[026] happy home

                                                           "How did you lose your eye, Aunt Suki?" a five-year-old Callie Sadecki asks, sitting right next to Suki.

                                                           Suki had decided to go and visit the Sadecki household, merely for the sake of dropping off some pieces that Shauna had ordered. And to even let Callie paint a vase as a fun little activity. Suki didn't do too well around kids, mostly awkward around them. But she was willing to try her best for little Callie's sake.

                                                           And now while the two of them were painting pottery outside in the backyard together, Callie had allowed her curiosity to get the better of her.

                                                           Suki pursed her lips, feeling Shauna staring at her. Jeff looked equally as worried. While he didn't know the answer, he knew that it couldn't have been anything good. Nonetheless, Suki sends Callie a small smile before she decides to go forward with her story.

                                                        "Well, when I was younger, I went on an adventure far, far away from here," Suki starts.

                                                       "Where did you go?" Callie questioned.

                                                       "A place called the wilderness," Suki answered.

                                                       "I think that's enough -," Shauna began to say.

                                                        "No, I want to hear!" Callie insisted, sending Shauna a pleading look which was enough to make her falter.

                                                        "The wilderness was scary and dark but also... beautiful. The kind of place you can get lost in. And I did... for a while. I had to fight dragons and all sorts of monsters to get out. But the last one... it proved to be the worst one of them all. I won, of course, but with a price. It took my eye," Suki stated.

                                                     "Really?" Callie's eyes widen in shock.

                                                     "Mhm. I'm practically a hero," Suki nodded.

                                                    "That's enough questions, Callie. Let's focus on the painting, yeah?" Shauna intervened now, desperate to put the story to an end. She sends Suki a look, but Suki just looks back at her.

                                                    "What do you think of my vase?" Callie suddenly asked, causing Suki to look away from her and towards the vase Callie had been painting on.

                                                    Suki falters as she sees the symbol printed on the dried clay, making her drop her paintbrush onto the table. Her breath hitches in her throat as she continues to stare at it.

                                                    "Suki?" Jeff calls out her name.

                                                     She blinks and just like that, the symbol is gone - replaced with a sun instead. Suki plasters a smile onto her lips before looking over at Callie. "Oh, it's really great. You did a good job."

                                                   Callie just beams before she keeps going and Suki also focuses on painting, ignoring Shauna staring at her the whole time.

                                                   That was the last official time Suki had been over to the Sadecki household. Suki and Shauna called every so often, they'd even meet up a bar to talk to make sure that no one had talked. But other than that, there had really been no contact until now. But now, Suki was sitting inside the Sadecki household and bouncing her leg up and down. It was both due to nerves and her fixing for another glass of anything remotely alcoholic. Which was why she had asked Shauna for something.

                                                 "You want... booze right now? It's early in the afternoon," Shauna frowned.

                                                 "Yeah? Well, it's midnight in England... probably," Suki argued.

                                                 "Sorry to disappoint but I don't have anything. Do you want soda?" Shauna tried.

                                                 Suki shrugs. "Sure. Fine."

                                                 Shauna goes into the kitchen before preparing a glass for Suki, the woman waiting in the living room. She looks around, noticing all of the different pictures that were hung up on the walls. Some were of Shauna and Jeff when they were younger, getting married. Others were of the whole Sadecki family. It looked so picturesque and quaint - it was easy to forget that Shauna had been a part of the crash.

                                                 And that she too had done unspeakable things to be alive today.

                                                 "This looks like quite the happy home you have here. It's so cozy," Suki remarked.

                                                 "Thanks," Shauna replies, soon coming back with the glass of soda which she hands over to Suki, "Should we just cut to the chase or...?"

                                                 "Did any weird reporter lady visit you recently?" Suki questioned before she takes a sip. "Her name was Jessica... something."

                                                "Jessica Roberts. Yeah, she did. Why do you ask?" Shauna inquired. "You didn't say anything, did you?" 

                                                 Suki laughs. "You're joking, right? Why would I say anything?"

                                                Suki would be the last person to talk, given all the blood on her hands.

                                                "Alright, fair. Do you think one of us said anything? Because I can assure you, I haven't said a word," Shauna questioned.

                                                "Maybe you didn't but... she mentioned my mom and the history surrounding her. Either she did a lot of digging or -," Suki began to say.

                                                "She's just a reporter, same as the other ones. This one just decided to actually do her homework. She'll go away when she doesn't find out what she wants," Shauna insisted.

                                                "Are you sure?" Suki questioned.

                                                "Yes, I'm sure," Shauna answers. "Why? What's going on?"

                                                 Suki thinks back to the postcard, one she still kept in her purse. She had planned on showing it to Shauna, trying to prove to her that it was all connected somehow. But just then, she would hear the front door opening. Shauna and Suki both look to see Jeff walking inside the house, the man instantly pauses when he sets eyes on Suki.

                                               "Oh... hey, Suki! I didn't know we were having company," Jeff replies almost awkwardly with a small, equally awkward smile. "I like... that color on you."

                                               "Black?" Suki sends him a disbelieving look.

                                               "Yeah. It... it really suits you," Jeff nods.

                                               "Thanks," is all Suki can say.

                                               "W-what are you doing here? Catching up or something?" Jeff questioned, glancing between his wife and Suki.

