Red Spider Lilies [TPN]

Chapter 12

"Emma, you want to go out today?" Ray peaked his head by the door.

I turn around and raise an eyebrow. What on earth was he talking about? My head tilts as I give him an unusual smile.

"You know we have things to do... but why are you asking? You never leave the house with anyone by choice, unless we peer pressure you of course."

Ray rolls his eyes and walks over to me. "Well, I have decided to stop being a sad sack and take my best friend out on a friend date. I would take Norman but, you know."

I laughed and took out the titanium white sheets we've washed, they're soft even when they're damp.

"You have to help me with the laundry first."

He nods and helps me hang the sheets and white shirts. It doesn't take long for us to finish up and sneak over the fence in the yard, even easier since Mama is making breakfast and getting everyone ready with Gilda and Anna.

Finally we make it to the Main Street a few blocks away and walk in the sea of people, it's so lively and bustling with others. I wonder why.

Usually the towns streets aren't as busy as today, even on Sundays when everyone is everywhere.

Finally Ray and I settle on a window seat at a coffee shop filled to the brim with people coming in for a quick coffee before work. Is this what a normal city is like? Busy and crowded, yet so natural.

"This is weird, isn't it?" I comment.

He glances at me. "You mean the town?"

"Of course! This reminds me of when were kids and everyday was like this. Mom would send us out on a little adventure to get rid of us for a while and the whole town would be like this." I giggle. "Remember that one time we lost Norman at the flea market? How old were we? 11?"

Ray laughed and crossed his arms. "Yeah, didn't Norman cry?"

I hum and try to remember. "Well, he says he didn't. And when we found him he wasn't crying."

"Yeah but the guy had puffy eyes."

We share a laugh and talk about random things. Like when we found a cat and tried to sneak it into the house, and when we each tried to pick the most apples from the trees in the outskirts of town (I won that, I remember well). We talked about those things and for the first time in a long time, everything felt like life should.

—-

"Emma, are you insane? Like-" Ray rubs the bridge of his nose. "You, are you dumb!?"

I tighten the rope around the man and glare at the very distressed boy in front of me. "Says the one who got attacked by a squirrel. Can't even handle nature when I took down an armed man with a bullet wound!"

Ray stiffened his shoulders, flustered and red from embarrassment. "You know damn well that squirrels are unpredictable rats." He sighs and crosses him arms. "Emma, just what exactly are we to do with a soldier? We can't just take him in as a hostage, it would just be extra weight."

I stand up slowly and walk over to him and look at the soldier from where we are. "I don't know what we're going to do with him. Honestly I wasn't really thinking when I knocked him out."

Ray and I stand next to each other in silence, not sure what to say.

"Did you take his weapons?"