Page 387 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 1

The cold, crisp air felt good on her face. She paused, closing her eyes and lifting her face to the sky. An earthy scent danced in the breeze. The sound of a lamb baa-ing almost made her smile. Almost.

Kurt took her elbow and guided her forward. She walked between Kurt and Aaron as they spoke softly to one another. She didn’t listen, didn’t care what they said. It felt good to walk, but she had no desire to contribute to the conversation.

They walked around the gardens for about an hour. Aaron listened as Kurt told him about the discussion he’d had with Wilhelm about taking Alex’s place. “I will be brought into The Brotherhood at the Gathering tonight,” Kurt said. “Then I must start learning everything that Alex has spent the last fifteen years learning.”

“You don’t sound especially excited about it.” Aaron couldn’t blame him, though. Who would want to be part of an organization that allowed someone like Devin to have a leadership position?

“It is my duty to step into Alex’s place. Someone must take over after Vati.” He glanced down at Anna. “And be able to watch over Anna. Vati will not leave her vulnerable to Devin.”

Anna didn’t respond to her name, which worried Aaron. “Has she started talking again?”

Kurt grimaced. “A little. Vati said she talked to him a few times, but I have not heard her. She does not hear you unless you get her attention first, either.” He stopped and put his hand on her shoulder. “Anna?”

Anna blinked and looked up at Kurt.

“Are you warm enough?”

She stared at him for a moment, then gave a small nod and went back to staring out into nothing.

Kurt glanced at Aaron and shrugged. “That is all I can get out of her. Vati said they made love and she responded to him. But the next morning was like this again.”

Aaron froze and frowned at Kurt. “Why did he do that to her?”

“Do what?”

“Have sex?”

Kurt sighed. “He is her Master now. She initiated it, not Vati.”

Aaron shook his head. “That’s wrong on so many levels. Your dad shouldn’t be fucking his dead son’s wife.”

Kurt raised his eyebrows. “Perhaps for most people.” He motioned to Anna. “What else would you propose? You know what Devin did to her. You know how she responded to Ben’s death.”

“I don’t know. She’s just?—‍”

“She is just really fucked up, Aaron. We are doing the best we can with her. I do not know what to do. Vati does not know what to do. She has completely shut down.” Kurt closed his eyes and took a deep breath before continuing. “Vati is afraid she may not recover. That this was a breaking point that she cannot come back from.”

“That’s nice of you to give up on her.”

“Again, Aaron, what do you propose? She is here. With us. We love on her as best we can, but she does not respond. She has no idea what is going on around her and does not care. The only way she comes back to life is through sex. But even that is just temporary. She is always worse in the mornings.”

“Maybe because your dad fucked her,” Aaron snapped.

They both looked down at Anna. She didn’t move. She hadn’t moved since they’d stopped walking.

“Vati says that she is talking to someone in her sleep. And when she wakes up, her eyes are wild and then she just breaks down and cries. The rest of the day, she is like this.”

“Is it like her dreams before?”

“She does not remember them once she is awake. We have no idea what they are about.”

They started walking again. They went forward a few steps and Kurt went back to guide Anna forward.

Aaron had to admit Kurt had changed. He was very attentive to Anna. When her sweater slipped even the slightest bit, he immediately fixed it. A leaf blew into her hair and Kurt plucked it out. Jealousy twisted his heart as he watched Kurt with her.

“Where’s Gretchen?” Aaron asked.

“Gone. Back to Berlin to her mother. I will be filing for divorce.”

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