Buttermilk Pancakes and Sweet Tea

Instinctively, Kai glanced out the window in the door at the same time Emma Jean did. He didn't see anything though, and looked back at the red head again as she started explaining things. "Extremely." He answered flatly as to whether or not learning about things were fun. He shoved his hands into his pockets again as she spoke, leaning against the table in the center of the room. He blinked once as he attempted to digest 'Neverwhere'. He was going to have to reread that later tonight. It had been a while now, but he did remember the gist of it. Kai chewed on his lower lip as she continued.

Suddenly, Kai realized that even if he did google the Janusian Company, he likely wouldn't find anything. Still... he supposed it was worth a shot. He really wished he had reception at Nana's house, so he could just stay up late looking up all this stuff. Even conspiracy theories might be alright at this point. He rubbed a spot on his nose as he thought about things, nodded.

"Alright." He agreed. He was following so far. For some reason, this was going a lot smoother than when Nana tried to explain it at least. "But, is The Company from Ianusia? And what do you mean, you're from there?" Kai couldn't help all the questions he had. He was naturally curious and inquisitive, and he wasn't afraid to ask questions because of it. He wanted to know as much as possible, ad how was he ever going to learn without asking things? Hopefully Emma Jean would take that easier than Nana had.
 
Emma Jean shook her head. "No, the Company was founded on Earth. They must have found another Gate somewhere and gotten into Ianusia that way." She shrugged a little. "And it's what it sounds like silly. I'm from Ianusia. I was born there, oh," and she rushed the next part, "about 150 years ago."

She held up a finger to silence any questions, and then turned back to the microfiche. The humming had evened some, which meant it was warmed up, ready to go. "These things are obsolete, more or less…but…" She opened up the box, sorting through the film until she found the one she was looking for and loaded it into the machine. "I still can't find any town newspapers online. Sometimes older things are better than new." Emma Jean smiled at Kai. She was being deliberately obtuse about what she was going to show him next. She scrolled quickly through the film until she found what she had been looking for. She adjusted the knob to bring it into focus, showing an article from June 13, 1988. "C'mere and read this."

This article was from December 25, 1970. LOCAL GIRL KILLED IN TRAFFIC ACCIDENT. Dorothea Ann Jenkins, 15, was killed when she was struck by a car travelling on Main Street. She was leaving a Christmas party at the church, travelling home. Jenkins was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver, John Farley, stayed at the scene of the accident, seeming distraught and wasn't brought up on charges. The picture showed Dorothea as a dark-skinned girl, with a bright smile, and her natural curly hair trimmed into a short afro.

"He intentionally ran the stop sign when he saw me crossing. Edith was at the church, and knew I was going home early. She was the one who found me in the street. When John Farley saw Edith he turned on the waterworks, and acted remorseful. He got away with it."

While he was reading she had found another article, and when he was through, loaded that one. "Now this one." She said, sliding the film out of the viewer and replacing it with a third slide. She adjusted the focus.

The headline read: BODY OF MISSING GIRL, 18, FOUND IN WOODS. The picture accompanying the story had a girl with dark hair and eyes, smiling for her senior picture. The article stated that a girl, Alma-Ann Miller, was found at the bottom of a ravine deep in the woods behind one of the neighborhoods. She had been at a graduation party for the Class of 1988, when she disappeared from the party. Witnesses say she was scared, worried that someone was stalking her. She was found the four days later by kids playing in the ravine. The official conclusion was that Alma-Ann was drunk when she went into the wood and had fallen accidentally into the ravine. No foul play was suspected.

"The article is wrong. I was sober. Completely sober. John Farley chased me through the woods, and I slipped and fell. He was planning to abduct your father and uncle on the way home from the party to force Edith into giving him the Key. And I couldn't let him do that." Emma said offhandedly. The way she said it, it was as if she were okay with all of this. And she was, really. It had been decades, and John Farley was dead and gone. "One more."

The headline was from April 23, 1998. YOUNG GIRL DROWNS IN RESERVOIR. Emily Madison, was 10 when she and went swimming with her family at the Reservoir. Emily hit her head after diving in, and went under. Her family searched for her but to no avail. The search for Emily was called off the following day when she washed up on the beach. The photo showed a blond girl with glasses, smiling, her hair in pigtails.

"That was my school photo for fourth grade. I've always hated it. That's as far back as I was able to find articles, so you'll have to take my word for the rest of them." She shut off the microfiche, and the small storage room was once more, dark. Emma Jean took a deep breath before talking again.

