Prologue:
There were gasps and hushed whispers that surrounded him as he made his way through the encampment. He had suspected this sort of greeting long before he had stepped foot here. They wondered why he was here. That was the same question he was wondering himself. He was here because he had no where else to go, no where else to turn. This was the only place that he had any ties to.
A sharp gasp brought him out of his thoughts. He stared at the brown haired girl that had fought her way to the front of the crowd. She stared at him with those chocolate orbs that seemed to look into his soul. She looked older, then again that's what time does to you. Even still, her face had that same youthful look to it that it always held. She wore a small dress that clung to her body. The faded blue color of the dress only brought out the weariness on her face.
"Ah, the prodigal son has returned," came Garrett's booming voice, moving his hands in a slow clap. "Was the world not what you thought it would be, Grant?"
Grant shook his head, not wanting to look the man in the eyes. "No, no it wasn't."
"So, you think you can waltz back in here and become family again?" Garrett moved forward until he stood face to face with Grant. "Is that what you thought, son?"
"Yes," Grant said, not trusting himself to say anything more.
Garrett laughed at this. "Pathetic, scared little Grant coming back because he couldn't handle the outside world."
No one dared to come to defend him. Instead they all stood around the pair, silent. They knew the penalty of trying to defend him.
"Please," Grant whispered, a begging tone in his voice.
"Welcome home, Grant," Garrett said. "This is your one and only chance. Leave again and you shall never return. Are we clear?"
Grant nods at this.
"You have two choices to sleep. One, you can sleep with the animals. Two, you can reside in the same place as that whore you were so fond of."
"He'll stay with me," Skye says, stepping forward. She quickly grabs Grant's hand, pulling him towards her trailer.
The trailer was filled with books and various nicknacks from their travels. Old glow in the dark stars had been glued to the ceiling of the trailer. He wondered if they still glowed after all this time. The smell of this mornings coffee and lavender filled the room. An old, worn out teddy bear lay on top of the unmade bed. Patches were all over the bear, covering up places where the bear had split at the seams.
"It's messy," Grant says.
She sighs. "Did you expect anything different?"
"No, I didn't." he responds before pulling her into his arms. He buries his face into the crook of her neck, breathing in her sent. The smell of alcohol and lavender were mixed with the slight scent of sweat from her day at work.
Skye's arms circled around him, holding her close to him. Grant smelled terrible, as if he hadn't bathed in a few days. Dirt and dried blood covered the exposed skin. Mud caked upon his clothing and shoes. She longed to question him about what had happened to him. It wasn't the right timing to ask him. He would speak about it when he wanted to. There was no pushing him in such matters.
