A/N: First of all, I would like to apologize for such a long wait for the following chapter. A friend of mine recently lost her battle with cancer of the heart. I am glad to have been able to spend the last two weeks she was here on earth with her down in Georgia. When she passed almost three weeks ago, I wasn't up to writing or much of anything. I do feel much better now, and once again have begun writing. After this chapter is posted, I will continue to post as often as possible. However, I do have a lot of work to make up and finals start in two weeks. I will try to post at least once a week, but no promises. Schoolwork has to come first.
Karigan
I hope you enjoy the following chapter:
*****
The Uncontrollable
Hallway
*****
The two girls sat and waited in the empty hallway. They hadn't changed or even gotten a chance to eat. Amena's pants were blood-spattered and soiled. Rips in the fabric at the knees allowed for fresh bandages to be seen underneath covering itchy scrapes. Her tunic, ripped down the sleeve from shoulder to wrist, showed the early stages of a long bruise as yellowish-green marred her light complexion. Her blonde hair, which at some point in the evening, had been a frizzy mess, was know flat against her head as if someone had desperately tried to make it decent. Her hands were busy picking at fingernails as her feet tapped restlessly on the stone flooring. She shifted uncomfortably in the wooden chair the servants had provided for them when she tried to tell herself it wasn't taking forever, and they weren't in for it, as she looked over to the younger girl on her right.
Jade sat on the edge of her seat. Her hands gripped the sides of the wooden furniture with white knuckles, one wrapped heavily with white bandages. Her five-year-old legs didn't reach the floor, so instead each foot wrapped around a front leg in irritation. She was staring at the floor with religious devotion, her green eyes locked onto the cracks. This resulted in the mass of black curly hair to fall forward over her shoulders, effectively concealing the majority of her face behind the curtains of soft curls, which were now frizzed and tangled. Amena sighed in exhaustion, letting her head fall back onto the back of the chair. She stared up at the stone ceiling with unease.
From the opposite side of the hallway behind a closed wooden door, came a burst of muffled thunderous voices. Both Jade and Amena looked at the door with surprise as the voices argued back and forth a few times before quickly dieing down. The girls looked towards each other slightly, their eyes meeting. Jade's eyes were red-rimmed from self-conscious tears, but none-the-less, calm. The cut on her cheek had been washed and cleaned and was currently drying out to begin its healing process. Amena could see the question in her eyes. In response, Amena raised her eyebrows and shrugged a little in answer. Jade eyes fell away from Amena's before once again turning to the floor and continuing her staring contest with the old cracks. Amena bit at her lower lip and swallowed in nervous anxiety as she returned once again to picking at her nails and trying desperately to ignore that pesky little part of her head that kept telling her now would be a good time to panic - and maybe, if she started now, she could make a run for it. Somehow, she didn't think they'd let her get past the first corner. Damn!
*****
Two hours earlier:
Amena trudged back up the now subdued but still crowded marketplace, a sniffling Jade being towed behind her. Looking around the darkness of the night, she couldn't help but notice a few bodies with white sheets covering them fully. Trying to lead Jade away from those particular scenes, Amena began talking to fill the empty air. "I don't think you will be the only one pealing potatoes, Jade. I should probably go down to the blacksmith and have my pealing knife sharpened. And while we're out here, you might want to take a good look at the sky because I have a feeling we won't be allowed out of our respective potato pealing corners for a few months and that could just get…"
"Amena…?"
"Hmm?"
"Could we just…could we just not talk right now?"
Amena stopped and turned to face the girl. Her eyes were red and puffy while the rest of her face was pale making the blood running from the cut on her cheek seem all the more distinctively red. Her eyes were shadowed with something Amena didn't quite understand, but she thought it looked something like fear. "Umm…yea, sure. We don't have to…you know, talk. We can be quiet for a while if you want. That sound good?"
Jade nodded. Amena started walking again. After only a few seconds, the silence was beginning to grate on her nerves. Instead of busting out with more nervous comments, she bit her lip. Her mind raced with unimportant comments as she once or twice tried to think of a way out of 'this' problem. All the regular excuses wouldn't due for this situation. It would have to be good. Jade halted suddenly. Amena turned to ask what was wrong. Jade's eyes were wide and innocent looking as she stared towards one of the tents. Amena turned to see what had caught her attention and found herself starring as well. From one of the healing tents with a handful of injured people came a wailing. A woman in torn clothing on her knees was the source. She lay in a crumpled mass next to a flat table. On that table was a figure laying lifelessly, a white shroud covering it. The figure didn't extend to the entire reach of the table as healers sadly tried to consol the weeping woman. Amena's throat went dry and she felt her stomach roll in despair. The small figure was a child, surely no older than her own self was. She was pulled out of her trance by the aching pain in her hand, the one being gripped by Jade. Jade's small body was shaking violently, her hand gripping Amena's with painful pressure. "Jade."
The small head jerked towards her, black curls flying around her head. "I want to go home now, Amena." It was strained and came out in broken words but it was clear non-the-less.
Amena nodded. "Come on," she whispered sadly. It dawned upon her that there was no way out of this one. Jade was to affected by what had happened today to hide it. When Amena actually thought about it, she realized whatever magic it was that Jade had, her parents should know about it –and probably the King as well- she thought sadly. She had no magic of her own, but she knew that what Jade had…well, it just wasn't normal; and by the looks of it, her emotions played a big role in it.
