Meeting

Archer heard hushed voices coming from the cabin as they approached it. He's pretty sure that Adam kept sparing glances at him and Archer pointedly avoided making eye contact with him.

They climbed up the steps of the porch, the bright lights making him squint. All signs of a conversation from the inside stopped and multiple footsteps were heard.

Adam gave them an apologetic look and told them to wait outside for a bit before he opened the door. Archer was confused. Why would Adam look at them like that? It seemed that the girl next to him was having similar thoughts as her eyebrows were furrowed. Sam just pursed his lips and he looked nervous?

"Guys?", Adam called out.

"There you are!", a voice that sounded like a young girl exclaimed. Archer heard light rapid footsteps before Adam yelled. "Whoa! How much did you eat?", he gasped over dramatically.

So, it was definitely a child.

The child giggled and a new voice joined the exchange.

"I thought you were going to be stuck there all night, again," they teased. An older girl?

Adam chuckled, "Of course, I would. If it's to get away from you..."

A gasp was heard, too loud to be genuine before laughter erupted.

Archer's attention drifted away from the conversation when a weird feeling crawled up his spine. He felt like he was being watched, however it wasn't hostile. Archer liked to think that he had great instincts. It was something that he prided himself on having. He turned slowly, looking behind him first before his eyes settled on a little face peeking through the window. Their eyes widened when Archer's eyes locked onto theirs and they got up and ran away.

I- uh. Okay?

He turned his attention to the conversation again.

"What's all the noise about?", an older woman's voice was heard.

"Adam is being annoying," the girl huffed.

"Adam," the voice sounded reprimanding, but Archer could tell that there was no heat behind it. He could basically hear the smile.

"Okay, jeez," Adam pacified, "I-uh need to tell you something."

"What is it?", the older woman asked softly, so full of affection.

That tone of voice felt so foreign to Archer, and he felt hollow.

"So, how long do you think we're gonna stand out here? I vote we set up camp," Sabrina proposed, when Adam got interrupted again.

It was extremely fortunate that she spoke when she did, otherwise Archer's mind would have sent him spiraling into a dark, empty abyss.

He snickered, "Yeah, I think that's a good idea."

Sabrina brightened, "You laughed at my joke!"

"I didn't laugh at your joke, I just agreed," Archer denied.

"You totally did," Sabrina pushed.

"No," Archer deadpanned.

"I heard it too," Sam offered.

"See!", Sabrina dragged the word.

"You're not a part of this," Archer shot back.

"Can't hide the truth, man," Sam grinned.

Archer rolled his eyes. "Who is this guy anyway?"

"Adam?"

"Yeah."

"He owns this place," Sam explained, gesturing to the land.

Sabrina gasped, "He owns this entire farm? Wow."

"Well yes, but no. It actually belongs to his uncle, but right now he's calling the shots. He used to stay over from time to time and as fate would have it, he was here when the sentries became hostile. They had them around to help with carrying stuff, but they ended up herding people towards the camp. Adam and his cousin, twins, were playing hide and seek when it happened. He told them not to come out so they didn't, but when they finally did, everyone was gone."

"Oh," was all Sabrina could say.

Archer looked down mournfully.

"Yeah."

"What is it, Carson?", they heard the old woman ask and immediately shut up.

The three heard a voice and strained their ears to hear the voice, but it was of no use as Adam was arguing loudly with someone else.

"Quiet!", the woman yelled and everyone went silent. Even Archer flinched.

"What were you saying?", she asked Carson.

Again, they didn't hear what he said.

"Adam," she called, "There are people outside?"

Gasps were heard accompanied by the sound of a chair scraping against the floor.

"There are what?", another boy yelled and there was definitely heat behind his tone.

"Yes, that's what I was trying to tell you but someone kept interrupting me," Adam grumbled.

There was silence for a moment and the trio held their breaths.

"Bring them inside," the woman said finally.

"What??", the boy from earlier sputtered.

Adam opened the door for them, offering them a nervous smile.

Here goes nothing, I guess.

