left in her voicemail, when she brought the phone to the patch on the square that had the best reception for her normal call to Grammy. She could get a little reception in her cabin, but the phone had cut out a few times before, and Grammy didn't always switch over well when Rain called her back.
When she listened to the messages, still chewing on an oatmeal cookie Myra had slipped her when Rain stopped off to deliver her basket of blackberries, she dropped the phone. The cookie slid down her throat in one big, hard lump, scraping her esophagus before sitting heavily in her stomach.
Her knees began to buckle and she fought the urge to settle to the ground. Jamie was there beside her, and she clenched her hands tightly in his fur and allowed him to lead her to Jim and Myra's.
*
Rain had never had to think about Grammy not being there. She was a fixture. Grammy had been there for the death of her parents, for junior prom and senior ditch-the-prom night. She'd been there every Tuesday at seven pm, and on the other end of grainy Skype calls when Rain rung in from places like Rome and Toledo. Rain probably should have suspected that she'd lose her some day, but she buried that, buried it like she'd buried the hurt of the loss of her parents, and so she wasn't prepared for the tinny voice on the other end of the line that said she needed to come quickly.
Jamie nudged at her patiently, herded her to Myra's arms, nosed at the bookshelf until he found the maps there and gently pried at them with his lips and teeth. Jim walked in, a line of fish swinging from his hand, and pulled them the rest of the way out.
Rain was babbling - details of her grandmother, that she needed to go, but how was she to go, all she had was Hiram and she didn't even known where the village was located. How could she have spent so long here and not even know where she was?
Jim set the fish in the sink, spread the maps on the table. Myra retreated to the cupboard, came back with a dropperful of something and Rain opened her mouth obediently.
It helped. She didn't know what it was, only that it tasted faintly sweet, and the chaos filling her mind began to recede so that she could think more clinically. She was still suffused with urgency, but she wasn't at risk of losing her head.
"We're here," Jim said, pointing out a spot on the map. "And you need to get here," he said, setting his thumb down on a second spot. "Hand me that pen, will you?"
She did.
He drew a line connecting the two points, circles promising an end and a beginning. It wasn't so far as she thought.
She would also need to go miles out of the way in order to reach a road.
"Myra, honey, go pack up for Rain, will you? We'll need to get her going pretty quickly."
"Oh, I don't want to make you -"
"It's no trouble," Myra took her hand and squeezed it gently, then picked up her walking stick from where it lay to the side of the door.
*
She was packed - a backpack that Myra had produced from somewhere. She'd missed the monthly supply run - Jeb had already taken the truck and left that morning, and he didn't have a cell phone. He liked to stay overnight in town, but there was no way of knowing where he was, and no way of getting the vehicle back for her use. There were three motor bikes available to her, but she didn't know how to drive one. Most families used horses, and Rain hadn't questioned that before, chalking it up the peculiarities of the village, but now it made her pause and wonder.
She only had Hiram. She could pick her way down the trails and to the road, or she could pick her way over the mountain in unfamiliar territory.
"There is another option," Myra said quietly.
Jim looked at Jamie. "There's really not," he said flatly.
"Don't you think she deserves to know?"
"Don't you think he deserves protection?"
Jamie sat down in between them, his head pressed up against Rain's side, and
When she listened to the messages, still chewing on an oatmeal cookie Myra had slipped her when Rain stopped off to deliver her basket of blackberries, she dropped the phone. The cookie slid down her throat in one big, hard lump, scraping her esophagus before sitting heavily in her stomach.
Her knees began to buckle and she fought the urge to settle to the ground. Jamie was there beside her, and she clenched her hands tightly in his fur and allowed him to lead her to Jim and Myra's.
*
Rain had never had to think about Grammy not being there. She was a fixture. Grammy had been there for the death of her parents, for junior prom and senior ditch-the-prom night. She'd been there every Tuesday at seven pm, and on the other end of grainy Skype calls when Rain rung in from places like Rome and Toledo. Rain probably should have suspected that she'd lose her some day, but she buried that, buried it like she'd buried the hurt of the loss of her parents, and so she wasn't prepared for the tinny voice on the other end of the line that said she needed to come quickly.
Jamie nudged at her patiently, herded her to Myra's arms, nosed at the bookshelf until he found the maps there and gently pried at them with his lips and teeth. Jim walked in, a line of fish swinging from his hand, and pulled them the rest of the way out.
Rain was babbling - details of her grandmother, that she needed to go, but how was she to go, all she had was Hiram and she didn't even known where the village was located. How could she have spent so long here and not even know where she was?
Jim set the fish in the sink, spread the maps on the table. Myra retreated to the cupboard, came back with a dropperful of something and Rain opened her mouth obediently.
It helped. She didn't know what it was, only that it tasted faintly sweet, and the chaos filling her mind began to recede so that she could think more clinically. She was still suffused with urgency, but she wasn't at risk of losing her head.
"We're here," Jim said, pointing out a spot on the map. "And you need to get here," he said, setting his thumb down on a second spot. "Hand me that pen, will you?"
She did.
He drew a line connecting the two points, circles promising an end and a beginning. It wasn't so far as she thought.
She would also need to go miles out of the way in order to reach a road.
"Myra, honey, go pack up for Rain, will you? We'll need to get her going pretty quickly."
"Oh, I don't want to make you -"
"It's no trouble," Myra took her hand and squeezed it gently, then picked up her walking stick from where it lay to the side of the door.
*
She was packed - a backpack that Myra had produced from somewhere. She'd missed the monthly supply run - Jeb had already taken the truck and left that morning, and he didn't have a cell phone. He liked to stay overnight in town, but there was no way of knowing where he was, and no way of getting the vehicle back for her use. There were three motor bikes available to her, but she didn't know how to drive one. Most families used horses, and Rain hadn't questioned that before, chalking it up the peculiarities of the village, but now it made her pause and wonder.
She only had Hiram. She could pick her way down the trails and to the road, or she could pick her way over the mountain in unfamiliar territory.
"There is another option," Myra said quietly.
Jim looked at Jamie. "There's really not," he said flatly.
"Don't you think she deserves to know?"
"Don't you think he deserves protection?"
Jamie sat down in between them, his head pressed up against Rain's side, and
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