Episode Eight: "Glass Walls"

Episode Eight: "Glass Walls"

His lips twitched in aggravation, waiting for me to say anything. My knees and feet pained me from the walk, and the rest of my body struggled to keep up with the things my brain asked them to do. Delusional, I kept my secrets from him even though he gave me his.

"I shouldn't have said anything." He said as he backed away. "I apologize because it must be so strange to you."

I shook my head from left to right in small pulses. "No, it's quite alright. I'm tired and don't know how to comprehend anything."

"We need to get moving then so you can sleep. I too am tired."

I nodded and bit my bottom lip. "Your gift is absolutely beautiful though."

"Thank you." He said as he walked. "Please don't tell anyone. Not even my sister knows of it."

"I have absolutely no business telling anyone." I expressed with a swing to my arms. "I'm ready to forget about all of this."

Kaze heaved a breath, and sighed. "I still wish it were possible to leave it." He stumbled over a hump in the dirt. "I'd burn the village down if I could."

"I'd watch it burn with you." I voiced with little hesitation. He glared at me with a crooked smile.

"Of course I couldn't stand hearing the people's screams."

I thought heavily before I spoke, and reflected upon the past occurrences that defined me. "I've already heard someone scream right before they died."

"Have you?" He posed. "When and where?"

"It was my mother."

He discontinued our walk. "I don't know what to say...."

"You don't have to say anything." I shuffled my feet across the dry earth. "That was unfair of me, so I'll apologize."

He shook his head in discomfort. "It's nothing to apologize about. I knew your parents were murdered but I had no idea that you witnessed it."

I cleared my throat. "We can discuss something else now."

Kaze pitched his hands. "We are more than capable of discussing something else."

"I need new clothes." I said bluntly. "I've been wearing these for days now. They'll be worn out in no time. Have you seen Krio so that I may ask him to bring me some?"

"No one knows of his whereabouts yet. But I do know that Patrix is doing everything he can to find him. He even more or less kidnapped you."

"How do you know Patrix? Are you a guard?"

He laughed. "He's my fiancé's brother. He'll be my brother-in-law one of these days soon."

"He's vile�""

"He's never been that accustomed to me." He uttered through his teeth. We came upon the edge of the village. In the distant, smoke plumed from chimneys and small roars of people broke against the sounds of nature. I eyed the archaic landscape with disgust, and curled my nose.

"If you run away, will you take me with you? ...We can leave it all behind."

He starred sorrowfully at the village. "Something tells me we already have."

I didn't fully understand his cryptic words. "That we've already run away?"

"Literally, no."

He left me with nothing further. By the time we reached his home, the second sun had risen and the heat became nearly unbearable. He left me standing in a brush not far from Mr. Trice's shop, and came back with a hair tie and a new shirt that was far too large for me. "Turn your head." I commanded when he didn't have the decency to turn himself. The wooly material held in heat, but there wasn't much more I could do to help the situation. I tied my hair back in a messy knot, and we ventured into the streets to Mr. Trice's shop.

The sign continued to say "closed" even though he should have opened by now. I leaned against the window and my key still laid on the countertop, but a piece of paper sat below it. "He hasn't opened since I left."

A lady interrupted me. "Excuse me madam, do you know when Mr. Trice will open up again? I know it's only been two days, but I come here everyday for something small, and he didn't give a notice. He simply closed." Her curls bounced as she spoke through her nose.

"Mrs. Collipepper." I shrieked because she knew everyone. The entire village already knew that Mr. Trice closed shop, I was sure, and they'd now know I was there. "I'm not too sure why he closed the shop. It was a last minute decision, and I'm currently unemployed. And�""

"Oh, Serenity, you poor thing. I hardly recognized you with your hair pulled up." Her words left her mouth quickly, and I rarely got a word in. Most of her conversations were one sided. "That old man should have known better than to do you that way. I'll have to take words up with him myself the next time I see him out and about, don't doubt me."

"I'm sorry Mrs. Collipepper, but we need to be going. It was a pleasure seeing�""

"Who is this strapping young man? Is he your husband?"

I swung my head horizontally. "No, Mrs. Collipepper, he's not. He's a friend. We're leaving now."

The wind whipped up, and her large hat full of gawky ribbons and bows flew from her head. She yelled. "Do take care of yourselves." And she stumbled as she chased it down a dusty alley.

Me and Kaze ran. "She'll tell everyone about us now." I revealed. "But she didn't ask for your name."

"I'm shocked that she didn't recognize me." He noted.

