Derf rolled his eyes slightly as he mentioned the person they’d seen. “Did you talk to the person?” Tim asked.
“Not very much. I don’t know his name, but I know who he is. My father worked for him before…”
Derf’s voice trailed off and his eyes flickered to his sister, who was still listening to their conversation. “Before he died. Father died. Mother died. You can say it, Derf! I’m not a baby and I know what happened!” Yma cut in, abruptly.
Derf lowered his eyes, and then continued. “Anyway, at first he told us we needed to get out of here- like he was in charge of this place or something. He was gathering things up and taking notes of things. I told him he didn’t own the place and he just smiled, but it wasn’t a nice smile. Then he asked my name. I told him, because I didn’t think it really mattered if he knew who I was, plus I knew he had known my father and I wanted to see if he’d make the connection. He did. After he realized who I was, he said I could stay. I didn’t mention the other kids. If he knew who I was, I’m sure he knows about Yma and Xela. I haven’t seen him again, but I have found bundles of food, randomly, in the hallway of pictures. I can only assume he’s leaving them for us, which seems nice, but it still doesn’t seem like he’s doing it to be nice. I don’t know how to explain it.”
Tim nodded, understanding how Derf felt. “This man- was he about my height, blond hair, and a large mustache?”
Derf nodded. Tim sighed. It sounded like Ronnoc was the one helping the kids and it also sounded like their father had once been a rebel. Tim hoped he hadn’t died in the castle explosion. He decided he had to ask, but he didn’t want Yma to hear. Can you call Yma back over?
“Yma, can you come here for a minute?” Tim heard Anna call.
Yma left them in the kitchen and Tim looked Derf straight in the eye. “Derf, I need to ask. Your father- he didn’t die in the castle explosion, did he?”
Derf just stared at him, silent. Tim didn’t think he was going to answer. As Tim opened his mouth to explain that there was a reason he was asking, he heard Derf’s very quiet answer. “No.”
There was no elaboration. Tim was satisfied with no explanation, but he could see the internal debate of whether or not to say more happening in Derf’s head. “You don’t need to explain anything.”
“No, since you asked about the explosion specifically, I think you need to know. He wasn’t in the castle the day of the explosion, but sometimes, I think he might still be alive if it had never happened.”
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
Tim’s relief faded in an instant. “What do you mean?”
Derf took a deep breath and glanced towards his sisters who were now playing with Anna’s hair. “Well, I need to explain some things. See, Mother died when Xela was born. Father was a mess. He really loved Mother and always said everything he did was so she would have a better life- the life she deserved. I don’t remember a lot, but I know Mother was different. Yma was named after her, but I don’t think even Yma realizes that. You see, Mother’s name was Amy.”
Tim’s eyebrows raised in surprise, as his mind started wondering how much Derf actually knew.
“Yes. I know about the backwards world. I know that’s where you and Anna came from and maybe why I feel like you need to know this. If you came from where Mother came from, you can’t be bad.”
Tim started to ask a question, but Derf cut him off. “Please, let me tell you what I wanted to tell you, then you can ask me anything you want. I’ll answer if I can.”
Tim nodded and motioned for Derf to continue. “After Mother died, Father stopped working with the Rebels. Yes, I know that’s what he was doing,” Derf explained, seeing the question in Tim’s expression, “I may have been young, but I saw a lot and I listened when people would talk in front of me, thinking I was too young to understand. Father had us to take care of and he was by himself. We never knew Mother’s family, for obvious reasons, and Father’s brother also was involved with the Rebels, so he couldn’t help. By the time the explosion happened, we had a routine. As Father became more comfortable taking care of us on his own, his Rebel friends came over more and more. The man with the mustache was one of them. I could tell he still wanted to be involved, but he always did the right thing and put his children first.
“A few days before the explosion, we were in the village, at the market. Father noticed two children and two adults following the healer woman, very quickly. Everyone knew she was the only one who could get into the castle, but since she was known to help anyone who needed it, Rebel or not, no one had ever forced her to talk about why she went to the castle every week. My sisters and I were with him. I didn’t know who you or Anna were then. I didn’t realize that until I saw those pictures in the hallway, then I pieced this together on my own. We saw the healer lead you all to a shed and everyone disappeared inside. The healer woman left you all there. You never came back out. Father made us sit there for hours, waiting. Eventually, it got dark and Xela was hungry and crying and
