The Wolves

There Was Never A Silver Lining

As their senior year came to a close, Luke came over to see Astrid, he apologized for his behavior from earlier. The fact that he had just stood there with a dumb look on his face when Astrid asked him a question was still something that hit a nerve with her. She didn't like the way that she had felt ignored by him. She accepted his apologize and she let him inside their home. 

When he walked inside he saw that the kitchen table and the living room had been over run by fabrics and thread. He stared for a moment while Astrid then chuckled. 

"Sorry about the mess... I wasn't expecting anyone to come over, I'm making a dress in the living room and Ulf has been making new clothes... He's grown again and doesn't want to rip any more clothes than he already has." She explained as Luke chuckled. 

"Does he do that offend, the ripping his clothes part?" Luke asked as he walked over to the table and looked at what he was working on. His eyes went wide. 

"Wow... did he really make this himself?" Luke asked as Astird stood with a blank face. 

"Well he only rips his clothes if he's been growing or if he lost a fight... But I'm pretty sure that he did make that tunic, unless father was making one for himself." He walked over and looked at the stitching and size of the garment, she smiled. 

"Yeah this one Ulf made, he usually adds something red to his clothes, see how he made the collar in red thread so far. My father usually puts white or blue, Ulf likes red when he makes a black tunic. Kind of funny, before he started growing to be about the same size as father he never wore black. It was always green, red or brown. " She explained as Luke looked back at the cloth. 

"He knows how to sow... I would have expected that from him. Does everyone in your family make their own clothes?" He asked as she nodded with a smile. 

"Our mother taught us when we very young, she helped us make our own matching tunic and dress when we were five. Both of them were longer on us and that caused some confusion when we were around our father... He had trouble telling us apart and still does but mother never had any trouble... And trust me, we tried to confuse her sometimes." She said as they shared a chuckle. 

"That's really neat, my mom told me that sowing was a woman's job and if I needed anything sown that I should either give it to her or find a wife..." He said as he trailed off. Astrid looked shocked. 

"Well it's a good skill to learn, it helps a lot in the long run. With the uniforms we don't have to bring them in all the time when Ulf gets taller, he just undoes the hem and then re does it to the length he needs. I do the same on the hem of my skirt." She said as he nodded seeing as that would save money in the long run for their little family. 

"But doesn't it get boring, making your own clothes?" He asked as she shock her head. 

"No, I make my clothes so that they last a long time and if I make them by hand, well I can decide what design goes where and how it'll fit on me. I don't have to settle for a copy that has been sold a thousand times. Mine is original and for me." She explained as Luke nodded. 

"That does seem pretty cool, kind of wish I knew how to sow as well as you now." He said with a chuckle as he rubbed the back of his neck. 

"I can always show you if you want, I'm not in a big rush. I'm working on a dress for an upcoming event." She said as he looked over into the living room and was in awe at what he was working on, it was beautiful. 

"You can teach me how to make something as beautiful as that?" He asked as his mouth was now ajar. 

"If you want, sure... I'll try my best to teach you." She said as she hoped he had at least a basic concept of the craft. As she started to teach him, she found out that he in fact did not have any idea about how to sow, or cut cloth or even thread a needle... It was going to be a long day.

Turns out it was a long day, Luke had stabbed himself with a needle many, many times. His cloth was now stained with little red dots. Astrid did her best to give him pointers about where to put his fingers and that would work for about five to seven stitches and then he would hit his t already raw fingers. By the time that it was six o'clock and they had been working at decorating Luke's fingers with little pin pricks, Astrid decided that it was enough of that and that they should stop while Luke had all of his fingers in one piece. 

They shared a laugh as Harold walked inside the house after his long day at work. He smiled as he found his daughter laughing with one of her friends. Luke hadn't been over in a while and he would never admit it  but he did wonder where the boy had went and what he was up to. 

It seemed that Luke had grown thinner than what Harold remembered from the last time he saw the boy. His cheekbones were more visible and his wrists were bony but this was about all that Harold's eyes had picked up. Astrid had noticed this as well, she wondered if this was why he wore lose fitting clothes... She chose not to ask about it, thinking that it may come off as rude. 

As the night went on Luke left and started walking down the long road, he would scratch at his head, his silvery hair was tangled and grown out. He tried to think of a way that he would be able to find food tonight, if he would be safe for the night. His parents had kicked him out and he now had no where to stay... He didn't want to tell anyone, he felt as though it was all his fault. 

But now he wasn't eating as regularity as he was before... He knew that Astrid and her family would most likely let him stay there until he got on his feet again... But Luke didn't want to be a burden, he worked as many jobs as he could, he showered at the local gym or pool, he washed his clothes at the laundry mat and tried to save enough for a small place... But most of the time he slept over at a shelter, hid in the gym locker rooms or even slept on park benches when the weather was nice. But he still went to school whenever he could, most of the time he was no longer there, working many part time jobs and doing whatever he could to get his savings to get that apartment. Then things would be less hectic for him... Yeah then he would have his own shower and bathroom, a steady life where he would be able to get food and eat again. But until then he was stuck doing homework under a street lamp and being late for most of the week. Sleeping outside and being cold when summer would eventually be over and the snow would be on it's way. He hoped that this would not happen to him. 

He had hoped and prayed that many things did not happen to him... But he was losing faith, things became clear now, it seemed like that if there was a higher power like the one that he once believed in... well it seemed to have disappeared and he even thought that maybe there was never one there in the first place and it had just been his parents that had provided for him with heard work. That it was sturdy beams that keep their home dry... That it was the local farmers that knew the land and needed the money that allowed them to have food on their tables. He started seeing things in a different way and he wasn't sure what to believe anymore. It felt as though he was alone for most of the time now. No mother or father to speak with. A sense of shame that he did not wish to share with his few friends, fearing that he would either be a burden or that they wouldn't understand...