Newt's eyes snapped open. A rooster's crow had awakened him from a long, peaceful dream, which he now felt slipping away. In it he had walked down stone lined country lanes, had watched sheep grazing in green pastures. He could still taste the tea and fresh cream on his tongue. He blinked as that world faded away, and the world around him came into focus.
He was sitting in a chair, in a room that looked vaguely familiar. Across the way, Annie was asleep on a sofa, curled up under a thick, handmade quilt.
The events of the night before rushed back to him, and he jumped up, setting his blanket on the recliner. He crossed to the sofa and crouched down, putting the back of his hand to her forehead. She felt warm, but had color back in her face. She was breathing easier than she had been last night.
"Good morning," a woman's voice called out.
He stood up, startled that he wasn't alone.
"Morning," he called out cautiously. He walked around the sofa and went toward the kitchen where the voice had come from.
Mary was standing in front of a ceramic sink peeling potatoes, her bare feet shuffling back and forth on a woven rug.
"Sleep well?" She asked.
She moved to the stove and flipped bacon. It sizzled in the hot cast iron pan, and Newt's mouth watered.
"Actually, yeah." He ran his hand through his hair, trying to flatten it down.
"Your friend Annie looks better," she said. "I changed her bandages while you two were sleeping. The scratch doesn't look as nasty as last night."
"You didn't have to do that." He realized that might sound rude, so he added, "But, thank you."
"Why don't you have a seat at the table and I'll fix you a plate."
He sat down in a wooden chair and looked around while Mary hummed a pleasant tune.
The kitchen was a small space, with hand scraped plank floors and one window facing out to the east. Its lacy curtains were drawn back to let in the morning sun, which reflected cheerfully off Mary's red hair. Shelves covered the wall opposite the sink, each one holding about a dozen canning jars. Every jar had something inside it, and Newt's eyes scanned the hand-written labels. Fermented apples, pickled jalapenos, chicken livers, masa harina. His stomach growled.
The wood floor creaked, and the man from last night walked in.
"Morning sweetheart," he said, kissing Mary on the cheek. "Are the kids still sleeping?"
"Tyler got up early, he's outside in the barn. Tilly's still asleep."
"Well, she better wake up or she'll miss breakfast." He gave a curt nod to Newt then left the room.
Newt watched the scene in awe. It all seemed so … normal. When was the last time he had seen a family like this? Was he still dreaming?
Soon the man reappeared, holding the little girl from the night before. She rubbed her eyes and looked at Newt.
"Matilda, this is Newt," Frank said.
"Hi," she said shyly. Frank set her down, and she walked over to him.
"Hello Matilda," he said.
She giggled. "You sound funny."
Newt smiled, and she climbed onto the chair next to him, watching him curiously. She yawned and looked at her mother.
"Mama, who's the pretty lady on the sofa?" She asked.
"That's Annie," her mom said. "She and Newt are going to stay with us today. Isn't that fun?"
Tilly looked at Newt again. "Does she like to play dolls?"
"I reckon she does," he said. "She has lots of clothes back home to play dress-up with."
"I like dolls, but Tyler isn't very good at pretend."
Something stirred in the living room, and Annie's head popped up. Newt rose from his seat and went into the room, leaning over the back of the sofa.
"Welcome back." He gave her shoulder a light squeeze.
"Where are we?" She sniffed the air and her eyes widened. "Do I smell bacon?"
Mary appeared next to Next, and smiled down at Annie. "Oh good, you're awake. How are you feeling dear?"
"I … uh … better?" She looked back and forth at the woman and Newt.
"I'm Mary," she said, sensing her confusion. "How about you come into the kitchen and have some breakfast. We can talk in there." Something high-pitched whistled from the kitchen and her face brightened.
"Kettle's ready!" She gathered her apron in her hands and hurried back to the other room.
Annie stared at Newt. "Okay, what the hell is going on?"
"It's all right. I think." He came around the sofa and held out his hands to her. "Come and see."
He helped her up, letting her lean on his arm as they walked into the kitchen together. He pulled out a chair for her and she sat down, stretching her leg out beneath the table.
