Chapter 17

"What do you wish for?" Andy blinked, the voice giggling ever so quietly. "If you could, what would you wish for? More than anything else in the world, what would it be?"

Andy hummed to his self, tiny fingers tapping his chin. He brows furrowed together and he groaned, throwing his hands up in the air.

"How should I know?" He plopped his arms at his sides with a huff. The voice beside him giggled again as snow blue petals shook through the air. Andy lips curled into a pout, glaring at the icy orbs roaming across the black sky like shunned stars.

"Well what do you wish for?" He snapped.

"Hmm." Though Andy's eyes were locked on the fragments of night and ice drifting around them idly, he could feel the thoughtful smile bubbling in the other's voice. "I wish to get out of here."

Andy arched an eyebrow. "You can already do that."

"Not like that." Andy felt cool fingers wrap around his wrist and pull his arm up in the air. Bone white fingers intertwined with peachy ones, carefully splaying their fingertips. Andy blinked up at the cage their hands made over the sky.

"I want to get out…and not just touch the world," the other clenched his fingers into a fist, "but hold it until it's my own." The other shifted towards Andy, a faint smile curling along his lips. "You'll help me get there, right?"

Andy's jaw snapped back into place as he stared at the face looking down at him expectantly. Yet, before he could reply, the childish face began to blur. He pressed his elbows down on the ground, writhing against black weeds that began wrapping around him. The ground beneath him crumbled until he felt his self being dragged down. A startled cry fell into a thick weed firmly clasped around Andy's mouth.

Through the thundering of his pulse in his ears and rippling of earth collapsing, the trembling boy caught the faintest giggle above him. Quickly blinking through the tears racing down his face, Andy caught sight of his companion grinning madly at him when a crack split across his face.

Andy's eyes widened, his trembling seeping from his skin straight to his bones, as the cracks splintered one after another over the other's face. Just as the fragile petals whirled down into the abyss , the other's face crumbled; pieces of the cracked face falling past Andy. A fractal of the shattered face fluttered by Andy's ear, a lone question echoing in the abyss:

"You'll help me, right Andy?"

A scream caught at the back of Andy's throat, the tight squeeze around his vocal chords snapping his back straight up from bed. He blindly grasped his neck and coughed roughly, wheezing as his lungs greedily drank in the musky air. His shoulders shook with each breath until he swallowed thickly. Andy forced his eyelids to open, squinting through the watery kaleidoscope of his eyes.

A dull, gray light filled the room, softly dusting the shadows of late evening into dawn. The gravel and dirt littered the floorboards while flakes of the wall peeled back. Andy blinked; his fingers scrunched around the blanket in his hands and sighed.

Right. Andy thought. He flushed lightly at the memory of crawling to Jurij's room with a shard of shame gripping his stomach. Well, maybe not crawling…

Andy's fingers fiddled with the loose threads of the blanket for a moment longer, letting the fabric nip at the bare parts of his legs. He flicked his gaze up at the small window overhead. At the dusky light flittering through, he groaned into his hands and flung his legs over the side of the bed. He stretched his arms in the air, relishing in the sound of his spine popping when his hand fell back on the bed. He turned towards the other side of the bed to find it bare. The corners of Andy's lips swayed to a frown.

"A wake up call would have been nice." He grumbled halfheartedly.

He moved towards the door and left the room, gently shutting the door behind him. The floorboards creaked under his footsteps as he maneuvered through the back of the tavern towards the kitchen. The lanterns had long since burned out, soot dusting the sides of the glasses, holding pools of shadows down the hallway. Andy shivered, eyeing the walls warily. Even after three months, the shadows were nothing but foreign to him.

He sped up his walk and poked his head into the kitchen. He jumped at the sight of Otto leaning over the table. The elder man's eyes were locked on a mug until Andy came in. He slowly drew his eyes up from the rim of the mug and blinked up at Andy. The boy returned the blank stare, shuffling from foot to foot. He tugged the side of his nightgown over his shoulder and bit the inside of his cheek.

