After The Fall Chapter 17

A Parting of Ways

“Girls?” she answered with a wavering voice. “Cale?”

The girls ran up to their mother, and cried when they saw her. Her eyes were gone, flesh missing and bones were exposed. Some of them were snapped open, and marrow looked like it was sucked out. How was she alive?

“Girls.” She said sobbing. “I knew you’d come, I sensed it.”

She held out her frail hands, the girls took them, crying.

“Cale, where are you? Come here.”

“Mom,” Erika said. “That’s Pupil, not dad.”

“No,” Dani answered. “It’s my Cale.” she said with a tired voice. He breathing grew deep and she became silent.

“Mom?” Eriana choked out.

“Come girls, tired is your mother. Rest she needs. Talk we will now.”

“Pupil, what can we do to help mom?”

“Much we can do, but you will not be here to help her. Go in the morning you will.”

“You and mom are coming with us right?” Erika asked.

“No, mom is weak, and teach you no more can I. You will have to go alone on the next part of your journey.”

Erika looked incredulant. “Alone?”

“Yes girl, you have problem with English?”

“But we just found her, I’m....well, I’m.”

“Scared?”

“Well...”

“Hell ya we are.” Eriana cut in.

“Fear not. You know everything I can teach you, safe you will be.” Pupil looked the girls in their eyes, “I can not help, you will need something much more sinister then me.”

“What about mom?”

“I will help mom. You need not worry.” He walked over to their mom and brushed the hair out of her face. “Come.” He said to the girls as the slab of rock turned into a bed, and the chains fell away. The girls curled up beside her and slept.

In the morning, Pupil woke the girls up and got them ready.

“Food you need, yes. Matches.”

“No matches,” Eriana said.

Pupil smiled, “Good, good. Remember, you are prepared. If you panic and can’t think, use the bracelets your father made you.”

“Where are we going?” Erika asked.

“Home.”

Pupil and Bambi watched the girls walk through the field towards the road.

“They’ll be OK wont they?” Dani’s voice came from behind Pupil.

“Yes Dani, they will be fine.” Pupil said, turning towards Dani.

“Cale, I missed you,”

“I missed you too Dani.” he said, as he sat on the bed. “Let’s see if we can’t fix you up.” He said, brushing the hair from her forehead. Pupil leaned in and kissed her there. The pain left her face, and then he laid his hand on her shoulder. A faint smile showed on her face as the bones refilled with marrow and began to slide back into place. Soon she laid there, whole again.