March On

A crowd slowly began to form along the road as other people realized what was happening and, with a growing volume of excitement and joy, their voices lifting to greet them.

Soldiers were returning home.

Celeste managed to squeeze in front of a few older men who were wearing well-to-do suits and talking loudly of their supposed victory. The North had won, the nation remained united, slaves were free and after two long years, Celeste's husband was finally returning home.

But she remained wary. She hadn't received a letter or word from him at all in a year. She had begun to fear the worst but her work kept her busy. As long as she could endure until he came marching home, she felt it would be alright.

The parade of soldiers finally landed in the center of the town and many of them broke ranks to reunite with their families. Cries of joy and love filled the air. And there were many; a promising sign. Celeste fought her way on the tips of her toes, trying to spy Nathaniel in the crowd, but he was yet to be seen.

"You couldn't clean yourself up before you came runnin' out here?" An annoyed girl's voice sounded behind Celeste. She fell flat on her feet and peered over her shoulder with a mighty glare. Emily. "I mean to say, he IS your husband. One would think this would be the time you'd want to impress him."

"An' how the hell was I suppos'ta know they were gonna march into town today?" Celeste replied through gritted teeth, " And ee're in the middle of spring cleanin'. You wouldn't know a thing about work, so I don't expect you to understand. "

"Work? No, no. I am assisting my mother in educating the youth of this town, which is a far better use of my time than rolling around in everyone's muddle." Emily was a skinny, brown-haired nuisance whom Celeste utterly despised. Rarely did they speak civilized words to each other. For her part, Celeste mostly attempted to keep silent and out of Emily's way, but the girl didn't make it easy for her. For Emily's part, it was practically a sport making sure Celeste's life was as difficult as possible, and anytime Emily could get her into trouble, she would.

Celeste found herself far too preoccupied at that moment to really care what Emily had to say, despite her huffing disagreement with Celeste's appearance. She chose to ignore her and continue to search for Nathaniel. Still nothing. Emily noticed the disregard but before she could say anything, a hand landed gently yet firmly on her shoulder.

"I've told you not to engage with her in public." Anne stood with her head held high in repulsion at Celeste's behavior despite other people doing the same. Celeste could feel Anne's cold stare through the warm bodies in the crowd. It made her wince with irritation. She felt, however, that it was probably still better to ignore them both. Seeing Nathaniel again was more important.

"But, mother. Honestly. She smells like a barn!" Emily feigned a whisper in her mother's direction. Anne's expression didn't change, she simply gave her daughter a reproving look. Emily crossed her arms in protest. Celeste finally turned to them, her hands slightly trembling from anger.

"I don't see him. I don't see either of them." Celeste began to feel unease in the pit of her stomach, a feeling she was not at all that familiar with.

"Mother? Emily?!" An excited male voice said behind Celeste, shouting from the crowd of people still huddled around the center. A young man pushed his way out of the masses and lunged for Anne. With a firm grasp, he took Emily by the shoulders and pulled her in as well.

"Henry..." they both sighed with relief. Henry was filthy, but his face beamed with a joy that outshone the sun. He gave his mother a quick kiss on the cheek and cleared away the tears of happiness now streaming down his little sister's face. "My boy, my dear sweet boy."

"You made it back! Henry!" Emily exclaimed, her face also beaming. This made Celeste, for just a second, forget she was an insufferable child.

"Yes! It was difficult but we finally made it! And you wouldn't believe all the towns we had to venture through. The celebrations have been non-stop!" He smiled. But then, he noticed Celeste standing behind them, silently, waiting, her eyes focused entirely on Henry. "Celeste? What are you...?"

"Henry. Where is your brother?" Anne asked before Celeste could say anything. Henry looked at her, shock in his eyes.

"You...you didn't receive my post?" He replied.

"Post? What post?" Emily asked, fear creeping up in her voice.

"A year ago, I sent a post--" His hands began to shake.

"I received a letter, yes, describing how your brother seemed to have vanished after a patrol. You had said they never found him or the men he was with, and you were concerned that he was captured and sent south to Georgia." Anne replied. Celeste, Henry and Emily's expression widened in terror.

"You knew something happened to Nathaniel and you didn't say anything?" Emily cried, her hands bolting to her face in disbelief.

"Mother...!" Henry took hold of his hysterical sister in a vain attempt to calm her down. "Why didn't you tell them?

"I wanted to be sure," Anne replied.

"Sure o' what?" Celeste asked, anger in her voice rising with each word.

"Sure that nothing had changed between then and the time you came home." Anne ignored Celeste and went on as if Henry had asked the question. "And with that, I'm assuming that nothing has changed?"

"He's dead," Henry yelled. "He's dead and you should have said something! That's why I'm with this first march of returnin' soldiers! The war was almost over and since I'm the only man in the family--!"

Emily's wailing became louder, interrupting his thought. Celeste, too, found herself fighting back tears of sadness... but she seemed to be far more overcome with fury.

"Then it's settled." Anne rounded on Celeste before she could properly react to the news that her husband was dead. "I want you gone by morning."

Emily stopped crying long enough to glance back at Celeste. She was standing in furious defiance against Anne. Henry's mouth gaped in disbelief, watching the exchange, and he took note of how cold his mother was.

"Ma?" He started.

"No. Now that we are certain that Nathaniel is never coming home, there's no reason for you to linger, and no reason for us to entertain the notion of your continued nuisance in my house. Jim," Anne said his name like she was spitting as she continued taking steps toward Celeste. She stood up straighter, unwavering from her spot, "had no right to ask us to take you in."

"Where will she go?" Henry asked, sensing the question forming on Celeste's face.

"I don't care. She can go back to the savages who raised her or," Anne pointed to the brothel, "perhaps she can make herself useful as a whore. As long as whatever she does, she does it far away from us."

Without another word, Anne turned around and walked back in the direction of the schoolhouse. Emily started after her, rubbing the tears from her eyes and, with a haughty grin, managed a few cruel words of her own.

"Well, at least there's one good thing to come out of this."

Henry and Celeste stood alone among the crowd. A few people had stopped to listen to the commotion that Anne and Emily had caused. Celeste could feel rage creeping into her throat but Henry begged her under his breath.

"Please..."

She turned her head to him and managed to swallow it; a barely successful gesture to calm herself.

"Welcome home, Henry." Celeste huffed as she unfurled her apron and slammed it on the ground, stomping out of view towards the house.

This was not quite the reunion he was hoping for.