"Every time I die, I come back. Every time I die, the Key does too. For a little while. It takes seven years to recharge, and that is when I 'wake up' so to speak, in a new body. I remember who I am, I remember who I was, I remember the Key and the Gate and Ianusia…all of it. But I haven't lived past twenty."
 
"A-" Before he could finish 'hundred and fifty' he was silenced. Kai pursed his lips. When would people just let him talk? This PROBABLY had something to do with the fact that apparently everyone he hung out with was a million years old. His parents, his Nana, and Emma Jean too. Brilliant. He would forever be stuck as a child. He held in his internal seething at this revelation to listen further to what Emma Jean had to say.

Instead Kai swallowed everything and stepped up towards the machine with Emma Jean. "Wait, what? He killed you?" He hadn't missed the last name either. Farley.... And now Emma Jean was telling him he had done it again. His skin was starting to crawl. Well, mostly kill her again. And abduct his family. Kind of worse, really.

He stepped away from the microfiche, staring at Emma Jean with eyes as big as saucers. "Uh..." He said in spectacular intelligence. Things were starting to shift in Kai's brain. All the stories falling into place as he caught up with Emma Jean and his Nana's words. Kai's throat felt incredibly dry. This changed... well... everything. He reached a hand up to rub at his head, but half way there decided not to and instead poked Emma Jean right in the arm. Well she felt real enough.

"Do... uh.... whatever it is you're called... people from... Ianusia... die and come back often?" So it wasn't a brilliantly put together question, and probably pretty rude on top of it, but Kai was attempting to work his mouth in a way that didn't start with 'uh' so it was a start. A tiny part of him thought that this couldn't be real, but a bigger part of him wanted to believe it. And Kai tended to do the things he wanted. "Wait. Why did John Farley kill you? Is he a part of The Company? Why don't you just... go back? I mean, take the key with you and go back?" Apparently all of Kai's questions were coming out all at once now that he remembered how to take control of his mouth again. "And whats Nana doing with the key? How is she involved at all?"
 
Emma Jean looked at Kai with a bewildered expression and then poked him right back in the forehead and laughed. "Yes, I'm real. If you prick me, I do bleed." She shook her head a little, leaning back against the card catalogue, and then slid to the floor. The carpeting was cool and gritty with years' worth of dirt and no vacuuming. Emma wiped her hands on her shirt, and pulled her legs up to her chest, hugging them. Her hair fell in a coppery curtain over her eyes, and she brushed it away. "I'm born and I grow up. You think growing up once is hard? Try doing it multiple times. Puberty…yeesh. I have troubles in school, I get into fights with my parents, my teeth aren't always perfect, I have had terrible acne, and I've needed glasses a lot. I've failed my driving test. I've gotten into college, and graduated high school and made mudpies with the neighborhood kids. I've fallen in love and have had my heart broken, and broken a few hearts as well, same as anyone else. I'm not that different. Sure, my mind is old, but the rest of me is still seventeen."

"I try not to make a habit of dying. But it's happened eight times so far despite my best efforts. I don't know if other Ianusians do that same thing, cause I haven't been there. I was…I was seventeen when I left Ianusia. The Farleys…yes, they work for the Company. At least the past three generations has. Old Man Farley is the exception. He had a thing for Edith, way back, and she kinda turned him off his family's sordid past." She sighed a little, twirling a piece of her hair between her fingers, as she tried to remember the flood of questions. "I tried going back, twice. It didn't work out." Emma Jean put her hands to her head, rubbing her temples in quick circles.

"Edith is the Gatekeeper now, which means she keeps the Key. She needs to pass it on. To you. She's tried with Ivan. And I thought he would actually take it, but he refused. She had waited too long, and he didn't believe her." Emma Jean glanced up to Kai. "And before you suggest it, yes, we've tried giving it to someone outside of the family. It came right back as if nothing had happened. I think it needs to stay in the family. I don't know what will happen if Edith dies and the Key is not passed on." She had her mouth open, ready to say more, but the faint sound of frantic barking got her attention. She put her finger to her lips, straining to hear and then stood up quickly. "We have to go. Now."
 
Kai had to smile just a tiny bit when Emma Jean poked him, rubbing his forehead gently and then watching her as she sat on the floor. He had no intentions of pricking her. Kai listened to her.

