vacation

Samantha

“Gelmton is in 20 minutes, are we going through?” said Concord.

“Samantha do you want to go on a vacation?” said Anisa.

“Yes,” said Samantha.

“Okay,” said Anisa. “How do we do that?”

“I don’t know,” said Samantha.

“Okay,” said Anisa.

John had gone in the chest and brought the teapot with him.

“I don’t get it,” said Samantha. “The hug. The rescue.”

“I didn’t rescue you,” said Anisa.

“You did. I’d be dead. Samantha No-head. Maybe my soul would evaporate. Maybe I’d be in hell. But now I’m not.”

“It happened under my nose. John is to be let go.”

“What!”

She grit her teeth. “He…” she exhaled. “He is to officially be let go.”

“He could join the Vanguard Guild again,” said Samantha.

“No, he— no, Samantha.”

“It’d be a cover.”

“No.”

“Okay. Where are the Vanguard, anyways? I’d expect more people to be coming to save me.”

“I don’t know.”

“I see,” (she didn’t). “What about the Blisbane Vanguard Guild?”

“I don’t know.”

“Hmm.”

She rubbed her hands. Binds had been undone. More knots, there. She still didn’t know how to untie them, with magic or otherwise.

“I don’t get it,” she repeated. “You sent me up here to get me away from you.”

“No I didn’t.”

“Yeah, you did! And now I’m not going to school for the two years you thought I deserved. And you’re rescuing me from a brother who you thought wouldn’t try killing me.”

Blink.

“Did you read my letter?” asked Anisa.

“I read the first half. I spaced out after you started talking about an assassin.”

“That was the start! You… it wasn’t my call, Samantha, it was dad’s. Dad wanted to send you.”

“Oh. Huh.”

“Yeah. ‘Huh’.”

“But you did, too, you wanted me up there.”

“Yes, I did. I didn’t think that would happen. Let’s talk about it later.”

“Okay. I don’t hate you as much as Quincy but I still hate you a bit.” Hate was her baseline. Anisa knew that.

“Okay.”