Then
Few places in Forks were as welcoming a sight as the Olympic Grand. Walking in from the ever present rain, the guests were treated to buttery yellow walls and pale blue ceilings. Green oriental carpets scattered throughout the golden brown wood floors, bringing a sunny day in the woods indoors. The weariness of travel stood no chance against the bright reception of the town's hotel. Though every once in a while, some managed to combat the appeal of a stay. Mary Fielding took one look at the young boy currently shuffling in behind his parents, and new he would be one of them.
Mr. and Mrs. Bruan of San Francisco came to the desk with frozen, nervous sorts of smiles. As they gave their reservation information, Mary kept her intrigue banked with the control of someone in customer service a long time. She listened as the Mrs. explained that for their two week stay that she would be managing her mother in laws home while Mr Bruan was in the hospital with his ailing mother. They thought it would be easier and more enjoyable for their son to stay at the hotel. During the inquiry for the hotels au pair services, (Mary promptly took a sip of her water rather than snort) the boy in question was hovering by the door with their luggage. Though the couple seemed aloof, she couldn't help but notice a sweetness about them. Mary felt no trouble in telling them their son would be cared for by the Olympic Grand's best.
Not waiting to meet who would be caring for their son, or even seeing their room, the Bruan's distractedly gave their luggage to Brance and pocketed their copy of the room key before turning tail. They stopped only for the Mrs to speak low and quick to the boy, who reached a hand for his father. The man said nothing, but nodded a great deal and bent to hug his son before they left.
Mary held her smile, and it warmed a few degrees as she looked down at the boy. His hair was a dark mop, a bit longer than the average bowl cut. His clothes more akin to Sunday church than a summer vacation. He checked his watch much like a businessman.
She liked him immediately.
"I'm Ms. Fielding."
However apparent his disinterest, manners took precedence and the boy reached out a hand. "Sylas." He said in a clear, but sad voice.
"And how old are you Sylas?"
"Eight."
"Well that's perfect for what I have in mind. Why don't you follow Brance here to your rooms and then he'll show you back down to the kitchens when you're ready. I'll see you there."
As Sylas followed his luggage to the single elevator, Mary's heels clicked as she made her way through the lobby and back towards the innkeeper's quarters. Stopping in what they considered the guest kitchen she looked around and not finding what she was looking for, walked through to the cook muttering at various bowls of dough in the hotel kitchen.
"The two weekers are here Enid. I don't expect you'll be feeding them much but their son will be in need."
Enid turned sharply, eyes narrowed. "Where's the boy? A teenager?"
"Thank Jesus, no." Mary's smile turned sharp. "An eight year old."
Enid's answering curses and growls perked up Mary's steps as she turned towards the mudroom and the back patio. With a sigh she watched as another eight year old was busy weeding a flower bed despite the misting swirl of rain. Her wild hair was contained under the pink denim baseball cap Mary herself had sewn a golden sun into. She chatted to the blossoms as you would an old friend.
"Anna Jane." She called from under the awning. "What is it you think Mr. Gibbons will say when he hears you were fooling with his pansies?"
"That it would be the petunias that need the attention in all this wet." She mimicked the hotel gardener's brogue perfectly. She looked to the sky. "I didn't miss supper again did I?" Her own hint of southern cadence returned.
"No, but I have a project for you. We have new guests. A family, but it's their son who will be with us mostly."
"You want me to keep him out of trouble?"
"Actually I wouldn't mind if you helped him find some." As the child's eyes widened Mary held up a hand. "Don't get too excited. Heaven knows Phillip will be no help posting your bail. But my guess is this boy has had a different sort of life than you, it wouldn't hurt for you to show him something new. It's the end of your summer vacation after all."
Anna pushed to her feet. "I can do that."
"There's plenty of afternoon left, if you want to show him around town." Mary opened the door and laying a hand on Anna's shoulder, steered her inside.
Already waiting with Sylas, Brance lowered his head slightly as Mary came into the guest kitchen and left to his usual post. She smiled at Sylas and gestured to Anna.
"Mr. Bruan, this is Anna Jane, she'll be your au pair when you're here."
Sylas glanced from Mary to the girl he guessed to be his age and nearly laughed. "But she's a kid."