He'd try not to die as much as possible if he was her also. He wondered if he would live his life differently if he knew he was just going to come back. Maybe. At least at the start. He wondered why Emma Jean left. Why it didn't work to go back. And it was no wonder Emma Jean didn't like old man Farley. He didn't really either, and he'd barely seen the guy. He supposed it was a good thing his Nana had managed to pull him out of that, but he was still creepy. It felt like every time Emma Jean answered one of his questions, it just brought up a million more. Like why was his family gate keepers? How had they gotten involved at all? They needed an origins story, or something. Then again, this was way more real than a comic series.

Kai had a bad feeling in his stomach though. Did his Nana have to pass it on because she was just getting old, or was it worse? Emma Jean had already mentioned her dying and that made his bad feeling even worse. "Does it - " He stopped as he heard Jude barking too. "We can't leave Jude." He said instantly. He was kind of regretting tying him up now, but what else was he supposed to do? He licked his lips, moving over to the door and looking out the window. He didn't see anyone immediately, but that didn't mean there wasn't something amiss. Jude wouldn't be barking for nothing. "Emma Jean... does the key have to stay here?" He wasn't old enough to stay here. He basically had to live wherever his parents lived. And they weren't going to move form the city to the country for something his father knew about but thought was just the imaginings of a senile woman. Even if that woman was his own mother.
 
"Jude…the dog?" She shrugged a little, mumbling. "No of course we can't leave him."
Emma Jean wandered over to the window with Kai. She tugged him aside just as a shadow passed the door. "As far as I know…no." She said in a fierce whisper, in answer to whether or not the Key had to stay in the town. She waited just a moment, and then looked again. As far as she could see, it was clear, and she turned the knob, cracking the door open a little. She scoured the rows of books ahead, but there was nothing but books and shelves. It was quiet, as a library should be. But it was somehow too quiet. But that didn't excuse the feeling she had creeping up her spine. She didn't see them, not yet, but she knew they were here, somewhere. Which meant she and Kai shouldn't be.
She motioned to Kai, keeping her voice low. "The Company people are here." She sighed. "Look, we need to go. I need to go. They don't know who you are, yet. Me...they have something that can track the Key, which means it can track me, but I don't know how or why, but that's not important now. What's important is getting you back home, so listen to me, alright?"She let out a breath. "Just, go out the front door. Don't act suspicious just walk outta here like you own the place, and get the dog untied, and go to the Church. I'll figure something out and meet in in front of the Church in five minutes, alright?"
 
Kai didn't hear Emma Jean mumbling, only her answer to whether or not the key was supposed to stay here or not. He didn't have time to wonder if it was the best idea, to take it away from here. Mostly he was preoccupied with whatever was outside the door, and getting to Jude. He felt his heart leap into his throat when Emma Jean yanked him backwards, looking at her and then out again as she opened the door. "Uhm.... no." He answered simply. "What the hell, Emma Jean? Don't you watch horror movies? Never ever split up!" He didn't care if it was fiction or not. Splitting up was the dumbest thing he'd heard of when it came to things like this.

He brushed his hair out of his face, taking a deep breath. "Look, I'll waltz out of here if you want but I'll only come right back in here with Jude." He informed Emma Jean. "If I'm going to be a part of this - and I guess I am - then I'm going to be a part of it."
 
Emma Jean regarded Kai with narrowed eyes, with an uncharacteristic scowl on her face. But the expression passed after a moment. "I'm not trying to get rid of you, Kai, I just-" Emma sighed. "Alright fine, we'll do it your way. But let it be said that this is not the best idea, and may end up getting us in serious trouble, and that my idea was better, cause it generally is. Alright?" She smiled a little, taking a deep breath in. Even though there was no way that this would end well, Emma Jean could not help the little thrill that she felt. She had been plagued with the the constant desire for novelty, and this was certainly new. "Let's go." She said, holding the door open for him. She waited until he was through, and then turning the knob so the latch would not click, she shut the door to the microfiche room. "There's no way out but the front." She said in a hush, "So just follow me, and pretend nothing is wrong. And if for some reason I get stopped, keep going okay? Just agree this time. Shouldn't argue with your elders."


Emma Jean lead the way, walking along the periphery of the building, between the shelves and the wall rather than simply barreling down the main thoroughfare through the library. But she was not overly cautious; the more she tried to hiding from the Company, the more conspicuous they would both be.


