too. Christopher was still in the shower, and Sunny had insisted on mopping the floor, but there wasn’t much to be done about Peace’s clothes.
Bliss was sleeping in a makeshift crib of pillows, and Happy had been sent downstairs to watch more television. Peace sat on the bed, hair still wet, tucked into a towel after the scrubbing Sunny had given her in a tub so big and shiny bright it had been intimidating. The nightgown she’d been wearing was in the laundry, and the clothes she’d been wearing the night before were filthy as well from the run through the woods. Liesel had put everything in the washer.
“I… We left in a hurry.” Sunny didn’t know what else to say. Liesel was blemished. Sunny shouldn’t talk about family things with her. Within the walls of Sanctuary it had seemed entirely normal that nobody had more than a change or two of clothes accessible to them at any time, but Sunny knew that out here in the blemished world things were different. Here, people indulged in excess and greed, the accumulation of material goods. Out here, people relied on things for comfort instead of listening with their hearts.
“Sunny, look at me.”
The zipper of Sunny’s sweatshirt was still stuck halfway. She tugged it over Peace’s head. The girl would swim in it, but it was better than nothing. She looked at Liesel…at her stepmother, she thought. Liesel was her father’s wife and therefore had an authority in this house that Sunny needed to respect.
“We can go to the store and buy you some new things for the kids. For you, too.”
At Liesel’s kind look, sharp and shameful tears pricked at Sunny’s eyelids. She took a deep breath to push them away. “Oh, no. I couldn’t have you do that.”
“Sunny, all of this—” Liesel gestured at the bed, where everything that had been stuffed into both their knapsacks had made only a tiny pile on the soft comforter “—I don’t mean to hurt your feelings, but it’s worn-out. And dirty.”
Sunny nodded, biting her lip, and concentrated on tugging a borrowed comb through Peace’s curls. In Sanctuary, clothes were shared and then recycled when they became too worn to wear. But at least there they had other clothes to wear while dirty outfits were being washed.
“I have money,” Sunny said.
Liesel hesitated. “Of course, that’s fine. But if you don’t have enough, I’m sure your…dad…and I can cover it.”
Sunny smiled faintly at that. “I can’t think of him as my dad. I’m sorry. It just sounds funny.”
“It does, doesn’t it?”
Liesel smiled. This time the warmth welling up inside Sunny wasn’t from embarrassment. She smiled back.
“You don’t have to call him Dad if you don’t feel comfortable,” Liesel said. “I think he feels strange about it, too.”
Sunny smoothed Peace’s hair through her fingers to get at a particularly bad tangle. Peace wriggled, complaining at the tugging. “Hush, my sweetheart. Just a bit more.”
Sunny looked up to see Liesel watching her closely, her head tilted a little. Liesel, caught, didn’t look away. She leaned against the dresser with a small smile.
“This is all a surprise to us. A good one,” Liesel added quickly. Sunny didn’t think she was telling the whole truth about that. “It’s just that we didn’t know.”
“I didn’t know, either.” Not that it would’ve mattered. The man who’d fathered her was blemished, not part of the family. Even if her mother had told her about him long ago, Sunny wouldn’t have considered him her father.
“She didn’t tell you about him? I mean, not ever?”
“Not until she told us it was time to go.” Sunny finished with Peace’s hair. “Do you have to use the toilet?”
“She doesn’t need a diaper?” Liesel sounded surprised.
Sunny looked up. “I know she had an accident in the kitchen, but she was just scared.”
“No, I mean… Never mind. It was an accident, I know that. I’m not upset.” Liesel laughed
Bliss was sleeping in a makeshift crib of pillows, and Happy had been sent downstairs to watch more television. Peace sat on the bed, hair still wet, tucked into a towel after the scrubbing Sunny had given her in a tub so big and shiny bright it had been intimidating. The nightgown she’d been wearing was in the laundry, and the clothes she’d been wearing the night before were filthy as well from the run through the woods. Liesel had put everything in the washer.
“I… We left in a hurry.” Sunny didn’t know what else to say. Liesel was blemished. Sunny shouldn’t talk about family things with her. Within the walls of Sanctuary it had seemed entirely normal that nobody had more than a change or two of clothes accessible to them at any time, but Sunny knew that out here in the blemished world things were different. Here, people indulged in excess and greed, the accumulation of material goods. Out here, people relied on things for comfort instead of listening with their hearts.
“Sunny, look at me.”
The zipper of Sunny’s sweatshirt was still stuck halfway. She tugged it over Peace’s head. The girl would swim in it, but it was better than nothing. She looked at Liesel…at her stepmother, she thought. Liesel was her father’s wife and therefore had an authority in this house that Sunny needed to respect.
“We can go to the store and buy you some new things for the kids. For you, too.”
At Liesel’s kind look, sharp and shameful tears pricked at Sunny’s eyelids. She took a deep breath to push them away. “Oh, no. I couldn’t have you do that.”
“Sunny, all of this—” Liesel gestured at the bed, where everything that had been stuffed into both their knapsacks had made only a tiny pile on the soft comforter “—I don’t mean to hurt your feelings, but it’s worn-out. And dirty.”
Sunny nodded, biting her lip, and concentrated on tugging a borrowed comb through Peace’s curls. In Sanctuary, clothes were shared and then recycled when they became too worn to wear. But at least there they had other clothes to wear while dirty outfits were being washed.
“I have money,” Sunny said.
Liesel hesitated. “Of course, that’s fine. But if you don’t have enough, I’m sure your…dad…and I can cover it.”
Sunny smiled faintly at that. “I can’t think of him as my dad. I’m sorry. It just sounds funny.”
“It does, doesn’t it?”
Liesel smiled. This time the warmth welling up inside Sunny wasn’t from embarrassment. She smiled back.
“You don’t have to call him Dad if you don’t feel comfortable,” Liesel said. “I think he feels strange about it, too.”
Sunny smoothed Peace’s hair through her fingers to get at a particularly bad tangle. Peace wriggled, complaining at the tugging. “Hush, my sweetheart. Just a bit more.”
Sunny looked up to see Liesel watching her closely, her head tilted a little. Liesel, caught, didn’t look away. She leaned against the dresser with a small smile.
“This is all a surprise to us. A good one,” Liesel added quickly. Sunny didn’t think she was telling the whole truth about that. “It’s just that we didn’t know.”
“I didn’t know, either.” Not that it would’ve mattered. The man who’d fathered her was blemished, not part of the family. Even if her mother had told her about him long ago, Sunny wouldn’t have considered him her father.
“She didn’t tell you about him? I mean, not ever?”
“Not until she told us it was time to go.” Sunny finished with Peace’s hair. “Do you have to use the toilet?”
“She doesn’t need a diaper?” Liesel sounded surprised.
Sunny looked up. “I know she had an accident in the kitchen, but she was just scared.”
“No, I mean… Never mind. It was an accident, I know that. I’m not upset.” Liesel laughed
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