sewing flowers | tewkesbury ✔︎

ix. escaping once more

We entered Enola's lodgings, and I scuttled away frantically when I saw a stray mouse run across my feet.

"Is this how you're living?" Tewkesbury inquired, his eyes falling on the old walls.

"You could've accepted my offer, you know." I patted her shoulder. "My apartment still has space, even with Tewkesbury in the picture."

"You're living together? Tewkesbury and Octavia? Together?" She raised her eyebrows, sending a furtive smirk in my way.

"That's not the point." I hastily said, doing my best to not look at Tewkesbury, who suddenly looked very interested in his shoes.

"Well," Enola began, "The woman I boarded off assured me this was a fine room."

"The woman you boarded off lied." Tewkesbury replied, before his gaze fell onto a rack of Enola's underclothes.

Enola hastened to cover it up, while I whacked the back of Tewkesbury's head.

"It is *thwack* of utmost offence *thwack* to look at a lady's underclothes *thwack*." I berated him jokingly, while he attempted to defend himself, half embarrassed, half amused. Enola laughed seeing this, chuckling light-heartedly.

"You keep old newspapers?" Tewkesbury asked, after glancing at the papers spread on Enola's bed.

"Be careful with that," Enola furrowed her brows, attempting the newspaper out of his hands futilely, "I haven't finished reading it yet."

Tewkesbury opened the newspaper, and his eyes immediately went to a wanted poster with his face on it.

"I'm in this one!" He said, eyes glancing at it in amazement. I rolled my eyes, but smiled.

"Why do you keep all these old newspapers, Enola?" I asked, my eyes glancing over the open newspapers lying on her bed.

"My mother." She said after some hesitation. "I'm waiting for her to give me a message in these newspapers. She hasn't yet."

"Message..?" Tewkesbury asked, trailing off.

"She liked ciphers." Enola explained. "Coded messages that need to be deciphered."

"And why would she send you a message?" I chirped, reading over the newspapers.

Enola's eyes left mine, her face crestfallen as she struggled to find the words she needed. When she spoke, her voice was filled with longing and sadness.

"Because she left me." She began, and now spoke with more confidence. "And I thought she meant me to find her, but now i'm not so sure. So I left her a message, and i'm hopeful for a reply."

A silence so awkward and lengthy filled the space between the three of us. There were unsaid words hanging in the air, full of emotion and longing.

"I'll make us some tea." Enola's voice pierced the quiet. She packed up her newspapers, dusted her dress, and proceeded to go forth to the kitchenette.

"So you truly believe my life is in danger?" Tewkesbury said, following her briskly. "From whom?"

"Your past and your future." Enola cryptically muttered, grabbing three mugs from a cupboard.