She stopped at the end of a row of shelves, peering at the front desk just ahead. To the right was the front door, and she could make out Jude through the glass. But there were two people in black talking with the cell-nazi librarian, in low voices that Emma could not quite make out. She watched them a moment. They did not look familiar, but they did not stand out as odd either. The woman was short, blond, and but her for dark clothing looked just like a soccer mom. The man beside her was a little taller, middle-aged and rather good looking. They looked like someone's parents. Who had just gotten back from a funeral. They might even be driving a minivan for all Emma knew. It had been some time since she had actually seen the Company send someone other than a Farley to do their dirty work, but she wasn't quite expecting a Mr. and Mrs. Jones approach. She turned to comment to Kai about it, but didn't get a word out before the couple turned from the desk, moving off deeper into the library. In the direction, Emma realized, of the History section, where she had been.

She waited until they disappeared behind the shelves and motioned to Kai, taking off for the front door. The librarian locked eyes with Emma Jean for a split second, and recognition dawned on her face. Emma grabbed Kai's hand, hauling him outside as the librarian raised the alarm. "Get the dog, and give me two minutes." She said, taking off into the parking lot.
 
"No." He answered to her question of whether or not it was alright if her idea was better. But he had a wry smile on his face. Kai just shook his head about the urging with his elders part. Ridiculous, but not untrue. Which was really too bad. He had the thought, as they left the microfiche room, that doing high school over and over would be so incredibly boring. (That was his beef with vampires too. They were always redoing high school for the millionth time. What was with that?) Then he realized how ridiculous that was to think of rather than their potential deaths and he was suddenly back on track.

He followed Emma Jean without complaint through the library, stopping when she did. His eyes landed on the people in black also, recognizing them from earlier when they had stopped at the window at the diner. No wonder Nana had been all weird earlier. That was starting to make sense. Kai felt like really, this was a lot to take in on only his second day (and first full day) at his Nana's place. There didn't seem to be any stopping it now though, and Kai let out a soft sigh just as the couple left.

Kai booked it with Emma Jean, not quite sure where it was they were headed after they got Jude. But he let go of her hand, which he had slipped down to hold right as Emma had done the same. He veered off from her towards Jude instead, untying him and unclipping the leash from his collar at the same time. He wound the leash around his hand, letting the metal clasp hang from it as he looked towards the parking lot for Emma Jean. He was honestly ready to just run if he needed to. He didn't know if those guys in black were actually human or not, but he also didn't know if The Company had sent them or if they were an actual part of The Company. He gripped the leash a little tighter, watching both the parking lot and the library, tense and ready.
 
No, not a minivan.

One of the ancient vehicles parked in the lot was the brown station wagon that Emma Jean knew belonged to the librarian. And there were two others--an inoperable VW Bus that had been parked there since the 70s and a new black Charger that made Emma salivate. She hadn't seen the Charger before and figured perhaps that it belonged to the Company couple. If so, they had good taste. Good taste, and a naive trust of the yokels of the south that Emma found precious.

They conveniently left their doors unlocked, which meant it only took half a minute for Emma Jean to find the keys that one of them (she'd assumed it was the woman) had conveniently left in the glove box, and conveniently be able to push start the motor. All of this convenience was a little unnerving. Even more so was the fact that the librarian had ratted her out to the Company people, who were probably on their way to take her and Kai and do heaven only knew what in order to get the Key from Edith. So Emma Jean would take advantage of the convenience to get them out of there as quickly as possible.

Emma Jean drove up in the Charger, stopping quickly as she leaned across the front seat to push the door open for Kai and Jude. "No, it's not mine, but I technically didn't steal it. I'm borrowing without permission." She said, and then furrowed her brow a little. "Just get in." She commanded, taking the moment to fasten her seatbelt. "And hurry up!"
Emma could see the Company couple hurrying out of the building. The man looked perturbed but the woman had a hint of a smile on her face. Like she had expected this. Like it was a trap. Or maybe Emma was over thinking it. The moment Kai and Jude were in the car she gunned the engine, taking off through the parking lot and hung a quick left onto Main Street in front of another car.

It didn't take long for them to get out of town with how fast Emma was driving. Luckily, it was hot and everyone decided that constant air conditioning was better than roasting outside. Emma didn't talk again until it was clear they weren't being followed and then motioned to the glove box. "Open that... See if you can find something about the Company people...their names...anything."
 
Kai's eyebrows raised quickly at the Charger. Now that was a car. No offense to his Nana but this was way more what he was used to. The only reason he hadn't ran right away from it was because he could see Emma's brillant red hair through the tinted windshield. He waited for her to open the door and then got in, Jude first and then himself. Jude climbed to the back and sat down, looking out the window as Emma Jean sped off.

