Songbirds After Dark

Addie IV

They didn't talk much after that, not for a while. Addie had decided early on that Kiera wasn't a big fan of small talk or talk in general, but after her reaction to Addie's little pity party she found that she really didn't know Kiera at all. Not yet, anyways. Addie watched a lone bird fly above them, blotting out the sun, wondering whether or not she would end up like that

Kiera's face still retained some of the features she must have had when she was human. wide cheekbones and a straight nose. Features like Addie's Gramma, bold. She looked fine, like she could keep going for miles, or however you were supposed to measure distance here, but Addie was getting tired out real fast. The sun was setting now, but the lazy heat it still gave off only made her more drowsy.

"It cool if we take a break?" Addie asked, stifling a yawn.

"You're getting tired already?"

"Sorry."

"Don't be. This is as good a place as any to stop."

"How come you ain't tired?"

"I told you, we can't die. Not here. So sleeping just seems like a waste of time to me."

"Huh." Addie sank to the ground. The grass had grown shorter, but it was still long enough that it seemed to wrap around her. "Where in Colorado you from?"

"Southwest," Kiera said. "The rez. I'm Ute. Or I was, who knows?"

"Huh." Addie repeated. "'M creole." Kiera made a noise that sounded vaguely like a laugh.

"Yeah, kid, I figured as much. You're from Louisiana and you've got an accent, doesn't take a genius to put two and two together." It was Addie's turn to laugh, as she drifted off to sleep.

She dreamed about an autumn night, years ago. It had been around Thanksgiving, they were spending a few weeks with a member of the family who lived on a farm. Addie had found one of the barns vacant and had climbed up to the unstable hayloft. It had smelled like horses and decaying wood, and she had spent every waking hour she could manage to sneak away up there. But in her dream, it wasn't the comforting pressure that she remembered: instead of wrapping around her like a blanket, the darkness of the empty barn had hung around her, menacing, as if it was hiding something somewhere within its folds. The soft sounds of animals in the fields around the barn were absent as well. Addie felt her way down the haylofts ladder, stepping with great care.

There was a muffled scuttling behind her, and she felt eyes searing into the back of her head. She wasted no time in reaching the wall, and felt her way along it, searching for the handle she knew was there.

She found the door, and it gave with only a little bit of tugging. The moon was blue and full, casting long shadows across the grass. She walked out, hearing the scuttling follow her, but when she turned around, she was met once again with darkness. The inside of the barn seemed to be impervious to the moonlight.

Parked on the lawn was the camper. She walked towards it, her feet feeling heavy and the scuttling continuing to follow her. And when she turned around - dammit, there still nothing there. She reached it. The door was unlocked and turned easily, the metal cool in her hand. She opened it and-

Addie woke up with a jolt, the world snapping into focus around her. All at once, the soft sounds of nature moved around her. The chirping of insects and the rustle of wind through high and dry grasses. Addie rubbed her arms, trying to ward off the chill that had followed her back from the dream. Where was Kiera? Addie looked around, saw a pair of pointed ears outlined against the violet sky. Addie stood up and walked over to her.

"What are you doing?" Addie asked, pulling her sleeves down over her hands. Kiera turned and stared at her.

"Just looking out. It's beautiful sometimes, you know. Even though it's kind of what Christians believe Hell is." Addie looked at her blankly.

"It is?"

"Oh, yeah. Well, I just assume. If we're reincarnated, we should all be going to the same place. I've always just guessed that that meant Heaven, Hell, they're all the same thing. Guess the nihilists were right, nothing we do has any consequences."

"You could go to jail. That's a consequence." So she was still tired, sue her.

"A temporary one, no permanent consequences."

"But it matters to you and me. You really gonna sit there and tell me you don't feel bad for some of the shit you've done?"

"Of course not. Everyone has regrets." Well, Kiera wasn't wrong. God knows Addie had them.

"What do you regret?" Addie sank down to the ground. Kiera looked at her suspiciously.

"You're getting introspective already? Wow. You're skipping, like, five stages of denial."

"I'm serious, you just said that everyone's got 'em. Gimme just one of yours. I'll tell you one a' mine right after." Addie said. Kiera was silent, her expression unreadable.

"I had a son." She said after a painful silence.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. His name was Shae."

"Oh. Were you close?"

Kiera chuckled. "No. Not really." Addie just had no idea how to respond to that, so she turned to the skyline instead. They were sitting on a hill, the sun staining the grass a bright purple, The sun was in her eyes, and she remembered the broken shades that she had tucked into her pocket. She pulled them out and pried open the rusty hinges and slipped them on. They dulled the shine a bit, but hey, they were old glasses, so they didn't really do much for her even in the one eye that was covered. Kiera looked over at her and snickered a little bit. "So, what's your regret?" Jeez, she just said it so casually.

"Oh. I dunno, really. Maybe my ex?"

"Ex?"

"Yeah. Nikki. She lived up in Baton Rouge. Had a three legged dog. His name was Cricket, 'cause he'd hop around. Was a cute little guy. Her too. She was real sweet. I probably shouldn't a' let her go, but that's how it is. Not like I'll get a chance to put it right, either." Damn, Addie felt sad again. That sinking in her chest was just unmistakeable. Getting back was a long shot to say the least, but Nikki... they had been happy together, right? Even when Addie had just been crashing on her couch, and Nikki was still insisting that they were just friends, Addie had been happy.

"You might," Kiera said. "If we can figure this whole thing out in time, you'll get back. You can apologize your heart out then."

"Maybe." Addie said. Kiera stood up suddenly. She reached for Addie's hands and pulled her to her feet.

"Come on. You're a city girl, right? Korrhburg isn't too far, let's get you back in your element. Who knows, maybe you'll even be helpful."

"Unlikely," Addie responded. But she let Kiera get her up all the same, stopping to watch the sunrise before they set on their way.