Chapter Twelve: Nancy Speaks:

How does she see him? He must look lonely to her. He’s been in this neighborhood alone for quite some time. She couldn’t do it. He claimed that he wasn’t lonely. Somehow, she didn’t believe that. However, she learned early on to push the subject. After all, she was going to need him to survive for the time being. Not much she can do on her own without hurting the baby.

They are walking home now. (Heh. Home. It still didn’t feel like it. But it was going to have to do for now.) It’s so quiet around here. It almost gave her the creeps. She stayed behind him the whole time. Why was she acting all nervous? There was no one out here. It was just them. That’s right. It was just them.

“Oh,” she said. He turned his head.

“What? Did you forget something?” he asked. She shook her head.

“I just realized that we are alone,” she said.

“So?” he asked. She shook her head. He doesn’t get it. Or maybe he does and he doesn’t care.

“We can go back if you need anything,” he said.

“No, it’s fine,” she said. “Really.” He doesn’t say anything. Instead, he shoved his hands into his pockets.

She still has questions. What will they do when they run out of supplies? Where were they going to go? She had been meaning to ask.

“What are you going to do when you run out of supplies?” she asked. He took a moment to think about it.

“I don’t know,” he admitted.

“What?” she asked. He shrugged at her.

“I just had to about Marshmallow and me,” he said. “I hadn’t expected to have to feed more people. I’ve been fine here for…” He tried to count up in his head. He shrugged as he shook his head.

“I don’t know,” he said. He’s been alone that long? She almost felt sorry for the guy. However, it wouldn’t be wise to say that out loud. He would be rather annoyed by her pity. She was going to have to try and figure him out later. Her little girl must have woken up by now. She had reservations about leaving her daughter behind. On the one hand, there was only the kid and the dog in this neighbourhood. On the other hand, she’s only two and is prone to wander off on her own. She was hesitant to leave her little girl behind at first but she was going to need supplies. In the end, here she was.

“Don’t worry,” he said. She looked up at him. He looked over his shoulder at her.

“She’s going to be fine,” he said. “She’s in good hands. Marshmallow’s here with her.” She raised her eyebrow.

“And us,” he added. She perked up and bowed her head.

“Thank you,” she said. He didn’t need to tell her that but it was a comfort to hear. They didn’t speak for the rest of the walk back to the house.

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“We’re home!” she said as she opened the door. Her little angel ran up and hugged her stomach.

“Mummy!” she said. She reached down and played with the little girl’s pigtails. Meanwhile, he walked on into the kitchen. She already knows what he is going to do next. Unpack everything, put it away, and walk all the way back to his room. She wondered why he didn’t try and talk to her. He wasn’t alone anymore. What the hell did he do in his room all day? She found herself curious to find out. She even thought about following him and trying to get to know him more.

“Mummy, I’m hungry,” her daughter complained. She looked down at her angel. The tot looked up at her with doe eyes. She reached down and patted the child on the head.

“Sure,” she said. “What do you want to eat?”

“Spaghetti!” the little girl shouted. She smiled and shook her head.

“Again?” she asked.

“Yes!” the child said.

“Already,” she said. Already, he would be annoyed to have another night of spaghetti. Maybe she would make him and herself something else. They had enough to eat for days after all. She shrugged to herself and joined him in the kitchen. It couldn’t hurt to try. The whole time, Marshmallow slept in the corner.