Author's note: Here we go with another super long chapter! I'm not sure what's gotten into me, but long chapters are fairly nice, don't you think? Not a lot of action in this chapter.


Day 8

Done hiding

Going to rescue Mom

Going to go into Bending River

Kurt paused.

More afraid than I want to admit

Will do it anyway

Kurt put the book away in his inventory and stood up. The sun shining through his windows made his eyes hurt a bit, and he'd only gotten a few hours of sleep, but he was feeling the rush of adrenaline he got when he was tracking something down.

"Where are you going?" Nina asked, looking up from her hunting through Kurt's chest. She was trying to find something edible; Kimon had given up and gone hunting a few minutes before, while Kurt was still writing.

"Into town. I'm going to find Mom." Kurt said, walking over to the hole in his floor and crouching, ready to jump.

"What? Are you serious? They'll murder you!" Nina said, getting to her feet.

The animal inside Kurt growled, baring it's fangs, and he gave a tight smile. "I hope they try." he said, jumping through the block-wide space in his floor. He landed crouched, then straightened up and started walking in the direction of town.

Kurt tried to figure out why he was frightened; he hadn't been scared that last time he'd gone into Bending River. He was almost at the entrance to town when he realized; he hadn't been even half human that last time. His mind had been almost all Enderman- and Endermen don't get scared, as a matter of principle.

Kurt stopped walking, closing his eyes. His eyes had been dim, sometimes flickering back to the black they used to be, but now Kurt stirred up the familiar feelings that made his eyes glow.

Kurt made himself angry.

And then his Enderman side took over, and the fear went away, crowded out. Kurt tried his best to keep his human side awake, though; Endermen don't think, and he needed to keep himself thinking.

People stared at him as he walked into Bending River. They were just as afraid as last time, but this time they weren't paralyzed- they whispered, glancing at him to make sure that he couldn't hear them. That was enough to make his eyes glow brighter, bringing back all the familiar feelings.

No, not all of them. Just inside, there was a small portion of his human self, holding on in the flood of Enderman emotions. And that human part kept the rest of him in check, letting him think his way through this.

How was he going to find Fanny? Bending River wasn't a big place, but it was big enough for any kind of search to take days. He would have to find someone to tell him where she was.

Kurt walked into the market square, and even though it was crowded, he didn't have to push his way through; people moved out of his way, not wanted to be anywhere near him.

Kurt smiled. That only scared people more. Then Kurt froze, his eyes narrowing. He saw someone, and that person had been there when Fanny had fallen off the roof.

Not Mr. Baker- Nina's father.

Mr. Dare was facing away, looking at something on a market stall, unaware of what was happening. Kurt tapped him on the shoulder, then stood there, arms folded, as Mr. Dare took his time turning around.

"Where's my mom?" Kurt asked, almost in a growl, as Mr. Dare saw his life flash before his eyes. The market was completely silent, as everyone watched the pair of them.

"I- I don't know." Mr. Dare stammered, taking a step backwards, right up against the stall. Nina's father was not a particularly strong-willed man, and Kurt's glare was unnerving. "We- we went back, but she wasn't there. Som- someone must've taken her a- away or- or something." Kurt took a step forwards, grabbing Mr. Dare's forearm. Nina's father tried to pull his arm away, knowing full well that Endermen could deal damage with their bare hands, but was unsuccessful.

Then someone screamed "No!", their voice echoing throughout the packed market. Nina pushed her way through the crowd, running up to Kurt and smacking him on the back of his head. "Don't hurt him!"

Kurt slowly let go, turning to face Nina. The crowd took a collective breath, some people taking a step back. Kurt's face was hard to read, his expression flickering between anger and confusion. Nina folded her arms across her chest, glaring at Kurt.

"He's telling the truth- I can tell." Nina said. "So don't. You. Dare." Her voice became a snarl.

Kurt balled his hands into fists, trying to keep control of himself. Then he turned and ran from the marketplace, wanting to get away from that place, away from Nina and Mr. Dare, as quickly as he could.

It was several minutes before he stopped running, when he realized he was in a dead end, the end of the street blocked by the same yellow stone that the houses were built out of. Kurt clenched his hands into fists again, and a few moments later he slammed one of his hands against the wall blocking his path.

"Ow." Kurt whispered, holding onto his hand. "Ow."

