It was strange. Somehow he thought it would be difficult or at the very least feel different. But, it just gave a sense of déjà vu. Conner Lassiter stood across the street from the place that he had spent 16 years of his life at. His parent's home and inside that house were the people who condemned him to be unwound. These were the people who had raised him only to abandon him because they couldn't understand him. But all the resentment that he used to have for his parents were gone, if anything they were the ones that opened the door for his future. Now he had returned to keep a promise he made to an old women that took care of the first safe house he stayed in before continuing on in his escape. Sonia.
She had made every AWOL unwound write a letter to someone they cared about before shuffling them off to the next safe house making each promise to come back for it if they survived to their 18th birthday. Conner was now 19 and having waited a year after his 18th birthday just to be safe, he collected the letter. That is how he found himself standing across the street of his childhood home, contemplating how to deliver the letter he wrote 3 years ago and a second letter he had wrote on the way here.
Conner had cleaned himself up as best he could by shaving (being careful around the scar on his face) and cutting his hair so it hung just lower than his ears. He wore one of the few sets of clothing that wasn't army surplus and made sure to wash up so he looked present able. This was it, he knew that whether or not his family recognized him didn't matter, this was the end of his running. By delivering this letter Conner felt it would bring closure to the story of his survive and lay to rest the last of his hatred, allowing him to move on with his life.
Taking a deep breath and smoothing the invisible wrinkles of his shirt, he walked across the street. Luckily it was still early afternoon so Conner didn't have to worry about his brother answering the door. He choose the door over leaving the letters in the mail box because he wanted to personally hand them over, of course that being if someone was home. He hesitated before knocking on the door. The sound seemed harsh for flesh against wood, but he stood his ground and waited. There were some shuffling sounds on the inside that had Conner fidgeting with the letters before the door opened to reveal his mother.
She seemed to scrutinize him before pulling the door closer to her persons and worked on putting the door between them. "Can I help you with something?"
Conner flinched slightly at the defensive tone, realizing that she didn't recognize him left a stinging sensation in his chest, but straightened to take his full height to address her. Mrs. Lassiter visibly shrunk under him and refused to meet his gaze for longer than a few seconds. "I'm sorry to bother you, is Mr. Lassiter home?"
She seemed to stiffen at the mention of his father's name. She must not have thought he knew them, but now it was obvious that she was not comfortable with him knowing their name. She didn't respond verbally, just shook her head 'no'. He sighed deeply. He hadn't meant to scare her, but his appearance was working against him. He held out the letters to her while she shrunk away from him. "Could you please deliver these to him? Read them together as a couple when your son isn't around. Well, I guess you could read them while he was there but that's your choice. I'm sorry to have bothered you."
Shakily, she took the letters from him and vanished back inside the house so fast that Conner barely registered the letters left his hand before the door slammed shut in his face. Blinking for a moment, he backed down the walk way taking one last look at the house. It didn't feel like a place he knew anymore, like the letter was the last string that connected him to the place and without it it was just a house. Reaching the street Conner breathed a sigh of relief that the whole thing was finally over and he could go home. Back to his really home surrounded by thousands of AWOL unwounds, where his back is covered by his friends, and back into the arms of his two loves, Risa and their daughter.
