When she looked up next, he was out of her sight and the bodies were vanishing. Some of the tension in her shoulders vanished and she let her feet hang from the bench. Her eyes scanned the trees around; he hadn’t left, she knew that. The barest of smiles crossed her face and she called out, with a less shaky voice. “It is. Thank you.”
The smile was gone once the criticism came. She ignored the fact that his voice came from behind her and she shut her eyes. Though she couldn’t match up memories to what she was saying, Lotte knew what he was referring to. The tension that had vanished came back and she shook slightly. “You let us go. And I came back, like I promised. I swear I did…” She looked to her bare fingers. He should have the ring. “And I didn’t leave like Father did,” she said quietly. “I said goodbye.”
His question made her pause. “For myself sometimes,” she said slowly. “Or you.” It wasn’t a surprising question but it felt familiar. He hadn’t been the only one that asked her that. But it still went with a question of her own. She turned slowly, looking over her shoulder at him, plainly. “Am I supposed to sing for you?” Her shoulders didn’t shake; it seemed as redundant of a question as her being afraid of him.