FictionPress.com - let the words flow| FictionPress.com - let the words flow |
| Home Just In Communities Forums Beta Readers Dictionary Search | Login Register Extras |
“It’s been a whole week,” thought Caroline angrily, tying her hair back with a blue rag, “and Dylan,” she thought tying her hair especially tight, “still hasn’t told me what he’s always talking to Julio about.” Caroline was preparing to go shopping. She had to pick up clothes and food for the house.
Dylan’s and Caroline’s penance had still not ended. “Until you faint at my feet,” Melina had told them on the fourth day, “you two still work for me.” So it had dragged into the next week, each of them becoming more tired each day.
“It’s not that bad, though,” thought Caroline to herself as she left her room. “I’ll do anything Melina asks. That is, until she asks us to watch all of the younger kids. Then I’m bailing.”
Caroline could already smell breakfast from her room and hear the sounds of people getting up. She could also(unfortunately for her) hear Melina yelling.
“Move that pot to that burner!” Melina yelled. “Not that way, Dylan! Julio, help him out!” Caroline was confused. Why was Julio helping out in the kitchen. That wasn’t like him.
Even as she thought about it, Julio hadn’t been his usual annoying self lately. Always willing to help and never making stupid remarks. It was odd. “He’s up to something,” Caroline thought. “I’m not sure what, but I will find out.”
That day, Dylan and Caroline didn’t have much to do, even without Julio’s additional help.
“She’s getting soft on you,” Ellis told Caroline when she mentioned the fact after lunch. “She’s starting to feel a little bit sorry for you. If Melina stays like this, you’ll have a day off pretty soon.” Even though Caroline doubted Ellis, he was right.
“I appreciate,” she started awkwardly, “how hard you two’ve been working. Mind you,” she said sharply, “that doesn’t mean your debts are paid in full, not nearly. But anyway,” she said her voice getting soft, “you two are allowed today off. Only for a few hours, though.”
It took all of Caroline’s strength not to jump in the air and yell. She was able to contain herself until she and Dylan were in the living room.
“Finally, a break!” she yelled. “And a day to do whatever we want.”
“We still have to cook dinner, though,” Dylan pointed out.
“Don’t ruin the moment, Dyl, I was already picturing what I can do tomorrow.”
Dylan shook his head at his sister as she skipped to her room where many squeals erupted a minute later.
“Girls,” he muttered.
“Where were you?” one of the blonde girls asked her after Caroline had finished eating. “We missed you at breakfast.”
“I just wanted to lie in for awhile, Emily. I felt tired yesterday, so I needed a few more hours of sleep.”
“Didn’t you have to fix breakfast today? Won’t you get in trouble?”
“Nope. My day off. Far’s I’m concerned, I ain’t got nothing to do today, but enjoy myself and cook dinner.”
Emily just shook her head at Caroline. “She’s finally lost it,” thought Emily.
As Emily exited the room, Dylan entered it. He was still in his pajamas and his hair was uncombed. “Then again,” thought Caroline, “his hair’s always uncombed.”
He flopped into a chair and yawned loudly. “So,” Dylan said, “whaddya wanna do today?”
“Caroline,” Dylan whined, “why do you want to go here? I’m hungry. Let’s eat something.” Dylan had gotten up too late to eat breakfast.
“In a minute, in a minute. I just want to look around. Then, I swear, we’ll go back to Melina’s house and eat. Okay?” She smiled at him. Caroline knew that was the only way to get Dylan to do what she wanted.
Dylan looked as if he had something else in mind other than what Caroline had said. But he just shrugged and said, “Sure.”
“Good. Now, come on. I might need some new reading material.”
Dylan groaned as Caroline entered the bookseller’s tent. Caroline ate books up. They’d probably be there all day.
Dylan didn’t bother following her in. Books bored him. He waited outside, observing the passersby.
The marketplace was usually crowded with merchants selling their goods, busy shoppers, and ihanatar. Even though they didn’t exist, ihanatar were entitled to some dignity. Of course, they could only shop in poor stores, and even then they could only get the worst of whatever was in the store.
As Dylan looked around the street, he noticed it wasn’t as crowded today as it was a few days back. He also noticed that many people were carrying traveling packs. “Some have hidden knives ,too,” he thought as a boy younger than himself passed, a knife hidden beneath his pant legs in a sheath.
“Guess no one wants to around when Alexandre dies. I don’t blame them,” Dylan thought. He didn’t want to be around either. He carefully fingered the two knives he had planted in his back pockets. Dylan didn’t want to take any chances. He was already considering his options of the best way to leave Beldann.
Julio had been bothering him about it for the past week. Always telling him he knows the best way to get out of the country before anything happened. Dylan had ignored him, pretending he didn’t care, but he was slightly(very slightly, he told himself) interested. He had to keep Caroline safe and Julio might have the answer.
But still….
“Guess he didn’t want to come in. Should have figured,” she thought. Caroline looked around at the tent.
It was lined with bookshelves and had different labels of genres above a section of shelves. Most of them were historical and nonfiction. But those were subjects that Caroline enjoyed.
The tent was a little crowded. She saw a couple of girls in the novels section and a large group of men in the government section. They seemed to be doing more talking than browsing for books.
Caroline glanced over at the manager, who was standing at the flap of the tent. He was staring sourly at the group of men. Apparently, he didn’t appreciate the men in his store, but was too frightened to tell them to leave.