Are nightgowns always this big? He pondered absentmindedly. He squinted down at the dark brown fabric. Or maybe its the color that's throwing me off. It's probably the color. Is everything here brown…

A low grunt shook Andy from his thoughts. He brought his head up to stare into dark eyes boring into him. The man tapped his fingers on the table, arching his brow at Andy. The boy gulped and cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry?" He asked.

Otto closed his eyes, breathing in deeply, before grunting, "Sit."

Andy raced to the table and threw his self in a chair. Otto mumbled something under his breath and looked at the mug again. Andy's teeth nicked his cheek as he twined his fingers together in his lap, tapping his foot against the leg of the table. The silence popped in his ears until the man took a swig from the mug. Andy arched an eyebrow, frowning at the heavy gulps and bobbing Adam's apple.

"It's water." Otto said, wiping his mouth with his palm. "No need to run and tell Jurij that now." Andy shrunk back in his seat, wincing at the wooden rungs digging into his back. Otto ran a tongue over his lips, half spitting the metallic tang from his mouth, and hesitantly glanced at Andy. "How you feeling?"

"Fine." Andy stuttered, balling the nightgown in his fists. He watched Otto nod slightly while his eyes flicked to the mug again. Andy's knuckles popped in his grip. "I-I'm sorry I didn't get up earlier." The boy began to rise from his seat. "I'll start mixing the brew now. No one will get in till-"

"Sit."

Andy plopped his self back in the chair. Otto sighed, running a hand over his face.

"Do I seem that heartless?" Andy frowned, earning a low chuckle from the man. Otto propped his cheek on his fist. "I'll take that as a yes."

"N-no." Andy said. He forced his gaze on the table, his voice cracking, "There are others far worse."

"Well that's a relief. I'm not completely heartless." Andy snorted and quickly slapped a hand over his mouth. Otto's lips shrugged into a half pitying grin, waving his hand as if dismissing the laughter. His grin faded as he tapped the table again with his index and middle fingers. "Boy," Andy flinched at the word, glancing out the door in spite of his self. Otto rolled his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

Andy's cheeks blanched at the question. "W-what?"

"I mean it." Otto leaned over the table, the wood creaking under his elbows. "What are you doing here?"

Andy ogled the man. In the three months of orders, reprimanding, and silence, the man had never asked about his old life. Never asked how he was in the woods by chance when Jurij found him. Never asked why he was here. And that question turned Andy's stomach inside out.

"I," Andy choked on his words, his brow furrowing. He stared at his hands in his lap and bit his lip. Thoughts he had kept at bay for three months collapsed in his consciousness, coursing through his veins with a burning laugh that stung his limbs. He blinked away the salty sting in his eyes and swallowed heavily, murmuring hoarsely, "I wish I knew."

Otto watched the boy slowly crumble, yet hold his self firm. He sighed and flicked the mug. The mug slid across the table with a heavy screech, coming to halt in front of Andy. He blinked at the mug quizzically.

"Go on," Otto swayed his hand to the mug while rising from the chair.

Andy frowned, grasping the mug in his hands and took a tentative sip. He tongue instantly reeled back from the liquid and slammed the mug back on the table. He spat the liquid from his mouth, gagging heavily.

"You said this was water," he choked through splutters.

Otto shrugged. "With a little bit of moonshine."

Andy dragged his hand over his mouth when a hand clapped his shoulder. Andy peered up at Otto, whose head was turned away from him.

"I don't know who you used to be, boy. And maybe I really don't want to know," he said. His hand gripped his shoulder firmer. "But I meant what I said last night," he turned his gaze to him, eyes brimming with a foreign softness, "You are important. To me and Jurij."

Andy's jaw dropped as Otto removed his hand. His heart stuttered warmly until Otto smacked the back of his head. "Now get back to bed. I don't have any use for the bleedin'."

Andy pouted at the sting pulsing at the back of his head, yet found his self on his feet instantly. He snatched the mug from the table and walked past Otto towards the main room of the tavern, turning on his heel towards the cellar. Otto felt his brow twitch and sighed.