"Hello," Tilly said, a little bolder now.
"Hi," Annie said.
She smiled at the young girl, but kept her eyes on the strange woman at the stove, and the man sitting across from her at the table. He ignored her and continued to read his outdated newspaper.
"So, Annie, I'm sure your head is spinning," Mary began. "So let me tell you what happened, and Newt can fill in the rest. Newt here came knockin' on our door at who knows what time. He told Frank you were hurt and needed looking after. Frank here -," she pointed at the man, who grunted in response, "- brought you in. I changed those bandages of yours, cleaned your leg up a bit. Those are some nasty scratches you have."
"You did this?" Annie asked, pointing at the bandages.
"Yes." She set a plate of food down in front of her. "It was nothing really."
"She was a nurse." Frank interjected from behind his paper. "Twenty-five years."
Annie perked up. "Really? I work in medicine too. What did you use on it? Mycitracin? It feels a lot better."
Mary pulled a bottle out from under the sink. "Family recipe." She sloshed the contents around and smiled before setting it down and stirring the potatoes.
Annie frowned and Newt chuckled softly as he heard her mutter something about a "damn homeopath" under her breath.
"Tyler!" The woman called out through the open window. "Breakfast!"
A few minutes later a boy entered. He looked about fourteen. His gait still held the awkwardness of youth, as if his limbs were trying to race each other to see which could grow the fastest. He eyed them warily as he passed.
"I still they're still here," he muttered as he grabbed a plate.
"Yes," Mary said. "They're our guests for the day. But, maybe if you ask him nicely, Newt will help you with your chores after breakfast."
"I don't need help."
He sat down and watched the pair under hooded eyes, chewing on his bacon.
"We didn't get to meet last night," Newt said, stretching his hand across the table. "I'm Newt, and this is Annie."
The boy didn't return the gesture. He swallowed his food and smirked at him. "What kind of name is Newt?"
"Tyler!" Mary turned around from the stove. "Don't be rude."
He sunk in his chair and stabbed at an egg with his fork, watching the yolk run over his toast.
"Do you like dolls Annie?" Tilly asked.
Annie turned to her. "I did, when I was your age. I had one named Kirsten; she had a pretty dress and a plaid bonnet."
Tilly's eyes shone. "Will you play with me, after breakfast?"
"After I take another look at her leg," Mary said. "Then you can play."
"I don't know if that's a good idea Ma," Tyler said.
Tilly pouted. "Why?"
"Because we don't know a damn thing about these people."
"Language!" Mary scolded. "Tyler, don't forget what the good Lord says about being kind to strangers."
He threw his fork down on his plate, and Tilly jumped at the noise.
"I'm going outside." He stood up and walked out of the kitchen to the backyard, letting the screen door slam behind him.
Mary went to the table and picked up his plate. She put a gentle hand on Frank's shoulder and eyed Newt and Annie with sympathy. "He's a little wary of new people," she said.
Frank folded his newspaper. "I'll go talk to him."
"Why don't I go," Newt offered. "I can help him with his chores too."
He stood up and took his plate to the sink, then went out through the door into the backyard. They must have lived on several acres of land because Newt could not see neighbors from any direction. Raised garden beds stood in the distance, near a chicken coop that housed the rooster he had heard. About a hundred meters away was a small pond, with a large tree at its edge.
Tyler was at the end of a stone path, standing inside a rundown barn. He was bent over next to a truck, trying to loosen the lug nuts on a flat tire. He pushed down on the wrench and gritted his teeth, but it wouldn't turn.
"Can I help?" Newt asked as he walked up.
Tyler looked up and rolled his eyes. "No thanks."
He tried again, but when it still wouldn't budge he let out an angry groan and threw the wrench on the ground. "Damn it!"
Newt picked it up and gestured for Tyler to step aside. He placed the wrench over the lug nut, then threw all of his weight onto it. It spun counterclockwise.
Tyler glared at him. "I could have done that."
"You can do the next one," Newt said, handing it back to him.
