Chapter 2 - Secrets
Submitted August 23, 2006 Updated September 9, 2006 Status Incomplete | I haven't figured out a name for the story yet, so this default title shall do for now. :D Anyway, this is just a snipet of my web of thoughts surrounding a particular group of characters I created. Hmm, I've got this idea going, and I have a few chapters of it down, but I'm not sure if I'll go through with it. I trash a lot of ideas. So, don't be surprised if the next sample of writing I put up is totally different. And no, I do not have a title for this story. It will remain nameless until I find one. Any critique and comments are highly appreciated.
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Chapter 2 - Secrets
Chapter 2 - Secrets
Chapter Two: Secrets
Maeve wasn’t surprised to see that Sadiki was sitting at his usual spot on the wooden bench, overlooking the pale surface of the lake. It was glittering from the slowly setting sun and was actually quite a pretty sight, so she made a mental note to come out here more often. Although her vision was limited, she could tell by his arm gestures that he was possibly feeding the ducks some bread crumbs. She smiled at the thought of that; even though he never wants to admit it, he is a kind boy.
As she passed the grove of young oak trees surrounding the small lake, she could see that Sadiki’s features became clearer, his eminent scowl fresh across his face due to an unpleasant event. When Maeve finally came within distance of him, she heard language that she would prefer not hearing pouring out of his mouth like a running faucet.
“Damn,” he said, realizing his fifth attempt to have the small duckling follow the bread crumb failed. He threw again, and to his dismay, the baby bird just looked at him curiously with its beady eyes. “Damn,” he repeated once more.
“I do hope you aren’t learning that fowl language from home,” she said despairingly, gesturing him to scoot over and sitting down with a sigh. “Silly boy, making me walk all the way here with my fragile bones.” Sadiki’s golden eyes rang with obvious annoyance as Maeve made a sad attempt at showing her weariness.
“Don’t talk like that, it doesn’t suit you,” he said plainly, glancing at her with a raised eyebrow, “or your appearance. You barely look older than me.”
“I am older than you, and everyone in the house put together, three fold,” she stated, patting his brown hair. Then, in an all too motherly way, she tightened the low ponytail on his head. “You of all people know that.”
“Hmph,” he grumbled, returning to his previous engagement of throwing bread crumbs. “It still doesn’t suit you.” She politely ignored his comment and grabbed a handful of crumbs to throw herself.
When she was finished with her first batch and reached for another handful, she asked curiously, “So, what did you want to see me about? It’s nothing too alarming for you, I hope.”
“It shouldn’t be as alarming as when I found out how old you really were,” Sadiki replied, now trying to get the ducklings to come closer to him. “I couldn’t sleep for days after that. Did you know I had a crush on you when I was little? I knew there was a big age gap already, but knowing that info just completely ruined it.” He had a slight flush and pout to his face as he reminiscence on his childhood.
She laughed, but was a little embarrassed herself, now that Sadiki was a rather handsome young man. “Yes, I remember well. Yet to this day I still can’t understand why.”
“It’s not really that hard to see,” he admitted, eyeing her cynically. “You are pretty, in your own sort of way; I can see why he likes you - well, used to anyway.” Sadiki shrugged and began wiggling his finger to the duckling, as its beak snapped down on it. “Ow, that hurt, you little son of a--”
“Well,” she calmly interrupted, trying to keep her mind off the man Sadiki was referring to, “I suspect that you know about the dream I had earlier today, yes?”
Sadiki nodded and scowled at the bird as he caressed his defeated finger. “I can tell by the colors strands around you. Though this one you didn’t seem very flustered about. Is that how you first met that creature?”
Maeve sighed and nodded back. For a moment, she almost forgot about his uncanny ability to sense other people’s thoughts and dreams, even though he often does not acknowledge it. In fact, she doesn’t believe that even the rest of the household knows of it, yet it helped her take the other children through many restless a night. Except for Aura. For some reason, he couldn’t see her ‘color strands,’ as he describes them. But before she could speculate more on the thought, her attention turned toward Sadiki as he continued speaking.