"We're not certain of that, the testing was inconclusive. You two be back for supper now." She looked back to Anna before leaving. "Remember if you get him on the right foot with Enid, she may give you a reprieve from the milk and eggs medley."
Sylas looked uncertainly at Anna, and she at him. She had seen sadness, and experienced too much of it herself for her age. This made her more prone to recognize it, but still. The type she saw in the dark brown eyes staring back at her nearly had her reaching for his hand in comfort. Her ideas for mischief were quickly replaced with ones providing any sort of fun she could think of. Unsure of her footing, she smiled at him.
He coughed a little. "My name is Sylas. So you have two first names?"
"Its Anna mostly. Lots of southern people have two names though. My middle one is Louisa so if we want to get real wild."
Traveled as he was, Sylas had never heard someone his age talk in a somewhat musical voice. He had to fight to keep a disinterested distance.
"Alright Syfi ready to scare up some mischief?"
Sylas blinked once, and felt his face break out in a smile as he laughed. Anna nodded as though he had answered a question correctly in class, and motioned for the door she came through. And then stopped as she saw his shoes.
"Those are expensive. You can't wear those."
"I only have these sneakers with me. I can play in them."
"Maybe where you're from, but here you'll muddy them right up. If we're going to get in trouble it's not gonna be over shoes. C'mon." She took his hand and raced with him towards the lobby. Turning at a corridor, she opened a door revealing a supply closet of sorts. "Lost and found. I think it was last year a ten year old came through and…."
"Last year? Do you live here?"
"Sometimes. Papa and I travel a lot but mostly…..got em!" Anna produced a pair of beat up LL Bean boots. "Your feet are on the bigger side, I think these'll work."
As Sylas took off his high tops Anna grabbed them and dashed around a corner. He heard her ask Brance to bring them up to the room, followed by some bickering too low for him to hear the words.
"Good grief. You lose track of time once and everyone thinks I'll accidently sleep out there. Bananas. They fit?" She gestured to the boots.
"Yeah. Good eye. Look, my folks drop me at hotels all the time. I have my Gameboy with me, you really don't have to…"
"They usually pass you off on other grown ups these parents right?" Anna crossed her arms.
"Yeah, they thought they were this time too."
"Well I'm what's here. Save the Gameboy for the next time you're stuck with an ohpair, whatever that is."
"It's like a nanny."
"Rich people." Anna shrugged. "We can always go through the hotel tour if the weather gets bad, so let's start with outside. We're only allowed to stay on Main Street, townwise." As they stepped out Anna gestured down the road. "There's enough stops that it's a good time, and the ice cream parlor down there is our best bet. But it's too close to supper, Enid would flip her lid."
"Enid?"
"The cook. You know if you're average size for your age?"
"I'm tall." Sylas shrugged.
"Good. She shouldn't hound you like she does me then." Anna led the way to the back of the hotel and opened the fence leading to the lot the hotel and theatre shared. "Have you been to Washington before?"
"No. My grandparents lived here but they usually came to us."
"Then this is definitely where we start. There's only a skinny bit of woods behind here since we're right on main, but it's enough to get the idea."
There was a slight hill behind the lot that they trotted down. The trees they headed towards were thick with green. Despite there not being sun, all that green created its own light so that Sylas had no problem seeing the bounty around him. Two feet into the trees, he no longer felt the swirling rain. He could no longer smell the cars or diner, but instead the dirt and bark. The ferns tipped towards them as Anna walked on a few more feet, and raising her arms did a half spin.
"There's nothing like it." She smiled as she tipped her face up. "I've been all around but Washington forests are magic."
As Sylas had also been all around, he would have doubted that before he'd seen. Now he was almost dizzy, looking everywhere. At a flash of golden brown he turned to follow the flight of a small songbird. He didn't notice the chuckle that escaped him as he watched the bird perch on a low branch.
"A Skylark!" Anna whispered as she stared too. "They're usually closer to Canada Papa says. But he makes things up sometimes."
"I'm not sure my dad knows any names of birds."
"He's not my dad, he's my mom's. So twice the dad smarts." Anna walked closer with her eyes still on the bird. "I've never seen one, and neither have you. That's lucky."
Sylas smiled and with a laughing jolt grabbed Anna's hand when the bird flew over and fluttered in a circle around them before soaring up. He craned his neck as the bird rose for the impossible tree tops. Anna whooped and with his hand still in hers, took off running as though they could follow the skylark. Later that night he would think of how he'd never smiled that much with a girl. Later in his life he would realize he had never smiled at all that much in the eight years before meeting her.