Kai looked out the window towards the people also. He frowned a bit at how they looked, wrinkling his nose. He didn't like the look of them, he decided. His attention was drawn back into the car with Emma Jean's words, and his eyes landed upon the glove box. He opened it, pulling into his lap whatever might be in there. "Where are we going?" he asked as he looked through the things. Half way through he pulled open the center console to take whatever was in there out also.

"Is there any place safe? With the key?" He asked, not certain. It worked against scarecrows he supposed, but Nana had run from these people before when she had had the key. He was happy they had Jude with them. Even before all this company nonsense the dog was incredibly loyal and protective of the whole family, but Kai in particular.
 
Emma Jean shrugged, glancing over at the papers in Kai's lap. "I haven't really decided where I'm going yet. You are going back to Edith's where the Key can protect you from the Company."
She furrowed her brow, staring straight ahead for a few moments. She had no idea what to do. She wasn't ready to die. She couldn't go home, because she would inevitably lead the Company to her parents. She couldn't stay with Edith because she wouldn't allow it. She knew some slightly shady people closer to the city who could help her disappear for a while. Perhaps that was best for now.
None of the other "hers" had to deal with a direct confrontation with the Company. The good old Farley clan was always there to kill them beforehand. Lucky them. She tried to remember what happened before when Althea died but she could not remember the circumstances. It had been shortly after Edith took possession of the Key. She recalled the scarecrows...and that was all.

She sighed a little as she turned on the dirt road that would take them to Edith's farmhouse. It had been quite a while since she had been down this road. The trees were bigger and the underbrush was thicker and she barely recognized where she was. She motioned down one of the side roads as they roared by. "I used to live down there. Well, Dolly did. Long time ago." Emma sighed again, reaching across to take one of papers from Kai's lap and held it on the steering wheel, glancing down now and again as the car flew down the bumpy road. Even though the newer car was smoother on the dirt road than Edith's ancient truck, Emma still had a difficult time reading the finding anything of importance in the first paper she grabbed. Finally, she read enough to discern that it was nothing more than a supermarket solicitation flyer. She grimaced and balled the flyer, tossing it in the seat behind her.

The next paper she picked up was a receipt for gas the next town over. Receipt for coffee and cheese Danishes at the best coffee shop in the city. At least they were proving that they had good taste. The next thing she picked up was more what she was looking for--the rental agreement for the car. When she read the name they had used for the rental, she laughed out loud. "The Joneses. The car is rented to the Joneses." Emma told Kai, and then told him what she had been thinking in the library--that the Company couple seemed to be posing as a wholesome neighbors-from- down-the-road Jones type couple. She shook her head a little. Perhaps it was funnier to her. "Jim and Marceline Jones. Oh that's nice. Let's choose aliases based on kooky cult leaders. Good going Company." Emma glanced to Kai with a smile, and then looked straight ahead again. Something on the road caught her attention. She squinted, trying to see through the glare the afternoon sun made on the windshield. Was that...? The car plowed through a scarecrow, sending straw flying over them. "Terrific."
 
Kai wasn't finding much here either. A lot of this was junk which he put back into the glove department. He looked up when Emma Jean revealed that they weren't going to the same place. He frowned. "Why don't you just stay with us?" If the key protected him and his Nana, why would it not protect Emma Jean too? Or rather, why did Emma Jean not want to be protected? If he was her he'd want to stay as close to the key as possible. Especially since she seemed to be connected to it somehow.

He didn't mind going back to Nana's. It was safer there, apparently, but he was a little concerned that he'd shortly become a prisoner there if he wasn't too careful. Or if The Company wouldn't go away. He frowned at that thought and then looked up again just as Emma Jean found something about these people. He looked over at the paper, leaning as he heard Jude shred whatever paper the red head had thrown behind her. Jude never shredded paper but he didn't scold the dog. He was pretty sure Jude was smarter than he seemed, apparently. He smiled and then chuckled just a little as she explained why The Jones were funny. It was kind of funny, he had to agree on that. He looked back down just as they ran into a scarecrow, and Kai jumped, eyes flying back up to the windshield and all the straw.

"Uh... maybe try not to hit the scarecrows? Wait a minute, do you even have a license? No, wait, scratch that. You're like a million years old so even if you don't now, I'm assuming you've been driving for forever." He waved his hand a little to let her know she didn't have to answer any of those questions after all.
 
