Chapter 4
Ellis
The drive out to Rynkirk felt both longer and shorter than I recalled.
When I looked at the mileage, it was less than fifty miles.
Yet, it also felt like we were traveling to the other side of the country.
There was only one road connecting Emberwood to Rynkirk, and just yesterday, we’d been attacked on this very same road.
I was constantly on the edge of my seat, repeatedly checking the rearview mirror for any sign of someone driving up behind us. Every minute that passed seemed to take an hour, and I was immensely glad when we passed the boundary line for Rynkirk and left the tunnel of densely packed trees behind.
By definition, Rynkirk was a small town, but with a population of twenty-four hundred, that was still more people than we could question on our own.
There was a very good chance we’d never find someone who knew me.
I watched the pedestrians passing by on the sidewalk and wondered if any of them held the secret to my identity.
Brody brought the truck to a stop at a seemingly random spot on the road, and I realized I had no idea where we were going.
I hadn’t even thought to ask, and just trusted him to take me where I needed to go.
Not for the first time, I was glad that he had taken charge.
My brain felt so scattered and I hadn’t even thought to look up a list of camping supply stores in the city.
Apparently, hiking and camping was a big tourist draw, and generated enough income that the town had three different supply stores.
The first one we stopped at, Nature Unlimited , was the largest one.
It took up an entire building on its own, which had been designed to look like a modern log cabin.
A full taxidermy deer stood in a window over the doorway, posed among fake greenery and a few other smaller animals to give the impression that it was still alive.
The deer was obviously meant to be the focal point of the arrangement, but I barely gave the creature a passing glance before focusing on a small black and white bird sitting on a fake branch near the deer’s antlers.
I stood staring up into the dead animal’s glass eyes, and a shiver traveled up my spine.
By now it was becoming a habit that whenever I didn’t understand my own reaction, I turned to Brody for an explanation.
At first, I’d been afraid that he would grow tired of my constant questions and random statements, but in less than a day I’d already become so comfortable with him that I didn’t even hesitate before turning to him and pointing above the door.
“Something about that bird bothers me.”
He followed the line of my finger, and after studying the bird in question for a moment, a smirk spread across his mouth.
“I guess you really are superstitious. That’s a magpie.”
Magpies were a type of bird. I remembered that much, but not why the species was significant.
Noticing my confusion, Brody explained further. “There’s an old superstition about the number of magpies. ‘One for sorrow, two for mirth, three for a funeral, four for a birth.’ There might be more to the saying that that, but that’s all I remember.”
“So, just one magpie is a bad sign.”
Brody shrugged. “If you believe in that stuff.”
It was clear I did. Even without my memories, the sight of the lone bird upset me.
Noticing my distress, Brody grabbed my hand and pulled me into the shop. “Come on. It’ll be fine.”
As we passed through the door, I automatically reached out and knocked on the doorframe three times. The sound of my knuckles rhythmically hitting against the wood soothed some of my worries, but I still clung tightly to Brody’s hand.
The shop was busier than I expected inside.
There were at least a dozen people, which wasn’t a lot, but the narrow isles and fully stocked displays made everything feel cramped.
Even with only twelve other people walking around, I felt like I had to keep my elbows pinned to my sides to avoid knocking into anyone.
I followed Brody right up to the front desk, where he rang the service bell to get the attention of the teenager sitting behind the register scrolling on their phone.
“What?” the girl asked without looking up.
At least, I thought it was a girl. The short blue hair, multiple piercings and tattoos, and all black attire made it hard to tell.
Maybe that was the point.
Non-binary was a thing, wasn’t it?
Even with my memories, I had a feeling I wouldn’t know the right thing to say in this situation, so I kept my mouth shut and let Brody do the talking.
To his credit, he didn’t seem at all phased by the cashier’s attitude.
“Hi. I just need to ask you a question. Have you seen him before?” He pointed at me.
The abrupt non-sequitur question was enough to get the cashier’s attention. She—they?—looked up from the phone and blinked owlishly at us.
“What?”
That must have been Brody’s intention, for his smile just grew wider.
