Life On the Fjords

"Is Someone Hurt?"

"What's with you, Mary? You love hopscotch!" Caleb tried to usher Mary to join them, but she stood firmly in place with her arms crossed.

"I just don't feel like it today is all!" She tried to sound authoritative, but the pain in her stomach showed in her face.

"You feel okay?" Claude inquired, coming close.

Mary recoiled, "Yes, I'm fine! Jeez!" She sat down on the log Pippa was seated on. The redhead could tell something was wrong with both the Overland twins now.

"It's your loss!" Caleb joined his brother and Monty in their game. Jamie sat by a tree close by, working on his literature homework that he'd neglected.

"Mary, are you sure you're not sick?" Pippa asked in a gentle voice.

"I'm not sick. I just don't feel good today." She turned her head away. "Now quiet, I wanna see Monty fall on his face!"

"Hey!" Monty had heard her. "I'm not gonna—" He lost his footing and indeed, fell face-first into the wet ground. "Ow."

"That's the power of suggestion!" Mary laughed.

"My turn!" Claude jumped in.

Pippa gave Jamie a sad look; she didn't know what was bothering him, nor why he wouldn't talk to her about it. "How's Jamie been?"

"What do you mean?"

"He's acting differently."

Mary shrugged. "I don't know what's been bugging him. He won't talk to me much either." She doubled over in pain again and held her stomach. She couldn't feign feeling fine and she heard herself groan. "I think I'm gonna throw up." She murmured.

Pippa helped her stand up—all day she couldn't help noticing that Mary was walking and standing rather stiffly, much unlike her rowdy self. "You want me to take you to the teacher?"

"No!" She implored. "I just want to get some water."

"I'll go with you." Pippa escorted her away from the playground. "We're gonna go inside, you guys."

"Oh, I see." Caleb playfully teased. "The girls don't wanna dare try us."

"Not even Mary's up for it!"

Monty chuckled, "Mary, Mary quite contrary." For that, he got a fist to the gut from said girl he was singing about. Even when in anguish, she packed a punch. He was holding his stomach and Caleb checked if he was okay.

Claude took the opportunity to approach Jamie, "Hey, why don't you go next?"

He didn't look up from his paper. "I'm good, thanks."

"Come on! Why are you such a stick in the mud all the sudden?"

"I just don't feel like playing. What's the big deal?"

"The big deal is you're upset about something and you're not telling us!" Claude raised his voice a little and caught the attention of the two other boys. "We're your friends. We're here to help each other."

Jamie blanched. "I don't need any help." He gathered his things and stood up. "I'm gonna go somewhere I can work in peace." He stormed off, indulging in his petulance. He didn't know why, but Jamie just needed to. He kept thinking if he just let himself be angry for a bit, it'd go away.

The problem was he didn't know what he was angry at.

His brother? His father? His sister?

...His mother?

Maybe that was it. His mother was what made their father so angry and Jack so sad. If neither of them were like that, then maybe they would all be happier... Maybe he wouldn't be so angry today.