Chapter 4 — I Should Have Known Kael
1267 Words
I'd never seen mom as upset as this.
If I had seen her chastising the servants.
I had seen her humiliating people when they were unfaithful to her.
But I never saw her beat Elyra, though!
I stopped listening to the sound when I was half-way up the stairs.
A sharp crack.
Then silence.
I could see what was in the court yard.
Elyra was standing near the fountain and had her hand on her face.
My Mother was in front of her.
I was in a fog for a lot of time.
Again,” said the coldly worded Mother, “I will tell you that you will regret it.”
Elyra didn't answer.
She only dipped her fingers in the water.
I looked at the girl's face.
Already, there was a small red stain on her cheek.
I have this feeling of coldness in my heart.
“Mother.”
They both spun around.
There were not many visible changes to mother's face.
Elyra's eyes widened.
“Kael.”
I walked towards them.
“What happened?”
“Nothing.”
Elyra was immediately on the ball.
I looked at her.
Nothing?
A hand-mark was on her face.
My fists were clenched and my hands were clenched.
Why aren't you marked on your face?”
She looked away.
“I deserved it.”
It was a slap which had a deeper impact than the words.
“You deserved it?”
Mother put her arms on her hips.
“It was disrespectful of her.
I took a peek between them.
“What did she do?”
“It's none of your concern.”
“When you hit her it became my concern.”
Mother's eyes narrowed.
“You've only been home for a day Kael, don't start asking yourself how this family works.”
I ignored her.
I looked at Elyra.
“Was it yesterday's incident that led to her hitting you?”
Her eyes flickered.
That was enough.
I ran off to Mother.
“Isn't that what you're sending her away for?”
She's 18 so she's being transferred.”
It's not a solution, he said, "It's not an answer.
Mother's expression hardened.
“It's good to consider what is possible.”
I stepped closer.
But, if I had no you in my house beating her, I would.
Mother scoffed.
You don't know what goes on in this house.”
I would not have the chance to look at Elyra's face again.
She wouldn't look me in the eyes.
After that I thought of this.
Mother had been the one to hit her and she was not surprised.
She hadn't shouted.
Her self-defence had not come into the picture.
She didn't even cry.
If it had not been for her standing there.
As if she'd been prepared for it.
My stomach twisted.
“How many times?”
Finally Elyra did look at me.
“What?”
“How many times has she done it?
Her lips parted.
No answer.
I already knew.
My chest tightened.
I'd been away for all those years and I had pictured Elyra being happy in the house in which we had all lived growing up.
I thought that she would've been all right.
I was inspired that maybe she was a pain to Mother, maybe she was demanding, maybe I was being so stupid that she was right, maybe I was being so stupid that she was wrong.
But this?
How many times had I been deceived?
“Elyra.”
She shook her head.
“Please don't.”
“Don't what?”
“Make this worse.”
The words brought me to a halt.
She walked past me.
I turned.
“Elyra.”
She didn't stop.
A slave came running to catch up with her.
Through the door they went and I sat and watched.
My mother sighed.
“Don't involve yourself.”
I slowly walked towards her.
“Why?”
“Because she's leaving.”
Her voice was monotonous, and made me crack.
“She's not a package that can be sent away, theirs is the boredom of looking at her.”
Mother's eyes hardened.
“Careful.”
I didn't respond.
I turned to leave.
Near the old garden, I discovered Elyra.
She was seated on a rock bench, beside the willow tree.
She was accompanied by a little young girl pack maid, who had a little piece of cloth to her face.
The maid bowed and walked away, upon seeing me.
Elyra neither lifted her head up, nor lowered it down.
“This isn't such a good place to be here.
As I can say about him, I can say about you:
Well, that's where I am when I want to be alone”,
There was a bench with a seat opposite.
We talked for a couple of seconds, but said not a single ounce of words.
She had a cloth in her hands, as I could see.
“Does it hurt?”
“A little.”
“Let me see.”
“No.”
“Elyra.”
Later I noticed that she was looking at me.
She was tired.
Not angry.
Not frightened.
Just tired.
"No, Kael, I don't want you to fix every problem I have," I replied.
I was at a loss for words.
Because she was correct.
It has been three years since I last visited.
I never got to be in her life and to tell her that I'm the one that let her down.
There was one thing that I could do, though.
I could pretend that I didn't see what was going on and put on a show.
“If I knew, he said to her, ‘If only I knew!“If I knew,” he said to her, “If I knew!
Her expression softened.
“Know what?”
That she has dealt with you.”
She looked away.
“It's not important.”
“It is to me.”
She went still.
That isn't what I meant to say.
But there was nothing I could do about it.
The cloth she held in her hands was clamped tightly in her hands.
“Why?”
I stared at her.
Why?
I was unable to come up with a solution.
One that didn't have any logic.
Seeing her hurt, there I was, I knew that I was mad.
I said, "Well, I just don't know," after experiencing this for the first time.
Elyra's face was sad but had a small smile.
If they don't then they don't care,
She stood.
I'm ready to leave the nest”, I can hear her saying.
I took her wrist, instead.
She froze.
So did I.
I held her hand, and felt her skin warm under my fingers.
I had a certain feeling in my chest which I didn't like, for some reason.
My wolf stirred.
Hard.
As soon as, I removed her from the place.
“Sorry.”
I could tell that she was staring at me with an odd expression.
“It's okay.”
She walked away.
I saw her come threshing through the gate in the garden.
I felt my wolf, inside me, growling.
I clenched my jaw.
This was ridiculous.
Since I was born, Elyra has been a part of my family.
My responsibility.
My little sister.
Why should I have felt angry at her when I saw her, and feel the need to tear the cause of her pain apart?
So why when she couldn't love me any more?
All of a sudden I felt like I'm in the rear?
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