The Seeking by Marlena Frank

Author:Marlena Frank [Frank, Marlena]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The Parliament House

8

The Mother of the Grays

A hush came over the Gully, so that all I could hear was the rattling of the wooden wheels as they hit every possible rock on the way down the incline. The wagon itself buckled and leapt, almost turning diagonally before straightening again.

Mother and Father stood with their hands clasped together and their backs facing the wagon as it careened toward them.

Any moment, a Gray Person would dart over and shove the wagon out of the way, just like they had been done every Ritual. They would destroy it without any trouble. However, as the wagon got closer and closer, I realized it wouldn't be stopped. It was too late to stop it.

I jumped to my feet and screamed, "Mother, no!"

Darik held me back, wrapping his strong arms around me. I screamed again, hoping she would hear my voice and move out of the way, hoping she would push Father aside, too, but I knew that wasn't their way; both had promised to stand together in the direct path of danger without flinching. As the heads of the Exalted Family, they had made vows that if this day came, they would accept whatever fate awaited them. In that instant I hated them both for their pride and dedication.

When the wagon hit them, Mother was flung forward, and Father went straight under the wheels. His screams echoed up from the Gully, amplified by the steep, bare walls.

The wagon wheels continued forward, now red. Father’s cries had stopped. Mother was on her knees, one leg turned at a terrible angle from how she’d landed. Where I stood, I could see she was dazed and there was blood on her temple.

She crossed her legs in front of her, in a feeble attempt to stop the wagon somehow, but it had been turned sideways after hitting Father, and she never had a chance. Her upper body was flung backwards, but unlike Father, she didn't scream. Maybe she just didn't get the chance.

The wagon rolled once more before landing solidly in the patch of dandelions. It was then that I noticed their glow was gone - for the first time ever, they looked like regular plants.

I couldn't bring myself to look at the bodies of my parents, even as cries and screams rose up from the audience. I just stared at the patch of yellow flowers that only grew to fill the bottom of the Gully. Someone was wailing in my ear. I turned to see Dameon clutching my arm, fat tears rolling down his cheeks.

Numbly, I turned to Darik on my left and instantly recognized his guilt. He had let go of me at some point and had a look on his face like he was either going to pass out or puke, and even that wasn't really why I knew. No, it was something in my gut that told me.

Five years of working in courts and hearing people try to lie their way out of fines or housing issues had fine-tuned that instinct, and Darik was guilty of something.

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