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Traveling by car through the Hinterlands could be very boring. Everything was too far away and there was nothing to see outside, and it was all made worse when you shared the car with a person you considered difficult talking to. Bertrand had already finished his book, and he knew Theodora didn't like him eating in her car. So he had no other choice.
"What does the S stand for?" He asked, in a not overly interested tone.
"Stay quiet. I am trying to focus on the road." She replied, in a not overly harsh tone.
He looked to the road ahead. It was plain, it had no turns or curves, and there were no other vehicles nearby. They were also going slow enough.
"Why do you never say what the S stands for?" He tried again.
Theodora frowned slightly, not taking her eyes from the road. She remained silent, but before Bertrand could think of another question, she spoke, in a low voice.
"A long time ago, before you were even born, there was someone… someone I cared a lot about."
He turned to his chaperone, feeling that if he even blinked he would not be able to hear it. Theodora never spoke of the past. And she never really answered any questions. He still couldn't make the link between what she was speaking and his question, but he knew this was an opportunity he may not get again of learning a bit more about her.
"Some… things happened." She continued, her frown growing deeper. "I know I will never hear them calling my name again. So, I don't want to hear it from anyone else."
Bertrand imagined this all made sense in her head, but it didn't for him. He tried to be careful with his words.
"But… didn't other people call your name before as well?"
Theodora's lips raised in that sort of smile that a person shows when they think they know much more than everyone else. Despite being 11 and his chaperone being old enough to be his mother, Bertrand didn't like thinking she knew more than he did.
"No one could make my name sound like she did. Like they did, I mean." Her cheeks got slightly colored with her slip, and she turned slightly to the side. "You will understand it when you are older."
Bertrand nodded, but he wasn't really satisfied with the answer. Yet he knew that when an adult used the words "you will understand it when you are older", they rarely made an effort to explain themselves.
Maybe the mysterious woman- person had a very characteristic voice, or a lisp, or an accent. Or maybe they were just too good at Voice Fakery Disguises. The thoughts left his mind when he saw a sign for a gas station not too far, and his body reminded him it had been a while since he last used the restroom.