They entered and Adam closed the door behind them then came to stand next to Sam.

Archer felt like he could cut the tension with his knife. Looks of apprehension were worn on everyone's faces when they looked at him and Sabrina. Archer, who usually preferred to stay silent in situations like this, was itching to break the stare-off. He wanted to say something. He felt weird with all this attention on them, on him.

He decided to distract himself and took in all of them, trying to match them with the voices he had heard. He looked to Adam and saw him carrying a toddler on his side. She looked happy just being near him and played with his hair, not noticing the thickness of the air in the room that threatened to suffocate them all.

A woman stood in the front, an empty tray and cloth in her hand. She was stout and plump, chestnut hair in a loose bun. Her face was kind even if she looked skeptical of them.

Hugging her leg was a little boy, around 7 years old. Archer saw his face and recognised him as the boy who was watching them. When the boy noticed Archer looking at him, he clung tighter to the fabric of the woman's pants and hid behind her while her arm curled protectively around him.

Archer sent an apologetic look to the woman and snapped his gaze away, not waiting for a response.

There was a large table off to the side. Half-filled plates with food was set on it, indicating that they had already eaten. A boy, around his age with copper-coloured hair stood from his place at the table, facing not hiding anything as it expressed pure anger and dislike, as if he was looking at his worst enemy. He didn't even know them.

Another girl was standing on the other side of the table, her expression unreadable. A blond lock of her dangled in front of her face, obscuring her eyes. It didn't look like she wanted to kill them, but she also didn't look overjoyed at the prospect of having new guests.

Two other boys, around Cody's age sat at the table, faces identical in appearance and expression as they mirrored each other's looks of anxiousness.

The woman eyes flickered over to someone.

"Sam?"

"Yeah Irma. It's me," he said softly.

The little boy left her side to join the blond girl who stretched out her arm invitingly.

Irma dropped the tray and the cloth, hands darting up to cover her mouth and her eyes glistened.

Sam walked up to her and she met him halfway.

She threw her arms around him and he reciprocated it. Tears rolled down her face.

"I was so worried about you," she whispered to him.

"I know," he said, and they pulled away, arms still resting on each other, "But I'm okay."

"I'm glad you are," she said smiling warmly.

Archer felt like he was intruding on something very personal and judging by how his friend was looking at the floor like it was the most interesting thing she'd ever seen, he guessed that she felt the same. Unable to stop himself, his eyes went to the angry boy he'd seen earlier. He didn't think that the boy could get angrier, but here he was, proving Archer wrong.

The two broke apart and Irma wiped her eyes.

"Olivia, take the kids upstairs and tell Bertha to come down," she told the blond girl, Olivia.

Olivia nodded and Adam handed the little girl to her.

The two boys who were seated at the table followed her as well as she walked up the stairs.

"Farron, I suggest that you join them as well," she said her voice strained. The boy with the copper-coloured hair looked like he was about to protest, but was cut off with a pointed look from Irma.

He grumbled and followed the younger ones reluctantly, using every opportunity he had to send a soul-piercing glare at the new arrivals.

Archer didn't care though. He was usually the one giving the glares or scowling all the time. This just mildly annoyed him.

As Farron reached the top of the stairs, another pair of feet hidden in pastel blue bunny slippers appeared. She wore grey plaid pyjama pants with a white t-shirt. She stretched dark hands behind her head as she yawned on the way down. Her hair was poofy with tight curls.

"What was so important that you had to wake me up?", she asked sleepily, scratching her arm.

When nobody answered her, she looked around, eyes passing over the trio before it came to Adam and Irma, then back to them and then to Adam and Irma.

"Who are you?", she asked carefully.

"Oh, hey Sam," she waved.

"Hey."

"Wait, Sam?" she asked to clarify.

"Yes."

"I'm dreaming, aren't I?"

"Yes," Sam said.

She kept quiet, pondering over it in her head.

Her eyes widened, traces of her being asleep few minutes prior gone.

"No, I'm not," she grinned and ran to hug him.

"Look at you. I remember you saying that you wouldn't miss me," Sam teased as he caught her and returned it.

