UNHEEDED: Undone Realms Book 2

Ch. 11 - Justification

Oliver's family is heading south and he won't be going with them.  He's convinced his mother that there is an opportunity for him at the Port of Seattle.  He will try his luck there. 

Marylou knows his decision to leave is really about Avie.  She's convinced herself that Avie is from a wealthy logging family and that he's going north to be with her, despite her family's obvious disapproval of him.  She believes this story for all of its romantic potential.  Oliver doesn't correct her, even though her version of events is almost as fantastical as the truth.

"Don't tell Ma."  Oliver hugs her close.  "Her mind won't be at ease unless she thinks I've got a job lined up."

 "I know Ollie, I promise."  His shoulder is damp from her tears.  A twinge of guilt threatens to cloud his otherwise unusually optimistic mood.  He's told himself he'll come back to see his family next year when the apples are ready to be picked again.  At the back of his mind, though, he knows this isn't a sure thing.  His new life is as far away from this orchard as he can imagine and it's waiting for him.

Well, a new life will be waiting for him as long as Avie doesn't back out of their arrangement.  She has agreed to let him come with her to her realm, as she calls it, but clearly she's nervous about it.  Maybe he's rushing things, maybe he should never have suggested she take him with her.  He asks her if this is true almost immediately after she agrees to take him; she promises him she wants him with her.

"But..." She worries a bit of dried grass between her fingers.

"But, what?" Oliver finally asks, tipping her chin up so that he can read her expression.

"There might be... complications from you spending too much time in another realm."

"You've spent plenty of time here.  You ain't had any complications, have you Avie?"

"I guess not, no... but I don't live here.  I just visit."

"What kind of complications are we talking about exactly?"

Avie shifts in her spot next to him.  "Look, I'm just going to come out and say it, Oliver.  Marcella thinks switching realms will cause some kind of horrible sickness.  I mean, like, really horrible!" She bites her lip, then adds quickly, "The apple tree is fine, though, and it's spent its whole life in another realm from where it originated."

"Well there you go then."  He pulls Avie into his arms, the back of her head resting against his chest.  This news should concern him, but it doesn't.  Marcella would say something awful like that simply because she doesn't want Avie tampering with the realms.  She probably tells her all sorts of things just to scare her.  Besides, if he gets sick, he can always come back to his own world, and they'll figure out some other way to be together. 

He loops a finger around a strand of Avie's hair.  "The apple tree and me—we'll be fine."

Now that the voyage through the realms is almost upon him, Oliver is absolutely sure he's making the right choice.  It's not that he won't miss his family—he's thought plenty about the impact his absence will have on them.  Raymond is working again, though, and he's married now.  His brother-in-laws will help Raymond make sure his mother and sister are cared for. 

They don't need him any longer, but Avie does.  He needs her just as much.  Here, he's a rain cloud that his family puts up with out of love and a sense of familial devotion.  There is no way his misery isn't a burden.  They are better off if they only have their own sorrows to contend with. 

This is what he thinks when Marylou is crying on his shoulder, telling him that he better marry Avie no matter what her millionaire father says. 

This is what he tells himself over and over again: his family will be fine.  He will be fine.  He is sure there is nothing to concern himself with.  So what if this particular assurance hinges on the health of a single apple tree.  He is leaving a life he hates and he gets to be with Avie.

There is no room in his mind to think that this will end any other way but happily.

A/N: Oliver's done a pretty good job convincing himself that he needs to leave for Avie's realm.  Is his rationalization working for you? Avie, on the other hand, is nervous about it.  What are the chances that she'll back out at the last minute?

Have I ever mentioned that I have the best readers?  Well, it's true!  Every time I post a chapter, I am amazed by the responses I receive from such wonderfully astute people.  I will be dedicating chapters to several of these readers, and today's is for @books_things1.  Holly's comments are always thought-provoking and I'm so happy she's reading.  Holly is also a writer and in fact won runner-up in my October Unseen Flash Fiction Contest (link in comments). if you're up for a Maximum Ride/Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. crossover, you should check out her story The Furious Flock. She's also just began a dystopian story called Infinite which sounds amazing!