Emma Jean swerved to avoid the next scarecrow standing in the road. "Now you're worried about my driving? Little late for doubts, darlin." She said with a grin. They were nearing Edith's house; Emma could see the yellow house through the trees. The place was surrounded by scarecrows, all standing still as they would be in a field. She punched the gas to hit one that was directly between her and where she wanted to go. She turned the wheel sharply as the straw man broke over the hood of the car, slamming on the brakes to stop the car just beside Edith's ancient truck. Edith was on the porch in an instant armed with a pitchfork. There seemed to be a line around the house that the scarecrows avoided; keeping just to the outside of it. So long as they were by the house they were in the safe zone, protected by the key.

Emma got out, letting Jude out of the back seat and looked to Edith. The old woman looked positively pissed, and jabbed a finger and then the pitchfork in Emma Jean's direction. "What did you do Emma? Why are they all here? One or two I can stand, but they are surrounding the house!"

"What did I do? What, do you think I summon these things?" Emma Jean spat back. "They killed me once Edith."

"He went to town to see you?"
Edith asked. It seemed she had not even acknowledged Kai's presence.

"Yes, and I told him what I could before the Company showed up." Edith's eyes flashed with anger, as if it were somehow Emma's fault. And it was, in a way. If she had just stayed in Ianusia all those years ago...but she could not change the past.

"Good." Edith turned to Kai. "Stay away from her now...now that the Company knows who she is, she's dangerous, and you can bet they will be after her and you now too since they saw you together."

Emma could scarcely control her tone. "Tell him what he needs to know about that thing," she motioned to the glowing key around Edith's neck as she spoke, "before you run out of time."

Edith scoffed and set down the pitchfork, motioning for Kai to come inside with her. Emma grabbed Kais hand before he went inside. "You have my number if you need me." She said in a hush before stalked back to the car that she had left running.
 
Kai had never seen his Nana so angry before. Then again, he'd hardly seen his Nana at all, so for all he knew she got pissed often. He glanced at the scarecrows and then between Emma Jean and his Nana. He got out of the car with Jude and Emma Jean. This was ridiculous, the way they were yelling at each other. What was wrong with them? If he had known Nana had called Emma Jean not too long ago to beg her to tell him he'd be even more confused and annoyed. As it was, he was only mildly so. He didn't see how arguing and accusing one another helped anything, and what did these things even matter anyway? The situation was what it was. He shoved his glasses up his face with a frustrated sound.

First Nana told him to talk to Emma Jean and now he shouldn't? Why the hell did everything have to be so complicated? Before he could say anything Emma had fired right back at his Nana though, and what she said did not put him at ease at all. Run out of time before what? For one wild moment, Kai thought about not listening to his Nana. To not going inside with her. Why he had that idea, he did not know, but then he figured he should right afterwards. He looked at Emma when she grabbed his hand. "Thank you... Please be careful!" He said to her. He hesitated a moment in the yard as he watched Emma Jean get into the car. He eyed the scarecrows again and then sprinted towards the house, going inside and holding the door open for Jude.

He was angry now too. And he had to admit it was mostly at his Nana. "Nana!" He sought her out in the house, stopping right in front of her once he found her. "What the hell was that about? Why didn't you invite her inside?" He started with that first, because even though he hadn't been angry in the yard he was now. He would ask her about what Emma Jean had said later, when he wasn't so ticked off and so that she wouldn't answer one thing but not the other thing. "If this key can protect people why are you not extending that to her?"
 
Edith was silent for a few minutes. She was at a window looking out to the front yard, trying to count just how many of them there were. She watched Emma Jean leave, plowing through a few of the stationary scarecrows on the way back down the road, and readjusted her count to make up for the "dead" ones. That made forty four. Fourth four scarecrows surrounding the house in a near perfect circle. A circle meant to intimidate since they were otherwise useless. Edith tucked the Key under her shirt again. It had begun glowing more brightly with Emma Jean nearby, but was now fading again.

She turned to Kai at last, stopping stratch Jude behind the ears and shut the front door that Kai had left hanging wide open, engaging the locks. She regarded Jude for a long time, as if the dog were giving her a report of what had happened. When she turned, most of the anger had fallen from her face. "Emma Jean will be just fine on her own. She's resourceful, and has a inherent knack for self-preservation. But she has not be allowed in this house since your father was young." Edith sighed a little. "It was Gregory's decision, and I've respected it all this time. He thought it best to keep her away from our family, your father most of all. He seemed to be infatuated with her, with Alma-Ann, I mean, who she was when she was around that time. He never trusted the Millers, and that distrust extended to their daughter." She hesitated a little. "And I will uphold his decision, even though he is dead and buried. I didn't stop being his wife the moment he passed."

