[June 2]
Sam wakes him up, which is strange, crawling into the bed he and Veronica share, her stuffed squirrel tucked carefully under one arm. When he opens his eyes, he registers the early morning sunlight slanting through the windows first, then the fact that the empty place beside him in bed is cold and, finally, that Sam is looking at him with something bordering on concern.
"Good morning," he says.
"Morning," Sam answers, tucking her legs under her body, still watching him.
The hut is far too quiet. The dogs are likely outside with Veronica, he thinks, and so he pushes back the blanket and holds his arms out to Sam, who lets herself be lifted onto his hip. "Is Veronica outside?" he asks and she shrugs, looking down and playing with the squirrel's paws.
"I think, I think... she's not here," she says finally and even as Mathias frowns, trying to deny it, it registers as true. He can search the island, the Compound, all the places she might go, but the hut has never been this quiet since she's moved in and her side of the bed has never been this cold.
"We should double check," he says, setting Sam down to get dressed, then taking her to her bedroom to help her dress as well. The squirrel comes everywhere with them, even when Mathias scoops her up again and collects the dogs, then heads to the Compound. It's a long walk and he checks every place he thinks Veronica might be on the way.
Together, he and Sam check as much of the Compound as allowed, and with every moment he fails to find her, his heart begins to pound harder until it feels as though it's slamming against his ribs. Sam says almost nothing through all of this, letting Mathias lead her from room to room, her squirrel swinging from her other hand. Finally they find themselves in the kitchen and Mathias seats Sam at the table before he begins to make breakfast for the two of them. It's ridiculous, to be standing in the kitchen trying to cook when he knows, really knows that Veronica is gone, but he can't think of anything else to do.
Once breakfast is done, the two of them full, Mathias looks at Sam across the table. "I think she's gone," he says. "I think we should go find some people."
He doesn't want to, but he knows others will need to know. Keith, River, Lucy. There are others, he's sure, but he can't think of them now. Collecting Sam and her squirrel, he sets out for those three, trying to figure out what the hell he's going to say.
"Good morning," he says.
"Morning," Sam answers, tucking her legs under her body, still watching him.
The hut is far too quiet. The dogs are likely outside with Veronica, he thinks, and so he pushes back the blanket and holds his arms out to Sam, who lets herself be lifted onto his hip. "Is Veronica outside?" he asks and she shrugs, looking down and playing with the squirrel's paws.
"I think, I think... she's not here," she says finally and even as Mathias frowns, trying to deny it, it registers as true. He can search the island, the Compound, all the places she might go, but the hut has never been this quiet since she's moved in and her side of the bed has never been this cold.
"We should double check," he says, setting Sam down to get dressed, then taking her to her bedroom to help her dress as well. The squirrel comes everywhere with them, even when Mathias scoops her up again and collects the dogs, then heads to the Compound. It's a long walk and he checks every place he thinks Veronica might be on the way.
Together, he and Sam check as much of the Compound as allowed, and with every moment he fails to find her, his heart begins to pound harder until it feels as though it's slamming against his ribs. Sam says almost nothing through all of this, letting Mathias lead her from room to room, her squirrel swinging from her other hand. Finally they find themselves in the kitchen and Mathias seats Sam at the table before he begins to make breakfast for the two of them. It's ridiculous, to be standing in the kitchen trying to cook when he knows, really knows that Veronica is gone, but he can't think of anything else to do.
Once breakfast is done, the two of them full, Mathias looks at Sam across the table. "I think she's gone," he says. "I think we should go find some people."
He doesn't want to, but he knows others will need to know. Keith, River, Lucy. There are others, he's sure, but he can't think of them now. Collecting Sam and her squirrel, he sets out for those three, trying to figure out what the hell he's going to say.