Grey > Alma

Staying A While

After a long day at the beach, Riya was surprisingly, still pale. The two siblings walked arm in arm back to the Priest Hole. Riya was actually smiling and daydreaming about how it felt to be held by the Ymbryne. Her head was on her brother's shoulder. Their father caught up with them from behind again. Riya immediately righted herself, on the defensive. She

"Hey!" he called. "Lose track of time again?"

Jake nodded.

"Might become a regular thing," Riya proposed. She'd obviously been spending too much time around these accented folk. She was shortening her sentences like they did.

"Well, not too regular because you know we have to go back." She

Why did that give Riya just a painful feeling in her chest. It got all tight, making it hard for her to breathe.

The trio walked a little ways in silence.

They eventually came across a sort of driveway and were flagged down, "Hey, you American. Get over here." It was an old farmer.

"Look, there they are, there's D-bag and worm-man," Franklin commented as the three of then approached the fence.

Riya shot Jake a nervous look. The boys didn't know the cover story and, even if they did, they probably wouldn't help the siblings. Jake ignored the look.

"Did you do this?" the farmer asked, pointing behind him.

Riya stepped up to the fence, her eyes raking over the dead cows across the field. A soft cry left her lips and she turned around, not being able to bear looking anymore.

"Of course not!" Jake exclaimed.

"It wasn' us," the 'rappers' said.

"Listen, sir, I don't know what happened here but my son and his friends have been together all day. And Jake would never do anything like this," Franklin explained, forgetting all about his first born.

"Bollocks! We haven' seen 'im!" Worm yelped.

"You paid us 'e ot'er day. Why would we hang out with him today fer free?" Dirty D asked.

Franklin turned to his only son. "Jake, were you with them or not?"

"No," Jake replied honestly. "Sorry! But you don't seriously think I could do this?" Jake demanded.

"I think we're done here, sir." Franklin lead Jake away by his shoulder, gesturing for Riya to follow.

Riya turned to the boys, the farmer had left. "You couldn't have just gone with it? We would have been each other's alibis," she exclaimed.

"We're no' covering fer two barmy liars!" Worm yelled. "'specially one who belongs in a nu' house!"

Riya paused. "You've been talking to my father." It wasn't a question.

"Aye," Dirty D confirmed. "Last night, we went into the Priest Hole. Yer father thanked us fer showin' ye two around. Said ye both were messed up in 'e head. You mor' 'an 'im." His accent got thicker the more he talked. Like he'd thought he was American when she spoke, but remembered he wasn't the longer he was around them.

*

Back at the Hole, Franklin shuffled both siblings into the his and Jake's room. He didn't even yell at them. He just got on a landline and called a number. "Well, can you pass on a message for me? ... Can you tell Dr. Golan that if she hadn't encouraged this cockamamie trip maybe my kids wouldn't be mopping around all day in a derelict house HAVING A GODDAMN BREAKDOWN? Hello?" he called.