Lost at Sea

Ch. 17

Sally had expected being a single mother to be hard, but it was so much harder than she could have every imagined. Working and childcare aside, she was in a constant state of fear for Percy's safety. She'd already seen a monster sniffing around on more than one occasion, and he was still so young.

What made matters worse was that she could feel her Slight slipping away. With each passing year, it became harder and harder to see through the Mist. It was no longer effortless.

It quickly became clear that she was going to have to take further measures. And then one day, while she was working at the candy shop she'd started at a few months before, she saw him. Well, technically she smelled him before she saw him, and an idea sprung to mind.

For the first time in years, she made an effort to flirt. She was pretty sure she was terrible, but her efforts seemed to work well enough on the man, whose name she learned was Gabe. Soon they had a date scheduled, during which she learned that he was a bit rude and controlling, but nothing she couldn't handle. She'd do anything to ensure her son's safety.

She knew that she wouldn't be able to protect him forever; he'd have to go out and live his own life, just as she had. But she could shield from all that for a time, make sure that he felt loved and safe the way everyone deserved to be.

As he grew older, Percy would continue to ask about his father. It pained her that she had to keep so much from him, but she knew that it was for the best. When he asked where he went, she told him the truth, just as she'd said she would: His father was lost at sea.

Fin.