"I said get back to bed!" Otto snapped.

Andy poked his head up from the cellar. Otto glowered at him, the thin lines around his mouth scrunched into an upside down smile that didn't match the frown on his mouth. Yet, the faintest hint of amusement curled on the other side of his frown, almost daring the boy to retaliate. Andy's lips twitched into a sheepish grin he couldn't force away, replying, "I'm not bleedin' yet."


The week had gone by agonizingly slow; the seldom guest that wandered into the tavern merely ordering a cup of hot water and sitting by the fire. "Wretched cold," they always cursed, "Gets worse by the year." Otto merely nodded as he took their cups from them, watching intently as they straggled to the door. Andy groaned as another gust of wind swirled through the tavern, leaving an aching chill in his bones. He swept a rag across the table near the door, losing count of how many times he had cleaned it, and winced. A glimmer of his reflection lingered on the water just above the wood.

A darkening pink bruise throbbed at the corner of his forehead while thin cuts littered the sides of his cheeks. The water quickly seeped into the wood before he could examine anymore. He threw the rag on the table with a frown and stretched. The quiet pops in his back only made his frown deeper, wincing at locked knobs.

Great, he thought. Now I'm an old woman!

He rolled his shoulders before, reluctantly, leaning over the table to snatch the rag. He sauntered to the next table. The rag barely brushed against the wood when Otto's voice rumbled, "Damn it!"

Andy tossed the rag over his shoulder as he followed the sound of the man's voice. Andy found Otto glaring at the cupboard. His heated gaze settled on the bottles lining the shelves of the cupboard where several clean spots amidst blankets of dust laid instead of bottles and flasks.

"I'm going to kill that boy." Otto snarled.

Andy sighed, scratching the back of his neck, "What is it?"

"Three bottles. Three bottles of Onwu, gone!" The man slammed his fist against the cupboard. Andy eyed him warily, taking a step back from him as he turned around. He stomped past the boy, grumbling curse after curse under his breath.

"I'm sure he only took it for a good reason." Andy said quietly. "And it was only three bottles."

Otto froze, the muscles in his back rippling to a halt like snakes. Andy sucked in a sharp breath at the storm stirring beneath gray orbs. Otto's fingers flexed and un-flexed from fists.

"Onwu," he hesitated, "isn't for drinking." Andy's brows knitted together while Otto groaned. He stomped to the front of the tavern, yanking his coat from the coat rack beside the door, and shoved his arms in. "Just keep an eye on the place."

"Wait, but where are you-"

"Just stay!" Buttons flopping loosely on the jacket, Otto flung the door open.

Andy winced at the arctic chill whipping through the tavern as Otto stormed outside. The door slammed behind him loudly, leaving Andy frozen by the counter. Andy wrapped his arms around his self and eyed the empty tavern. Each creak of the wood and whistle of the wind growing louder than before.

"It's just the wind," he murmured, shaking his head. "It's just the wind."

The broom leaning against the wall caught his eye. Andy quickly snatched it in hand and began sweeping across the floor, leading dust and dirt into a pile. After going around the whole room, Andy's fingers twitched for the rags discarded on the counter. The thrumming of weathered fabric and bristles push the creaking of the tavern to the back of Andy's mind; his body moving as automatically to each room he could think of. Andy flexed his shriveled and dust caked fingers, nudging a bucket to the side of a table. He leaned against the table's edge and groaned at the creaking winding through the tavern once more.

Andy flicked his gaze across the tavern; not a soul had entered since Otto stepped out and tavern's attempt at conversation laced Andy's skin with goosebumps. He ran his tongue over the ridged teeth imprints in his cheek as a low whine pierced through the heavy whirl of the wind.

"Ryle." He hung his head, casting a mournful glance at the fireplace. He forced his legs towards the coat rack by the door and slowly shrugged into his coat. After fastening the buttons in place, he patted down the heavy fabric over his dress. Andy slung his cap over his head and begrudgingly trudged to the back door.