When the pain of punching a stone wall subsided, Kurt started to think a bit more clearly. Why had he run? Because he didn't want the chance to let himself hurt Nina. Because any other reaction involved hitting someone. Because he was confused.

"Everything's bloody confusing." Kurt whispered, shaking his throbbing hand. "Why can't we react some way besides running or hitting something?"

"Do you refer to yourself using plural pronouns a lot?" a voice asked, and Kurt looked up. Standing at the nearest intersection, not too far away, was a man. He had brown hair, and he didn't sound unfriendly, just curious and a little nervous. Kurt thought he looked familiar, but he couldn't remember where from- the only place he could think of would have been the night Esi had died. Had this man been in the mob?

Kurt growled, half-crouching into some semblance of a fighting stance. The man, who had been walking slowly towards Kurt, stopped, obviously a bit spooked.

"Kurt." the man said, raising his hands in front of him to try and calm him down. "It's me." Kurt's eyes narrowed, trying to place the man's face. "Don't you recognize me?" the man asked, looking confused and a bit scared. "It's Mike."

Mike. All at once, the memories came back to Kurt, ones that he'd forgotten and ignored while he'd lived in the forest. His Uncle Mike, Fanny Hunter's younger brother.

Kurt straightened up, no longer hostile but not relaxed, either. Mike took another step closer, and when Kurt didn't respond, he approached. "You're looking for Fan?" he asked. There was a pause, then Mike shook his head slightly. "Your mom?"

"Yeah." Kurt said, examining Mike's face. Fanny was a small woman, a few inches shorter than Kurt, but Mike was a full head taller.

"She's at my place." Mike said. "That was some stunt you and your friends pulled last night." He paused. "What were you doing hanging out with Kave Baker and the Dare girl? And why were John and Kans -er, Mr. Dare and Mr. Baker- trying to kill Kave?"

"Not Kave." Kurt said suddenly. "Kimon."

"Oh…" Mike said, a figurative light turning on in his head. "Kimon? Wow." He shook himself slightly. "Come on, kid. Let's go."


The market was quiet- not as quiet as while Kurt had been there, but still- quiet. Nina and her father stood in exactly the same places they had been in when Kurt had stormed out a few moments ago, neither of them saying a word.

Finally, Mr. Dare took a deep breath. "Why, Nina? Why did you run off with those two?" he asked.

Nina chose her words carefully. "Because I don't believe they deserve to die." she said. "And because Kans is a…" she paused, feeling an insult on the tip of her tongue but knowing saying it would be a bad idea. "…disturbed individual."

Mr. Dare sighed, pain showing on his face. "Nina, I thought I raised you better than this…" he said, his voice trailing off.

"What do you want me to do?" Nina asked.

"I want you to listen to me." Mr. Dare answered.

"I'll do that, but only-" Nina took a step forwards. "-if you listen to me in return. We need to talk to each other, hear each other out. I…" Nina sighed, wilting a little. "I don't want to lose you, Dad, but all this, all the stuff the Bakers believe about Kurt… it's all just wrong."

"We do need to talk," Mr. Dare said slowly. "but-"

"Dad, save it until we're somewhere private, okay?" Nina asked. "How about we go home? I might leave again, but I promise I'll stay long enough to hear you out. Would that be okay?"

Mr. Dare hesitated, then nodded. He and his daughter started walking, and neither of them said a word until they were back at their house. As they were walking, Nina looked up at the section of roof that she and Kimon and Kurt had escaped along, just last night. It suddenly it felt so odd to be returning home, as if that hadn't happened.

Inside, silence reigned as they stood in the front entrance, unsure of whether to continue on in, or to have their conversation right there. Nina heard the hall floor creak, and then her mother's head appeared around the doorframe.

"Nina!" she gasped. Then she walked in to the room, her face showing a startling combination of relief, disappointment and rage. She raised one finger and pointed it in Nina's face. "What did you think you were doing, bringing those two into our house! You have endangered everyone in here, including yourself!"

"Mom, Kurt and Kimon like me- they don't hurt me." Nina said, holding up her hands as if to keep her mother's rage away, but Mrs. Dare was not placated.

"Kurt Hunter is a danger to society! He's fighting with the hostile mobs- killing villagers!" Mrs. Dare shouted.

"Only when they trespass in the forest." Nina said, partially amazed at herself for coming to Kurt's defence.

"He killed you when you went in the forest!"

