Lark was upset that Niko hadn't stayed for dinner, "If you're going to stop by Discipline, it would be nice if you would eat at Discipline."
Tris was still trying to figure out what Lark meant when they had talked about Gary. Gary was 15, he was a grown man in somes eye. She just couldn't put aside how shy Gary had been acting, though. She expected a normal person to be shy but not her annoying bratty cousin. Lark made sense, but Tris didn't want to admit it. There had to be another reason.
Lark, however, didn't have time to wait for Tris to come around. She wanted to decorate Discipline for Rosethorn, Sandry, and Briar's homecoming. They'd only been gone two weeks, but lark had missed her best friend and student dearly. Now was the time to make Gary learn some responsibility and gain some duty.
So the next day was spent cleaning, dusting, and running around Winding Circle looking for supplies.
Gary was on his way to get the new cleaned sheets for the 7 beds in the house. He was going to sleep with Briar for now. Lark had found Briar's old bed and was having it put back together right now. Tris was being sent to fetch the new mattress and guide the delivery boys to Discipline.
After all they had already done they still needed to make dinner. This puzzled Gary. From what he could tell, Winding Circle had a fabulous cook but Lark insisted on making the dinner. He almost expected her to add " Because they have the ingredient of Love."
As he was nearing the washing rooms, he saw a group of boys outside one of the dormitories pointing at him. He tried to ignore it until one boy walked up and approached him.
"You're the freke's cousin aren't you?" he asked.
"I have a cousin," Gary responded trying to sound brave. Did they mean Tris? Only he could call her a freke.
"Yeah but it's the red headed fat girl isn't it?" By now the boys cronies were surrounding him.
"Yeah, what of it."
"Well if you two are related then you must be a freke, too."
"To be a freke I would have to have magic,"he lied. These guys didn't have to know that he had magic.
"Here that guys. He doesn't have magic," the leader said to his group. The others grinned. Obviously he had missed the insult. "Look here you wouldn't be in Discipline if you didn't have magic and weird magic at that."
Busted.
"And now you're rooming with The Hag and Lark. The Hag is mean and ugly and Lark is out of place where women are concerned. She used to travel around with acrobats and circus folk. I bet she shared many beds with guys don't you think?"
Gary hadn't had enough time to really get to know Lark but she seemed nice and these guys were just trying to get him riled up. He kept walking but the other boys blocked his way.
"Look he's trying to get away. Well your freke cousin ran away last time, but you won't. Get him guys!" And they all jumped on him. He felt a fist in his stomach and numerous bruises all over his body. His hair was being pulled.
He heard footsteps running in his directions but he didn't care. He didn't belong here. Maybe he should let them pummel him to death.
Next thing he knew the fist had stopped hitting him and he could feel hands pulling him up.
"Are you okay?" he heard a voice say. All he could do was moan. "Guess not, well you're lucky we're near the healers. I'll be right back."
He heard the footsteps running away and he ventured to open his eye. Ow, pain shot through it.
"Boy, boy are you okay?" This was a different voice, but it was one he knew. It was the man who came to dinner his first night there..what was his name? It was some kind of bird. Pigeon? Sparrow? Stork? Robin?
The man leaned down to examine him. He picked up Gary's head and dribbled some water into his mouth. "You're just lucky I had this canteen with me."
"Anx," was all Gary could muster.
"You're welcome. Has anyone come by? Maybe I should get a healer and then we'll find whoever did this to you. I think this may have happened to Trisana as well."
"Oh Dedicate Crane," he heard the boys voice panting. "I'm glad you're here. The healers are all busy but they said if I could bring him to the infirmary they would make a bed for him and tend to him."
"Were you a part of this Ryan?" Crane asked.
"No, sir, but I saw Malf and his buddies run away before I found him."
"Well let's carry him."
"No!" Gary said. "I think I can walk."
"Not with support you can't. Here we'll help you stand up and you can lean on us. If you wouldn't mind getting your strength back it would be much appreciated. I'm late coming back from my break."
Slowly they made it to the infirmary and got Gary into a bed. Crane said farewell and that he would make sure the boys who attacked him were rightfully punished.
"Ryan, Gary resides at Discipline. Could you go and tell Lark where he is?" Crane asked.
For the first time Gary got a good look at his rescuer. He was no taller than him and looked to be 16. He had blondish hair that was down to his ears and needed to be brushed. His round face proved that he was fed but not too much to where he needed to watch his face. The blue eyes of his seemed to stare into Gary's and read his thoughts.
"Yessir Dedicate Crane," Ryan said. He tenor voice never sounded so wonderful. As Crane left, Ryan looked at Gary. "I'll be right back."
"Thank you ," Gary said. He had never meant it more.