For Anna, a piece of her seemed to wake more and more as the two weeks with Sylas passed. She'd once been so contented with only having herself and her imagination for company. It turned out having someone her age to connect with went beyond what her imagination had conjured before then. In those two weeks she and Sylas ran tame, the little girl who taught herself not to need anyone, now wondered at how naturally he became woven in her every day.
He'd get up as early as she, and find her in the garden or kitchens. By the end of the first week he was bold enough to go looking in the theatre, but it never took him long to find her spots. They argued about baseball, laughed when he butchered the Cajun she'd try and teach. Late at night, she'd sneak up to the guest's wing to wait for him, and together they'd creep to her secret spot in the theatre, watching a late rehearsal or show. In those hours they spoke of things no one else had heard.
Sylas told her of his parents. Shawn and Carrie Bruan had married at twenty five and lived their lives together without a thought for having children. Shawn was mute, and had periods with illness. His family's money kept them more than comfortable, but Carrie still built her own business from the home. They traveled together when Shawn was strong enough, and were content. When Carrie found out she was pregnant at forty, they were surprised and not a little nervous. That uncertainty often carried into Sylas's life. They loved him, of course they did. But their lifestyle was suited for a couple rather than a one with a child. And the priority was generally Shawn. Sylas may have wanted for nothing material, but he did for everything else.
Anna would listen, comfort, and generally make him feel lighter. For the first time he was both heard and encouraged to be heard. And when she'd tell him of her jumping around the south with her mother, and then the country with Phillip, of her quiet wish for a home, his face would grow hotter than it did when his parents were distracted. She seemed so tired sometimes that he wanted to stay to be sure she was ok. Those were the quiet moments, where they were still under their own bubble. Safe in knowing they only had so much time to enjoy having someone to fill the silence.
While their lack of supervision became something to be enjoyed too, for Sylas he learned his first sense of family, untraditional as it was.
He had chess matches with Phillip, and cooking lessons with Enid. He maned the front desk with Anna while Mary watched, hiding a smirk. He got more than a sentence from Brance. Above all, he fit. For two children who never quite managed it before, they were now having to imagine returning to how it had been.
At the end of the two weeks Shawn was so pleased with their son's obvious happiness that he signed to Carrie that they should return next summer.
Before then Sylas and Anna kept in touch through weekly letters. They would update one another on their schooling, traveling, whatever they wanted. Sylas's family came to Forks that Christmas, so they had a weekend together for shenanigans and it was not wasted. Sylas felt he finally had an escape from his worries, and Anna felt like someone truly listened to her.
When their letters resumed each ended with hope that they would have another summer trip to be real kids. Much to Sylas and Anna's glee, they did.
This time Anna Jane was waiting in the lobby with Mary when they did. Bouncing in her sneakers she laughed when Sylas whooped and ran to hug her. The two nine year olds spoke a mile a minute while Mary beamed at them and assured Shawn and Carrie that she would get Sylas settled.
They were in town for three weeks, this time freshening up Mr. Bruan's parents' house, as his mother had passed, and they thought it would be worth their while to rent the home out. Carrie explained to Mary that they likely wouldn't return as travel was beginning to become challenging on Shawn.
Mary understood that. Health was priority over childhood friendship. And perhaps there would be times that Phillips many rambles took he and Anna to San Francisco. She could keep that hope alive for the child. For the next three weeks though Mary simply enjoyed their view.
Though none of the adults discussed the fact that Sylas may not visit Forks again any time soon, the kids of course knew. They didn't let themselves feel any worry about it during the visit though. Instead they ran in the mountain streams, tracked their favorite birds, haunted the forests, and shared every moment.
On his last day, Sylas managed to keep cool as Anna Jane trailed her hand along a fence down Main. They'd just finished lunch at the diner, a free meal in exchange for painting their back door. As she tipped her face towards him he didn't have to fake the smile.
"School's next week, so you only have to deal with them a little bit."
"I'm not worried about it. You going to ask Mr. Simone if you can stay at the hotel when he travels?"
