༒︎༒︎༒︎
𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟 9
༒︎༒︎༒︎
"Sylvia! Wait up!"
One of Sylvia's worst fears had come true, Wander had followed her.
"Please don't go in!" Wander pleaded. "It's my fault that I made Rye upset! That's why he took Victor!"
Sylvia points back to their home. "Home, now."
Wander stands his ground, but is a teary-eyed mess.
"B-B-But..."
Sylvia grabbed him firmly by his shoulders and their eyes locked.
"It's a kid, Wander, like he could do anything to me." Sylvia assures the boy.
Wander heads home and watched as Sylvia headed in the Orwell house from the safety of their fence. News spreads far across the neighborhood, not from Wander, from another kid. Everybody watched from the safety of their own yards and porches and from what Wander heard, somebody already called the police.
Sylvia came out 22 minutes later carrying Victor in one arm while roughly dragging Rye behind her. Sylvia handed Victor back to his older sister and started to walk back to her and Wander's house. Cheering and clapping follow her and she ignores it.
Wander hugged her tightly and she carried him in. Sylvia fell asleep while still holding the little boy she had been taking care of and loved in her arms.