The long-distance steam train was on its way to the north. It was going to be a long trip, so they had their own little cabin. It had a sitting booth against the outer wall below the window, consisting of a table and two seats on either side. There wasn’t much room to stand, only the size of a third seat. There were two beds in the walls above the seats, stretching the full width of the room. Rune and Hyde sat in the sitting booth, facing each other and leaning against the window.

“How do you think they’ll react to your letter?” Rune asked.

Hyde shrugged. “I don’t know. I hope they’ll be happy to hear I’m alive.”

“I’m sure they will be, unless your family is really vengeful and unforgiving. They aren’t, are they?”

Hyde chuckled. “No, they’re nice.”

“Good.”

“What was your family like?”

“Uh,” Rune hesitated, not sure how to describe them. “Well, I don’t know what my sisters are like now, but I’ve told you about my grandpa, haven’t I?”

“Yeah, you have. I more so meant your parents. What were your parents like?”

“Oh.” Rune looked out the window in thought with a hum. “I’m—or at least, I think—a lot like my dad, in personality. More talkative, brash, witty, loved music.”

“Music?”

Rune smiled. “Yeah, he played piano and so do I.”

Hyde’s eyes widened. “Really?”

Rune nodded.

“Did he teach you?”

“No. He wanted to, but… yeah. Lullaby taught me.”

“Oh. Well, I’m sure he’d be proud of you.”

Rune smiled sadly again. He grabbed his earring. “This earring was his. He gave it to me a few weeks before he died, for my birthday.”

“At least you still have something left of him.”

“Yeah, it’s become a bit of a family heirloom. It was my grandad’s first, he gave it to my dad for his thirteenth birthday, too.” He gazed out the window again. “I’m not sure how to describe my mum. I guess she was more of a fun mum? But as a kid, you don’t tend to look at your parents as people, just parents. So, I don’t fully know what kind of people they were.”

Hyde hummed. “Yeah.”

Rune shrugged. “I could ask my grandpa if I wanted to know more. No one would know more about my dad than him.”

“Cause he’s your dad’s father?”

“Yeah.”

“Is he your only grandparent you’ve met?”

Rune tilted his head and squinted his eyes. “Uh, technically no. I’ve met my dad’s mum too. But barely. I’ve never met my mum’s parents, I don’t think she talked to them anymore.”

“Why have you barely met your grandma?”

“Ugh,” Rune sighed. “Long story. But in short, she wasn’t a good mother. She was never home, always working on her career. And when she was, she ignored my dad. She and my grandpa argued and fought a lot. One day, it escalated so much, she pushed him down the stairs and caused his knee injury. That’s when he finally kicked her out. My dad and grandpa had barely been in contact with her since. I’ve only met her because she wanted to meet her grandchildren a couple times. But outside of that, she never bothered to be a part of our lives. Even if she did, I bet my dad kept her away from us.”

“Hmm.” Hyde wasn’t sure how to respond.

“Have you met your grandparents?”

Hyde sighed and shook his head.

Rune frowned. “Why not?”

“My mom doesn’t talk to her parents either. And my dad’s parents both died before my sister was born.”

“Oh. Do you know anything about them?”

“My grandma liked to draw and my grandpa was the alpha before my dad. And my dad was closer to him than my grandma.”

“How did they die?”

“My grandad got killed over conflicts with another pack. Instead of talking about it like normal people, they decided killing him and leaving the pack to his inexperienced twenty-one year old son would be more convenient.”

Rune gave him a horrified look. “Bloody hell, are packs that savage with each other?”

Hyde shrugged. “That one was. Depends who’s alpha, I guess.”

“And your grandma?”

“She died of cancer three years later.”

“Ah.”

“It’s weird, though.”

“What is?”

“Even though I never met them, I miss them. My parents always told me stories about my dad’s parents and said how much they would’ve loved me.” Hyde’s eyes teared up. “So, even though they’re dead and I never knew them, they still feel like they’re a part of my family. And I miss them.”

Rune smiled a little. “I’ve never had family that I lost before I was born—as far as I know—but I get it.”

Hyde smiled too. “Sometimes I wonder what my life would’ve been like if they were still alive.”

“Sort of as a what could’ve been thing?”

“Yeah. Maybe my grandad could’ve taught me some social skills.”

Rune snorted. “Your social skills are fine.”

Hyde chuckled. “Thanks, I guess.”

The first night on the train, Rune laid awake for a while. He stared out of the window, hiding under the sheets up to his nose. The landscape raced past. Empty fields, forests, the occasional town. The train only had a few stops in major cities.

They’d taken a different train before getting onto this one, to get to the closest city. When they arrive in the north, at the final stop, they’ll have to take another train to Enath.

He moved his gaze to the other side of the cabin, to Hyde sleeping in the other bed. He slept on his back with his knees up; the beds weren’t big enough for either of them to lay stretched out. His sheets only covered his legs.

