Re: The woods
The longer he spent in the little girl's presence, the harder it was going to be to forget all of this. Luke knew that. He'd made the same mistake before, with his alternate self, and yet he couldn't bring himself to turn away. "Yeah," he said, forcing the words through a painful-thick throat, "I did. I bet you got more, though." Sparrow was obviously the dog, but he wondered if Rhett was another pet... or maybe another child, a little boy. The thought made his heart sink, and god, this hurt.
He waited for Wren's response, unconcerned that the little girl had obviously noticed his conversation with no one; children were always so willing to believe in things adults dismissed as make-believe. As much as he knew that she was right, that he shouldn't talk to anyone or ask questions, he regarded her sadly, because didn't she know him better than that? Didn't they both know that, good intentions aside, those things were exactly what he'd do? Because yes, this did matter. It was a world where he didn't exist, and if her life would have been infinitely better without him in it, then he needed to know. She deserved to be happy. She deserved the best. And if he was keeping her from all that, if he had brought all this misery and suffering upon her-- well, knowing wouldn't help, but she deserved to know, and to have the opportunity to leave and find someone better. Someone who didn't ruin her life.
If, if. All ifs. But the neighborhood was wealthy, and the little girl had a father who worked as a driver, and maybe the man's lowered voice and reluctance to associate with the girl or the house were just minor things. Insignificant little blips in an otherwise happy life.
"I'll be right back," was all Luke said, a third repetition, because he couldn't promise her anything of the things he'd asked. He offered a watery smile and blinked away the blur in his vision before turning to follow Stella down the street, listening to her babbling away like he was some sort of long-lost friend instead of a strange man. "I was," he said after a moment's hesitation. "I know a lot of people who have invisible friends. But some don't understand, and they can't see them, so your mother was right to tell you to keep it a secret. Can you keep mine a secret too?" And then he had confirmation that yes, Rhett was a little boy, and he tried without success to swallow the lump in his throat. "Is Rhett your little brother?"
His first instinct was to run as soon as the house came into view, but he forced himself to keep walking instead, even if his arm did tighten involuntarily around the puppy, just a little too tight, causing her to wriggle furiously and bark. "That's a very nice house, Stella." He looked down at her when she mentioned goblins, wondering if they were just the figment of a child's imagination or something else. "Goblins," he repeated. "Do you have a brave knight to chase them away?" Maybe it was nothing; in fact, in probably was. But you could never be sure with kids, especially in an alternate world created by a magic hotel with a sadistic streak.
As they approached, he noticed the way the curtains across the street opened, then closed, as though there were people watching the two from within the safety of their own homes, but no one stepped outside to question him. It made him angry, but Luke forced himself to smile down at the little girl, and stopped just short of the front steps, still holding the puppy. "Is your mom home?" he asked, uncertain. He really, really didn't want to knock on the door; well, he did, but he knew there was no chance of him not talking to anyone if he did. Maybe he could just give her the dog and send her on her way, and everything would be fine, but why hadn't the girl's mother noticed she was gone in the first place?