“So that thing said it could bring you back to life, and, since you’re sitting here with me, I can see it didn’t lie,” he acknowledged, tossing the empty bag into the trash can a few feet away from him. “What happened next?”
“That’s what you need to figure out,” she replied. “My memory is a blur when it comes to the stranger, so I can’t remember anything else unless you see it through my strands.” But Maeve saw quickly that she didn’t need to say so, for Sadiki was already staring intently at the air around her.
It didn’t take long for her to get an answer. “I’ve seen that thing before,” he said with a good amount of confidence, wrapping his black windbreaker tighter around him. “And from what I’ve seen, this wasn’t the first time it did this.”
Maeve’s heart sank at the thought of it. “Really now,” she murmured, with a mild amount of interest and displeasure. “So there are others like me?”
“Obviously,” Sadiki replied with sarcasm, “but in your case, you’ve been around the longest.” Her face was sober as she comprehended the fact. She wasn’t surprised to comprehend that other people had went through an ordeal like she had. However, Maeve was shocked to realize that she’s been through it the longest. Was there something wrong with her, or is it just that she was more unlucky than they were?
She knew that if she continued to think about it, it would only upset her more. So, Maeve decided to move on the discussion. “Well, is there anything else you’ve found out for me?”
Sadiki sighed and watched as the ducklings finally swam back into the water. “Not unless you’re willing to tell me your entire history thus far.”
With a nod of understanding, Maeve stood up and murmured, “I’m pretty sure you can figure out my history on your own. I’m not too comfortable talking about it yet, if you don’t mind.”
The 19 year old shrugged and sat back against the bench. “Fine with me. I’m okay with waiting a little longer; besides, it’s your memories.” Brushing his hair through with his left hand, he continued, “Meet you at home later? I still have some business to attend to.” He eyed the birds in the water with some amount of determination while speaking.
Maeve smiled and nodded as she brushed off her skirt and started walking away. But before she was even a few feet apart from him, she knew that she could not leave contently without knowing. Without turning back, Maeve asked quietly, “About Ryes… How is he?”
He was silent for a moment, watching the sun ever so slowly set behind the trees. “He seems fine, from the last time I saw him. His company is doing well, and I hear that he’s going to be married soon. I think his fiancé is a famous ballet dancer or something,” he stated, turning his head to stare at her. For once she was glad that he couldn’t see her expression.
“I see,” she replied slowly, unsure of what to think of. Maeve was surprised in spite of herself to see that she was deeply saddened about Ryes’ proposal, and even a little jealous. Looking down, she found that her hands were clenching at her jacket in ferocious grips, with little tremors here and there. She was angry.
“Well, I best be off now,” she said quickly, turning and trying to give a pleasing smile as possible. Unfortunately, Sadiki didn’t buy into it. “Come home safely.” And with a fast wave, she trotted away until she disappeared behind the curve of the hill.
He waved just as she left, then stared back at the horizon. The sky had a lovely hue of orange and violet and blue, which mixed together nicely with the yellow sun. The trees seemed to agree with this thought as it swayed in the quiet breeze, bristling with every leaf. Sadiki always liked this place. It was the most peaceful spot he could find and with strands coming only from nature itself.
Rolling up his sleeve, he glanced at his watch to see what the time was. Seeing that he had a certain amount of time until nightfall, Sadiki decided that he wanted to grab a bite to eat before he went home. Standing up and giving a nice stretch, he kicked a pebble into the lake as he started to walk back on the path.
Sadiki did a double take as he saw a man in a black business suit in front of him, his gray eyes solemn and cold. After recovering from a bit of shock and an increase in heart beat, Sadiki scratched his head as he called out, “Didn’t expect to see you here Ryes. Do you want to see Maeve, because she just left.”
The man named Ryes seemed to glare at him, but Sadiki knew that it was just his usual expression. “You gelled your hair back. Kind of ruins the mystery about you, doesn’t it?” The boy asked with a smirk.