After a few more streets, Amena began to worry that Jade's shaking was not settling down. She was about to mention it when she heard both their names yelled out from up the street. She turned to see a short blonde haired woman speeding towards them. Amena's heart lifted at the sight of her mother. "Ma!" she called out, pulling Jade behind her. Her mother snatched Amena up into a bone-crushing hug before thoroughly looking her over.
"Oh, my girl! My darling girl! Where have you been?!? We've been looking all over for you two." She quickly scanned Amena's body for injury. "What did you do Amena; use your knees as a sled?" The woman looked over at Jade, "Jade, dear, are you all right?" Jade nodded. "Well come here girl. Let me look you over. Your mother is giving herself a nervous breakdown looking for you; the least I can do is make sure you're in one piece." Jade stepped up to the lady quietly. "Oh, look at that! That's a vicious cut you got there," she said with kindness as she lightly touched the area around Jade's cheek. She looked over Jade's body with practiced eyes. "Let me see tha' hand darling. It looks swollen." Jade winced as Amena's mother assessed the injury. "A few broken fingers I'm afraid, but nothing that won't heal." Her eyes turned from kind and loving to frustrated and inquiring. "Well then, now that I know you both will live, would either of you like to explain what in the Goddess's name you're doing outside the palace walls without permission?" Both girls looked at each other with trepidation. Amena was about to open her mouth to speak when her mother cut in. "Never mind that now. We have lots of time to have this discussion. Amena, your father doesn't need heart failure at his age; and Jade, we should find your parents and put them out of their misery."
*****
Hallway:
The silence was grating on Amena's nerves like iron nails. The hall was so quiet, her tapping foot created an echo. They hadn't heard a single sound come out of the room in almost half an hour. Jade continued to sit on the edge of her seat with her hair covering her face. Amena wanted to shriek herself hoarse if it would only end the silence.
The sound of the door opening caught their attention. Both girls looked up hastily as the wooden door opened with a crick. Amena's father and mother came out with tired but frustrated faces. Both girls jumped to their feet, Amena wincing at the stiffness in her knees. "Amena," ordered her father with a short voice as he began walking down the hall.
Amena nodded in compliance as she swallowed thickly. Walking past Jade, she gave the younger girl a little smile in reassurance before obediently straggling behind her father.
Jade's eyes followed Amena before going back to the short blonde woman standing in front of her. "Thank you, Mistress Cassidy," she whispered.
The aging woman placed a gentle hand on Jade's head before saying, "It will turn out fine. You'll see." Jade nodded with reluctance. Mistress Cassidy sighed before walking down the hall in the direction of her husband and daughter. Jade was about to sit herself down again to wait when a voice from the door caught her attention.
"Jade?" She looked up to see Alanna at the door. "You can come in now," she said gently. Jade stood slowly and walked past Alanna, who placed a reassuring hand on her back, into the room.
*****
One hour earlier:
"Magelet, your crushing her." Daine was on her knees in the palace yards with Jade clutched frantically in her arms. On her part, Jade was doing her own mad clutching around Daine's neck. Her heart pounded for all she was worth as thoughts raced through her head about what she had done in the market place. Her father was trying to coax Daine to let go of the five-year-old while looking over his daughter with relieved eyes.
Reluctantly, Daine pulled away from Jade slightly with tears of utter relief in her eyes. "Jade, you scared the life out of me. Why were you in the market place? You know you're not allowed to go places without our permission."
Jade looked down at the ground, her throat refusing to work. Amena, who was busy being clutched at by her father answered for her. "I asked her to go with me – into the market."
Jade's father looked down at Amena with shock. "You? Amena, we have taught you better than that…"
"No, please. Amena shouldn't take the blame for Jade," Numair tried.
"I understand that Master Numair, but Amena knows better." The man turned to his daughter. "You left the castle, without permission to go out into the market place at its busiest hour. What's worse, you put Jade in danger. You are eight, Amena. You are too young to be going to places you are not familiar with, much less with a five-year-old. Jade is five; she sees you doing what you do and wants to do the same thing. As the older of the two, you, at least, should have thought about your actions."
Amena starred at the ground in shame.
"But I wanted to go!" Jade set her Jaw and stared at her parents with unwavering eyes. "I wanted to. It's not Amena's fault." She jumped and hissed slightly when Mistress Cassidy began bandaging her hand.
"Well, right now that's not important. We can discuss that later," spoke Numair. "Where were you two when the panic broke out?"
Amena swallowed a thick lump as Jade turned pale. "We were…," Amena began. "We were..ahh.. in front of the candy apple stand."
"Did you see what happened?" Mr. Cassidy.
The two girls glanced at one another quickly before tearing their eyes away and shifting in their seats. Mistress Cassidy called them on it. "Here now, what's this about?" Both girls looked down at their hands.
Numair looked from one girl to the next with questioning eyes. "I hope one of you is going to answer."
Jade's voice was low and scared. "I didn't mean to…," she plead.
Daine looked amazed. "What…what do you mean? What's going on?"
Amena stood up suddenly. "It was an accident. She didn't mean for it to happen. She was just scared is all."
Mistress Cassidy walked up to Amena. "What did Jade do, Amena?" she asked with seriousness.
Amena looked over at Jade who sat in front of her mother's questioning face and sighed. "I think…I think maybe you should umm, ask….ask his majesty to…to come. I don't think…I don't think Jade or I want to tell this story more than once."
*****
A/N: Well, I hope you like the chapter…its not very action packed like the previous ones, but I think its suspenseful non-the-less. *smile* Send me RRREEEVVVIIIEEEWWWSSS! *cute smile* please…
Karigan