Tyler tried the second one which turned much easier. His shoulders relaxed, and he moved onto the third.
Newt leaned on a support beam nearby and crossed his arms.
"We're really not bad people," he said as Tyler continued to work. "We ran into a tough spot yesterday. I didn't expect your mum to do so much for us though."
"That's just how she is," Tyler said. "It's in her blood to bring in strays."
Newt tilted his head. "She does this often?"
"Sometimes. The first time was fourteen years ago when she brought me in."
"Oh," Newt said. "You're adopted?"
Tyler nodded and let out a sigh of relief once he had loosened the final one. Newt stepped away from the beam and helped him slide the jack under the truck.
"Look, I'm not trying to cause problems for you or your family," Newt said. "My friend was really sick and needed help. We'll be out of here soon, and we won't bother you anymore."
He stepped away and turned toward the barn door, satisfied that Tyler could handle the rest of the job.
"Well, just hold on a second," Tyler said, wiping sweat off his forehead. "Before you go, I've got more chores to do. Might as well make yourself useful. With you helpin', I'll be able to finish early for once."
"Sure," Newt said, glad that the boy's attitude had lost its edge. "What do you need?"
"Weeding and watering the garden beds?"
Newt's mouth curved into a smile. "I think I can manage that."
Annie sat at the kitchen table, watching as Mary washed dishes and handed them to Tilly. The little girl stacked the dishes neatly on the counter and sang a nursery rhyme about rabbits as she worked.
"So, tell me more about this place," Annie said as Mary wiped crumbs out of the cast iron pan.
"It's our farm," Mary said. "We moved here, after the ... well, you know. We lived in a city before but … we thought it would be safer here. There's no electricity, no internet, no nothing out here. Just the four of us. And some chickens."
"That sounds kind of nice," Annie said. "I'm from the city too."
"It is nice. Wish we would have done it years ago, Flare or not. It's been good for us and the children especially. They're a lot calmer out here. It's good for all of us to have some calm in our lives."
She put the last pan away in a cupboard and dried her hands on a towel. "Let's go to the living room and I'll take another look at that ankle."
Annie followed her into the living room, followed closely behind by Tilly. The three of them sat down on the sofa, and Annie put her leg up on the coffee table. Mary unwound the white cotton bandage and gave a satisfied smile.
"It's better," she said. "You'll have scarring though. What did you use on it?"
"Alcohol," Annie said. "Eighty proof liquor."
Mary clicked her tongue. "Skin around the scratches will never be the same. You killed off some healthy cells, doing that. Bet it stung like the dickens too."
She pulled a tin of ointment out of her apron pocket and opened it. With a gentle touch she patted it over the scratches. It stung badly at first, but then cooled and numbed the skin. Annie squeezed a pillow to her stomach, trying not to move her leg.
"You said you're from the city too?" Mary asked, trying to distract her as she worked.
"Yeah, I lived there for awhile. It was a bit different than this." She looked around the room and winced as Mary touched a particularly tender spot.
"It is different. But you get used to it, the quiet. Find out you don't need much to live on besides a good book, some home-cooked food, and the love of some good people. Is Newt your young man?" She asked.
"What? Uh, no." Next to her Tilly giggled, and she felt her face grow warm. "We only met a few days ago, back in the city."
"Ah," a smile played at the corner of Mary's lips.
"We take care of each other," Annie said. "It's an unlikely partnership, but it works. Well, most of the time."
"Like me and Frank," Mary said. "He used to be a stockbroker. He was all facts and numbers, only cared about the bottom line. But for me, it was always about the people. You know how it is, working in medicine. In the end, he said that's what he loved most about me."
"Do you miss it?" Annie asked. "Being a nurse?"
"Sometimes. There was always something to do, and I miss feeling like I was making a real difference in the lives of people every day. But, would I change anything? No. There's nothing more important than family."
Her brow furrowed in concentration as she wound fresh cotton around Annie's leg.
"Now, family isn't always just blood," she said. "Sometimes it's your friends, or your coworkers, or even someone you just met on the street who helped you in a time of need. But family is what comes first, in my opinion."
