Lies & Harmony Trilogy

Chapter Four: Seraphin (Part 2)

I expect Kasie to smile along with me, but she just looks shocked and stares at me incredulously. The smile falls off my face, and I stare at her. “Yes?” I ask, wondering why she is staring at me like that.

     “You met… my father…?” she asks, and I nod. Why would she repeat what I’ve just told her? It’s unnecessary, but I don’t speak about it. She looks like him too now that I’ve noticed it. They both have sharp noses and round eyes.

     “Mr. Lawrence,” I say, nodding. “He’s my Teacher.”

     She shakes her head and the dreamy look fades away. “My father died long ago,” she whispers. “When I was five years old. I helped bury him.”

     I frown because then Mr. Lawrence can’t be her father. I go through the files in my memory, fingers flipping through them until I land on the file marked with MR. LAWRENCE. My fingers tremble when they pull them out, and I examine it again, closing my eyes and thinking. Mr. Lawrence looks just a little older than Kasie so he can’t be her father. So what is he? I open my eyes and cast a glance at Tabitha and Thorpe who are talking quietly behind Bryler’s back. “Your brother, maybe,” I clarify. “I think it was your brother instead.”

     “My brother went missing months ago,” she tells me, clearly perplexed. “We assumed that he’s dead. Well… no one bothered to tell me if that was actually true. Where did you see him?”

     “At the hospital,” I tell her, nodding. One of the only other times I like speaking is when I’m giving information that I’ve gathered. It makes me feel like an erudite person that can clearly understand everything given to them. “He was my Teacher.”

     Kasie stares at me and nearly trips over her own feet. Her mouth is agape, and I frown at her, wondering if I’ve said something she doesn’t like. Maybe she doesn’t like her brother like Tabitha doesn’t like her father. The thought is odd but I’ve seen it with Tabitha and Bryler. It wouldn’t surprise me now.

     “Your teacher,” she says softly. “He’s your teacher. In the twenty-second sector. At the hospital.”

     I nod almost energetically, glad that she finally understands the information that I’m giving her. “Yes,” I say. “My Teacher may be your brother. You two even look alike!” I begin to rattle off things about his appearance that my mind still holds. When I finish, I realize that almost everyone is staring at me, and I wonder if I said something wrong.

     “You saw… Kasie’s brother?” a man I don’t know asks me, sounding utterly surprised and incredulous just like Kasie did when I said that. I nod, not knowing why they would ask me to restate it when I’ve already told them the answer long before. “That’s impossible,” he says, shaking his own head, and he scowls at me. I scowl back. Why would he deny me when I’m telling the truth?

     “I saw him,” I insist but he keeps on shaking his head.

     “No, you’re just a crazy girl. We can’t trust you. They’ve planted seeds in your head about their stupid independence and whatnot.” He takes a step away from me, shaking his head and eyeing me with disgust. “Lies.” I could rebut his arguments, but I don’t. Instead, I stand there and wait until he’s finished with his onslaught of words and even then, I don’t tell him that I’m not lying. What words to use? I can never find the perfect ones so I just remain quiet. Remaining quiet is a good thing. It teaches obedience, I tell myself.

     “Wynfor,” Tabitha says gently, putting a hand on his shoulder which he promptly shakes away. “Take it easy.”

     The man, Wynfor I suppose, shakes his head violently and his body starts trembling all over while I stare at him. Why is he like that? It’s not like I’ve said something horrible, is it? Why is everyone acting so surprised at this news?