Broken Antler Fen It's the awful, lonely secret of the dead-boy's heart.

He had hoped she would have more to say. Some measure of intelligence imbued to only the fairer sex that he had no access to, or some opinion that might help Reyes make sense of things. He did not know what Towhee thought except that she had been angry the last time they had been together, so now he sought Teya's support, and beyond that, some measure of understanding that only a woman could provide. Instead he got acceptance as the bare minimum.

Whatever he decided.

I want you to remember me.

I wouldn't forget you, Teya. He countered, exasperated. For all I know, Towhee is waiting for me to appear just to scream at me again and toss me out. Maybe she's waiting to see if I have the balls to show up at all - and if I don't, that'd just confirm any nasty thing she's told the kids.

He missed the deeper meaning to the girl's words, still fixated on what was just out of reach.