Annie looked down. "I don't know where my family is," she admitted. "My dad … left. I don't know where my mom is."
Mary tied off the bandage and pointed at the door in the back of the house. "Then he's your family now," she said matter-of-factly. "Keep him close."
Annie sat outside with Tilly, playing with cornhusk dolls under the shade of a Cottonwood tree at the back of the house. She could see Newt and Tyler over by the garden beds, and she shielded her eyes and watched them as they pulled weeds and picked off dead leaves. They seemed to be getting on all right, after the rough start at the breakfast table.
They came up to the house around noon, hands covered in dirt and shirts clinging to their sweat-soaked skin. Tyler poured a bucket of water over his head, shaking his hair around and spraying Tilly. She squealed, giving a toothy grin as she shielded herself behind Annie.
"Come on Newt," he said. "Lunch time."
Newt followed him into the kitchen where Mary already stood at the counter.
"Hungry boys?" She asked. She handed them plates stacked high with food.
They sat down at the table and were already stuffing their mouths with their sandwiches before Annie and Tilly could make it through the door. Annie hobbled to a chair and sat down, sighing with relief.
"Newt was just telling me about how he used to live with his friends, Ma. Bunch of them, out in the wild. Made up their own rules and everything."
Annie cast a glance at Newt, but he nodded at her reassuringly.
"Oh really?" Mary asked. "Bunch of teenage boys running amok without their parents? Sounds like a recipe for trouble to me. Tell me, was there a conch shell involved?"
"What?" Tyler asked, licking pickle juice off his fingers.
Mary laughed. "Nothing. I don't think you'd like that Tyler. Who would be there to feed you?"
"Frypan," he said between bites. "He was the cook."
"Frypan," she repeated, laughing again. "Very creative Newt."
She smiled at Newt and he returned it. He knew she thought he had made up the whole story to entertain her son, and he was fine with that. It was starting to seem like a story to him too after everything he had been through.
After lunch he and Tyler went back outside. The chores were done for the day, and Tyler wanted to go for a swim. He walked to the pond with Newt, and then began undressing down to his underwear.
"Come on Newt," he said as he stood at the water's edge. "The water feels great."
He jumped in, sending up a big splash that sprinkled the front of Newt's clothes.
Newt hesitated. It had been so long since he had just had fun that it seemed almost wrong to do so. For once in his life there was nothing to worry about, no schedules to stick to. He glanced at the water. It looked too cool and refreshing to resist, and soon he found himself undressing, and jumping in after his new friend.
They swam around for awhile, splashing each other and diving to the bottom of the pond. Annie and Tilly laughed at them as they walked by, on their way to see the chickens.
Newt noticed Tyler's face redden when he saw Annie, and he put his shoulders further under the water. Newt smiled. He remembered how he had felt shy around Teresa when she first showed up in the Glade; like he didn't know how to talk to her or act naturally around her. He was glad he had matured out of that awkward age.
"Come in!" Newt called out to her.
"I can't," she said. "My leg, remember?" She pointed at her ankle.
"Oh, right. Sorry."
He splashed in her direction and then dove under the water. Below the surface, the sounds of the world faded away. He opened his eyes. The sunlight was hitting the bottom of the pond, casting light and shadow upon its floor. A fish swam by and he watched it go on its way, oblivious to everything that had happened in the world above.
When he came back up, Annie and Tilly were gone. Him and Tyler got out of the water and they sprawled out on the bank, drying off in the hot sun.
"Those things you told me earlier … were those true, or did you make them up?" Tyler asked after awhile.
"What do you think?"
"I think if you made them up, you're whacked in the head. If they're true well … you'd be whacked in the head."
Newt laughed. "Maybe I am a little whacked in the head."
"Not just your head." He pointed at his chest. "What happened to you?"
"I'm … not really sure," he said. It was the truth. "Annie found me back in the city. I was almost dead, but she fixed me up. She told me I had been stabbed."
Tyler let out a low whistle. That morning it would have frightened him, but now he just thought it was cool.