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Rune’s mind wandered to the night and morning before. How he’d hugged and held him, how they snuggled up against each other, how vulnerable they both were.

Hyde’s hair was messy, his mouth was opened a little as he slept (Rune was surprised he wasn’t snoring), his shirt crept up to reveal his belly button.

Rune forced himself to look away by turning around to face the wall. He had enough on his mind, he didn’t have the energy to deal with however that made him feel.

----------------------------------------

A calming wave of nostalgia washed over Rune, easing the anxiety he had felt. He walked through Enath for the first time in five years. They passed through the shopping street he always went to with his parents, including the shop he got his ear pierced at with his dad, the school he went to, playgrounds he always loved to play at.

He was conflicted. Happy to remember these moments again, but sad that they were gone now. However, now that he was back, they could begin making new happy memories. He hoped they remembered him as fondly as he remembered them. Probably not, they must be pissed at him for ‘ignoring’ them for so long. Surely, it would only be a matter of time before they’ll forgive him, they can’t be mad at him forever.

Rune looked beside him. Hyde was rubbing his arms and shivering. This might be the coldest weather he had ever experienced, Rune realised. He grabbed his wrist and said, “Let’s get you inside.”

“Huh?”

He dragged Hyde through the streets.

Rune stared at his house, pondering. He should knock.

Should he, though?

It would be so much easier if someone happened to open the door right now.

“Should I knock?” Hyde offered behind him.

Rune jumped and turned around. “No—no. I should.”

“Then do it.”

Rune sighed. He stepped towards the door, feeling his heart beating faster in his chest with every step he took. He held his fist up to the door, but froze again. Maybe they weren’t home, maybe they could come back later, maybe they didn’t want him to return, maybe they’d yell at him to go away, maybe—

He stepped back, shaking his head. “I can’t do this.” He turned around and tried to run past Hyde, but Hyde caught his arm and pulled him back.

“Oh, no you don’t. I didn’t spend three days on a train just for you to run away!”

Rune tugged at his arm, wanting to get away from this house. “We’ll go to my grandad first.”

“No, we’re here now. Knock on that damn door or I’ll do it for you.”

Rune stared at him, frozen and afraid.

Hyde loosened his grip while he softened his posture. “It’ll be fine. They’re your family, they miss you. And you’re not alone. Knock.”

Rune glanced at the door. He took a deep breath and went back to it, Hyde let his arm go. He stood in front of it again, physically ready to knock. Mentally, however, he froze again. He pinched his lips, his eyes stung. He shouldn’t be so afraid of seeing his family, but he was. And he hated it.

His wrist was grabbed and made to knock on the door twice. Rune turned to Hyde with wide eyes as Hyde released his wrist. “What—!”

“Technically, you knocked.”

Rune huffed, angry as well as scared.

The door opened, Rune snapped his head around to it and held his breath. A young faerie woman with long, brown hair peaked outside. She seemed perfectly human, aside from her pointy ears. She gasped and opened the door further. Rune was silent. She hadn’t yelled at him yet, at least.

“Hi,” he breathed out.

“You—you’re back?” she asked in disbelief.

“Yeah. Is that good?”

Her eyes teared up as she chuckled. “What kind of stupid question is that?”

“I don’t know, I thought you’d be mad at me for staying quiet all this time.”

She shook her head. She reached outside and grabbed Rune’s arm. “Come here.” She pulled him inside, then looked at Hyde. “I don’t know who you are, but—” She waved for him to get inside, too. Hyde walked in. She closed the door.

Rune took the house around him in. Barely anything changed. The walls all had the same colours; all on the darker side, some blues and purples mixed in here and there. The colours were his father’s taste, they never bothered to repaint anything. The wooden floor was the warmest tone in the whole house.

Rune turned back to the faerie and Hyde before things got too awkward. “This is Hyde, my friend,” he introduced. “It’s thanks to him that I can come back in the first place.”

“Really, how?” she asked Hyde.

“Locked him in a cell for three nights,” Hyde answered.

“Oh.”

Hyde leaned over to Rune and quietly asked, “And this is—probably not one of your sisters…?”

“No.” Rune stepped beside her and gestured at her. “This is Lullaby.”

“Nice to meet you,” Lullaby smiled.

Hyde smiled back a little awkwardly. “You, too.”

Rune grabbed Hyde’s wrist. “You should warm up.” He dragged him into the living room. There was a fire place with a couch facing it, as well as a black, shiny piano in the middle of the room. Rune took Hyde to the couch, then pushed him to sit. “There, warm and cosy.” He grabbed a blanket from the armrest and threw it on Hyde’s lap. “A blanket, if you need it. Now I—uh, I should—”

“Yeah, go deal with your family stuff.” Hyde waved him off. “I’ll wait here.” He wrapped the blanket over his head and body.

Rune smiled and walked off.

He returned to the hallway. Light footsteps came down the stairs. Rune saw a teenaged vampire girl with long, wavy, raven black hair walking down.

