Ariel's Charm

by Marnie Lester

  ‘How did you end up here?’ she quickly asked Marco.

  Marco followed her line of vision. ‘I hitched across from Carrolltown, which took almost three days, and arrived in Brentonville four days ago. I hadn’t eaten since I left Riverview. I attempted to snatch some fruit from a street vendor.’ For a moment his face coloured with shame at being forced to steal to survive. ‘The vendor called Sherriff Hobbs and I’ve been here since then.’

  Ariel frowned. ‘Marco, I was only in Walhalla two days. That doesn’t make sense.’

  Marco merely smiled. ‘Reynaldo must have told you about the difference in time between Walhalla and here.’ He paused. ‘Ariel, it has been more than a week since you left Riverview.’

  Ariel gasped then quickly looked around to make sure that she had not been heard. What Marco had just told her seemed unbelievable! Then she thought about the difference in distance and remembered her surprise when she made the leap back to America and discovered that she was now in Kansas and not Illinois.

  Marco glanced over Ariel’s shoulder to ensure that they were still not being overheard.

  ‘Where is Reynaldo?’ he asked quickly.

  ‘Largo has taken Reynaldo,’ she said, feeling an enormous lump in her throat and hot tears burning her eyes. She finally felt that she could talk about the most traumatic part of her short stay in Walhalla.

  ‘I don’t even know if he is still alive,’ she murmured softly, blinking away her tears

  A voice suddenly interrupted their conversation.

  ‘Hey, you two. You’re supposed to be working!’ Ariel looked up and saw the rat-faced boy standing only a few feet away.

  She felt a moment of panic, wondering, how much of their conversation had been overheard.

  Chapter 29

  That evening, as the truck rolled back to the facility, Ariel felt more exhausted than she thought possible. Her arms, shoulders and back ached from hauling the heavy sacks. Her hands were swollen, filthy and covered in grazes from handling the granite stones. The rocks were dumped in a long trench that had been dug at the border of the field. The supervisor who had overseen their efforts, a boy she now knew as Adrian, stood and smiled at the exhausted, dirty group in front of him. The sun was setting and Ariel realised that they had worked in the field for approximately twelve hours. Even life at the orphanage had not been as grueling as Brentonville promised to be.

  She was frantic to continue her conversation with Marco. When Ariel had met Marco at Riverview he had seemed like every other all-American boy in the institution. She marveled now that he came from Walhalla. It seemed incredible to her that the boy who had been her friend for the few months before she left Riverview knew more about her homeland, Walhalla, than she did. A feeling of despair settled on her as she realised that continuing her conversation with Marco would be difficult if not impossible with the almost constant supervision enforced at Brentonville.

  Once again the inmates filed into the mess hall. A silent group collected their meals from the serving area. A combination of exhaustion and hunger was clear on their faces.

  Reluctantly, Ariel accepted her plate of a meat stew served on rice. Although the lunch time meal was small and Ariel could not completely finish it, she did not feel hungry. She noticed that the others at her table were wolfing down their food. It was hardly surprising considering their heavy workload and the meagre lunch they were served. Ariel was only able to pick at her meal as a combination of exhaustion, fear and anger robbed her of her appetite.

  The difference with the evening meal was that the prefects ate with the other inmates; however, they sat at a smaller table situated on a raised platform. This allowed them to continue to oversee the children. After approximately ten minutes Randolph stood up and blew a loud whistle. As one, the inmates rose and moved back to the serving area to return their empty plates. The prefect, Adrian, noticed that Ariel’s meal was mostly uneaten and pulled her aside. Holding her arm he withdrew a whistle from his pocket and blew it to gain the attention of all present:

  ‘We have a troublemaker here.’ He nodded to Ariel. ‘Here is someone who does not realise how lucky she is to enjoy the comforts of our wonderful home.’