"So is that how you two met?" He asked. "Or did you know her before?"
"We never met before then," he said. "But I knew her mum."
Tyler laced his fingers together and rested his head in his hands. "So now you two are just, what, travelin' the country?"
"We're on our way to meet some friends of mine."
"Frypan?" Tyler asked with a grin.
"Yes," Newt laughed. "My best mate Tommy too. He doesn't know I'm better now."
"Would be nice to have so many friends," Tyler said. "It gets boring out here. Don't get me wrong, I love Tilly. But … you're the first person around my age I've seen in months. I miss having people my age to talk to."
Sadness clouded his features, and Newt could feel his loneliness. He would have liked to have someone like Tyler around in the Glade. He was easy-going, funny, and handy with tools. Builder, he thought. Definitely.
"And you've got her too," Tyler added, pointing in the direction of the house.
"Annie?" Newt laughed. "Sure, she's not so bad."
"Not so bad to look at either," Tyler said. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back. "I wish someone would stab me so I could meet a girl."
Newt began to laugh, and Tyler looked at him and laughed too.
Back at the house a bell rang, and Tyler stood up, pulling his t-shirt over his head.
"Time to help start dinner," he said. "Ma's making chicken and beans."
After a long day out in the hot sun, the simple dinner had tasted delicious. Annie helped Mary with the dishes while Frank helped Tilly take a bath. Newt was off taking his own bath, and Tyler had disappeared after the meal, going back outside by himself.
Annie thought Tyler had looked somewhat melancholy during the meal. Even though he had laughed at everyone's jokes and talked enthusiastically with Newt, there was something behind his eyes that showed his mind was somewhere else, off in his own world. Then again, she thought, he is a fourteen-year-old boy.
"Where's Ty-Ty?"
Tilly walked into the kitchen, wearing a long nightgown. Her wet hair was behind her back, fashioned into two messy braids. "It's almost time for prayers."
"Tyler always reads to Tilly before she says her prayers," Mary explained to Annie.
"I don't know sweetheart," she said as she turned to her daughter. "I'll go look for him once I'm done with the dishes."
"I can go find him," Annie offered. She stood up and walked out the back door.
Outside she could hear a rhythmic noise coming from near the barn, and she headed toward the sound.
Tyler was standing just outside the barn doors, splitting wood. The ax gleamed in the light cast by a lantern hung behind him, and he wiped his sleeve across his sweaty forehead.
"Tyler," she called out.
He didn't respond. She called again. "Tyler!"
He gazed up at her, sweat dripping off his face. "What?"
She played with her watch, suddenly feeling awkward. She wished she had sent Newt instead. "Tilly wants you."
"I'm busy." He set another log down and steadied it on the stump.
"She wants you to read to her."
"Tell her I'll be in once I'm done." He swung the ax and the wood split in half with a satisfying crack.
"All right …" Annie turned around to go back to the house, but hesitated.
"Are you okay?" She asked, turning back to him.
"Fine." He threw the pieces onto a small pile.
"You just seem …"
"What?" He set the blade of the ax down on the stump and leaned on its handle, looking at her. "I seem what?"
"Angry." She put her hands in her pockets and cocked her head.
"Maybe I am," he said. "But it's none of your business. I thought you were going back to the house?" He grabbed another log from the pile.
"I know, I'm sorry. I'll go tell Tilly you'll be in soon."
She walked toward the house when his shaky voice spoke behind her.
"They have it," he said. "All of them."
She stopped walking and turned around to face him. "What?"
"The Flare." He picked up the ax again and set another piece of wood down. "Tilly too."
Annie looked at the house and then back at Tyler. "And you?" She asked.
He slammed the ax down. "Nope. My real parents must have been immune." He pointed at his chest, seeing her confusion. "Adopted."
"Tyler I'm -,"
"Don't say sorry," he said. "Don't you dare finish that sentence with sorry." He threw the ax on the ground and sat down on the stump, putting his face in his hands.
She approached him cautiously, moving closer until she stood next to him. She wanted to reach out, put her arm around him and tell him everything was going to be okay. But she knew that would be a lie. Instead, she told him the truth.
