I hadn't known that Simon was my brother for a long time. I don't know why
no one ever told me, and he of course didn't tell me himself.
When I did find out, I longed to hold a conversation with him, even if it was only one half of a conversation. That was the one big reason that I hated my curse.
Unlike Mom's obedience, if someone told me to do something I could defy them. I'd have to say something, anything because they had said something, but I could ignore them.
Sometimes I could talk to Simon. If someone asked Simon a question with a long answer, I could ask him another question and so on until we gave up with our useless and tiring game.
Mom never got very close to me. Dad did though. Dad loved to talk for a long time so that I could talk back to him. He loved to make silly faces because then I would have to make a funny face back. He would laugh then I would laugh and he would laugh harder. Dad was a lot more fun to talk to then Simon, but Simon could hardly say anything.
Dad always seemed to be laughing, except for one day when I was eleven. He was sad all day long. I tried to cheer him up, but he wouldn't talk to me. I got frustrated because I couldn't talk to him. I got so upset. I threw my shoe across the room.
" TORLIN! What did you do that for? You could've hurt someone!"
" Why are you mad, Daddy?" I asked. Daddy sighed and rubbed his forehead.
" Tory, sweetie. Grandpa died."
Grandpa? Grandpa was dead? I couldn't believe what I had heard. I had hardly ever met my grandpa before, and I never knew Grandma or my aunt. They had both died before I was born. Grandma died a few days before Simon was born, and my aunt died the day after.
Mom and Dad had always told me that Simon's birth was a very sad time in all of Kyrria, but especially in Frell.
My Grandpa was the king of Kyrria before he died. My other Grandpa I hardly knew. He had visited after I was born and stayed for my Christening. He had come again on my eighth birthday and stayed for Christmas.
Mom and Dad never told my Grandparents about Simon and my curses. It was odd. Grandpa thought that Simon was mute, or as he said, dumb, and that I was just a copycat.
Mom had a little talk with Grandpa about saying things in front of us, but she didn't tell him about the curses.
When I was fifteen and Simon was sixteen, Dad suddenly got ill. Mom was very scared. She said that he had Daria's Disease, the disease that killed my aunt, my grandma, and my grandpa.
It was named after my grandma, Queen Daria, who was the first person to develop the disease. So far, besides the Royal family, 300 Kyrrians had died from the disease and no one had survived.
One of the Dwarfs had prophesied that the cure would be found by ' Two of more heart then voice', whatever that meant.
Some of the Elves believed that there was no cure, but the Giants said that there certainly was. But, the ogres also said that there was a cure, and who can trust ogres?
Inside I made a promise to myself that I would go out and try to save my father, and maybe I could break my curse.
When I did find out, I longed to hold a conversation with him, even if it was only one half of a conversation. That was the one big reason that I hated my curse.
Unlike Mom's obedience, if someone told me to do something I could defy them. I'd have to say something, anything because they had said something, but I could ignore them.
Sometimes I could talk to Simon. If someone asked Simon a question with a long answer, I could ask him another question and so on until we gave up with our useless and tiring game.
Mom never got very close to me. Dad did though. Dad loved to talk for a long time so that I could talk back to him. He loved to make silly faces because then I would have to make a funny face back. He would laugh then I would laugh and he would laugh harder. Dad was a lot more fun to talk to then Simon, but Simon could hardly say anything.
Dad always seemed to be laughing, except for one day when I was eleven. He was sad all day long. I tried to cheer him up, but he wouldn't talk to me. I got frustrated because I couldn't talk to him. I got so upset. I threw my shoe across the room.
" TORLIN! What did you do that for? You could've hurt someone!"
" Why are you mad, Daddy?" I asked. Daddy sighed and rubbed his forehead.
" Tory, sweetie. Grandpa died."
Grandpa? Grandpa was dead? I couldn't believe what I had heard. I had hardly ever met my grandpa before, and I never knew Grandma or my aunt. They had both died before I was born. Grandma died a few days before Simon was born, and my aunt died the day after.
Mom and Dad had always told me that Simon's birth was a very sad time in all of Kyrria, but especially in Frell.
My Grandpa was the king of Kyrria before he died. My other Grandpa I hardly knew. He had visited after I was born and stayed for my Christening. He had come again on my eighth birthday and stayed for Christmas.
Mom and Dad never told my Grandparents about Simon and my curses. It was odd. Grandpa thought that Simon was mute, or as he said, dumb, and that I was just a copycat.
Mom had a little talk with Grandpa about saying things in front of us, but she didn't tell him about the curses.
When I was fifteen and Simon was sixteen, Dad suddenly got ill. Mom was very scared. She said that he had Daria's Disease, the disease that killed my aunt, my grandma, and my grandpa.
It was named after my grandma, Queen Daria, who was the first person to develop the disease. So far, besides the Royal family, 300 Kyrrians had died from the disease and no one had survived.
One of the Dwarfs had prophesied that the cure would be found by ' Two of more heart then voice', whatever that meant.
Some of the Elves believed that there was no cure, but the Giants said that there certainly was. But, the ogres also said that there was a cure, and who can trust ogres?
Inside I made a promise to myself that I would go out and try to save my father, and maybe I could break my curse.