Postbellum

Three

Later that night, the two found their way back together in the kitchen. But before Peter made his way there, he noticed the only picture frame in the entire house sitting on the couch side table in the living room. The photo is of a younger Scarlett and an even younger looking boy. They stood together in front of the lake with the sunset behind them, and she didn't have her cane.

Peter set the photo down and decided to rejoin Scarlett. Scarlett is standing over the stove, stirring the noodles in their boiling water as the chicken cooked on the skillet beside her. Peter slowly walked into the kitchen, eyeing her up and down before she looked over at him.

"How are you feeling?" Scarlett asked as she turned back to the stove.

"I'd feel a little better if I knew more about you," Peter said as he walked closer and leaned back against the kitchen island. Scarlett turned her head to the side to smirk at him out of laughter.

"Oh really?" Scarlett started. "You know more about me than I know about you." Peter thought for a moment to try to understand what she meant, but still ended up confused.

"How so?" Peter questioned as his eyebrow naturally raised in curiosity. She didn't answer for a moment so Peter continued talking. "I'll tell you something about me if you do the same."

"You know what my cane can do, you know what I can do, and you are the only person who has ever stepped foot in his house besides me," Scarlett said as a matter of fact.

"You see, I don't think that last one is true," Peter caught her lie. She stopped and turned around to face him.

"Excuse me?" she asked in a daring tone.

"That picture of you and a little boy is sitting in the living room," he told her. "Who is he?"

"Never thought you'd be the nosy type, Parker," Scarlett brushed him off. She turned back around to shred the chicken. He paused for a moment, regretting how he came across the subject.

"Just want to know more about a person that could kill me without me ever knowing it was coming," Peter joked to lighten the mood. He smiled at her laugh.

"Maybe one day," Scarlett offered.

"Do I know your real name?" Peter wondered out loud. Scarlett laughed once again.

"You are something else," Scarlett told him.

Peter woke up the following morning as the sun starting coming up through his window. As he opened his eyes, he immediately started wondering about Scarlett again. He thought again for a moment, then reached over to grab his watch off of the night stand.

"Edith?" Peter asked quietly in case Scarlett was around.

"Yes, Peter?" Edith responded. Peter pauses for a moment, wondering if he should, then proceeding anyway.

"Search for everything involving an older sister and younger brother between 5 and 10 years ago in Germany. Possibly brother died and sister injured," Peter thought through as he spoke.

"Searching," Edith said before loading the results. Peter sat up and leaned against the headboard then rubbed his eyes as Edith pulled up one result. His heart dropped as he skimmed through the article.

"Landmine in school play ground," Peter read in shock. He continued reading to find her little brother went to the swings and stepped on it. Scarlett was caught in the blast.

He quickly stopped reading because his heart couldn't take knowing any more. Then he wished he had never looked for it.

Pushing the thoughts out of his mind, he got out of bed and opened his bedroom door to walk into the living room. He looked down the hall to see she wasn't in the kitchen so he walked further into the room to look to his left. Outside through the two layers of windows he could see her standing at the very edge of the pier.