Caroline was interested in what the men were talking about. Innocently, she wandered over to the history section, pretending to browse for books. She strained her ears to hear.
“…I’m telling you, he’ll be dead in the next twenty-four hours. Guaranteed.”
“But you can’t be too sure. It could be days before he dies. Weeks, even.”
“Yeah right. His healer said he’s finally coming to his end. Very soon. He’s been ill for years. It’s high time he died.”
Before Caroline could listen anymore, someone shouted, “Ihanatar!”
She turned around to see the manager pointing at her, humiliation and anger visible on his face. Humiliation because he had been stupid enough to let her slip in his store, and anger for the same reason.
“Get out!” he yelled. “Get out!”
Everyone backed away from her, as if she was a disgusting creature. Caroline stood rooted to the spot, cursing herself. She had forgotten to hide the mark, even though it was against the law to do so.
“I said get out ihanatar,” the manager said icily.
Slowly, Caroline moved towards the door. She could feel the eyes of everyone on her back as she exited the tent.
When she was back out in the sun, she started to look for Dylan. All she wanted to do was go back to Melina’s.
Dylan was standing a little away from the tent, obviously oblivious to everything around him.
“Dylan!” she called out.
Dylan snapped out of his reverie and looked for the person who called his name. He saw Caroline wave at him and hurried over.
“Done shopping so soon?” he asked, leaning casually on the tent.
Caroline nodded mutely. She’d decided to skip out on what had happened at the bookstore.
“Nothing interesting to read. Let’s just go back to Melina’s. I’m feeling a little tired.” She started to move in with the crowd.
Dylan thought his sister was acting strange.
“Well, stranger than usual anyway,” he thought.
But when she told him to hurry up, Dylan shrugged it off and melded into the crowd.
What was really bothering her, though, was the men’s discussion. Who were they talking about? It had seemed very important to them. The man they were talking about could have been a simple commoner; an ihanatar like herself. Or a rich merchant. But Caroline had a feeling it was someone much bigger than that. But who…
“Caroline!” Melina stood in the doorway, flour on her hands.
Caroline hurriedly scrambled upright and faced Melina.
“Yes?”
“Didn’t you hear me calling you?’ Without waiting for an answer, Melina proceeded to push her in the house.
“Come on, come on. Time to fix dinner.”
“Why not?” Julio asked angrily. They were talking about Caroline.
“She’s probably found out by now anyway. Everyone else knows but her.”
“I don’t think so. If Caroline knew, she’d have told me by now.”
“Yeah, and I don’t think it would’ve been pretty, Flagel. If C would want to hear it from anyone, it’d be you.” Julio said this rather bitterly.
“Look Flagel, if you don’t tell her today, I will. And I’ll make sure she gets out of here before tomorrow.”
“Why tomorrow?” Dylan asked puzzled.
“By tomorrow, the king will be dead. That, I am sure of. So you tell or I will. Then, you’ll need to get out. Before anything happens. See ya later.”
Julio went back inside the house. Dylan was left feeling slightly panicked.
How did Julio know that the king would be dead by tomorrow? It didn’t matter. All Dylan knew was that he should talk to Caroline, and soon. It was getting darker by the minute.
“She’ll kill me for not telling her sooner.”
Dylan grimaced as he imagined what Caroline might do to him.
Melina had gathered the whole house into one room,.(which was quite difficult), after dinner. Caroline’s heart sank when she saw Melina looking grimmer than usual.
After everyone had arrived, Melina’s face softened, and she started to speak.
“I’m sure all of you’ve heard about the soon-to-be death of King Alexandre.” She paused briefly before saying, “And what will happen when he dies.’
Many people in the room nodded. Caroline looked over at Dylan, who was on the other side of the room. He didn’t nod, but it didn’t look like this was news to him.
“If what has been rumored,” Melina continued, “does come to pass, I’m afraid I’ll be of no help. And you’ll be on your own.”
At this, a roar of protests emerged, but Caroline had heard enough. She stormed out of the room.
“So that’s what those men were talking about,” she thought to herself. “That’s what Dylan had wanted to talk about. A little late, though, huh Dyl?”
Caroline was just about to enter her room, when Dylan intercepted her. Without thinking, Caroline slapped him across his face. Hard.
Dylan put a hand up to his face. That had hurt. “I deserved that,” he said.
“Damn right you deserved it! What the hell were you thinking Dylan, not telling me something like that?!”
“Caroline, I was going to tell you, but…”
“But what, you were waiting for the king to die and say, ‘Oh yeah, Caroline, I forgot. The king was dying and we’ll be on our own. Again. Sorry about not telling you.’”
“Caroline, I was going to tell you today. But now that you know…”
“Look, I don’t care. Just leave me alone.” Caroline attempted to edge around him, but Dylan stayed where he was.
“We need to get out,” Dylan said seriously. “Together. When the king dies, we need to be gone.”
“And we will,” Caroline said coolly. At this statement, Dylan moved from the door. Relief flooded him. Caroline walked into her room and said,
“Just not together.” With that, she slammed the door.
Dylan pounded on the door with his fists.
“Caroline!” he yelled. “Caroline, open the door!” No answer, no click of the lock.
“Dammit,” Dylan thought. “Now what?”
