An exclusive short not included in the book: A Glimpse of Penny’s Past

I wanted to keep my creative vibe this week, so enjoy this short, exclusive glimpse into the past of one of the characters from ESCAPE:

Temperance didn’t feel the moisture from the mud seeping into the thin cloth barrier between her knees and the ground. She was focused on the most beautiful butterfly she had ever seen balancing on the thin branch in front of her. It seemed to barely touch the petals as it slowly dried its new wings, leaving its discarded cocoon still hanging below – a torn scab that had served its purpose.

She wanted to hold her breath, afraid to scare it away before it was ready to fly, but knew she couldn’t stop breathing for that long, so instead she tried to take slow, shallow breaths.

“Don’t touch it, be careful,” she told herself, “It will break.”

She could see the wings slowly elongate as they dried, the true colors blinking into life, like veined velvet, more beautiful than anything she had seen created by the Blue.

“There you are! I’ve been looking all over for you!”

She jumped at the sound of her Seer’s voice, then winced. She was supposed to go directly to her once she was released from her classes, but she had gotten distracted, as usual. She couldn’t even remember how she strayed initially.

The butterfly’s wings began to move more quickly and any worries she had disappeared as she kept her eyes on the butterfly, unable to tear them away.

Her Seer, Nimai, sighed and squat down on her heels next to her, brushing back a long strand of chocolate hair and tucking it behind her ear. “Temperance, it’s important you follow directions.” She watched her carefully, gauging her reaction. “Your teacher told me you were distracted again today.”

She finally looked at her Seer, her big brown eyes boring into her. “I don’t like her lessons. I don’t want to go anymore.” Tears suddenly sprung into her eyes, but she didn’t show any indication of crying. She just looked at her with those sad eyes, like she was waiting for a solution, for her Seer to fix the problem.

Nimai pulled her up and into a hug, “Hush now, you’ll get it. You have shown that Talent since you were a babe. So creative! Why, just look at the way you see that butterfly!”

Temperance pulled herself from the hug and turned back to see the butterfly take its first flight. The light seemed to glitter across the colors as the wings chaotically beat the air for purchase.

“They are so pretty, Seer Nimai.” She instinctively stepped closer and reached out, grasping a branch for balance as she followed its flight with her eyes.

She didn’t notice the tree reach for her, small sprigs breaking free through the bark, but Nimai did. She frowned and pulled the child’s hand free, wrapping her small fingers gently in her hand.

“Okay now,” she said, brushing the dirt from the girl’s knees, “it’s time for your bath, young lady.” She shook her head and clucked her tongue. “You go through more dresses than any girl I know. C’mon now, hop to it.”

She waved her ahead until the six-year-old girl skipped off. Nimai watched her worriedly. She was sure the girl was a Blue, she showed all the signs, but she wasn’t responding to the Talent, and that wasn’t the first time she saw plants respond to her. She would need to ask for help before she could Soul See again. It was getting too late for her to switch Talents. She would never catch up if she switched and this weighed heavily on Nimai’s heart.

The girl reached the yard and walked hesitantly to the back of the line of the other Blues as they prepared to go to the kitchens for their meal. She stood at a distance, leaving a gap between her and the children in front of her, clutching her dress, and looking at her feet.

The other children were practicing their lessons while they waited for the signal to walk, holding small stones and manipulating them into different shapes by speaking the shape. Eventually, they would be able to project ideas onto objects to form them.

Temperance caught the attention of one of the girls when she tried to lean in to see what they were doing. “Look at her dress,” the girl whispered to her friend and they giggled.

“Penny, you’re dirty again,” said the friend, wrinkling her nose, sending them into giggles again. Penny stepped back and focused on her feet.

“That’s enough girls, worry about yourselves,” scolded Nimai as she caught up and reached her hand out. “Come with me, Temperance, let’s get washed up before the meal.”

She didn’t smile, just looked up at her with those sad eyes, then back down at her feet as she slipped her small hand into Nimai’s.

As she walked her to the baths, Nimai thought she heard her whisper to herself, “I don’t want to play with rocks, anyway.”

See you next week!

I.M.He