“I don’t have time for small chatter,” he snapped, swiping his hand across his brown hair out of habit. Sadiki had to admit that he was a bit startled; Ryes’ presence always seemed to demand respect. “I need assistance, and it’s assistance that only you can offer.”
Sadiki raised his eyebrows. “What’s wrong?”
“Someone found out,” Ryes answered. “They know our secret.”
Maeve wasn’t surprised to see that Sadiki was sitting at his usual spot on the wooden bench, overlooking the pale surface of the lake. It was glittering from the slowly setting sun and was actually quite a pretty sight, so she made a mental note to come out here more often. Although her vision was limited, she could tell by his arm gestures that he was possibly feeding the ducks some bread crumbs. She smiled at the thought of that; even though he never wants to admit it, he is a kind boy.
As she passed the grove of young oak trees surrounding the small lake, she could see that Sadiki’s features became clearer, his eminent scowl fresh across his face due to an unpleasant event. When Maeve finally came within distance of him, she heard language that she would prefer not hearing pouring out of his mouth like a running faucet.
“Damn,” he said, realizing his fifth attempt to have the small duckling follow the bread crumb failed. He threw again, and to his dismay, the baby bird just looked at him curiously with its beady eyes. “Damn,” he repeated once more.
“I do hope you aren’t learning that fowl language from home,” she said despairingly, gesturing him to scoot over and sitting down with a sigh. “Silly boy, making me walk all the way here with my fragile bones.” Sadiki’s golden eyes rang with obvious annoyance as Maeve made a sad attempt at showing her weariness.
“Don’t talk like that, it doesn’t suit you,” he said plainly, glancing at her with a raised eyebrow, “or your appearance. You barely look older than me.”
“I am older than you, and everyone in the house put together, three fold,” she stated, patting his brown hair. Then, in an all too motherly way, she tightened the low ponytail on his head. “You of all people know that.”
“Hmph,” he grumbled, returning to his previous engagement of throwing bread crumbs. “It still doesn’t suit you.” She politely ignored his comment and grabbed a handful of crumbs to throw herself.
When she was finished with her first batch and reached for another handful, she asked curiously, “So, what did you want to see me about? It’s nothing too alarming for you, I hope.”
“It shouldn’t be as alarming as when I found out how old you really were,” Sadiki replied, now trying to get the ducklings to come closer to him. “I couldn’t sleep for days after that. Did you know I had a crush on you when I was little? I knew there was a big age gap already, but knowing that info just completely ruined it.” He had a slight flush and pout to his face as he reminiscence on his childhood.
She laughed, but was a little embarrassed herself, now that Sadiki was a rather handsome young man. “Yes, I remember well. Yet to this day I still can’t understand why.”
“It’s not really that hard to see,” he admitted, eyeing her cynically. “You are pretty, in your own sort of way; I can see why he likes you - well, used to anyway.” Sadiki shrugged and began wiggling his finger to the duckling, as its beak snapped down on it. “Ow, that hurt, you little son of a--”
“Well,” she calmly interrupted, trying to keep her mind off the man Sadiki was referring to, “I suspect that you know about the dream I had earlier today, yes?”
Sadiki nodded and scowled at the bird as he caressed his defeated finger. “I can tell by the colors strands around you. Though this one you didn’t seem very flustered about. Is that how you first met that creature?”
Maeve sighed and nodded back. For a moment, she almost forgot about his uncanny ability to sense other people’s thoughts and dreams, even though he often does not acknowledge it. In fact, she doesn’t believe that even the rest of the household knows of it, yet it helped her take the other children through many restless a night. Except for Aura. For some reason, he couldn’t see her ‘color strands,’ as he describes them. But before she could speculate more on the thought, her attention turned toward Sadiki as he continued speaking.
“So that thing said it could bring you back to life, and, since you’re sitting here with me, I can see it didn’t lie,” he acknowledged, tossing the empty bag into the trash can a few feet away from him. “What happened next?”
