Sorry this has been so long in the making.
This has been one crazy year for me.
I'll try to get more up within the next 7 days.

7 days...

2

Mud

Saeliin walked into the house, mud splattered down the front of her school uniform. It was an ugly maroon color with darker stains spotting the skirt and vest. She slipped off her dress shoes as quietly as she could, picked them up, and began to sneak toward the stairs. A small dirt trail fell from her clothes as she tiptoed across the small hall.

"Saeliin, is that you?" Her Aunt Krystal's voice floated in from the kitchen. Saeliin winced before she looked toward the kitchen. She could see Krystal's shadow coming closer and her gaze flickered to her bedroom door upstairs. Could she make it? She took a deep breath and bolted up the stairs, stumbling here and there. Krystal rounded the hall corner just as Saeliin's door shut behind her. She looked up, wiping her hands on a dish towel with a worried face. As she turned to walk back into the kitchen, something caught her eyes on the stairs. She leaned closer to examine the substance to realize it was mud; again.

Upstairs, Saeliin leaned against her door trying to catch her breath from the short-burst run up the stairs. Once she was sure Krystal wasn't going to come up after her, she stepped away from the door, stripping her clothes as she stepped toward the closet. She reached into her closet and pulled out a pair of comfortable slacks and a large t-shirt before slipping the new clothes on. She made sure to pile her dirty clothes in the corner for Krystal to wash before sneaking back out her bedroom door.

Krystal was at the foot of the stairs waiting for her. Her arms were crossed and a soft yet strict expression was on her face. Saeliin hesitated before continuing on her way down the stairs. She watched the floor where she noticed mud from her uniform smeared across the steps.

"Hi Krystal…" She smiled weakly. Krystal sighed, "Hello Saeliin. What's the mud from?" She asked in a tiresome voice. Since she was sixteen and Saeliin's parents were killed, Krystal had been a mother and sister figure to Saeliin. Krystal was now twenty-four; her mother had died in a car accident. Saeliin had been in the car as well but escaped the accident unharmed. Krystal had blamed Saeliin for her loss until she realized that they were both orphans now.

"I slipped…" Saeliin said unsure. Krystal smiled meekly as Saeliin slipped passed her. "My clothes are in my room." Saeliin made her way to the back door with Krystal at her heels.

"Again? Saeliin you know I'm always here for you…" Krystal's soft voice only made Saeliin feel worse. She didn't know why her classmates treated her the way they did. She had had only one friend her age and that had been Ralph, who'd moved when they were seven. He had been the only one to ever understand her. They hadn't kept touch like they had promised to.

"Yeah, I know. I just slipped." Saeliin shrugged and walked into the garden. Roscoe and Kemi bounded toward her. The dogs were mutts of medium size and loved Saeliin just as much as she loved them. Roscoe was a mixture of browns. Saeliin considered him to be her little boy. Kemi was white with brown patches and more of Krystal's dog.

Krystal watched the small dark redheaded girl play with the dogs. She didn't understand why Saeliin had troubles either. The worst thing about her had been the gap between her two front teeth, but that was fixing itself. She was an awkward eleven year old tomboy who was smarter than most kids in her class. Krystal wasn't sure if she would grow out of it or not. No signs of womanhood were apparent yet. She wasn't sure when they would. Krystal sighed and turned away. Time would work things out…

A large dot perched on a tree in the front yard caught Krystal's attention. She walked toward the living room window, her head cocked to the side. The owl was brown in color with specks of tan and white decorating its feathers. It was an odd thing to spot an owl so close to the house in their neighborhood, especially one so big. Krystal crossed her arms and studied it more closely. Odd as it was, it was only a bird. She shrugged and went back to the kitchen to prepare their dinner.

Outside, Saeliin had climbed a tree in the garden. Below, the dogs waited anxiously for her return to earth. Up where she was, Saeliin could see everything. Fences were no boundary to her now. She could see her neighbor's back yard pool… and her other neighbor's young daughter sunbathing… and two of her own classmates spying eagerly on the unsuspecting teenager. Boys. What filth. She thought to herself. If only she could protect her neighbor's dignity, why, she'd snap them straight with a snap of her fingers if she could. As if to emphasize her unheard point, she snapped her fingers with evil thoughts of the little boys in mind.

Almost as soon as she did, the chairs the boys were standing on to see over the fence, snapped in the seat. The two boys were left dangling from the posts, ashamed. Saeliin's mouth dropped open. Had she done that? She could hear the groans and moans of the boys in their dilemma as she gazed at her fingers in awe. She stood on the branch in triumph and raised her hand to the sky. "I have the power!" She shouted. Her footing slipped and she tumbled from the tree landing on her backside in the grass. "Ow…" She mumbled. "Hope no one saw that…"