  Ariel was outraged at this blatantly untrue statement. The fact that these prefects could describe what was little more than a prison for children as some sort of utopia seemed incredible. Ariel’s head turned at the sound of furniture scraping. She was surprised to see all other residents now standing. His comment staggered Ariel, but what was to follow would stun her.

  Adrian smiled in satisfaction when he saw the standing inmates. In dismay, Ariel looked around and wondered what level of treatment would produce this unthinking and robotic response of the children. Adrian’s fingers dug deeper into her arm as he shook her again to get her attention. Ariel looked up at him and waited but he did not speak to her. Instead he turned to address the whole room.

  ‘This ignorant girl has insulted our kind treatment and in so doing has mocked our beliefs at Brentonville.’ He paused. ‘What do you all say to such behavior?’

  ‘We praise the Lord our savior for allowing us to improve ourselves and to give us sustenance and shelter as we are undeserving,’ the inmates all replied in perfect unison.

  With his fingers still dug deeply into Ariel’s arm, Adrian gave her another shake. Ariel wanted to scream out against the pain that Adrian was inflicting upon her. Marco watched helplessly. A part of him wanted to rush forward to Ariel’s rescue, but he knew that would be foolish for both of them.

  Adrian turned to Ariel, his face just millimeters from hers, his breath foul, his fingers excruciating. ‘You see the level of gratitude and humility expected of you while enjoying the hospitality of Brentonville. You best keep that in mind the next time you are fortunate enough to receive the nourishment we give you.’

  He seemed to be waiting for a reply and finally Ariel lowered her eyes so he could not see her anger or pain.

  ‘Yes, sir. Thank you, sir,’ she murmured quietly, a small tear running down her face.

  At that moment Randolph stepped forward.

  ‘Everyone in their rooms in five minutes and ready for inspection,’ he ordered

  The knowledge that she was being held prisoner began to overwhelm Ariel. She believed she was now hopelessly trapped at Brentonville and would probably never see Walhalla again.

  Chapter 30

  The pattern of that first day was repeated over the next two weeks. Ariel felt a weight of despair descend upon her, a burden that made every day a trial. The short time that she had spent in Walhalla seemed a beautiful dream compared to the reality under which she was now living. The prefects appeared to run Brentonville and Largo was merely a figurehead. His regular absences gave this group of boys free reign to exact their own rules and forms of punishment. Sometimes during the night Ariel could hear muffled screams and sobs coming from nearby cells. These were usually accompanied by braying laughter. She could not imagine what the prefects were doing to the inmates that gave them such enjoyment and such distress to their charges.

  Ariel was reminded of the gleeful expressions and callous laughter of the men raiding the last village that she had seen in Walhalla. It was a terrifying realisation that a small amount of power could corrupt people to such a frightening extent. The fact was that this group of teenage boys probably at some stage had equally difficult and painful backgrounds as the children whom they now watched over. Yet these boys who should have known better were all too happy to persecute them. It was a hurt or be hurt mentality that sometimes possesses the minds of those who have been mistreated.

  Oddly enough they seemed to steer wide of exacting these same punishments on Ariel. She remembered Reynaldo telling her that she could use her abilities under extreme circumstances. It was possible that Largo knew of her gift and was not willing to give her an opportunity or reason to use it. As days passed she racked her brain at how this gift could help her to escape this wretched environment. She had n
ot had a chance to speak with Marco again, although she often felt his eyes on her. After the first day when Adrian had caught the two of them talking the prefects seemed to make very sure that this would not be repeated. Therefore they were both placed in different work groups. Ariel now worked with group 2 and found herself on regular kitchen duty.

  When Ariel learned that she had been placed in group 2 she felt a sense of relief at not having to go back to the grueling task of rock picking. This relief was short-lived as she found herself a prisoner of a swelteringly hot kitchen. The weight of the rocks had been replaced by the weight of huge pots of food. The end of each day found her standing on a wooden box and scrubbing a mountain of filthy dishes and cooking equipment. Her hatred of Largo grew stronger. As her hands worked in a sink full of scalding, greasy water and her back ached from standing in a stooped position for hours on end Ariel wondered about her chances of leaving Brentonville.

