Homecoming

The house was darkened by shutters on every window, steeping the room in an orange twilight.

"Mum!" the boy ran to me and I knelt to meet him, wrapping him in my arms and holding him close.

"Hey you," I murmured into his head.

"You've been gone forever! We need more cheese." His fingers played absently in my hair.

"We ran out of cheese?"

He squirmed a little in my arms. "Well I did stay with the Sings' for two nights, but then I got into a fight with Paulie and they started looking at me funny, so then I told them you'd come home early and I went to the McClintocks, but they were weird right from the beginning, so I came back here to wait for you."

"Oh Bhask! You've been here on your own?" My eyes swept over the empty cans in the sink, bread crumbs on the counters, wrappers in the overflowing bin.

"Oh Baby," I whispered, feeling my jaw tense.

"Who's this?" Bhaskar asked, turning to look at Alex, who stood frozen in the doorway, gazing at him.

"This is Alex," I said, my hands on Bhask's shoulders, trying not to grip too tight.

"Hi eyes are like mine!" Bhask said, fascinated.

"Yes, he's human," I said, "a wild human." Bhaskar slipped behind me slightly, but couldn't take his eyes off Alex. Alex was clearly equally fascinated. I was willing to bet he'd never met a Soul-born human before.

"Wild humans are dangerous," Bhask said, doubt in his voice. Doubt at his words, or fear of Alex?

"Yes," I said trying to find the line between caution and fear, "But Alex won't hurt you." I prayed I was speaking the truth. Overcome by curiosity, Bhask evaded my grasp and walked up to Alex slowly, head cocked, inspection in full swing.

"Hello," said Alex, and his voice was strange.

"Where do you live?" asked Bhask.

"Uh… In the forest."

"In the wilds? Like a wild thing?"

"I guess," Alex frowned, but his eyes were amused.

"Do you eat Souls?"

Alex coughed out a laugh. "No."

"Not even the mean ones?"

"No." Alex was smiling despite himself.

"Then what do you eat?"

"Uh…" he shrugged, "berries, soup, chips…"

Bhaskar processed this. "Mum, we need cheese," he said, grabbing my hand and dragging me to the garage.

* * *

After dinner, Bhaskar fell asleep on my lap on the sofa. He had talked to Alex constantly, through dinner and afterwards. And Alex had kept up with him the whole time, talking naturally, without fear. Bhask hadn't talked to anyone like that in years. Apart from me. The only thing that finally stopped him was unconsciousness. I stroked his hair softly, watching him sleep. Alex sat on the other sofa, one arm lying along the tops of the cushions.

"So, what now?" I asked finally, terribly conscious of my Glock in his possession. He had kept it hidden since coming into the house, but until it was in my holster I couldn't relax. He put his head in his hands and ran his fingers through his hair. He shook his head.

"I don't know" he said, his voice uncertain. My eyes widened. He let out a breath.

"I must admit, I was planning on getting him out of here, away from the city…" a sharp pain tore at my chest.

"Away from me," I said.

"Yes," he whispered, "But now…" he shook his head again, grimacing. I waited, not daring to move.

"When I saw him with you…" His face hardened, like it was difficult for him to say this. "You belong together." My breath rushed out of me. Why did this savage see this, when our neighbours could not?

"But you heard him," he continued, "You can't stay like this forever. Those people he stayed with – they know him, and they still think of him as…"

"They'll see that they are wrong. They just need time. Things change," I said.

"Yes, but not like that." He snapped his fingers. I folded my arms and looked away, teeth clenched.

"It's not getting better, is it?" he asked softly. He shook his head, "It's not safe for him here."

"It's not safe anywhere else either."

"It will be safe for him with his own people," he said. I was already shaking my head.

"Living in the woods? On the run? Scrounging for food? Living with… violent people, hunted… how can you ask me to make him live like that."

"It doesn't have to be like that. Some groups, they have schools, doctors, farms, families," I had heard rumours of groups like this. I had even been in a raid on the largest group left in the North, a few years ago. It was amazing what they had organized. And they were the ones who got caught. I fingered my pendant absently.

"You don't make it sound so bad. So how come you're not living with them?" I watch him closely as he leaned back, face closed.

"I like a little more space," he shrugged. I sensed deceit.

"Maybe we need 'space' too," I said dryly, turning my back to him and laying down on the sofa, pulling Bhask up into my arms, and closing my eyes. Soon I wasn't pretending to sleep.