"My father had the Flare," she said.
He looked up at her, eyes glistening in the dim light. "What happened to him?"
"He left." She gestured at the stump, and he moved over to give her room. "It was the hardest day of my life, when he left. After that it was just me and my mom."
"Is your mom …?"
"A Crank?" She shook her head. "No. But she's not immune like me."
"Then you know," he said. "What it's like."
"Yeah," she said quietly. "I do."
They sat shoulder to shoulder in silence, looking up at the night sky.
"You know, Newt and I are going to a place for immunes. A lot of the people there are your age. You could come with us, if you want."
He shook his head. "My life's here. I can't leave Tilly. She needs me."
"So you're just going to stay here until …?"
"Until I can't," he finished.
"Oh, Tyler." He blurred in her vision as tears flooded her eyes.
"When the time comes, I'll go. Until then …"
Annie put her hand on his shoulder and he looked at her, chewing on his bottom lip. He looked so, so young.
"That's very selfless of you," she said. "You're a good big brother."
He sniffed and wiped at his face. "Do you have any siblings?"
"I don't," she said. "Just me. I never had anyone to be selfless for."
"What about him?" He pointed at the house. "He said you saved his life?"
"Yeah ..." She looked down at her feet. "Honestly, I don't think that was as selfless as you think. I was alone, and afraid, and he was the first person I came across on that dark night …" Her mind wandered back to that fateful night in the city, when her entire world had changed. "In a way, after everything we both had been through, I think I owed him."
"Well, whatever your reasons, I think he's glad you did it."
"Yeah?" Annie asked.
"Yeah. He said he likes your company. That you're 'not so bad'."
Annie laughed. "Coming from him, that's a compliment."
He laughed, and she stood up and held out her hand to him. "Come on, let's go back. You don't want to keep your sister waiting."
He took her hand and stood up, and Annie wrapped her arm around his shoulders. Together they walked side-by-side, back toward his family and the warm light of the house.
Inside, Mary was still in the kitchen, working on a bread starter for the next morning. Annie could see the back of Newt's head over the sofa in the living room, and she wandered in. As she got closer, she realized he was sitting next to Tilly, reading to her from an open book. Tilly was looking up at him with shining, admiring eyes.
"Well, I must go to Oz and get my heart," said the Woodman. So he walked into the Throne Room and knocked at the door.
"Come in," called Oz, and the Woodman entered and said, "I have come for my heart."
"Very well," answered the little man. "But I shall have to cut a hole in your breast, so I can put your heart in the right place. I hope it won't hurt you."
"Oh, no;" answered the Woodman. "I shall not feel it at all."
So Oz brought a pair of tinners' shears and cut a small, square hole in the left side of the Tin Woodman's breast. Then, going to a chest of drawers, he took out a pretty heart, made entirely of silk and stuffed with strawdust.
"Isn't it a beauty?" he asked.
"It is, indeed!" replied the Woodman, who was greatly pleased. "But is it a kind heart?"
"Oh, very!" answered Oz. He put the heart in the Woodman's breast and then replaced the square of tin, soldering it neatly together where it had been cut.
"There," said he; "now you have a heart that any man might be proud of. I'm sorry I had to put a patch on your breast, but it really couldn't be helped."
"Never mind the patch," exclaimed the happy Woodman. "I am very grateful to you, and shall never forget your kindness."
Tilly giggled with delight at the various voices Newt made for the characters. Annie smiled; the story sounded so pleasant in his accent she thought she might sit and listen for awhile.
He looked up. "All right?" He asked.
She nodded. Tyler walked past her and sat down on the sofa next to Tilly. Newt handed him the book, and Tilly snuggled up next to her brother as he took over the story.
"Don't speak of it," replied Oz.
Then the Tin Woodman went back to his friends, who wished him every joy on account of his good fortune.
Newt rose from his seat and went to stand next to Annie.
He nudged her and tilted his head toward Tilly. "She's a good kid."
"You're wonderful with her," Annie said. "You treat her like she's your own sister."
