Herry walked up and stood next to her as she stared at the
sky. He glanced up and sighed. “We’ll need to go soon, Kilee. The reports
should be in soon and Mother and Father will be expecting us home.” Kilynn
smiled at Herry’s use of her nickname. He hadn’t called her Kilee since they
became teenagers and she threw a fit about how babyish the nickname sounded.
But her smile faded as she turned towards Herry.
“Do we have to go home? How about we go hear the report
first. I’m just not ready to face Mother and Father yet,” she replied. The
thought of the fight that had sent her fleeing the town was still fresh in her
mind. She wasn't quite ready to forgive her parents yet and knowing how
stubborn her parents could be, she was pretty sure they weren't ready either.
It usually took everyone a day or two to calm down and think rationally.
“Yes, let’s go. They will be ringing the bell soon. We can
ask Wyllam how angry Mother and Father still are, although I expect that your
disappearing act hasn't helped them calm down any. But don’t worry, baby
sister, I will be there when you see Mother and Father again. I am on your
side. And Ryl is too, even if he doesn't often show it.” Herry grabbed her hand
as they started to walk to the steps.
As they walked towards the town square, Kilynn couldn't help
but think how different her brothers were. She, Herry and Ryl were triplets, a
rarity in their town. Mother had told them that she had known she was pregnant
with at least two babies, for she could feel two heads and four feet kicking
her. Herry and Ryl were born within minutes of each other, with identical
faces, blond hair, and green eyes like their father. Then came Kilynn, her
surprise baby, as Mother called her. She was born with a full head of dark hair
and bright blue eyes. All three babies cried non-stop until Mother had put the
three of them into the cradle together. Snuggled up together, the triplets
stopped crying and promptly fell asleep.
As they grew older, it became apparently that they had very
different personalities. While they were identical in looks and build, Ryl was
short tempered and held grudges while Herry was patient and forgiving. Kilynn,
being the youngest and only daughter in the family, grew up to be stubborn and
fierce, unafraid to try anything her six older brothers were doing. She was a
good foot shorter than her brothers, and didn't resemble anyone in her family
but her mother, who also had dark hair and blue eyes. While her twin brothers
often teased her for looking nothing like them, they would protect her ferociously
if anyone should dare to pick on her. It was comforting to know that Kilynn
could depend on them when she needed them. She smiled up at Herry and gave his
hand a gentle squeeze as they turned the corner into the town square.
The town square was filling with people. Looking around,
Kilynn spotted the familiar faces of neighbours and friends. A look of relief
often passed over people’s faces as they spotted loved ones, realizing they had
not been lost to The Hunt. Kilynn and Herry both scanned the crowd, trying to
spot their oldest brother, Wyllam.
“There he is,” Herry said, pointing to a tall, dark haired
man standing near the edge of the podium. As Herry and Kilynn made their way
through the crowd, Herry said, “Wow, Father is here too. In fact, it looks like
all of our older brothers are here.”
That worried Kilynn. Perhaps Ryl hadn't made it back to home
in time before Father sent Wyll with the report. Kilynn scanned the crowd and
didn't see her mother. That worried her even more. Perhaps her family thought
she hadn't survived and came here to hear her name be read. Maybe her mother
was too upset, thinking her only daughter was lost, to come to hear the reading
of the names. But then Kilynn saw Ryl standing on the other side of Wyll. Now
she was very confused. Where was Mother?
Kilynn and Herry walked up and stood by Ryl, Herry placing
her between himself and Ryl. Wyll walked over to Herry and whispered something
in his ear then returned to his place by Father’s side. Father glanced over at
them and nodded in greeting to Herry but totally ignored Kilynn. Oh dear she thought, Father is really angry with me, and
rightfully so. I screwed up big this time. She glanced around at her other
brothers but none of them made eye contact with her. She knew she was really in
the doghouse. Sometimes it really stinks
to be the only daughter out of seven children, she couldn’t help thinking.
The Captain of the Guard stepped up on the podium and the
crowd that had been quietly talking fell silent. The Captain cleared his throat
and began to speak. “This time around I am happy to say we only lost 10 people
to The Hunt. I want to thank….” Kilynn
tuned the Captain out while he made his long-winded speech about how he was
grateful to the citizens for doing their best to keep safe during these times.
She perked up again as he read the first name. It was not a name she recognized,
but she still felt bad for the family nearby as they sobbed at the loss of
their loved one.
Slowly, allowing each family time to grieve a bit, the
Captain read the names. As he neared the end of the list, Kilynn glanced up at
her Father and was surprised to see tears rolling down his face. Was one of the
lost people his friend? She hadn’t recognized any of the names so far so she
didn't think so. Then she noticed that there were tears on her brothers’ faces
also. She felt Herry, and surprisingly Ryl, slip their hands into hers as the
Captain announced he had reached the final name. The final name must be a
friend of theirs, Kilynn thought. That’s why her mother wasn't here – she was
upset at losing a friend. Kilynn braced herself to hear the name of their
now-gone friend.
“Vanyssa Frankson,” The Captain announced.
Kilynn let out a gasp as if someone had just kicked her in
the stomach, driving all the air from her lungs. Why had the Captain just
called out her mother’s name? She glanced at her father and saw he had his face
buried in his hands, sobbing. Her brothers were hugging each other, crying as
well. Kilynn sank to her knees, jerking her hands from her brothers’ grasp and
wrapping them around her stomach as she struggled to breathe.
“No,” she whispered over and over, shaking her head. “No,
not mother.” She heard someone yelling no over and over but didn't realize it
was her own voice until Herry and Ryl sank down beside her, wrapping their arms
around her, both calling her name. As their voices broke through her screaming,
she stopped and began to sob, tears pouring down her face. She buried her face
into the shoulders of her brothers and cried as if her heart was broken.
Kilynn glanced up as she felt a strange hand touch her head
then another. The townspeople were clearing the square, now that the Captain
was done. Friends of theirs walked by slowly, stopping to lay a hand on her
father’s shoulder, nod to her brothers, pat her head, letting her family know
they weren’t alone in their grief. Kilynn looked at her father and saw that he
was struggling to get himself under control. She did the same, taking deep
breaths of air to clear her head. Ryl and Herry realized what she was doing and
slowly released her from their protective arms.
Kilynn struggled to her feet and faced her father. “How?”she
asked. “How did this happen?” She needed to know what happened to her mother.
Her mother was always so careful, making sure to be in a safe place on the
night of The Hunt. How could her mother have been taken?
“Do you really want to discuss this here?” her father asked,
looking at her for the first time since she arrived in the square. Kilynn
thought about it for a moment. The few people that were left in the square
probably already knew what had happened, and anyway, she didn't care if they
heard what her father had to say. All she cared about was knowing what happened
to her mother. She looked her father in the eye and nodded. Father stood
staring at her for a minute. There wasn't any anger in his face anymore, only sadness.
“Fine. I will tell you,” he said then paused to give her a chance to stop him.
When she didn't he continued, “She went out looking for you. It is all your
fault.”
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