  When she finished her kitchen duties, Ariel would return to her room. Ariel felt her anger burn deep inside her. She did not know how, but somehow she would overcome this misery. Exhausted, she fell into bed and into a fitful sleep.

  Sleep never came easily. Her rest was disturbed by dreams of monsters. She often woke during the night sweating and shaking with her heart pounding in her chest. Often, at those moments, she would hear the Brentonville bullies practicing their acts of cruelty on the children. For a few moments their laughter sounded like the demons of her dream. Their laughter was a harsh, grating sound that made Ariel’s blood run cold. She now understood the apathy and silence of the inmates. The crushing workload and constant harassment by the prefects of the children destroyed any spirit that they may once have possessed. A single thought ran over and over in her mind — Walhalla! She had to find a way to return there no matter what the cost.

  Chapter 31

  Adrian seemed to take special pleasure in singling Ariel out for special treatment. He took any opportunity to make an example of her in front of the other inmates. These criticisms ranged from the petty to the downright vicious. He picked on everything from her hair to her uniform; from her table manners to the way she walked and talked. Ariel had never experienced anything like the persecution practiced at Brentonville. Each night as she fell asleep, a thin, rat-like face and nasally voice filled her mind. The prospect of enduring this treatment indefinitely made Ariel, who had never been a spiteful girl, vow to herself that one day Largo would feel her pain.

  Marco became increasingly concerned at the obvious emotional distress that Ariel was experiencing. He felt guilty and more than a little afraid that she could not endure this treatment much longer. Part of his role in accompanying Reynaldo here had been not only to find Ariel but to befriend and protect her. This had not been a difficult chore to begin with. Shortly after meeting her he found a bright, caring and vulnerable young girl. He could only imagine the aching loneliness of never knowing her family. Although Marco still grieved every day for his parents, the memories of the love that they had given him eased the pain of his loss. Ariel had never had that. She had never known the extraordinary people that gave her life and gave their lives to ensure her survival.

  He and Reynaldo had parted company after making the leap to America. There was no way of knowing which direction Ariel’s parents had taken on arriving there. It was coin-cidental that Marco arrived in Carrolltown first. It was also pure chance that he was in the park when the Riverview children were escorted there one day. As soon as his eyes fell on Ariel an extraordinary sense of relief and hope filled his soul. He sent word to Reynaldo using the enchanted cards that they carried with them. Normally, like everything else in Walhalla, currency would convert to local currency after leaping, but these stones had been enchanted by the ancient ones to be used as a means of communication so they did not change.

  On inspection, the cards look no different to any other coins used in Walhalla. They were designed to help one person locate another when both held the stones. By one person blowing on their stones it caused the other person’s stones to glow and give the location of the sender to the receiver. Reynaldo remembered having many hours of fun with these cards as a boy, including a few hilarious games of conceal and seek when they were slipped into the pocket of the concealers. When Reynaldo or Dariew had blown on them, they did not have to wait long before a screaming playmate would appear, frightened by the glowing stones in their pocket. To help make them work the person sending the signal needed to be in an open and central point of their location. Even to Reynaldo the reason for this was unclear, he only knew it was necessary.

  Reynaldo told Marco that, as boys, he and his half-brother had used the stones to communicate with one another when they were in different parts of the palace. Marco had chosen a spot in Carrolltown that he estimated was at a central point of the town and removing the stones from his pocket, he carefully blew on them as Reynaldo had shown him. After that he simply had to wander the streets of Carrolltown until he was picked up by the local police. His apparent lack of a home or family guaranteed that he was taken to Riverview. The rest was easy. He now knew that, even if Reynaldo hadn’t asked him to do so, he would have become Ariel’s friend. After only knowing her for a few months he had grown to love her like a sister and future queen.