He quickly laced the ties of the cap under his chin and opened the door only to instantly regret it. A blast of arctic air sucked his breath away as he stood before a thinly shoveled trail amidst mountains of snow. Andy wrapped an arm around his self, using the other to shield his eyes from the blinding white glowing off the towering mounds. The boy warily glanced at the thicket of hay lodging up out of a bucket and groaned. He snatched the hay in his grasp, tucking it under his arm.

"You owe me Ryle," he scowled through chattering teeth. He kicked a stone between the crack of the door as he opened it, propping it open before it could lock his self out. His boots crunched along the frozen gravel, twisting his frame to the side as snow dusted his shoulders. "So, owe me."

Andy pushed the door to the warehouse inward, quickly skirting over to the stall where Ryle whined and nipped at the wooden boards caging him. The creature's coal, black eyes stared at Andy curiously before snorting lightly. He nudged his head, tiny slivers of ice fringing his mangled mane, against Andy. The boy cracked a smile and forced his fingers to uncurl from his sides. He knocked the ice fractals from Ryle's mane and tossed the hay over the stall door. Ryle immediately jerked his head back, stretching his neck down to chomp on the pale brown strands. Andy's grin faded as he watched the donkey's blunt, yellow teeth tear apart the hay, trailing his gaze over the knobby shoulders that protruded from under his fur.

He bit his lip, forcing his eyes away from traveling towards Ryle's ribs that were growing more noticeable.

"Looks like I'm not the only one dying," Andy murmured. Ryle's shoulders rolled with each jerk downwards, his tongue now flicking out to grasp any wayward strands on the ground. Andy rested his chin on the railing of the stall. "Hey Ryle, do you know you're dying?" Ryle's ears twitched. "Or do you just accept it in stride?"

Ryle twisted his neck towards him and snorted, resting his own head over the stall's railing. Andy turned his head, blinking at his reflection in the creature's black eyes and choked on a laugh. The brown muck combed through his hair stuck out from under his cap, draping over his cheeks that seemed more sunken than usual. He tilted his head at Ryle.

"Point taken." He mused. "We both look awful." Ryle pulled back and drove his head down into a sparse bed of hay beside him as Andy's playful grin melted. He blinked. Then blinked again before holding his head in his hands. "And I'm talking to a donkey."

The faintest jingle creaked through the air and brushed by Andy's ears. His brows furrowed. He leaned away from the stall and trailed over to the warehouse's door. He closed the door behind him, shuffling along the trail again while wincing at the snow that fell on his shoulders, and knocked the stone by the door to the side. He rushed to the main room of the tavern, shrugging off his coat as he walked and froze.

Four men stood in the middle of the room, heavy dusts of snow lingering on their black overcoats. The red seal of the Wall's Patrol glimmered dully on their shoulders. Their towering frames filled out the expanse of the room, rejecting the huff of blaze crackling from the fireplace; like shadows revolting against the nature of light. Andy gulped as quietly as he could until one of the men turned towards him. A grin quickly crept over his lips that sent a chill tickling Andy's spine. The boy stepped behind the counter as the man approached, his footsteps thundering heavy in Andy's ears. The man draped his long arms over the counter and tilted his head.

"Odell, right?" He arched an unruly, black eyebrow. Andy nodded hesitantly, earning a wider smile from the man. He stretched out a hand to him. "You remember me, don't you? Gostav." His hand found Andy's, yanking it into a firm hold. Andy bit back a yelp as his knuckles popped in the other's grip. "You're brother and I are close friends."

Andy gently tugged his hand out of Gostav's grip, tenderly rubbing his knuckles behind his back. "I'm sorry, of course I remember you." Andy bit his cheek, raking his memories of Jurij's teachings from the past three months. He eyed Gostav's square jaw, peppered with a fine line of brown stubble, and his hard brown eyes pinning him to the spot. His mangled locks brushed against the corner of his forehead that seemed to press out from the rest of his skull as if his skin didn't fit him. Andy swallowed thickly. "I just don't recall you being here for the past couple of months."