“I wanted to know if my friend had come in here recently to purchase anything, and if you or anyone who works here recognizes him?”
Still shocked by the unusual question, the cashier gave me a quick glance before shaking their head. “I don’t recognize him. Let me see if anyone else does?”
After making a few calls and talking to the other staff at the shop, it was eventually determined that no one recognized me. If I had come to this shop, I hadn’t left enough of an impression to be memorable.
We left, disheartened but hopeful, and headed to the next shop.
It was the same at the next place as well. No one knew me. I should have expected as much. Being identified through my purchase at a camping supply shop was already a long shot, especially since we weren’t certain I’d actually bought my supplies in this town.
“Come on,” Brody said before I could get too lost in my own thoughts. “I think I saw a place selling barbecue nearby. Let’s get some lunch before we do anything else.”
The barbecue stand ended up being a pop-up food truck near a park. We got a couple of pulled pork sandwiches—meaning Brody bought them because I had no money—and we took the food over to a park bench where we could eat while watching the ducks.
“Sorry it’s not a real restaurant,” Brody said as he handed me one of the sandwiches. “I figured we didn’t want to waste that much time. I’ll owe you a proper meal later.”
The sandwich was wrapped in greasy, wax-lined paper, which I had to carefully peel apart.
“No. This is better, actually. There’s more room outside.
Is it just me or are all the places around here really small?
I was constantly bumping into things at the shops we visited, and the restaurants didn’t seem any better.
Just looking through the windows, I could tell the booths would be narrow and uncomfortable. At least out here there’s elbow room.”
I waved my elbows around to show off the space around me, but realized the flapping gesture just made me look like a drunk duck, so I quickly stopped.
Brody laughed so hard he snorted. “This town isn’t small. You’re just too big.”
I looked down at myself.
Too big?
Brody and I were similar in size, so I hadn’t paid much attention to it, but thinking about it now, he was significantly taller than most of the people we passed.
Did that mean I was as well?
I didn’t feel large. If anything, I felt too small, like there wasn’t enough inside me to fill up a whole person.
“I didn’t feel too big when I was at your place.”
Huffing one last laugh, Brody took a bite of his sandwich before replying.
“That’s because Magnus and I are both on the large side as well.
We built our homes from the ground up and designed everything to the scale that we wanted.
It sucks, feeling like you don’t fit into the world, so we wanted one place where we could always be comfortable. ”
Copying him, I took a bite of my own sandwich. Logically, I knew it was good. A heavy scent of spices reached my nose, but the food just tasted like ash on my tongue.
“So, you and Magnus are close?”
I hadn’t asked about his relationship with the other man before.
When I’d first arrived at Brody’s home, I’d been too tired to pay attention to the other people around me.
It was only now, with more energy and a clearer head, that I realized how unusual it was for two men to build a home together.
It seemed like Magnus had his own house, and might even have a partner, but that didn’t rule out the possibility of their relationship being romantic in nature.
It shouldn’t matter to me. Brody was free to date or marry whoever he wanted, but for some reason I couldn’t get the thought out of my head.
For the first time since we’d met, Brody wasn’t immediately aware of my discomfort as he kept talking.
“Oh, yeah. Known him for years. We met in the early days of our service, and just clicked, you know.”
“Service?”
I hated how small my voice sounded.
Too large?
Bullshit.
I was nothing but a scared mouse walking around in the body of a bear.
The old, weathered wood of the bench creaked when Brody leaned back.
“Oh, right. I haven’t told you about that.
Magnus and I are both retired from the military.
Risking your lives together certainly forms a bond, let me tell you.
Actually, the fact that we’re both on the large size is how we initially met.
Due to the alphabetical line up, we were forced to share a bunk.
That rickety old thing wasn’t made to hold so much weight.
It didn’t last two nights before it collapsed on us.
Magnus sprained his wrist and some of the broken metal gave me a good cut on my arm. ”
He held up his forearm to show off the jagged scar that reached from his elbow halfway to his wrist. What he classified as a “good cut” was probably what most people would consider a sizable wound.