He shrugged, and the corners of his eyes crinkled as he watched the pair.
"Just comes naturally, I guess."
Tilly had requested that Annie say her prayers with her that night. She entered her room, drying her hair on a towel. The bath had felt wonderful, and besides the smarting cuts on her leg, she almost felt like her old self again.
She sat down on Tilly's bed and smiled at her. "Ready to say your prayers so you can go to sleep?"
Tilly nodded and folded her hands in her lap.
"Will you start?" She asked. "Mama always starts."
Annie's eyes widened. "Uh … okay. Sure."
Tilly closed her eyes and bowed her head. Annie watched her, feeling her heart speed up.
She wasn't sure what to say. Her parents had taken her to church as a kid, but she had personally given up on God a long time ago. Her faith was in science and medicine now; if anything was going to cure the world and give hope back to families like Tilly's, it would be because of the work of brilliant minds. Not some fairy tale deity watching impassively from the sky.
"Our Father, who art in heaven …"
Her voice trailed off. She had forgotten the rest. Tilly squeezed her eyes together in concentration. She'd have to wing it.
"Dear God," she began. Her voice shook. "Thank you for the wonderful day we had today. Thank you for the kindness of this family, and their willingness to take us in. Thank you for the meals they provided us, and for ... for ..."
"For making Annie's leg better," Tilly said, taking over. "Thank you for Mama, and Papa, and Ty-Ty, and for Newt reading to me in his funny voice. Thank you that Mama got out the good canned fruit today, and thank you that I got to play dolls."
She paused, and Annie was about to say amen when she continued.
"God, I pray for Ty-Ty, that you can make him not sad anymore. Mama won't tell me why he cries at night, but you know why, and I pray you would make him happy again. I pray you can help me behave so I don't bug him and make him cry. Amen."
"Amen." Annie repeated.
She leaned over and gave Tilly a kiss on her forehead.
"Goodnight Tilly."
"Goodnight." She yawned and hugged a stuffed rabbit to her chest, and then turned over, burying her face in her pillow.
Annie got up and stood at the door, watching Tilly as she drifted off to sleep. She looked so tranquil, as if there was nothing in her little world that could hurt her.
I wish there really was an Oz, Annie thought. Maybe then I could ask the Wizard for an unbreakable heart.
It was two in the morning and the house was dark. Annie fumbled her way around the kitchen, trying, but failing, to reach a jar on a high shelf.
Someone cleared their throat behind her, and she jumped, almost knocking backward into the table.
"Can't sleep?"
Newt stood in the doorframe, arms crossed and hair sticking up in the back.
She put her hand to her chest as she tried to calm herself down. "Don't do that!"
He snickered. "I didn't know you were in here." He grabbed the jar off the shelf, handing it to her.
"Thanks," she said. "I can't do anything with this damn leg."
She filled the jar with water and stood with her back to the sink. "What are you doing up?"
"Tyler talks in his sleep." He sat down at the table and rubbed the side of his face. "By the way, I talked to Frank and Mary while you were taking a bath. Told them we'd be off in the morning. There's not much more she can do for your leg and we really have to be moving on."
Annie's face fell and tears sprung to her eyes. She knew they wouldn't have been able to stay at the farm forever, but did they have to leave so soon? Did they have to leave Tyler alone, after everything? What about Tilly? Who would she play dolls with? She had only known this family for a day, but it already made her heartsick to think about never seeing them again.
As if sensing her sadness in the dark, Newt said, "I'll miss them too."
"It's not just that." Annie wiped her eyes and sat down at the table across from Newt. "I talked to Tyler, Newt. He's -,"
"Immune," Newt said. "I know. He told me down by the pond."
Her eyes widened, but she was glad to have someone to talk to about it. "It's just harder to leave now, you know? To leave him behind."
"It's … a lot, for him to carry," Newt said. "I tried to get him to come with us but he wouldn't."
"Tilly," she said. "I talked to him too.
Newt nodded sadly. "I think he'd love it, but …"
"He loves her more," Annie finished.