Gostav chuckled, scratching the back of his head, "It has been a while since I've been here."

From the corner of his eye, Andy caught a glimpse of the black lion peeking out from his sleeve along the man's wrist. At least one member of each family within the walls had to bear the lion as a form of identification, like Jurij, yet Andy found his self sick to his stomach every time his eyes fell upon the tattoo twisting against pale skin as if it would devour its host in an instant. Gostav set his hand back on the counter, his grin morphing into a thin line.

"That aside, how are you feeling?" Andy blinked, shaking his self out of his daze.

"Fine. Better…now anyway," he stumbled over his words. He stretched his neck to glance over Gostav's shoulder to find the three men merely standing firm in the center of the room. They returned Andy's blank stare with glassy pupils, eliciting a shiver to run down Andy's spine. The boy pressed his palms on his flushed cheeks. "I'm sorry. What will you be having?"

Gostav waved his hand dismissively. "Oh, we didn't come here for a drink." Andy fought against the twitch upon his brows that were begging to rise, forcing his hands behind his back as he stared at the man expectantly. Gostav flicked his eyes over his shoulder at the men behind him with a empty smirk and looked back at Andy. "Your…incident along with many others brought upon a new light among the Patrol and Council. Being the last of civilization in these mountains, we thought it be best to lay out some new rules of surveillance and such."

"Oh." Andy said. "And what other…incidents," the word curdled sourly on his tongue, "brought out this decision."

Gostav's airy smile melded into a frown. The counter's edge dug into his firm side as he tapped his fingers on the wood.

"It's awful really. Pests outside the wall attacking us when we travel out, them trying to climb over into our sanctuary, some of us even smuggling outsiders through the wall-"

The air around Andy instantly grew thin, strangling his lungs mercilessly. His fingers tangled themselves in the fabric of his dress as Gostav went on, each word merely plucking at Andy's heart like a knife teasing a string. He swallowed around the bow welling in his throat and forced his self to nod along with Gostav.

"S-sounds awful." Andy strained to keep his voice steady.

"Of course." Gostav sighed. "But remember Odell, if you see anything out of place you let us know as soon as possible." Andy nodded quickly as Gostav leaned closer to him. "You will let us know, right? It's our duty to maintain the Wall."

Andy could have sworn his brain trembled from how fast he shook his head, earning a wide smile from Gostav. He leaned back from the counter and turned on his heel towards the other men, lumbering towards the door. Andy watched the puddles pooled around their boots fling into droplets across the floor as they walked before Gostav paused.

"Odell." Andy's back stiffened instantly at the carefree tone. Gostav, hand resting on the knob of the door, swung back on his heels. "Jurij mentioned that someone reached you before he did. Who was he?"

The muscles in Andy's shoulders groaned against the bones trying to relax as he shrugged, "I'm not sure. It was too dark to really see. He left before I could ask."

Gostav hummed, the smile on his face never faltering as he trained his dark eyes on Andy. Andy felt his skin prickle the longer he stared until Gostav nodded.

"Shame. We could have used him on the new Patrol."

Andy shrugged, mumbling his agreement as the door opened. He whipped his head up, watching the dark frames of the men blaze across a horizon of white at the door.

"Gostav?" The man paused, arching an eyebrow at the boy. Andy's fingers clenched around the counter's edge. "What…what will happen to…"

A sly, empty smile crept along the man's lips as he tilted his head to the side. The icy wind that swept through the tavern barely nipped Andy's skin until Gostav said, "That awaits to be seen until the last of our new Patrol is gathered. Though he won't be bothering anyone again I assure you. You just get your rest." Andy nodded, sagging against the counter. He watched as the men filed out into the cold when Gostav chuckled lowly, "Your voice is starting to crack."

As the door closed, Andy's heart latched onto his chest. He caught the faintest glitter of a wink as Gostav's frame disappeared behind the door. His knees buckled, leaving Andy to slide to the floor and pull his legs to his chest.

