Beyond

Mud

                                                                                Mud

        “Hey!  Seraina!”  Adam yelped as Seraina bouldered into him.  “What are you doing out here?”  He asked.

As they both stood up, Karen stormed toward them, her robes miraculously unmuddied.

“WHY WEREN’T YOU AT BREAKFAST?”  Karen demanded, her powerful voice rebounding off the sky.

No answer.  Karen pulled a dry canvas bag from under her robes.  She shoved it at Seraina.  She turned around, back in the direction of the old castle.

“The things I do for you…”  Karen mumbled as she stomped back, splashing mud up in her wake.

Adam turned to Seraina and smiled with a small shrug.  He took her empty hand and began guiding her back, but this time Seraina didn’t mention she was physically capable of walking on her own.

She was in another world, far above the clouds, eating the cloud cakes slowly, savoring their various fillings.

“Hey, Seraina?”  Adam called over his shoulder through the constant hushing of the rain.

She came back to reality with a small shudder.  “What?”

“Can you stop going out to Seeker’s Hill all the time?  You’re making Karen worry.”  Adam said.

Seraina gave him a quizzical look.

“Okay, I’m worried too.”  He admitted shyly, some pink rising to his pale gray cheeks.

“Why would you be worried.”  She said, her voice too low and quiet to phrase it as a question.

“I don’t know.”  Adam said, his cheeks getting considerably redder.  “Why don’t you find out on your own.”  He pulled her along more forcefully, walking faster with stiff knees.

He ran with her in two all the way back to the old castle.  At the door Adam slid his hand up, and the doors swung open for him.  He marched in, dragging in Seraina and her mud-filled shoes.

Karen was sitting on the stairs again, waiting.

“You’re back.”  She commented.  “You took a while.”  Her butterfly eyes were changing colors more dully now, her eyes half closed.

“It takes longer to get back when you have to drag Seraina along.  If you hadn’t left me it would’ve gone faster.”  Adam replied cooly.

“You didn’t have to drag me.”  Seraina’s voice came quietly, like a drizzle.  “I can walk on my own.”

“Yeah, of course you can.”  Adam said, a hidden edge to his voice.  “You’d walk right back to Seeker’s Hill.”  He said.  His anger breaking through his mask of gentleness, he turned around.  “Why do you go to Seeker’s Hill?”  He asked, his blue eyes fiery.

There was no reply.  Adam gritted his teeth, his hands knotted into fists, his eyes glaring.

“I…”  Seriana began.  “I can’t.”

“Can’t what?”  Adam demanded.

“I can’t tell you.”

“What do you mean?”

“I can’t tell you.”

“Why can’t you tell me?”

“I want to.”

“Well why don’t you?”

“BECAUSE I CAN’T!”  Seraina exploded, their voices continually rising, leaving behind only silence.  Adam’s face suddenly cooled.  Dangerously calm, Adam walked away, up the stairs, and down the hall.

Seraina was left with Karen leaning against the banister, giving her a worn, wise look.

“He cares.”  Karen said, letting the words float around the foyer.

“I know.  Sometimes…  I hope maybe he doesn’t.”  Seraina admitted in a whisper.  “I wish I could get away from everything.”

Karen seemed to know that Seraina wasn’t telling her most of the truth, but didn’t push the topic.

“Get to sleep, Seraina.  Tomorrow morning try not to run off.  It’s late now, we’ve been out all day.”  Karen said.

“Okay.”  Seraina replied.  Barely touching the carpeted steps she slowly ascended the stairs, and made her way soundlessly down the hall.

Karen had her tired gaze fixed on the door, waiting again for something to happen, someone to come.

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