: Chapter 5: Mistrust
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As Bryn awoke in the morning,
she felt as if a heavy weight had been placed on her head. Something had
happened … she tried to remember and suddenly, the memory of last night hit
her. Maeve… and this overwhelming evil feeling Bryn had sensed. There was
something absolutely wrong with Maeve. She had to tell the others!
She quickly went to the
canteen where she saw her friends already assembled, deepened into a
discussion.
"I just can't believe that
she did such a thing. I mean –" Firouz stopped talking at once when he saw Bryn
entering.
Bryn was confused, then she
saw Maeve who had a nasty smile on her face and the sorceress realized that she
had probably told them the story from her own 'point of view'.
"Bryn, I think we need to
talk", Sinbad said. His voice had lost the last night's softness.
"That's absolutely right!"
Bryn replied, fully entering the room. "But I'd appreciate it if Maeve left the
room first", she added with an angry glance at her rival. Sinbad bade Maeve
with a look to leave, which she reluctantly did.
"I don't know what Maeve told
you, but – ", Bryn started, but was interrupted by Sinbad.
"She told us that you snooped
in her room last night when she was away and that she caught you when you were
just trying to see through her private things. She gently told you to leave her
cabin, which you did. But later, as she went to her cabin and wanted to have a
little privacy, she found you, spying on her."
"Well, that's not quite how
things happened." Bryn said, angry that Maeve told such lies about her to the
crew. And most of all, she was angry, because her friends seemed to believe it
– without even asking Bryn if it was true.
"Well, it would be a delight
for us to hear what happened in your opinion", the captain of the Nomad said
sarcastically.
"After our conversation last
night", she started with a glance at Sinbad, "I went down to my cabin. Then I
sensed these feelings coming from Maeve's room – devilish feelings! Full of
hate and evil intentions. That's why I spied on her. Listen, something is
absolutely wrong with your friend. There must be something we don't know about
her."
The others looked at her, an
unbelieving look in their eyes.
"Why should she hide
something from us?" Doubar asked irritated.
Sinbad couldn't believe it –
he didn't want to believe it. Now that Maeve had returned at last, she maybe
changed completely? No, it couldn't be! But then, it would mean that Bryn was
lying. Out of jealousy, he supposed. He was disappointed. He didn't know such a
behavior could come from her. Could it be that he had been wrong about Bryn all
the time?
"I don't believe it", Sinbad
finally said.
Bryn was stunned that they
would rather believe the story Maeve obviously made up than the truth.
"Why should I lie?!"
"Because you're jealous!"
Sinbad snapped back at her.
It was like a slap in Bryn's
face.
"What?!" she asked.
"I'm sorry that you're
jealous of Maeve – I already told you! But … I'd have never believed that you
could be so nasty – making up a story just to make us think that Maeve is
evil…"
Bryn wasn't able to say a
word – she was so absolutely shocked about what they expected her to be capable
of doing.
Firouz nodded sadly and
disappointed, "Just to slander Maeve…"
"Don't you see the truth?"
Bryn had finally found her voice again.
But as she looked into her
friends' eyes, she knew that they didn't. Not being able to look at them any
more she burst out of the room.
When Bryn was gone the others
looked at each other with sadness and frustration. For a while nobody said a
word.
"What if Bryn's right?"
Doubar finally asked his little brother.
"Can you honestly imagine
Maeve being evil?" Sinbad wanted to know.
"I didn't notice a change in
Maeve's character or behavior", Firouz stated, "Nothing that could make us
assume that Bryn's telling the truth."
"Me neither", the captain and
his brother gave back and Rongar nodded at their reply in agreement.
Sinbad sighed. "Maeve has
done nothing to her! It's as if I don't know Bryn any more – or as if we'd been
wrong about her all the time."