Agent in the Dark

She was beginning to see that it was going to be a gift from God to be such a man's woman. What had seemed like a sacrificial, even cursed existence at the time of the deal could now be the implement of change needed to give her far more than her dreams had ever asked for. She fell asleep oddly content on the makeshift bed in complete trust that her man would never hurt her.

She sure was chipper, I acknowledged bitterly. It had gotten so bad that I'd had to roll away from her and do my resting in the dirt beside the comfy pine bed. It was early afternoon and she followed along behind me like an eager Girl Scout anxious to know all there was to know about nature. For someone, who hadn't talked much before, she sure was bubbly now.

I did my best to answer her endless questions without my sore mood becoming a domineering issue. It wasn't like I wanted to dissuade her questions about learning of the natural world that I had chosen to make my home in so I tried to be nice. However the conversation eventually turned personal, as it always seemed to do with her.

"You mentioned you had a brother. Do you have any other siblings?"

"No."

"Are your parents alive?"

"No."

"Any other family?"

"No."

"What's your brother's name?"

I didn't answer her and I started to put a little distance on her, when her hand grasped at my arm. I stopped not looking at her, but she came around in front of me. Her words were underscored by the earnestness of her gaze.

"I want to know about you John, please!"

I stared at her for a moment, "His name is James. James Kilroy, but he goes by the codename of Flint. I had a sister once, but she didn't make it through testing as James and I did. Our parents died in a tornado that leveled our farm never knowing what became of us and beyond that I remember next to nothing else about them other than for the vague way of how my mother looked. I don't like talking about it and I'd appreciate it if you didn't ask any more questions on the matter!"

I started to turn away, but her arms closed around my middle tightly.

Awkwardly I held my arms wide, "What are you doing?" I asked

"Giving you a hug."

"I can see that, but why?"

"Because you didn't get enough of them growing up." She said.

I swallowed at that and stood still to the count of thirty, when she finally let me go. We started back out, as I felt defensive roiling emotions roiling back and forth inside of me like I was a wind tossed ship in a storm.