Gregory was blissfully unaware of the story of the Key. She had never told him the secret, and so was basing his judgement of Alma-Ann solely on what he had seen of the Millers, who had been a little shady as far as business deals in the past. Gregory had accused them of having ties to the mob, or some other gang in the city. Whether it was true, or not, was never Edith's concern, for Gregory was her husband, and she had respected him enough to allow him to make decisions, even though she had presented a case for Alma-Ann. Gregory's fears seemed to be confirmed when Alma was killed. Even though Edith knew the truth, the rest of huge world thought Alma was nothing more than a drunkard who had gotten clumsy.

"She did tell you of her past selves didn't she?" She hoped she had, or else she would really sound like a crazy old lady. "You must understand that that girl...Trouble seems to be permanently attached to her, no matter how good her intentions. I don't want you falling in with her until I know you've the Key to protect you. And when I told you to talk with her, I meant over the phone, not running off to town on your own away from the house and its protection." She shook her head a little. "Scared me to death when in woke and couldn't find you in the house. I thought they had gotten in when I was asleep and had taken you away."
 
The longer his Nana took to answer, the more Kai was getting angry. And Kai was so very rarely angry. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and waited in quiet. He could hear Emma Jean crush a few scarecrows on her way out. He wanted to tell his Nana not to touch Jude but refrained. Mostly because he recognized that that was petty. When Nana finally came out with her reason it just made Kai more angry. He didn't care if she had been scared and he didn't care that she wanted him to not 'fall in' with Emma Jean either.

"You. Are telling me. That Emma Jean is not allowed here because your husband didn't like her past self?" He demanded. "Are you serious right now? Where do you expect her to go? I don't care if she's resourceful and you and I both know your husband was wrong. Even just by his own thought process, you don't blame children for their parent's wrongs! Even without all of this key stuff, you know he was wrong and if you're going to stand by a wrong decision just because your husband made it then honestly, I'm ashamed of you."

It was weird, to tell your elder that. But Kai didn't care. He wasn't going to let her get away with that. Some old people were so wrapped up in the idea that because they were old, they were right, and Kai wouldn't hear of it. Respect was earned, and right was right and wrong was wrong. "If there's some other reason then have out with it! And if there isn't then I'm going upstairs and taking a shower." Kai recognized he probably needed to cool off. He was sticky from the heat anyway and a shower would do him good. But he was just so angry with his Nana. Unless he was missing something the old woman was completely wrong, and he had no problems calling her out on it.
 
Edith was silent. She wanted to open her mouth, to argue her case, to defend Gregory's decision, but realized that nothing she said would make a difference. And she would not deign to argue with a child. Whether Kai was right or not. And he was, but she would never admit it.

She gestured to the stairs to let him go and do as he wanted, but called up after him. "He did it to protect his family, Kai, from someone he thought was a threat. Wrong or not, I respect his reasons." And then added, "Emma Jean will be fine." It was a petty action to ensure that she had had the last word. She might have been older, and probably was wiser, but it didn't necessarily exclude her from acting childish.

When he had gone at last, she stalked to the kitchen to fix some dinner. The setting sun made those hideous sunflowers brighter and more cheery, and Edith lost her appetite. It was nothing but leftovers anyway. She made herself a small plate and ate it quickly and in silence. She made up one for Kai as well, putting it covered into the fridge, with a note on the icebox about how long to cook it for. And then she sat down at the table, taking up the pencil Kai had used for the crossword. She glanced over it, filling in the last few blanks to complete the puzzle and then sat there, tapping the eraser against the paper. Where had the day gone wrong? Ah, yes. Old Man Farley ranting about the Company. Somehow whatever went wrong in her life always tied to the Farleys. There should have been more time to teach Kai about the Key, about the convoluted history behind it and about Emma Jean's connection to it all.

More time...something that she would have plenty of so long as those scarecrows fenced them in the house. She bounced the eraser a few more times and then grabbed a sheet of notepaper from the basket on the table that held all of her little odds and ends. She wrote furiously for a few minutes covering two note-sheets front and back. She told Kai all about what had lead to Gregory banning Alma-Ann from the house.

