Page 15 of Sage

THe Morning After

The next morning, Sage was awoken by the sound of a phone ringing. Yawning, she stretched, her body popping and reminding her about her life before the forest. She would sit and wait around for packages to be delivered, hoping that whatever whimsical item her parents had purchased that day would be donning a layer or two of bubble wrap. If she was lucky, her father would split the wrap in half and together the two of them would sit on the stairs and take turns popping the bubbles. It was one of the only positive memories she had with him.

The sadness that had started taking over Sage’s memory was quickly erased by the aroma of coffee. Getting up, she grabbed a robe that she had previously discovered tucked away in the closet, wrapping it around herself and securing the belt tightly, the fuzziness of it tickling away at her skin. She started to open it when she heard Hans talking on the phone.

??“No, I understand completely…I just…time got away from me and I didn’t think it was safe to drive.” She could hear Hans explaining to the mystery person on the other line. “I know she’sstill out there, but I don’t have anything else to share with you. I told you I would update you as soon as anything new came up.”

Sage felt her heart sink deeper into her chest. Had she been so blind to believe that this wasn’t going to end badly for her? On one hand, she wanted to believe that last night wasn’t a one time thing, and that what he was saying over the phone was to distract this mystery person. But what if he had already exposed her whereabouts and this was just a cover story because he had noticed her movement in the bedroom? Regardless of the truth, she knew she needed to continue to watch her own back since no one else seemed to be.

“Alright, we’ll talk soon. Bye Charles.” Hans hung up just as Sage stepped out of the room, clearing her throat to make him aware that she was standing there.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.” Hans turned to look at her. His smile attempted to wash the worry away from her mind.

“No, you didn’t wake me.” She tried to assure him. “Is that… coffee?” Sage changed the subject.

“Yeah, I guess you can call it that.” Hans shuffled into the kitchen, searching through the cabinets to find a coffee cup. He then poured what seemed to be the lightest blend of coffee Sage had ever seen in her life.

Hans glanced up at her, and chuckled, sliding the cup across the counter passing it to Sage. “So, it’s extremely weak. I had hoped there was enough there to muster up a single cup but…” he held the coffee pot up to the light, “as you can see, this is indeed, not really coffee.”

“It’s brown water.” Sage looked disgusted.

Hans put his hands in the air, claiming defeat. "I tried.”

“Thank you.” Sage raised her cup like she had just shouted ‘cheers’ after a speech, and then poured the cup down the drain of the sink in front of her. She started getting lost in thought once more about the person Hans had been speaking to prior to her coming out of the bedroom.

Taking note that Sage had something on her mind, Hans waved his hand in front of her face, hoping to snap her back to reality and discover what adventure she had just returned from. “Earth to Sage?”

“Sorry.” She shook her head and then rubbed the tears that had formed in her eyes. “The man you were on the phone with… was that the same Charles we went to school with?”

“The one and only.” Hans grabbed two glasses from the cabinet. Filling them with ice and water he handed one to Sage with a couple of pills before he returned to the couch and collapsed into the cushions. “I don’t know about you, but last night kicked my ass. I haven’t drank like that in years.”

Sage shrugged her shoulder and shook her head. “I’m fine, actually.” She placed the pills back down on the counter.

“You’re not hungover?” Hans was shocked. “How?”

“Nope.” Sage smirked. “I guess I just got lucky.”

Hans continued to sip on his water as Sage stood in the kitchen, her mind wandering once more to the last interaction she and Charles had.That bastard.

“So, what were you two talking about?” Sage asked, waiting to see if Hans’ story was going to be believable or if she needed to start planning her next move.

Hans let out another sigh, something he found himself doing more often than not lately. “You.” He took another sip of water before licking his lips, giving him time to gather his thoughts. “Iknow you know that I filed the report, but Charles is the one who is in charge of the case.” He looked at her with seriousness in his eyes. “He’s the one looking for you.”

Sage gasped, hearing the actual words form terrified her. “To finish what he started, I’m sure.”

“It’s been so long, I doubt he even rememb-”

Sage cut in, interrupting him. “Oh, he remembers alright.” Her anger grew as soon as the words left his mouth. She couldn’t believe that Hans was being dismissive of the situation, a situation she had found herself in because he wasn’t there.

“You weren’t there, Hans. You didn’t see the look in his eyes.” Hans laid his head back, resting it on the cushion of the couch while he listened to Sage go on. His head was still throbbing, but not as much as when he had first woken up. “Who’s the person who kept yelling at me about consent back in the cabin?” The question snapped him out of his stupor, chasing away the hangover faster than any cure had ever done.

“You’re right.” He gave up. “I should have been there.”

“I didn’t mean…” Sage tried to interject.

“I was sixteen, Sage. I had an appointment. I would have been there if I could and none of that would have ever happened to you. I am sorry!” Hans started to get emotional, “But I wasn’t there and there’s nothing I can do about it now, and I have hated every single minute of that. But I tried.” He stood up and started walking to her.

“I got there as fast as I could once I realized something wasn’t right, and had that never happened then we wouldn’t be here in this situation right now. We would have never stumbled into the cottage in the woods. We would have never been apart. Who knows where life could have taken us, where we would be now?We can’t change the past, but we can guide our future.” He took her by the hands. “I’m not going to let him get you.”

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