"I wasn't supposed to be in there. I kind of deserved it." Nina said, at which point her mother started shouting again, this time not allowing any opportunity for explanation. Mr. Dare stood behind his wife, looking a bit apologetic.

Then there was a knock on the door, and they all froze. The person pounded on it again, and this time Nina heard someone mutter "C'mon, Nina- answer the damn door…"

"Kimon!" Nina said, startled. Mrs. Dare looked outraged, and stormed over to the door, throwing it wide open. Kimon stood there, frozen mid-knock. He lowered his hand, then took a deep breath.

"What the Nether!?" he demanded, half-yelling at Nina. "You and Kurt both took off without me- you didn't even leave a note! What was I supposed to think, coming back to find that you two'd run off together?"

Nina felt her face start to turn red. She wasn't sure what Kimon was suggesting, but it was obvious that he'd thought she and Kurt had been doing something inappropriate. Nina opened her mouth to reply, but her mother wouldn't allow it. Kimon had been shouting over Mrs. Dare, but at that moment, she picked up the broom that was usually propped next to the door. Nina winced; she knew what was coming.

"Ow! Ow, damn it! Get off me!" Kimon yelled as Mrs. Dare hit him with the broom. She whacked him, forcing him backwards. Kimon, holding his arms over his head, turned to run-

And fell down the few stairs that led up to Nina's front door. Kimon heard people laughing as he lay there in the dust, trying to get his breath back. He rolled over onto his back to see Mrs. Dare standing in the doorway, wielding the broom.

"And don't you dare come back!" she screeched, before slamming the door. Kimon groaned, getting up even though he hurt all over; between Mrs. Dare's broom and the fall down the stairs, he'd gotten enough bruises to last him a long time.

Kimon looked around guiltily; he was likely to get injuries much more severe than bruises if he encountered his father and twin. The longer he stayed in Bending River, the more likely it was that he was going to run into them, and he didn't like his chances. His best chance if he did meet them was to run, but that wasn't going to work very well if they had most of the town on their side.

Kimon shook the dirt out of his jacket then walked off, back the way he'd come. Kurt had better have a good explanation for this… he thought grumpily.


Kurt waited, arms folded, as Mike fumbled with the key. They were alone in the dry street, and Kurt wondered if that was because of him. Kurt wondered if he'd ever feel guilty about the fact that everyone in Bending River was afraid of him. Probably not, he decided; he really didn't like people, so it was a good idea for them to keep their distance, anyway.

Finally, Mike unlocked the door and walked in with Kurt following behind. It was dark inside, and the floor creaked loudly under their feet.

Kurt smiled slightly and took another step- his movements were completely silent. It was Mike that was making all the noise. Kurt's smile grew broader; there were advantages to being half-Enderman.

Mike led Kurt down the hallway, to where Kurt could see that a light was on. Mike walked into the room and sat down at the table, saying "I found him- the kid punched a stone wall like he was throwing a tantrum. The kid never did learn that stone hurts when you hit it."

The other man at the table grunted in response. He was older, with white hair, and his nose was crooked like he'd broken it at some point. The third person at the table was Fanny; she and the older man were playing cards.

Kurt felt a little odd being referred to as 'the kid'- it made him feel younger, like he was back in time before Esi had died. He felt so small.

"Well come on, boy." the older man said indignantly. "Are you going to sit down, or are you going to just stand there acting like an empty-headed ninny?"

"You're one to talk, Gramps." Kurt said, the going-back-in-time feeling intensifying as he walked forward and sat down in one of the chairs. "I haven't forgotten how you burned the turkey on Midwinter's Eve."

Kurt's grandfather snorted. "You're too smart for your own good, boy." he said, half in a growl. Then he made a face. "Hate to admit it, but I've missed you, this past four years. It's been hard on your old man, Kurt. One of my daughters dead, the other run away to who-knows-where, my only granddaughter dead and my favourite grandson off in the forest with the Endermen."

"I was up north, living with Kimon." Fanny said. "And Reyna's been gone for-" Fanny's voice cracked slightly. "-for nearly ten years." She smiled at Kurt. "Hey." she said softly. Kurt nodded, smiling slightly.

"You didn't mention Kimon or Kave." Kurt said. "They're you're grandsons, too, right?" Kurt felt a shiver run up his spine, and he glared at the table, irrationally angry with himself for admitting that he was related to the Bakers.