  Their current situation made Marco feel that he was failing miserably in the role that Reynaldo had given him. He watched her grow thinner and more haggard every day. He could tell from her drawn, pale face and the haunted expression in her eyes that she was not sleeping well. The frustration of being unable to communicate with or help his future queen made Marco’s anxiety increase. Many times, as he watched Adrian bully Ariel, he could feel his fists clenching. However, he knew that he must be patient and not draw attention to himself and Ariel. At the same time he could not help but admire her composure and strength in handling Adrian’s torment of her.

  A few days later, Ariel was carrying another half-eaten meal back to the servery. Her eyes were unfocussed, her mind as always repeating the chant of ‘Walhalla’. Suddenly she felt something fall against her. She looked up to see Marco. He had dropped his plate at her feet and caught both her arms to stop her walking over the glass. He looked at her imploringly. Ariel knew that he needed to talk to her and had planned this accident. Both of them bent down and hurriedly began picking up the broken crockery. Marco whispered hurriedly.

  ‘Ariel, are you okay?’

  She hesitated. How could she answer that question? How could she give him reassurance that she was okay when she was as far from okay as possible? Finally, she swallowed hard, briefly flicked her eyes up to Marco and gave a tiny nod. Marco’s wide green eyes were troubled. He impulsively reached out and gave her arm a gentle squeeze. He didn’t know what else to do.

  ‘Ariel, I promise you. It will be okay. You’ll see.’

  Ariel looked at him, her dark eyes swimming with tears, her face gaunt and pale. A small smile touched her pale lips.

  ‘Really, Marco? How can you possibly know that?’ she asked.

  Standing up she gently pulled her arm from Marco’s grip, then she turned and walked away from him. Marco watched her small figure retreat and felt his heart breaking.

  This exchange with Ariel took only moments but it was long enough for the three prefects to leave their places and close in around Marco. Marco glanced at each of them refusing to show fear.

  Randolph moved forward until his nose was millimeters from Marco’s and he said; ‘I know you dropped that plate on purpose farm boy.’

  Marco leaned back away from the noisome stench of Randolph’s breath. His face showed his distaste but he said nothing. Randolph coloured and took a step back.

  ‘I guess you won’t be wanting anything to eat for the next two days, just to teach you not to be so clumsy,’ he said with a smile.

  At that, Adrian sneered and said to Randolph, ‘Is that it? I think messing up his pretty face will teach him better.’

  Simon and Adrian grabbed Marco’s
arms in a crushing grip and led him from the room with Randolph bringing up the rear.

  The day after this incident Ariel realised that if she did not escape from Brentonville soon she would lose her mind. The ongoing bullying by the prefects and the exhausting workload made her feel more miserable than she had ever felt in her life. When Largo was in the facility, usually only for a day or two each week, she often would catch him gazing at her with an amused expression on his face. Ariel remembered Reynaldo warning her that Largo would do anything to cling to his power in Walhalla. Now, seeing the smug expression on his face, Ariel assumed that he believed that he had removed whatever threat to his domination over Walhalla that she presented. This assumption added to the fury Ariel felt.

  Her appetite was non-existent and she knew that she had lost a lot of weight as her uniform hung on her tiny frame. Although her workload wore her into a state of exhaustion, most nights found her tossing and turning in her small, hard bed; finding sleep was difficult. The endless frustration of wanting to escape kept her awake night after night. The other thought that kept her awake was worrying what had happened to Reynaldo. Her fear that this brave, kind man had lost his life to bring her home consumed her. The guilt over this possibility increased the misery of her current existence.

  Her mental state began to affect every aspect of her daily life. She found herself unable to concentrate on even the simplest task. Even things that she had previously not needed to think about became incredibly complicated and exhausting. She was terrified when, one morning, it took her five minutes of staring before she remembered how to tie her shoelaces.