Maybe not everyone was bad at Winding Circle.
Tris was still trying to figure out what Lark meant when they had talked about Gary. Gary was 15, he was a grown man in somes eye. She just couldn't put aside how shy Gary had been acting, though. She expected a normal person to be shy but not her annoying bratty cousin. Lark made sense, but Tris didn't want to admit it. There had to be another reason.
Lark, however, didn't have time to wait for Tris to come around. She wanted to decorate Discipline for Rosethorn, Sandry, and Briar's homecoming. They'd only been gone two weeks, but lark had missed her best friend and student dearly. Now was the time to make Gary learn some responsibility and gain some duty.
So the next day was spent cleaning, dusting, and running around Winding Circle looking for supplies.
Gary was on his way to get the new cleaned sheets for the 7 beds in the house. He was going to sleep with Briar for now. Lark had found Briar's old bed and was having it put back together right now. Tris was being sent to fetch the new mattress and guide the delivery boys to Discipline.
After all they had already done they still needed to make dinner. This puzzled Gary. From what he could tell, Winding Circle had a fabulous cook but Lark insisted on making the dinner. He almost expected her to add " Because they have the ingredient of Love."
As he was nearing the washing rooms, he saw a group of boys outside one of the dormitories pointing at him. He tried to ignore it until one boy walked up and approached him.
"You're the freke's cousin aren't you?" he asked.
"I have a cousin," Gary responded trying to sound brave. Did they mean Tris? Only he could call her a freke.
"Yeah but it's the red headed fat girl isn't it?" By now the boys cronies were surrounding him.
"Yeah, what of it."
"Well if you two are related then you must be a freke, too."
"To be a freke I would have to have magic,"he lied. These guys didn't have to know that he had magic.
"Here that guys. He doesn't have magic," the leader said to his group. The others grinned. Obviously he had missed the insult. "Look here you wouldn't be in Discipline if you didn't have magic and weird magic at that."
Busted.
"And now you're rooming with The Hag and Lark. The Hag is mean and ugly and Lark is out of place where women are concerned. She used to travel around with acrobats and circus folk. I bet she shared many beds with guys don't you think?"
Gary hadn't had enough time to really get to know Lark but she seemed nice and these guys were just trying to get him riled up. He kept walking but the other boys blocked his way.
"Look he's trying to get away. Well your freke cousin ran away last time, but you won't. Get him guys!" And they all jumped on him. He felt a fist in his stomach and numerous bruises all over his body. His hair was being pulled.
He heard footsteps running in his directions but he didn't care. He didn't belong here. Maybe he should let them pummel him to death.
Next thing he knew the fist had stopped hitting him and he could feel hands pulling him up.
"Are you okay?" he heard a voice say. All he could do was moan. "Guess not, well you're lucky we're near the healers. I'll be right back."
He heard the footsteps running away and he ventured to open his eye. Ow, pain shot through it.
"Boy, boy are you okay?" This was a different voice, but it was one he knew. It was the man who came to dinner his first night there..what was his name? It was some kind of bird. Pigeon? Sparrow? Stork? Robin?
The man leaned down to examine him. He picked up Gary's head and dribbled some water into his mouth. "You're just lucky I had this canteen with me."
"Anx," was all Gary could muster.
"You're welcome. Has anyone come by? Maybe I should get a healer and then we'll find whoever did this to you. I think this may have happened to Trisana as well."
"Oh Dedicate Crane," he heard the boys voice panting. "I'm glad you're here. The healers are all busy but they said if I could bring him to the infirmary they would make a bed for him and tend to him."
"Were you a part of this Ryan?" Crane asked.
"No, sir, but I saw Malf and his buddies run away before I found him."
"Well let's carry him."
"No!" Gary said. "I think I can walk."
"Not with support you can't. Here we'll help you stand up and you can lean on us. If you wouldn't mind getting your strength back it would be much appreciated. I'm late coming back from my break."
Slowly they made it to the infirmary and got Gary into a bed. Crane said farewell and that he would make sure the boys who attacked him were rightfully punished.
"Ryan, Gary resides at Discipline. Could you go and tell Lark where he is?" Crane asked.
For the first time Gary got a good look at his rescuer. He was no taller than him and looked to be 16. He had blondish hair that was down to his ears and needed to be brushed. His round face proved that he was fed but not too much to where he needed to watch his face. The blue eyes of his seemed to stare into Gary's and read his thoughts.
"Yessir Dedicate Crane," Ryan said. He tenor voice never sounded so wonderful. As Crane left, Ryan looked at Gary. "I'll be right back."
"Thank you ," Gary said. He had never meant it more.
Maybe not everyone was bad at Winding Circle.