"Shut up. I will break your arm."

He swallowed.

"I've never gotten this many hugs in like... ever?", he said to himself and Sabrina chuckled.

They broke apart and Bertha looked to Sabrina and Archer, hand on her hip. She looked them up and down with a scrutinizing gaze. She was kind of scary.

"Who are you?", she echoed her question from earlier.

"They're friends of mine," Sam answered.

"Thanks, but I asked them," she said, eyes not leaving them as she tapped her foot impatiently.

Sam shrugged and nodded to them.

"Lia."

"Archer."

"Cool. I'm Bertha," she told them.

"Cool," Sabrina said before she could stop herself.

Bertha grinned, "I like you already."

She turned to Archer, "Not sure about grumpy though."

He blinked. Was he scowling all this time?

No wonder that kid was so scared.

She spun on her heel and went to the table. She gestured for them to come sit and they obliged.

Archer didn't notice that Irma was missing until she came back with a plate of hot food.

"You must be tired after your trip. Eat something and then we'll talk. By the time, Adam, Bertha, come with me to the kitchen."

They nodded and then Sam, Archer and Sabrina were left alone.

"This smells so good," Sabrina commented, closing her eyes and humming happily from her place next to Archer.

Archer sniffed the food and he agreed wholeheartedly.

"Irma's cooking is the best," Sam told them from Sabrina's other side, and they all dug in.

"What do you think they're talking about?", Sabrina asked them, moving the contents in her plate around with a fork.

Archer swallowed, "Beats me."

Sam, however, did not answer. He kept sending nervous glances towards the kitchen where Adam, Irma and Bertha disappeared into.

The clinking of utensils on the ceramic plates filled the air as the three waited anxiously for their hosts to return. Archer was worried. He was worried that they would refuse, that the people from the camps would have nowhere to go, that the guilt would eat at Sabrina and by extension, him.

Why am I so worried about her anyway?

He furrowed his eyebrows, seizing the movements of his fork, pointing its prongs toward the ceiling.

I mean we are friends.

He squeezed the fork tighter.

Right?

"Enjoying the food?"

Archer's eyes widened, dropping his fork into the plate with a loud clang, startled by Irma's voice.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to scare you," she said putting a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Archer wasn't one for much physical contact. He hated it. It took him a while to get used to Riley and Cody, even now he only hugs them once in every blue moon.

But Irma's hand radiated such warmth and affection. Her expression was so genuine, so open, so caring.

He didn't understand it.

A mother's love.

He didn't hate it.

"Don't think so hard, you'll pop a vein," Bertha grinned, going to sit opposite Sam.

Archer ignored the remark. He felt eyes on him and looked to the side. His eyes locked with brown orbs. They looked so concerned.

'You okay?', Sabrina mouthed to him. He kept eye contact for a moment unable to look away and then just nodded. She looked at him with an unreadable expression, but didn't push it.

Archer noticed that she didn't eat much, that she just swirled it around so that it looked like she did. It was his turn to look at her worriedly, but she didn't look back.

The boy decided that he would address this later.

Irma and Adam took their places across from Archer and Sabrina.

Irma smiled at them warmly, but the twiddling of her thumbs gave away how she was actually feeling. Bertha draped herself across the chair, arm on the backrest as she leaned slightly into Adam's space, who was the image of proper posture.

"The food is good," Sam said answering the question from earlier, the other two nodding in agreement.

"Thank you," Irma said earnestly.

Adam shot Sam a grateful smile.

"So, what did you want to discuss?", Adam asked resting his forearms on the tables with his hands clasped together.

Sam put his fork down, "I wanted to discuss it with everyone, but I guess I should tell you guys first."

Bertha sat properly in her chair, interest piqued.

Sam looked to the other two. Sabrina gave him a reassuring smile, giving his arm an encouraging squeeze, while Archer gave him a firm nod.

Sam closed his eyes and took a deep breath in. He exhaled and opened them, a fierce determination burning in them.

"We want to relocate the people from the camps to here."