Anna crossed her eyes at him. He kicked her shoe. They walked on, the tops of their arms bumping. As they reached the Grand, Sylas saw the black car pulled up front and felt like he swallowed a golf ball. Determined, Anna put a finger to her lips and pointed at the stairs hugging the side of the building. Dashing for them, they didn't notice Brance straighten from putting luggage in the trunk, face grim as he watched the children sneaking upstairs.
Sylas held open a hall window on the second floor for Anna to climb in. As he crept in after her she listened over the banister. Hearing his mother speaking with Mary, he reached into his pocket.
"Anj."
At the nickname Anna looked over her shoulder and those shoulders slumped as she looked at the picture he held out.
"Mary gave me a few pictures she took but I think you should hold on to this one."
"I should have thought of that. Did she take any of the forest for you?"
"Yeah, it's in the pile." He heard heels clicking and recognized his mother's impatience pace. "I should get down there."
"We'll still write. Every week." Anna kept her smile in place as she insisted. She looked back towards the stairs. "Maybe they liked it here more than they remembered, and they'll want to move."
"Maybe." Sylas felt his grip on his blue thoughts slip as Anna stood.
"I'll stay up here, Mary can fuss over if you have everything." She moved over to the window. Sylas hesitated as he stood too, wanting to hug his friend but also keep it cool.
Anna decided that for them and turned back to lean her head into his chest, making it an easy move for Sylas to wrap his arms around her. His eyes closed when he felt her hands gentle on the back of his shoulders. He thought he heard the sound of her breath catching, and tipped her back, but her face remained bright. So he nodded and squeezing her shoulder once, left for the stairs. He looked back once to see her already perched at the window.
Once he reached the lobby Mary did in fact ask if he had everything. His mother sailed over to say that his father was all set in the car. With a last handshake for Mary he followed Carrie as she put her arm around him.
The dread didn't fall completely as they made their way to the car. Sylas even managed to smile as he heard Brance call him Mr. Bruan. It wasn't until he got in the car, and that door closed that he felt the trickle of unease. The three weeks of being seen and heard were already feeling far, as they did the last visit and the one before. As if reaching for them, he looked back at the windows and she was there. The first real friend he'd had, smiling as her head leaned on the side of the sill. Waving as though he'd be back the next afternoon. When he looked away, he never saw how her fingertips touched the glass, as if to touch him again.
They pulled away from the curb, is mother switched on the radio as his father nodded off in the front seat. Sylas thought of the Grand. Of how Anna Jane seemed ok. How he knew she would be ok. Part of that was a relief. He cared about his friend, so of course he needed her to be ok. But he also felt foolish for letting himself care. What was he left with now? They'd never come back, his parents didn't have to say it. It wasn't just the travel, but now that Shawns parents were gone there wasn't a reason to them. There were too many other things to think about, their nine year old sons friendship wasn't one.
Maybe she'd write, but what was the point? It would keep things too hard when they drifted apart. He couldn't let himself feel all of this. He didn't think he could stand it.
As they passed the Forks sign Sylas let himself tune his parents, the lonely thoughts, and the magic. He'd had enough.
Back in town Anna was counting. There was only two stoplights between the hotel and leaving town. And she was sure she knew once Sylas was gone. She felt her stomach sink, but didn't let it show. Instead she pushed away from the window and made herself slide down the banister. When Mary didn't scold her, Anna shook her head as her name was gently called.
"I'm loads behind on my reading after all that play. Just gonna go to our rooms and catch up." But she didn't look back as she scurried out. Didn't hum or trail her fingers on the wall. And there was her giveaway, even if she didn't know it.
Past the kitchens she moved to the hallway that led to the innkeepers quarters. There were a scattering of rooms, some that had once been guestrooms used for family members of the hotel workers. Now, two adjoining rooms were for Anna and Phillip. She pulled her key out, and letting herself into her room, cocked her head to listen for her Papa. She heard some muffled wailing and figured him distracted enough in his rehearsing.
Going to the bed she kicked off her walking shoes before climbing on, and pulled out a book from beneath her pillow. Crossing her legs, Anna slipped the photograph in the book, bumping others she kept in there. Easier to store in a book when you traveled as much as she and Papa did. Running her hands over the brim she felt the tears burning but once more pushed them back as she heard the adjoining door creak.
"Thought I heard a break in." Phillip strolled over, and plopped on the side of the bed with the ease of someone thirty years younger than he. "Was hopeful it was that boy. I take it he didn't stow away from those people."
