," Alfred admitted with a chuckle. "You didn't trust me, and you had every reason not to. But you are one tough chick, Nat. I like that about you. You take care of your brother for me. Goodbye, Nat."

Alfred tightly hugged Natalia, who stood there in frozen alarm with her eyes wide open. Eventually, though, she hugged Alfred back, which satisfied the boy. He pulled away from her and came to me.

"Ivan," Alfred said softly, "you took me in. You took care of me for all my time here. You helped me fix up my plane, you saved me from Mr. Winter, you've... I know I talk a lot about being the hero and all, but I really think you're as good a hero as me. Hell, I'd say you're even better than I am."