The Seven Revels

Scattered

Daniel was sitting on his bed on the airship, twisting the cord to his headphones between his fingers. He'd retreated to his room as soon as they'd taken off. His parents were arguing, his mother was upset about something, but Daniel couldn't tell what. Nor did he care. He was bored out of his wits, he'd been listening to the same song on repeat since they'd left. Finally, impatience overcame him and he threw the headphones down and stormed out of the room. He found his parents standing in the kitchen, his mother sobbing heavily into his fathers shoulder.

"What's going on down here?" the twenty-three year old snapped. His father shot him a sharp look before putting his hand on his mother's head.

"We're going to be okay," Nigel said in the most soothing voice he could manage.

"Of course we're going to be okay," Daniel said. "The only people who are going to get it now are those lower class filth we all left behind."

"Daniel, shut your mouth this instant!" Nigel snapped.

"Or what, Dad? You gonna ground me?" Daniel grinned as fury crossed over his father's face.

"You'd do well to respect your father, Danny," a brittle voice from behind him said. Daniel turned and his eyes widened.

"What's she doing here?" he growled upon seeing Margaret Verdine standing just behind him. "We don't have enough room for you, Verdine. Where's that annoying granddaughter of yours?"

Mary Burgess' breath hitched in her throat and she wailed. Daniel turned toward her, his expression softening a little.

"What is going on down here?" he repeated, his voice quieter. "And where's Milo? I haven't seen him all day."

"Daniel, please, go back to your room. Your mother and I-"

"What is going on?" Daniel yelled suddenly. Suspicion had quickly grabbed at his thoughts. "Where is my brother? Tell me!"

"Indigo Verdine is dead," Mary burst out. "She's dead and my son..." Her voice choked off with a violent sob. "How could we have let this happen?"

"It's not our fault," Nigel said.

"Dad," Daniel said again, tears suddenly filling his eyes. "Where is Milo?"

"We had to leave him behind," his father said after a very long pause. Daniel stood silent for a few seconds, letting what his father had just told him sink in. Then a tear spilled over his lashes and raced down his face.

"You what?"

"Son, you have to understand, she was going to kill him if we didn't leave."

"Who is she? Dad, how could you LEAVE HIM THERE?"

"Daniel, please, just let me explain-"

"No, there's nothing to explain," Daniel snarled, pulling away from his father's outstretched hand. "How could you have left him behind? He's only sixteen, he's not going to survive down there!"

"There was nothing we could do!" Nigel said, looking to Maggie Verdine for help.

"Daniel, please, listen to your father-"

"Did we leave him behind so we could bring her with us?"

"She had a knife to his throat," Mary screamed, burying her face in Nigel's chest. "She was going to kill him."

"Who was going to kill him?"

"We never saw her face. We don't know who it was. Daniel, listen to us. The only way to save him was to leave. She said he still had a chance. The Seven Revels-"