She told you, didn't she, about Alma-Ann? But she didn't tell you how she had gone to the prom with Ivan, how she'd dated him even though both she and I knew it was a bad decision. She didn't expect him to fall for her. He was going to ask her to marry him. Though she didn't know for sure, she suspected. She could not let that happen because she knew she didn't have long until she would die. She was the one who planted that seed of doubt about the Miller family into Gregory's mind. To protect Ivan from making a terrible mistake--

But in the end, she crumpled it up, and scribbled something else down.

Call Emma Jean if you have questions about the Key.

Edith left the kitchen once again for her room. When she was safe inside again, she shut the door, sighing against it.

Edith didn't leave her room again until late the next morning. When she did she went straight to the kitchen to make coffee and breakfast. She wasn't planning on speaking to Kai, if she could help it.
 
Kai shook his head at his Nana when she silently told him to go take his shower. He stopped half way up the stairs to listen to her, but all he could do was huff a sigh. There was no point in arguing with her further. It didnt matter why Gregory had done it, it mattered that Nana was still upholding that, even though it was the most ridiculous thing probably anyone had ever heard of. And if Emma Jean wasn't fine, Nana was going to have hell to pay.

Kai went straight to the bathroom and turned the shower on cold. It was hot in the house even without Kai's anger. He spent a long time in the shower. Well, long for him. He was weary about water in old houses. He didn't think it would have a lot of water in general. Mostly he just spent the time calming down. He didn't get how his Nana could be so... well, ridiculous. He really couldn't think of another word for it at all. He almost felt betrayed, even though he did not know why. Maybe because Nana had encouraged him to reach out to Emma Jean but then didn't really want him to. She had turned her away. He let the shower run over his face for a little longer and then finally got out of the shower.

He dried off and then wrapped a towel around himself, moving back over to his room. He groaned quietly to himself and plopped down onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling. This sucked. But he wasn't going to apologize to Nana. He shouldn't have to. Eventually he got up and dressed, just lounge shorts and a short sleeved t-shirt. He didn't know what to do with himself now though. He milled about his room and then finally went downstairs, but Nana was not there. He saw her note and scoffed a little, picking it up and putting it into the trash. He found his dinner and sighed quietly. So they weren't going to eat dinner together then? Fine. He was used to being on his own anyway. Kai cooked up the leftovers and then sat at the table to eat. Part of him kind of wanted to call Emma Jean, but he didn't really have anything to say to her, so he didn't.

Eventually, Kai went back upstairs to read and finally fell asleep.

While normally Kai would get up early, he didn't the next morning. He didn't feel like it. When he did get up he came down without changing. He found Nana in the kitchen and paused in the doorway. He glanced at the breakfast she was making and only vaguely wondered if she was making enough for two. He sat down at the kitchen table anyway and didn't look at her again. He wasn't angry, exactly, but he had not forgiven Nana either.
 
Edith was making enough breakfast for two--hell, she could feed an army with what she had made already, and there was still the matter of scrambling some eggs. The skillet now bubbled with creamy sausage gravy and there was a steaming pile of buttermilk biscuits in a kitchen towel lined basket on the table. Three types of homemade jam and local jar of raw honey sat beside the biscuits with a softened stick of butter. There was a glass of juice and a cup of coffee and the crossword as well. Edith didn't speak to Kai at first. She continued cooking when she heard him at the kitchen door, but eventually there was no more left to cook. She brought over the gravy and the scrambled eggs and placed them beside the biscuits sitting down opposite Kai at the table.
Edith turned to glance out the window, the only window she had not yet drawn the curtains over,and got up to do just that. "They will wait there. Forever." Perhaps we can torch them tomorrow." Even glancing out to see if the weather would be sunny or cloudy, she caught a glimpse of the scarecrows. She had gone in a tizzy through the house pulling shades and loosing curtains over the windows and tacking a sheet up over the front door. The house was a cave. A warm cave. The air conditioner had never really caught up. She had conceded defeat to the scarecrows, and watched the forecast on the local news channel instead. It would be oppressively hot again today. And tomorrow they called for thunderstorms. Lovely. Soggy straw men.
She hadn't wanted to apologize. She didn't feel she needed to. If she'd not have crumpled the note she had left...if she told him, then he might understand. "If you think Emma Jean will be better off here, then call her and tell her to come. She will be welcome, so long as you are here. But don't be upset if she refuses." She said, passing him the biscuits. She wasn't conceding defeat. She wasn't apologizing but even suggesting that Emma Jean come meant that she was at least willing to reevaluate her stance.
 
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