Damn.


The shadows felt warm upon Andy's back as he sank deeper into the mattress, burying his self in the darkness of the room. He hugged his pillow close to his chest; half hoping the feathers would suffocate the pounding of his heart while he simply drowned in the ragged fabric scratching his skin. He turned aimlessly in the bed, the empty lumps of cotton and sheer plain of wood molding along his spine. Yet the pain was only a fleeting pinch in his muscles. A pinch he wished was the only thing he felt.

He opened his eyes and cursed under his breath. An onyx, black sky greeted him yet again. He buried his face into the pillow with a groan.

How long can night possibly last? He wondered bitterly.

After Gostav's visit earlier that day, Andy had recleaned the entire tavern again-ducking around the windows carefully. He eyed the door every few minutes, waiting for Jurij or Otto to barge in to brag about a deal of mice they snagged or how the metal shop was tittering on implosion. Yet the day burnt out without any familiar voices or customers, leaving Andy with the creaking tavern to keep him company.

He squeezed his eyes shut and opened them, slamming his face into the pillow.

"Damn it," he mumbled into the cotton. Andy sighed deeply, the scent of iron tickling his nose as he forced his eyes close again. "Just go to sleep. Go. To. Sleep."

His arms wrapped around the pillow tighter. The boy shifted around the pillow, grasping the fluffy mound as if it were another body. He pressed his head down to nuzzle the pillow when a slam rippled throughout the tavern. A series of stomps and voices filled the main room of the tavern soon after. Andy bolted straight up, a weight lifting from his chest as he clambered out from the bed. Just as his feet were about to brush the floor, the voices quickly turned into harsh barks. Andy blinked, inching towards the door of the room tentatively. He cracked the door open slightly, barely enough to make a creak, and flinched at the shouts echoing from the main room.

"-don't you walk away from me!" Otto snapped, earning a groan from Jurij.

Andy pressed his ear to the crack of the door and swallowed thickly. He heard a stomp and slam against wood.

"What else do you want me to say?" Jurij practically growled. "That I'm sorry? Cause I'm not!" He chuckled bitterly, "And here I thought you'd actually be proud of me for once."

"Proud?" Andy could hear the man's face scrunch in fury. His brow wrinkled into a scowl as he glared at Jurij. "What dead part of your head thought I'd be proud of this? Hell, you being dead would be greater than this shit you've concocted."

Jurij winced, his blood roaring in his ears as he slammed his fist on a table.

"How blind can you be? The wall is falling and you're too busy getting drunk out of your mind to notice! Yes, I was brash. Fucking stupid even. But at least I'm doing something!"

Otto snorted darkly, "Right, being a little call boy is doing something."

Andy heard Jurij suck in a sharp breath, picturing his brows falling over his eyes while his nose flared just before throwing something down on the ground. He braced his self against the door, eardrums awaiting the crash that would silence their argument until the next one surfaced-yet no sound came. Andy blinked, listening to Jurij's shallow breathing and Otto's mild shuffling from foot to foot. The odd puncture of routine roamed through the tavern like a fog, holding back its creaking and groaning to leave room for the outbreak. Andy's fingers clenched around the door.

Otto always stood his ground of calm.

Jurij was never silent.

Another minute of quiet caused Andy's breath to catch at the back of his throat. Another moment past when Jurij sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "Fine."

Andy swore he heard Otto's eyes topple from his sockets at the soft response. Jurij flashed a stony glance at Otto. "You're right. I'm wrong, always wrong, but even you can see the cracks in the wall." Jurij tapped his fist on the table with a frown. "And I'm not going to be crushed under it anymore."

Footsteps bounded out of the main room without any following. Andy ran his tongue over his lips, coughing slightly at the dry muscle that greeted him instead and quickly closed the door. He stumbled towards the bed and threw his self under the covers when the door opened. Jurij blinked at the boy's back turned away from the door, quietly shutting the door behind him. He pulled his gloves off his hands, idly mumbling, "How much did you hear?"

