Early morning, April 27th..
He hadn't looked back.
The more he tried not to think about it, the more his cheek burned and itched. He had made it three hundred and thirty-seven steps without touching his face. And he was glad he wasn't around anyone he knew when he did.
He turned corners when he came to them, not really paying attention to where he was going. He just wanted to get away from the hall as fast as he could.
The sound of a loud snap made him jump and look around. It had been a lady shaking out clothing to hang up for sale. She did it again..and again.. It reminded him of the slap. His face burned more. He rubbed it, pushing on again..grunting.
He walked fast enough to make his legs tired, his heels buzz from repeated banging into the unforgiving cobblestones.
He tripped over things, bumped into people..
"Och, lad!"
People called out to him..he didn't know if it was for what they were selling or if they were mad, but he didn't stop.
"Lad!"
He wasn't ready to stop yet..
"TOBY!"
"Ah..!" He blinked, whirled around. Another lady hurried toward him, holding a wide brimmed hat to her head with a hand that was covered in a dirty gardening glove.
"Gracious, child, have ye gone deaf? I've been chasin' ye for two whole minutes."
He stared at the lady, his head tilting in confusion. He knew her..her face and voice were the same.. And so were her glasses.. But she was wearing jeans, a flannel shirt and work boots..
"Sister Matilda.. I, uh..kinda didn't hear you.." he said, giving her an awkward smile. She swatted him on the shoulder.
"Well, I've figured that part out myself, lad. What in the world would have ye racin' along so fast that ye don't have any idea of yer surroundings?"
"Mmph.." He shook his head, shrugging. "Nothing really.. Just thinking about stuff.."
"Really now?" She straightened her hat and rearranged the basket that she had stationed over her left arm. "Anything ye care to share?" She started walking, looked over her shoulder at him. Her eyebrows shot up..asking him if he was following. He cleared is throat, strode after her.
"Not really.." He shoved his hands into his pockets to keep them there. "You're wearing normal clothes.."
Sister Matilda laughed. "That I am, lad, that I am. It's nearly impossible to move 'round in my normal attire. Mondays and Tuesdays I do rigorous work here in the city and I won't be any help to anyone trippin' over myself."
He snorted softly, smiling..nodding. "Yeah.."
"Do ye know there's an outline of a hand on yer face, lad?" He grunted softly. She didn't look at him when she spoke, though. "Ye aren't tryin' to get frisky with yer female friends, are ye?"
He blinked, hard. His feet stopped moving and he stared at her incredulously. "Of course not.. What the hell would ask that for..?"
She chuckled softly, waving for him to follow her. She'd taken the gloves off. "From the little I know of ye, I doubt that ye're capable of doin' such things..but I was just curious, lad. Ye can't hold an old woman's thoughts against her."
He grunted again, following. He didn't walk by her side. His hands shifted in his pockets.
"How have ye been fairing?"
It took him a moment to answer. He didn't really know what she meant.. "I'm okay, I guess.. Nothing else funny has happened.."
"Have ye been eating well?"
"Yeah..I think.. I do it a lot more than I used to..and I sleep more and wear more clothes.."
She chuckled softly again. He grinned, pushed a little more speed into his pace, following her around a corner. The cathedral loomed high on his right, gleaming in the morning sunlight..rainbow colors glinting off of the windows' surfaces, stabbing his eyes enough to make him squint.
"I say, that's good to hear, lad. Ye did always wear the barest essentials, even when it was rainin' out." She boxed him lightly on the shoulder. He could feel the warmth of her hand through his hoodie's sleeve. "Are ye still stayin' at that room ye have with yer friend?"
He blinked, frowning in thought. He'd wanted to be by himself..and had told Katt not to follow him. He didn't want to see her, or May. Thinking of their faces made him sad.
"Lad?"
"I, uh..I dunno.. I kinda just wanted to be by myself.."
"That's not what I asked."
He nodded, stepping forward..not stopping until he was standing in front of the busted stone fountain before the church's fanning staircase. He looked up at the oak doors, the familiar stained glass windows.
He felt better..like he was the only one standing there.. Like the church was looking down at just him, wanting him to go inside..
He could hide there..
"...rooms here that aren't used if ye didn't have anywhere to stay. What do ye think, lad? If ye say no, I shall understand."
He turned slowly to face her. "What..?"
She laughed, shaking her head. "Ye need to pay better attention," she said, moving past him and starting her slow climb of the stairs. "I said that this church is fairly large, and ye said that ye were lookin' to be by yerself for a while. I figure that's why ye came and sat out here for hours on end for all that time.." she heaved a grunt of effort as she cleared the last stair and reached out to pull the door open.
"Would ye like to stay here or not?"
He blinked, looked into the dark hole that was the open door. There wasn't any singing today.. But he could see candles still.. He'd never been inside..
He gulped and stepped forward, taking the flat steps two at a time. "Yeah..I think that'd be okay.."
"Very well, lad," Sister Matilda gestured him in ahead of her. He ducked into the church, suddenly drenched in shadows and cool air. He moved forward, tilting his head back so he could see the high, decorated ceiling. There were shiny pictures..lots of angels, flowers, clouds.. She touched him on his shoulder and he jumped..looked down at her.
"I'll show ye to yer room."