"Why would she recognize you?" My brow rose.

"No reason, honestly." He said as we slowed to a steady jog.

"Mr. Trice lives near the wells." I said as I pointed at a hill, panting. "In that direction."

"So that's where we'll go."

We snuck passed the drinking wells along the wood line, careful not to be seen. As the day grew more and more hot, more and more people visited the wells and stocked their homes. At any point in time, a line of twenty or more people kept the pulleys busy. I too was thirsty, but it could wait.

A line of older styled homes sat down a narrow road. Each of them was designed the exact same way, with a small front porch at one corner, a window beside the front door, and a window for the front bedroom beside the porch. Simplicity kept the area adorable, but eerie.

I easily remembered that his had the red curtains in the bedroom window though. It was the only thing that distinguishes his home from the others.

I knocked on the door with Kaze by my side, but no one came as we shuffled about on the porch.

Kaze pointed to the frame around the door handle. "It looks like someone's broke in." A large piece of wood had splintered away. Kaze bumped the door with him shoulder, but it didn't budge.

"What if it isn't." I pleaded. "Knock again. He probably didn't hear us." But Kaze struck it a second time harder, and it opened easily. We listened to the door creek open as we took in the sights of the living quarters.

I called out before I entered "Mr. Trice!"

And I received no response.

The stench of rot and decay came vaguely and grew as we entered further into the home. Glass laid shattered everywhere, items thrown about, couches over turned, chairs broken. My arms instantly became numb, and I felt as if the walls were going to close in on me.

Kaze stepped across the debris, the glass crunching beneath his boots, as he ventured into the kitchen. He snarled his nose and stepped back, pulling his elbow against his nose.

"What is it? Is it him?"

Kaze only looked at me, and back to an area of subject behind the living quarters wall. I darted, kicking a picture frame, and the smell grew thicker.

The body laid motionless on the floor. The abdominal area had swollen in the heat, the blood dry on the hardwood; but wounds across his chest, face, and neck were covered in maggots. I instantly brought my hands over my mouth, and turned my head.

"I'm so sorry." I told him. "I didn't mean for this to happen." I had no clue how high the situation would climb, but never had I suspected Mr. Trice's death.

"Patrix was here."

I left. The smells were unbearable. I propped a chair in the living quarters and say as Kaze analyzed the scene.

"I didn't even say anything to him when I left the other day, and he gave me the store." I wept with a heavy chest. Kaze didn't respond, and I knew he wouldn't. But he listened, and I thanked him for being with me at the time.

The windows became dim as the minutes rolled by.

"I'm sure it was Patrix." said Kaze as he stood in the frame of the kitchen, his arms crossed. "His lungs are filled with glass."

"How can you be so sure?" I looked over my shoulder out the window as the Suns light became dimmer and dimmer.

"Because I opened his mouth and glass was molded into his teeth and down his throat."

I gulped. "He suffocated?"

"More than likely, but a healer would be able to tell us exactly how he died."

My body stayed numb. "I never want to see another dead body as long as I live. I don't know how much more I can take."

And Kaze said nothing.

"He had absolutely nothing to do with this. His innocence was greater than any of ours."

"This isn't your fault. This isn't my fault�""

I came to my feet. "Patrix told me something when he escorted me to the jail. He said that Krio blamed his sister for something. I need you to find out what that something is."

Kaze nodded, but refused to make eye contact.

"Will you?" I asked boldly. "Will you ask her?"

He let out a grumble. "I already know."

"Then what?" I shouted at him.

He peered at me with wide eyes.

I wiped my face, and the rain began to beat down against the rooftop. The air instantly cooled, but we paid it little to no attention.

"He blamed her for killing your parents."

I buried myself in the resonance of the rain. "Who is your fiancé?"

"Dyllynn is her name. You may know her."

My vision went glossy as my blood heated in the moment. "I know exactly who she is."

"Serenity." He spoke softly. "I didn't know how to tell you."

I spoke slowly and monotone. "Dyllynn is the daughter of the Village Leader, and quite possibly the one who murdered my parents."

"It's fine." I said. "It's perfectly acceptable. We can put it behind us."

"She was tried, and proven by a mentalist that she didn't do it."

"The Village Leader is the head judge. He makes the final decisions. We don't know what happened behind closed doors, and who's capable of doing what anymore, but what I do know is that at the crime scene, glass laid everywhere in this exact fashion." I came from the chair, and stormed. "I don't want to do this anymore. I'm done."