Alone

6

Austin followed Feris out of the quarters and up to the main house.

"Is the only clothing you have field clothes?"

"Yes Sir."

"Well that won't do."

From a closet Feris pulled a pair of fitted jeans and a tight black T-shirt. He opened the door to a bathroom and told Austin,

"Change."

After changing Austin ran his hands through his hair nervously before exiting the room. Feris lead him to the door and left him alone to prepare himself. He took a deep breath in and turned the knob.

_____

After dinner Parker had put the suitcases away and finished putting up her few photos and things that held a place in her heart on the billboard above the desk and pulled her laptop out of its case. She sat on the bed back to the door and began to surf the web happily for a half hour or so before she heard a knock on the door. It opened shortly afterward and shut again almost immediately. When she turned around she saw a boy about her age kneeling on the ground.

"Mistress, my name is Austin, I'm 17 years old and from this point on I will be serving you to the best of my abilities."

She stared blankly at him before turning back to her computer.

Austin stayed kneeling on the ground, he felt a little blood trickling from his cheek bone where Sailor's knee had connected so cruelly. He moved his right hand to clear it away. Parker stood from the bed and walked to the bathroom. She emerged carrying a rag, salve and bandage. She knelt in front of Austin and used the rag to clear the blood away from the wound.

"Looks like you got kneed or elbowed. How'd that happen?"

Austin tried to steady his breathing as he answered, his heart still pounding as if trying to escape his chest.

"Just an angry bully."

He kept his eyes on the ground as she touched her fingers to the salve, applying it to his cheek.

"Well you won't want to let it get infected. This should help, dad and I found that the Darynesians are brilliant medically."

She placed the small x shaped bandage over the open skin and stood with the rag and jar in her hands.

"Thank you mistress."

She walked back to the bathroom to put the things away then moved to the closer to change into pajamas. She emerged and crawled under the blanket with the remote. She turned the TV on and grabbed her dads pillow, clutching it to her chest.