They sat in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Newt drummed his fingers absentmindedly on the table, and then shook his head, breaking himself from his reverie.
"Come on," he said. "We need some sleep."
They stood up and he walked with her back down the narrow hallway, shoulders bumping in the dark. Outside Tyler's door he stopped and turned to her.
"You know, I never thanked you, properly, for what you did for me."
She could just make out his eyes in the dark, two round reflections looking down at her.
"It was nothing," she said.
"I mean it. Without you, I'd never see my friends again. Seeing this family … it makes me miss them even more. What Tyler is going through … it makes me realize how important it is to tell the people around us we love them. Before it's too late."
"Soon." She put her hand on his arm. "You can tell them soon."
"Man, Thomas is going to klunk his pants when he sees me."
She could hear the smile in his voice, and she smiled too.
"Anyway," he said. "Goodnight."
She felt strong arms wrap around her and pull her into a hug. She let out a quiet cry of surprise at this show of affection, but wrapped her arms around his waist, and closed her eyes as she rested her face against his warmth. They stood together in the darkness of the hallway, both knowing come morning they would leave the magic of this place behind. Something about it changed people, made them better versions of themselves. She sniffled, and Newt tightened his arms around her.
"It'll be all right," he murmured, smoothing the back of her hair with his hand.
She could hear his heart through his shirt, each steady beat reminding her that without the other, neither of them would be here. They needed each other, more than they realized. She thought, perhaps, they might even be friends now. He's your family now, Mary's voice echoed in her head. Keep him close.
He pulled away and straightened up as he reached for the door handle. He missed and tried again. It opened with a creak and he entered the room quietly.
"Get some sleep Annie," he whispered. He closed the door, and Annie stood alone in the hallway.
She looked at the closed door and felt a strange emptiness within her. She could hear Newt getting into bed on the other side, and she shook her head and went down the hall to the spare room. She shut its door behind her and crawled into bed, pulling the blankets up to her chin as she gazed at the ceiling. With a sigh, she closed her eyes and smiled.
"You sure you don't want to come with us?" Annie asked for the third time.
She stood outside the Jeep, holding Tyler's hands in hers. Tears filled her eyes, and she tried to give him a smile, but failed miserably.
"I'm sure." He wiped a tear from her cheek with his thumb. "Maybe we'll cross paths again in the future. But for now, my life is here."
"I hope we do," she said. "A long, long time in the future," she added, looking past him at his family back on the porch.
Tilly stood with one arm around her mother's leg; with the other she held her stuffed rabbit to her face, its blue fur catching her tears as they fell. Mary kissed her fingers and waved at them, clutching the skirt of her apron. Frank had one arm wrapped around Mary's shoulders, and the other touching the top of Tilly's head. He gave them a brief nod.
"This is for you," Newt said, coming over to Tyler. He handed him a piece of paper.
Tyler opened it, and his brows furrowed. It was a map torn from one of their books, with a tiny island circled in black ink.
"What is it?" He asked.
"Where we're going. When the time comes ... I want you to find us. You can come meet Frypan."
Tyler looked up from the map. "So it was true?"
"All of it." Newt winked and then pulled Tyler into a hug and patted him on the back. "Take care of yourself, mate. Take care of Tilly."
"I will." He thumped Newt's back and pulled away.
Newt and Annie climbed into the Jeep, and Newt started the engine and put it into drive. He began to move slowly down the dirt lane and waved goodbye to the family he knew he'd probably never see again.
Annie waved enthusiastically and gave one last look at the farmhouse, then turned around in her seat.
"Think they'll be all right?" She asked.
"I think they'll do what we all do. Survive. But at least they have each other."
She looked down and fidgeted with her watch. "I'm glad we have each other," she said. "I'm glad I'm not alone."
Newt stared ahead at the road. For a moment he said nothing, and Annie rested her chin on the window frame, looking out over the countryside.
Then, a quiet, low voice spoke next to her. "Me too."
A/N: Book quotations are from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, first published in 1900. All books published before 1923 are in the public domain. All rights reserved.