                                               "Yeah, Suki was in the area and just wanted to stop by. Isn't that right?" Shauna turns to look at Suki who quickly nods.

                                               Suki knew she definitely couldn't show Shauna the postcard now. "Yeah. That's right. You wouldn't be interested in buying more pottery, would you? I have some I've been meaning to get rid of."

                                              "Uh, we'll have to stop by the store sometime and see. You know, she still has it," Jeff responded.

                                              "What?" Suki frowned.

                                              "The vase you two worked on together when she was five. Callie still keeps it in her room. I didn't realize it until the other day," Jeff explained.

                                              "Oh, that's... nice," Suki nodded.

                                              She assumed Callie would've forgotten all about her by now. But apparently, she hadn't.

                                              "Suki was just leaving now. Wasn't she?" Shauna adds.

                                              "Yeah. I have to go back to the shop and everything. But it was nice seeing you both again," Suki says as she stands up, finishing the soda in the glass before she sets the glass back down.

                                              "Definitely," Jeff responded.

                                               Suki looks at Shauna once more before she leaves, Jeff following behind her to see her out. She left the Sadecki household with more questions than answers and when Suki was this frustrated, there was only one place she could go to make herself feel better.

( 🌲🔪🦌 )

                                         Suki twirls her finger around the rim of the glass, the faint hum of conversation filling the space around her as she sat at the bar. So far, Suki had nothing but glasses of whiskey and brandy to keep her company. And that was doing her fine so far. Glancing around, Suki wondered if she had shown up on the wrong night since there were far too many couples for it to be normal.

                                         Or maybe being single for as long as she had been was finally getting to her. Regardless, Suki tips her head back as she finishes her shot before she begins moving on to the next one. Just when Suki thought that she'd be staying at the bar alone, someone new would end up sitting right next to her. Suki sneaks a glance, noticing the woman to be around her age with curly brown hair and dark eyes. She was beautiful, and a little too well dressed for a bar like this one.

                                         So needless to say, Suki's interest was piqued. Plus, the fact that Suki didn't recognize her also had her confused. She knew just about everyone in Wiskayok and everyone knew her (unfortunately). The woman beside her was practically a stranger.

                                         "Let me guess... you were stood up?" the woman asks before Suki could get a chance to talk to her.

                                         Suki furrowed her brows. "I hate to disappoint you but I came here on my own. I don't have anyone in my life to stand me up anyway."

                                         "Seriously?" she asks, sounding genuinely surprised by the fact.

                                         "Seriously," Suki chuckles.

                                         "Now, I don't mean to be rude but -," she began to ask next.

                                         Suki knew what was coming now. Every woman she had been with always asked about her eye. And Suki usually changed the subject. But when she couldn't do that successfully, then she'd just lie. It had been everything from a horrible car accident to a freak accident with a pair of scissors. Everything but the truth. Suki had promised all those years ago that she'd never utter the truth to a living soul that hadn't been in the wilderness with her all those eighteen months.

                                        "What's with the eye patch?" she finished.

                                        "I just wanted to go out tonight and look like a sexy pirate. Why, is it not working for you?" Suki responds with a shrug, making the woman beside her chuckle softly.

                                       "No, it's working. It's definitely working for me. I just didn't think I'd find someone so bold enough to make such a fashion choice in a small town like this," she replied, deciding to play along. Talking about someone's eye injury didn't exactly make for sexy foreplay.

                                       "So there is a reason why I didn't recognize you. What made you move to this piece of shit town anyway?" Suki questioned, moving just a little closer to where the other woman sat.

                                       "I just wanted a fresh start. I wanted to go to a place where nobody knew who I was so I could have a chance to start over. Does that make sense?" she responded.

                                      Suki nods. "Yeah, I know exactly what you mean."

                                      Unfortunately, Suki never took the chance to leave. She didn't even know where she could go. And she couldn't bear to leave her mom. Her home was here, even if she didn't want it to be. 

                                      "Besides, it's not that bad here. It's a little charming. This place has a way of... growing on you," she replied.

                                       "You haven't been here long enough to get sick of it yet then. Let me guess, a year? Two?" Suki guessed.

                                       "Two and a half. And I really like it so far," she replies, holding out her hand. "I'm Victoria, by the way."

                                      "Suki," is all she says, grabbing onto Victoria's hand.

                                       Victoria's touch was warm and soft, making Suki feel a lot more at ease. She sensed that Victoria was good. Too good for her. And although Suki knew that she should probably stay away from her and go back home for a change, Suki was feeling selfish. She wanted to be loved and comforted, even if it was for a night. Besides, Suki planned on leaving Victoria the morning after so there was no harm to be done.

                                      "Can I buy you a drink, Victoria? We can talk about how charming Wiskayok is over a couple of shots," Suki offered.

                                      Victoria smiles. "I thought you'd never ask."

                                      They'd spend most of the night, talking to each other and getting drunk before they'd leave together. They'd go to Victoria's house (because Suki never brought any of her flings back to her house) and hook up, completely unaware of the fact that they were being followed and watched.

( 🌲🔪🦌 )

word count: 2042
notes: so the next chapter will be jumping back to the wilderness and suki in her teen girlie cult leader era. who do you guys think is following suki???? of course i am the only one to know the answer but i'd love to hear your guesses anyway 🤣

and also what do you think of callie and suki being a cute little aunt-niece duo??? i thought it was a nice little thing to add tbh