“Moon!” Lullaby called, she gestured at Rune. “Look who’s back!”

Moon stared at him with her crimson eyes, she teared up. She tackle-hugged him and yelled, “Rune!”

He yelped and stumbled back. He chuckled and hugged her tight, resting his cheek against the top of her head. “Hey.”

She looked up at him through her sobs. “You’re here.”

Rune rested his forehead against hers. “I’m here.”

More footsteps came down. Rune looked up again, Moon dug her face into his chest. Another girl came down the stairs, she had white hair cut into a bob reaching her shoulders. She stared at Rune in disbelief.

Rune smiled again. “Night, hey.”

She teared up. Her face trembled as she shook her head and stepped away, she hugged herself. Rune frowned. So it wasn’t going to be all happy reunions, after all.

“Hey,” Lullaby spoke up as she walked to Night. “What’s wrong?”

“What? Are you fine with it that he comes back out of nowhere with no explanation and acts like nothing happened?”

“I’m not acting like nothing happened,” Rune corrected. “I’ve only been back for a few minutes. Whatever you want to know, you can ask.”

“Why bother? You don’t care!” Night snapped, startling Rune. He was at a loss for words.

Moon let him go and looked at Night. “That’s not fair, he just got here.”

“Do you really think I don’t care?” Rune asked, shocked.

“You were gone for five years without a word, what other conclusion am I supposed to pull from that?!” Night shouted.

“I was gone to provide for you!”

“You couldn’t have found a job nearby?! It certainly didn’t seem like you tried!”

“I—”

“You promised you’d come visit and keep in touch with us, but you didn’t! Not once!” Night cried.

“Night, I—”

“What do you think it felt like?! First, our parents die, then our brother leaves us for no reason!”

“I didn’t—”

“And what about Grandpa?! He lost his son, and then his grandson vanished out of his life, too!”

Rune stepped back with tears in his eyes. That was a low blow, dragging their grandad into this.

“And now—”

“Could you listen for five seconds?!” Rune snapped, she flinched. “I tried to get out of it, this job! I didn’t want to leave! But you know what they did?!” He stepped closer to her and got into her face. “They threatened to kill everyone I love,” he said through his teeth. “Do you think I wanted to travel around the continent to who-knows-where to steal things from random, probably dangerous people? I spent every day trying to think of a way to get out of it without risking all our lives or spending years locked away in prison!”

Night stared at him with wide eyes, startled.

He stepped away and took a deep breath. He rubbed the bridge of his nose. That was enough shouting at his little sister. “I’m sorry I left you, I wish I never had to. If you need time to process everything, then I get that. I’ll be here when you’re ready to forgive me.”

Night looked down with her lips trembling. “Why didn’t you keep in touch?”

“To keep you safe.”

“How?”

“Some of the people I had to steal from were dangerous. I didn’t want to risk one of those people intercepting letters and finding out where you lived and put you in danger.” His eyes teared up. “All I wanted was to keep you safe, even if that meant I had to be away from you for as long as I have.”

Night nodded.

Rune turned to Moon behind him, she seemed worried. He smiled sadly at her and grabbed her arm to pull her against his side. She hugged him again.

“Now, I don’t want to leave again right away, but”—Rune looked back at Night and Lullaby—“is Grandpa coming over anytime soon?”

“No, he left a few days ago,” Moon told him.

Rune frowned. “What? Where? When is he coming back?”

“He said he’ll be away for a month, he needed to get away from home for a while or something.”

“A month?! Wha-eh, can you tell him to come back?”

Moon shook her head. “He didn’t tell us where he was going.”

Rune sighed deeply and massaged his temple. “Great.”

“What’s the issue?” Lullaby asked. “Can’t you wait for him to return?”

“We weren’t planning to stay for that long.”

“What?” Night spoke up again. “You’ll leave again?”

“Not for long, I just—” Rune glanced at the door to the living room. “I have other places to go, too. But, from now on, I’ll always tell you where I am, okay? If there’s an emergency, or you want to talk to me, you can send me a letter,” Rune reassured Night with a smile. Night huffed, upset again.

Moon squinted and pushed herself off Rune. “ ‘We’?”

“Hm?”

“You said, ‘We weren’t planning to stay that long.’ Who’s we?”

“Oh! Right, you haven’t seen him yet.”

“Who?” Night and Moon asked simultaneously.

Rune took his arm off Moon, he scratched his cheek. “So, I brought a friend.”

“Why?” Moon asked.

Rune shrugged. “I guess I needed some moral support.”

Moon stepped to the door to the living room. She opened it and saw the back of a figure on the couch wrapped in a blanket. She smiled curiously and walked towards him.

“Oh, you’re just going to—okay,” Rune called after her.

Night peaked out the door at Hyde, too. “What kind of wuss is he, wrapped in a blanket? It’s not even winter.”

Rune glared at her. “I’d like to see you survive in the summer heat of the south for a day.”

Night glared back at him.