"Never liked the Bakers." Kurt's grandfather said grouchily. "Wish Reyna'd never gone off with that Kans Baker. Really sad to say it, but you're the best of 'em, Kurt."

"Kimon's not bad at all- you know he isn't." Fanny said. "He saved my life, too- I went up north because I knew he lived there, but I was freezing to death when he found me." Fanny sighed. "Freezing to death and crying my eyes out."

"Kurt." Mike said slowly. "I've been meaning to ask you a question." Mike asked it carefully, as if he wasn't sure that Kurt wouldn't go psycho and attack him. "What happened to Esi's body? She couldn't respawn, so it wouldn't have disappeared…"

"I buried her." Kurt said, refusing to take his eyes off the table. "Some of them wanted to burn our bodies, but then they laughed and said that the mobs could have us." Kurt's voice was monotone; he was trying not to let his memories take over. Just on the edge of his awareness, he could feel the echo of the pain from that night- not only the injuries he'd gotten from fighting, but the tears burning into his face. Kurt narrowed his eyes, glaring at the surface of the table.

There was silence for a few moments, then Mike coughed. "Dad, are you done with the cards? How does everyone feel 'bout a game of Aces Are Creepers?"

Kurt smiled, his human side feeling amused as the animal inside him sat up, begging. "Nether yeah." Kurt said. "But I'm still going to kick your asses."


Kimon took a right turn, glaring at each passing pedestrian as if they were personally responsible for him being this lost. It had been hours -it was nearly noon- since he'd started looking for Kurt, and on top of having a bad night's sleep, he'd been hit with a broom and pushed down a set of stairs. Kimon was not having a good day.

He couldn't help but notice that people were avoiding him and looking really scared whenever he looked at them. With the sour look on his face, he could very well have been Kave. Kimon always had trouble understanding why it was so hard for people to tell him and his twin apart, but he could use it to his advantage. If they thought he was Kave, then maybe they wouldn't turn him in.

Kimon took another right turn, onto yet another dry, empty street. He thought he heard someone behind him, but he ignored it.

Then something hard collided with the back of his skull, and he blacked out. Right before everything went dark, Kimon caught a brief glimpse of someone who looked too much like him for it to be anybody but his twin…


Nina tried to protest, but the trapdoor was closed and locked from the other side. Nina heard her father go back down the stairs, and she groaned. Outside, the light was rapidly fading, and Nina wondered where Kimon and Kurt were. They'd probably found each other and were hanging out somewhere, waiting for her.

Nina entertained a brief fantasy that involved Kurt coming to rescue her from her wrongful imprisonment, then snorted, laughing at herself. She didn't need Kurt to escape from her own bedroom; she'd just go out the window again.

Out on the roof, Nina tried to walk confidently, like she had every right to be up there. It wasn't easy, because she had to be very careful not to fall, and it was hard to stride confidently when you were watching where you put your feet.

She soon ended up on the ground, and from there went right back to Kurt's house. Being in the forest alone made her nervous, but Kurt must have told the mobs to stay away from her, because she wasn't bothered.

Standing in Kurt's house, Nina started to get a little worried. It was well past nightfall, and neither Kurt or Kimon had returned. Sighing, Nina slipped out the hole in the floor, falling to the ground. She landed badly, but her ankle didn't hurt too much, so she just kept walking.

She hoped very much that Kurt hadn't been stirring up any trouble. He could be amazingly belligerent in the worst possible way, and she didn't want to have to rescue anybody.


Sitting at the table, Kurt realized that he should probably be leaving, since Nina and Kimon would probably be getting worried about him. Fanny, still recovering from her fall off the roof, would be staying with her brother and father- who had both been in the crowd when the incident had occurred.

Kurt smiled slightly, then pulled out his notebook.

Family

That word feels good now

Friends

That word too

Family- Mom and Mike and Gramps

Friends- Kimon and Nina

I guess Kimon's both

I'm human now

My Enderman side is sort of hiding

Maybe the secret isn't to be both at once

But to switch between them

I'll give that a try

Everything is alright right now

I wonder how long it will last


Author's note: Like I said, not a whole lot of action. Except for the incident with Kurt and Mr. Dare- and Kimon getting hit with the broom. I'm not super happy with this chapter, but that might be in part due to how late it is right now. Bye, and hope you're getting more sleep than I am.