He hadn't looked back.
The more he tried not to think about it, the more his cheek burned and itched. He had made it three hundred and thirty-seven steps without touching his face. And he was glad he wasn't around anyone he knew when he did.
He turned corners when he came to them, not really paying attention to where he was going. He just wanted to get away from the hall as fast as he could.
The sound of a loud snap made him jump and look around. It had been a lady shaking out clothing to hang up for sale. She did it again..and again.. It reminded him of the slap. His face burned more. He rubbed it, pushing on again..grunting.
He walked fast enough to make his legs tired, his heels buzz from repeated banging into the unforgiving cobblestones.
He tripped over things, bumped into people..
"Och, lad!"
People called out to him..he didn't know if it was for what they were selling or if they were mad, but he didn't stop.
"Lad!"
He wasn't ready to stop yet..
"TOBY!"
"Ah..!" He blinked, whirled around. Another lady hurried toward him, holding a wide brimmed hat to her head with a hand that was covered in a dirty gardening glove.
"Gracious, child, have ye gone deaf? I've been chasin' ye for two whole minutes."
He stared at the lady, his head tilting in confusion. He knew her..her face and voice were the same.. And so were her glasses.. But she was wearing jeans, a flannel shirt and work boots..
"Sister Matilda.. I, uh..kinda didn't hear you.." he said, giving her an awkward smile. She swatted him on the shoulder.
"Well, I've figured that part out myself, lad. What in the world would have ye racin' along so fast that ye don't have any idea of yer surroundings?"
"Mmph.." He shook his head, shrugging. "Nothing really.. Just thinking about stuff.."
"Really now?" She straightened her hat and rearranged the basket that she had stationed over her left arm. "Anything ye care to share?" She started walking, looked over her shoulder at him. Her eyebrows shot up..asking him if he was following. He cleared is throat, strode after her.
"Not really.." He shoved his hands into his pockets to keep them there. "You're wearing normal clothes.."
Sister Matilda laughed. "That I am, lad, that I am. It's nearly impossible to move 'round in my normal attire. Mondays and Tuesdays I do rigorous work here in the city and I won't be any help to anyone trippin' over myself."
He snorted softly, smiling..nodding. "Yeah.."
"Do ye know there's an outline of a hand on yer face, lad?" He grunted softly. She didn't look at him when she spoke, though. "Ye aren't tryin' to get frisky with yer female friends, are ye?"
He blinked, hard. His feet stopped moving and he stared at her incredulously. "Of course not.. What the hell would ask that for..?"
She chuckled softly, waving for him to follow her. She'd taken the gloves off. "From the little I know of ye, I doubt that ye're capable of doin' such things..but I was just curious, lad. Ye can't hold an old woman's thoughts against her."
He grunted again, following. He didn't walk by her side. His hands shifted in his pockets.
"How have ye been fairing?"
It took him a moment to answer. He didn't really know what she meant.. "I'm okay, I guess.. Nothing else funny has happened.."
"Have ye been eating well?"
"Yeah..I think.. I do it a lot more than I used to..and I sleep more and wear more clothes.."
She chuckled softly again. He grinned, pushed a little more speed into his pace, following her around a corner. The cathedral loomed high on his right, gleaming in the morning sunlight..rainbow colors glinting off of the windows' surfaces, stabbing his eyes enough to make him squint.
"I say, that's good to hear, lad. Ye did always wear the barest essentials, even when it was rainin' out." She boxed him lightly on the shoulder. He could feel the warmth of her hand through his hoodie's sleeve. "Are ye still stayin' at that room ye have with yer friend?"
He blinked, frowning in thought. He'd wanted to be by himself..and had told Katt not to follow him. He didn't want to see her, or May. Thinking of their faces made him sad.
"Lad?"
"I, uh..I dunno.. I kinda just wanted to be by myself.."
"That's not what I asked."
He nodded, stepping forward..not stopping until he was standing in front of the busted stone fountain before the church's fanning staircase. He looked up at the oak doors, the familiar stained glass windows.
He felt better..like he was the only one standing there.. Like the church was looking down at just him, wanting him to go inside..
He could hide there..
"...rooms here that aren't used if ye didn't have anywhere to stay. What do ye think, lad? If ye say no, I shall understand."
He turned slowly to face her. "What..?"
She laughed, shaking her head. "Ye need to pay better attention," she said, moving past him and starting her slow climb of the stairs. "I said that this church is fairly large, and ye said that ye were lookin' to be by yerself for a while. I figure that's why ye came and sat out here for hours on end for all that time.." she heaved a grunt of effort as she cleared the last stair and reached out to pull the door open.
"Would ye like to stay here or not?"
He blinked, looked into the dark hole that was the open door. There wasn't any singing today.. But he could see candles still.. He'd never been inside..
He gulped and stepped forward, taking the flat steps two at a time. "Yeah..I think that'd be okay.."
"Very well, lad," Sister Matilda gestured him in ahead of her. He ducked into the church, suddenly drenched in shadows and cool air. He moved forward, tilting his head back so he could see the high, decorated ceiling. There were shiny pictures..lots of angels, flowers, clouds.. She touched him on his shoulder and he jumped..looked down at her.
"I'll show ye to yer room."