Savannah's Fate [short story]

Chapter 13: Tearing Apart

Chapter 13:

Savannah dressed the next morning with new hope. Today she would be able to go to The Strip and see Cole.

She hummed a tune as she put on her dress, then grabbed her book and opened the door. Her father and brother were waiting for her, but this time she'd expected it.

"Good morning Father." She nodded. "And Jesse."

Her brother grinned. "Well, up early again, I see. Where do you think you're heading?"

"The Strip." She gave her best smile.

Her brother's eyes glinted with anger. "It's not safe."

"I'm not following you..."

"Sis, are you with us? Are you on our side?"

She was taken back, but nodded. "You...you know I am."

"Do I?"

Her Pa looked at him sternly. "Ease off, Jesse. She's kin." He looked at Savannah with the same harsh look. "She would never go against her own kin."

Savannah cleared her throat, feeling more nervous with each passing second.

"Can you keep quiet?" her father asked.

Savannah felt panic, but couldn't help herself. She nodded.

"Alright. Jesse has done something I'm not entirely proud of. It's lawless and plain stupid, but what's done is done."

Savannah's breath was laboured, and her heart beat a mile a minute. She knew this was worse. This had to be worse than even stealing a horse for them to act this way.

Her father only stared at her intently. Finally, she couldn't help it.

"Pa, what is it? What did he do?"

"Oh, just come out with it!" Jesse snarled. "I'm not ashamed of what I've done!"

His pa sent him a look. "I'm not ashamed of it or you, Boy, but I'm not all the way proud of you neither."

Jesse swallowed. "Fine, I'll say it. I shot the older Hudson boy."

Savannah felt her stomach drop and her throat tighten. Tears spilled over without her being able to stop them, and she let out a cry. "You didn't, Jesse! Oh please tell me you didn't do it!"

She let out more cries, covering her mouth. "You killed him!"

Savannah raced for the door, her father and brother screaming at her, but she didn't stop. She only ran and ran and ran. She pressed the book to her chest as she ran, letting out sorrowful cries she couldn't hold in.

"I defy you, stars!" she cried. "Oh, I defy you..."

As she reached The Strip, she sank against the oak tree and kept crying and crying.

"Fate," Savannah whispered. "Fate, fate, fate. How I hate you!"

She screamed wildly, the horses running from her cries.

"You're a horrid thing, fate. Why be horrid to me?" she cried. "Why?"

And then she continued to incessantly cry, unable to stop and not really wanting to.

Maybe he was the one for her, she realized. Maybe Cole had been her one to be with forever, but fate had taken him from her. She would never know for sure.

Fate took him.

{-}

She heard the pounding of an oncoming horse, and knew it was her family coming for her. She ignored them and cried into the tree, still cradling her book. She heard the rider dismount, but still wouldn't dare look up to her family.