Andy flinched, mumbling, "Enough."

Jurij strode over to the bed and sank along its edge, the small of his back brushing against Andy's shoulder.

"Didn't mean to wake you. Nightmares?" Andy shook his head, shrugging under the flimsy blankets . "Did something happen when we were gone?"

Andy sighed, rolling over to stare at Jurij's back. "Gostav dropped by."

"Did he." Jurij snorted. "Was he already half drunk on his way in? Or did he just have people drag him?"

Andy rose from the bed, sighing, "No. He was sober. Just came by to talk about the new rules." Jurij hummed in response, leaning down to yank his boots off when Andy ran his hands down his face. "He knows."

Jurij's shoulders tensed. "What?"

"I-I didn't say anything I swear!" Andy stuttered. "He just had this look like he knew. I don't know how he-"

"Don't worry about Gostav." Andy's babbling withered instantly at the hand clamped around his shoulder. He could see the frown lines etched deep around Jurij's mouth mirror themselves under his eyes. "Just leave him to me alright."

"But…"

Andy groaned as Jurij's fingers dug into his shoulder. Jurij gaze bore into him with a heated glare.

"I thought you of all people would trust me." He grumbled.

"I do-"

"Then just leave him to me! Please?"

Andy trembled under the amethyst orbs that seem to swirl with a foreign storm he couldn't tell apart from the man. He swallowed thickly and nodded, relishing in the way his skin rose as Jurij pulled his hand away. Jurij plopped back on the edge of the bed and rolled his neck to the side with a sigh. He motioned for Andy to scoot over and slid into the bed beside him. The boy shuffled towards the wall, watching Jurij throw an arm under his head.

"Don't worry," he murmured. A grin slowly shrugged across his lips. "Things are going to change around here. Big changes. And they're going to happen real soon."

Andy merely stared at him, at the giddy way the light in his eyes danced at the thoughts whirling in his head, then down at the coat tightly wrapped around his shoulders. The boy felt his stomach tightened as his eyes landed on the red seal of a lion with wings coil along Jurij's shoulder.

"Jurij." The man hummed in response. "Where did you get that jacket?"

Jurij cracked an eye open to glance at his shoulder. "Oh, that." The knot in Andy's stomach burned at the nonchalant air lacing his words. "Just a little gift from the Patrol."


"Aren't you supposed to be in the shop tonight?" Otto asked one night as he closed the tavern.

Jurij shrugged, flicking the collar of his black coat tight around his neck. "Quit last week."

Otto nearly dropped the glass in his hand on the floor while Andy gawked at the man. His arguments were short lived as Jurij shuffled near the door. "They need more men on watch. The pests outside are getting more wild these nights."

Andy could hear the smirk in his voice as he slammed the door behind him without another word. He stared at the door when Otto sighed wearily, "Get a move on." He blew out the last of the lanterns in the main room, save for the one in his hand. "They'll think we're breaking curfew if we stay up any longer."


Andy tucked a bundle of linen under his arm, careful not to squish the bread against his side. His nose wrinkled at the mossy green blooming along the tip of the bread's flaking crust, then shook his head. The woman running the shop spent all morning digging up a loaf that wasn't nibbled on by rats-this was nothing.

He turned around the corner of the street and skittered to a halt. A hoard of Patrol men lingered around a building, one by one pecking through the weather beaten house. A man gritted his teeth, pressing his child closer behind him while the Patrol crashed through. One of the Patrol men poked his head out. He wordlessly held out his gloved hand that grasped a thin arm of another person who clawed at their arm. The man of the house tensed as the Patrol man nodded his head towards the child.

One of the others snatched the child and threw him over his shoulder, merely pushing the man back. Andy heard a soft crack beside him and turned his gaze towards his side. Morsels of bread crumbs flurried to the icy ground. He bit his lip and forced his self to turn around, marching the long way to the tavern as the air grew colder than before.


"Hey."