"His parents." Anna sighed as she put the book back.
"Nasty things those."
"Maybe being at the house all empty will help them. Folks in the movies always get closer after people die." Anna glanced over at the wooden cross she'd placed on a bookshelf, and remembered when she at six helped pack up a house after a death.
Phillip reached over and held her socked foot. Anna waited for him to let out a peal of laughter or burst into a cheering song. Anything to distract from the serious and shift the mood. Expecting it, Anna's eyes narrowed when instead she saw him staring out the dismal ground level window.
"You know, Mary has ideas about this place. It's looking like the owners are bending with them, but I'm sure it'll be a long process."
"Ideas, like we have to leave?"
"The opposite. She wants to work with the theatre to add apartments for the cast and crew. Change the connecting spaces so the innkeeper's quarters are attached rather than guests. If she can pull it off, could be…"
"We'd move in to one of the apartments?" She didn't dare to let herself hope yet.
"Now rêve, you know we're ramblers at the heart." Once again Phillips expression was younger than his years. "But it's been encouraged that we have some root somewhere. I imagine we'll always come back here. It'll look better to any hoity toitys that we have a base."
Anna knew there had been times in the three years she'd been with her Papa that others had voiced concerned. She knew what social services was and knew how to keep a low profile about it. But there were always those who judged.
"I think that would be nice." Anna smiled.
"Do you?" Phillip nodded. "Then how can we not? But for now we still have a weekend before I need to put you back in that place."
"School."
"Watch your mouth. So I think we need a breather. Quick jot to Seattle maybe? No that's far too expected. Portland. I'll bet the Portland Theater has a fine show we can crash."
Tactic recognized Anna perked up her smile and hopped to the floor, heaving her suitcase from beneath the bed. Phillip rushed up and flew into his room screeching about packing nothing but comfort socks.
Alone, Anna gathered what she considered vital for a short trip, adding five dollars from her pocket money. She tugged her pillowcase off and added it along with the afghan she felt jazzed up any hotel room. Grabbing a book for reading, she then added her book of pictures, pausing to once more take out the one that Sylas had given her.
Mary must have taken it as they dashed out for one of their outings the summer before. That first visit. It showed Sylas walking ahead trailing one hand on the fence that surrounded the Grand. The other hand reached back, Anna was a blur running to reach it. The coloring showed it to be near sundown, so everything was set to a golden orange hue.
Anna imagined that's why Sylas gave it to her, knowing it was her favorite color. Or maybe it was for the magic. Here she had proof of her very first friend. She'd had enough people she cared about to believe she'd make a true friend one day. But she never knew it could be like this. Realizing what could exist was enough to have Anna believing it was possible she would see Sylas again. And that could keep the sadness at bay.
As could a glance at the next picture sitting in her book of herself with Phillip and the hotel staff. Giving a grateful smile to Marys image, Anna went over to her already packed school bag and pulled out a tiny roll of tape. Fixing some to the back of the picture she taped it to a corner of the mirror behind the bureau. The first picture she'd hung in the space would remind her it was ok to hope that this would be home. She would write that in her first letter to Sylas.
And it would be enough.
NOW
The rain had stopped but neither of them noticed. Neither had moved over much, but Hayley did now, rising and walking to the kitchen.
Ethan scrubbed a hand over his face, hearing a drawer open and close. His eyes followed Hayley as she came back and tossed a menu at him.
"I want mozzarella sticks and extra marinara." She plopped back down on the couch, expelling a sigh much like the cushions.
"Comfort food?" Ethan's lips managed to quirk as he flipped through the take out options.
"I feel like I've been more like him than her, but both of them pull at me. It helps a little to see she's ok now. I'm sure that's what helps you, tenfold with all you've probably seen her do. But she was just as lonely as he was."
"Just better at coping with it." Ethan nodded. "We always say Anna Jane's prime skill is handling things. I only know that story from the times I've heard it, but she was very much like that when we met. She built her own world to deal with what this one tossed at her. And Sylas, well." Flicking a finger on the shiny menu page Ethan shook his head.
"I don't imagine everyone can manage the tough things at that age. Can't blame a child's instinct being to block it out."
"No and we never did. What came later, that's different."
Hayley leaned over and tapped the menu. "Order first, then we go into the next round."
