The Time to Run

Chapter XXX

It was a few days since Avon had entered the village and everyone living with Bourne had welcomed her nicely. She and her brother were cleaning out the stables, something they used to do together as children. Other people hated this job, but Avon loved it, as it was a chance to talk.
"So, how has Woodlake been?" She asked.
"Um... good. The jobs fine, so is the housing. The only downside is that I wasn't with my family."
Avon smiled. It was comforting to know that her brother missed her.
"Uh... how's father?"
She was surprised at the question. Why was Bourne asking about Father? From how her brother had acted, she always assumed he hated him.
"Um... Father's good. He still stays at home," Avon answered. Bourne sighed. "But he's much better than before. He does some gardening. This year we had strawberries."
"Hmm."
They continued on with their work. Things seemed different between them. Avon found it harder to talk to him than when they lived together. They were always so close, but after a year of not talking to each other, they had drifted apart. She regretted not responding to the letters he had sent her.
Soon, they finished cleaning out the stables and it was time for lunch. Today, they were to go to the local cafe. It was Bourne's treat. The cafe was small and run by a family of six. They sat down and ordered their food. Bourne asked for a small pie and Avon a tart. It was the first time this past week they were alone, without the company of Bourne's roommates.
"So, I want to know, I would've asked you earlier but I didn't want one of your mates butting in. Do you have your eye on someone? I told you, so it's only fair."
Bourne's face flushed pink and he looked at her.
"First thing you ask, huh."
"Yeah, I'm interested."
"I guess I kinda have someone." He began, clearly nervous. "She's this girl that, um... comes round the stable a sometimes."
Lilith raised her eyebrows and Bourne crossed his arms. He looked to the side and said, "Anyway, doesn't matter."
"It's a nice cafe. Do you go here often?"
"Yeah. Me and everyone else at the stable go here a lot."
There was a few seconds of silence before anyone decided to speak. Again, Avon felt a large space between them, even though they were only on opposite sides of a small table.
"Hey, Avon."
"Yeah."
"I think you need to leave. You need to leave Woodlake."
Avon stared at him. She wondered why he wanted her to leave.
"This was the real reason you brought me here, isn't it."
"Yeah. You can't stay. They've had more than enough time to search nearly all of the towns in the country. It's only a matter of time before they find you."
"I've only just gotten my brother back! I'm not gonna leave after only a few days."
"You have to. There's no other choice."
Avon got up and left. She knew her brother was right, but she didn't want him to be.