Andy groaned. His eyes cracked open as fingers gently tapped the side of his face to be greeted with Jurij's soft smile. The boy rolled his shoulders, his muscles sighing in relief once he moved away from the wall. The blanket he pulled around his shoulders pooled around his waist as he rubbed his eyes.

"How long was I out?" Andy asked through a yawn.

Jurij shrugged, "I just came in." His eyes lit up as he shuffled around and dug in his coat pocket. "I got something for you."

Andy blinked in the dark hallway and the faint outline of Jurij's frame as he fished through his pockets. He ran his eyes over the man's clean jawline, save for a few scratches littering his chin, and the black bags rimming under his eyelids. The dark crescent seemed to mirror Jurij's beam as he yanked out his hand and shoved into Andy's lap. The boy scrambled for his hands to break free of the cocoon he wrapped his self in grasped the object in his lap.

Andy brought the object closer to him and squinted at the contours he traced. Amidst the frail light that wrinkled through the barred windows, a trail of silver outlined the metal face of a lion. Flakes of bronze curled off the lion's mane that was etched in flurries like snow while its eyes stared past Andy. Andy stared at the object quizzically as a soft thrumming within it tapped his palm.

"It's not much, but I thought you might like it," Jurij cracked a sheepish smile.

He leaned forward and pressed his finger down on a miniscule latch just beneath the lion's mouth. The metal face swung upward to unleash its ticking voice in a quiet roar. Andy's skin prickled at the dull yellow face staring up at him with fragments of the globe whirling beneath the glass. A thin needle clicked past numbers melded beneath the glass while two iron hands froze under the lopsided 12. Over the clock, where the lion's face should have been, lied a small chip of glass with flurries of white scattered behind its inky background. Andy watched the glass tremble with each tick and swallowed thickly.

"I couldn't get the other hands to work," Andy barely caught Jurij's babbles, "but it still looked worth saving...is it alright?"

Andy snapped the pocket watch close as his lips strained to lift into a smile.

"It's great," Andy said breathlessly, his shoulders trembling slightly. "Thank you."

Jurij sighed in relief and rose to his feet. He rested his hand on the doorknob to his room, arching an eyebrow at Andy's huddled frame.

"You're not going to bed?"

Andy shoved his hands into his lap and rocked back against the wall. His cheeks burned from the smile plastered on his face.

"I think I can sleep by myself tonight." Jurij blinked, nodding reluctantly as he slipped into his bedroom.

As soon as the door closed, Andy scrambled to his feet. He tossed the blanket over his shoulder, practically throwing his self at his bedroom door. The door slammed shut behind him as he fought against his buckling knees towards the bed. His legs toppled back onto the thin mattress, eyes never leaving the pocket watch in his grasp until he flung it across the room. The watch clattered onto the floor, leaving the lion face to catch the boy's reflection as he doubled over.

Andy clasped a hand over his mouth and let out a ragged breath, feeling his lungs cry in relief as the breath he had been holding was released. He wrapped the blanket around his self and buried his face into the mattress. The thin fabric muffled his dry sobs as he gagged. The blanket slid off his quaking shoulders until he pulled it around him tightly.

The shattering glass that awaited him in slumber echoed in the recesses of his mind, leaving a cold sheen of sweat rolling beneath his nightgown. Yet, Andy clenched his teeth in his pillow, he couldn't bring his self to go into Jurij's room.

Not when the stench of blood followed him every waking moment.

Andy coiled into a ball in the sheet and turned away from the opposite wall where he tossed the watch. He spat the iron taste from his mouth, forcing his eyes close-for once thankful his room didn't have a window.

Morning will be better. He thought as he rocked his self to sleep. Morning will be better.

As the watch's frozen ticking lulled the boy to sleep, a part of him dreaded what tomorrow would bring. Little did he know he was right.


A/N: So this was going to be an even longer chapter, but it wouldn't upload completely (nervous chuckle). The next part will be up in a bit. Thank you for reading and let me know what you think (puppy dog eyes for reviews) o.o