Revenge is Best Served After Reborn (James) novel Chapter 1912

The summer night breeze was blissfully cool. I was strolling ahead, and Griffin was just a step behind me. By this hour, the entire village had settled down for the night. The path was all ours, just Griffin and me, with not another soul in sight. He kept a respectful distance, about a meter away, like a personal bodyguard shadowing my every move.

I was trying to come up with a plan to send Griffin on his way. But he was like a shadow, impossible to shake off. Eventually, I stopped and turned to face him. He halted too, and maybe feeling a bit too close, took a step back.

He was tall, towering a good two heads above me. But he looked so thin and frail. Had he skipped meals for days?

“Are you hungry?” I asked.

He nodded.

“Let me get you something tasty.”

Griffin looked a bit taken aback. In these parts, the watermelons were ripe and ready, and there was some corn too. I dashed into a neighbor’s field, grabbed a watermelon, and plucked a couple of ears of corn, handing them over to him. He ate swiftly, yet managed to keep a certain grace about him. Not like the villagers, who devoured their food with gusto, without a care for appearances.

Resting my chin on my hand, I asked, “Where are you from?”

He hesitated, the question seemed to stump him.

“Is it far?”

He nodded.

“What about your family?”

Silence.

“Do you not have any family?”

Still, no answer.

“You don’t have anywhere to go, do you?”

He nodded slightly.

“Have you thought about where you might head next?” I gently coaxed, hoping to get some insight into his past.

But Griffin set the corn down, his voice soft, “I’ll follow you.”

His words caught me off guard.

“I’ll provide meals, but you’ll have to work for it.”

“Okay.”

“Sleeping space is tight, you’ll have to make do on the floor.”

“Okay.”

“At home, you must behave and not stir up trouble.”

“Okay.”

“That’s it, I’ll handle the rest.”

“Okay.”

As Griffin agreed to each term, I realized I’d walked into a bit of a predicament. Aunt Mary wasn’t the easiest person to win over, and bringing Griffin into the fold felt like inviting trouble.