“That’s what you need to figure out,” she replied. “My memory is a blur when it comes to the stranger, so I can’t remember anything else unless you see it through my strands.” But Maeve saw quickly that she didn’t need to say so, for Sadiki was already staring intently at the air around her.
It didn’t take long for her to get an answer. “I’ve seen that thing before,” he said with a good amount of confidence, wrapping his black windbreaker tighter around him. “And from what I’ve seen, this wasn’t the first time it did this.”
Maeve’s heart sank at the thought of it. “Really now,” she murmured, with a mild amount of interest and displeasure. “So there are others like me?”
“Obviously,” Sadiki replied with sarcasm, “but in your case, you’ve been around the longest.” Her face was sober as she comprehended the fact. She wasn’t surprised to comprehend that other people had went through an ordeal like she had. However, Maeve was shocked to realize that she’s been through it the longest. Was there something wrong with her, or is it just that she was more unlucky than they were?
She knew that if she continued to think about it, it would only upset her more. So, Maeve decided to move on the discussion. “Well, is there anything else you’ve found out for me?”
Sadiki sighed and watched as the ducklings finally swam back into the water. “Not unless you’re willing to tell me your entire history thus far.”
With a nod of understanding, Maeve stood up and murmured, “I’m pretty sure you can figure out my history on your own. I’m not too comfortable talking about it yet, if you don’t mind.”
The 19 year old shrugged and sat back against the bench. “Fine with me. I’m okay with waiting a little longer; besides, it’s your memories.” Brushing his hair through with his left hand, he continued, “Meet you at home later? I still have some business to attend to.” He eyed the birds in the water with some amount of determination while speaking.
Maeve smiled and nodded as she brushed off her skirt and started walking away. But before she was even a few feet apart from him, she knew that she could not leave contently without knowing. Without turning back, Maeve asked quietly, “About Ryes… How is he?”
He was silent for a moment, watching the sun ever so slowly set behind the trees. “He seems fine, from the last time I saw him. His company is doing well, and I hear that he’s going to be married soon. I think his fiancé is a famous ballet dancer or something,” he stated, turning his head to stare at her. For once she was glad that he couldn’t see her expression.
“I see,” she replied slowly, unsure of what to think of. Maeve was surprised in spite of herself to see that she was deeply saddened about Ryes’ proposal, and even a little jealous. Looking down, she found that her hands were clenching at her jacket in ferocious grips, with little tremors here and there. She was angry.
“Well, I best be off now,” she said quickly, turning and trying to give a pleasing smile as possible. Unfortunately, Sadiki didn’t buy into it. “Come home safely.” And with a fast wave, she trotted away until she disappeared behind the curve of the hill.
He waved just as she left, then stared back at the horizon. The sky had a lovely hue of orange and violet and blue, which mixed together nicely with the yellow sun. The trees seemed to agree with this thought as it swayed in the quiet breeze, bristling with every leaf. Sadiki always liked this place. It was the most peaceful spot he could find and with strands coming only from nature itself.
Rolling up his sleeve, he glanced at his watch to see what the time was. Seeing that he had a certain amount of time until nightfall, Sadiki decided that he wanted to grab a bite to eat before he went home. Standing up and giving a nice stretch, he kicked a pebble into the lake as he started to walk back on the path.
Sadiki did a double take as he saw a man in a black business suit in front of him, his gray eyes solemn and cold. After recovering from a bit of shock and an increase in heart beat, Sadiki scratched his head as he called out, “Didn’t expect to see you here Ryes. Do you want to see Maeve, because she just left.”
The man named Ryes seemed to glare at him, but Sadiki knew that it was just his usual expression. “You gelled your hair back. Kind of ruins the mystery about you, doesn’t it?” The boy asked with a smirk.
“I don’t have time for small chatter,” he snapped, swiping his hand across his brown hair out of habit. Sadiki had to admit that he was a bit startled; Ryes’ presence always seemed to demand respect. “I need assistance, and it’s assistance that only you can offer.”
Sadiki raised his eyebrows. “What’s wrong?”
“Someone found out,” Ryes answered. “They know our secret.”
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