The Pariah Child- Sarafina's Return

by Natasha D Lane

  “Sarah.”

  Thomas’ hand slipped over hers. He removed her hand from the knob, then closed the door. He faced her.

  “Sarah, you don’t—”

  “Look well?”

  She averted her gaze to the floor. The words had come out sharper than intended. Suddenly, her breathing was uneven and she couldn't focus. Her eyes moved everywhere. It felt as if something had a giant’s grip around her throat and refused to release.

  “I—”

  “Let’s relax now, Sarah.” He placed a hand on her shoulder.

  She shook her head.

  “Yes, listen to me. Hey, look here. At me.”

  She couldn’t. She couldn’t even keep her eyes straight.

  He tipped up her chin, forcing her eyes to meet his. Their green color reminded her of the forest trees.

  “I believe you, Sarah.”

  He nodded and she found herself mocking his movements.

  “I believe you, Sarah.”

  She flung herself into him, latching her arms around his back while her eyes stung.

  She would not cry. She refused to.

  The weight of his arms settled around her.

  She bit her bottom lip as a single tear fell down her cheek.

  “Tom!”

  Sarah stepped from his embrace. She recognized Elaine’s voice easily, as well as the expression on her face as she took in the scene.

  Elaine stood at the end of the hall, arms rigid across her chest. Her usually perfectly smooth, blonde curls seemed frazzled.

  ‘What’s going on here?” she demanded more than asked.

  Neither Sarah or Thomas responded.

  Elaine looked between the two of them, finally settling on Thomas. She narrowed her eyes at him.

  “I would like to speak with you, Tom. Alone.” She tossed one sharp glance at Sarah, moving her icy blue gaze over the redhead.

  Sarah placed her hands on her hips and glared right back at her old enemy. Her insides burned with hurt and frustration.

  “I’m helping Sarah out, Elaine,” Thomas said. “We can speak after school.”

  The blonde’s face dropped. Sarah thought she’d misheard her friend.

  Had Thomas really asked Elaine to leave?

  He stared at Elaine, shoulders pulled back and body sturdy. Yet there was an apology in his eyes.

  The tips of Sarah’s fingers cooled, along with all of the rage. She couldn’t fight back, not if it meant Thomas would be hurt. And by the way he was staring at Elaine, Sarah knew if anything happened to her, he would be greatly hurt.

  Sarah sighed. “Thomas, you should go. I’ll be fine. Recess is almost over anyway, so we should all be getting back to class. Excuse me.”

  Before Elaine could spew hateful words or Thomas could convince her to stay, Sarah departed from the hall.

  Chapter 9

  “And you’re certain everything’s fine, Sarah?” Ms. Carr asked. The two were standing by the school’s back door. Dusk was approaching and the sky had started darkening.

  Sarah grinned. “Yes, everything’s fine, Ms. Carr. See you tomorrow morning.”

  She was sure Ms. Carr knew she was lying. Teachers usually had a particular knack for sensing deceit and Ms. Carr was no exception.

  “I could walk you home. It’s late and I’d like the chance to speak with your mother. Tell her what a brilliant daughter she has.”

  The words were sweet and wrapped in worry. Her teacher was honestly concerned for Sarah and that was enough to end her day on. She had already let her stay after for additional lessons, though they both knew she didn’t need any.

  Ms. Carr gave a small smile and nod, before wrapping her jacket around herself. The spring evening had an unusual chill and the air smelled of rain.

  “Alright then. I did…I did have one more question for you, Sarah.”

  “Yes?” Sarah was already stepping onto the path that cut through the woods and led to her home.

  “Do you remember our lessons on the Salem Witch Trials?”

  Sarah hesitated. “Y-yes. I do.”

  “Good, good. This message was muddled in all the historical fact,” Ms. Carr said. “The moral of that event is people…they fear what they do not understand. But what is not understood is not inherently bad.”

  The two were silent. Sarah stared at the ground, searching for words. Her eyes were stinging again but she fought the tears back.

  “Goodnight, Sarah. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow morning.” Ms. Carr closed the screen door and stepped toward the front of the school.

  Sarah watched her until her figure disappeared into the night. Then, she stared back at her own path and headed home. She had no clue what awaited her there. Would her mother even let her in? Would she try to send Sarah away again?

  The thought immediately had Sarah shaking her head. She’d escape before they could catch her.

  But what about her father? Sarah wondered if Lucille would allow her to see him. The doctor telling her her father was on the road to recovery was the only thing she’d been looking forward to throughout the day. Even in all the mess at school, Sarah knew there was at least that.

  And now she also knew she wasn’t alone. Ms. Carr and Thomas were behind her. She only had to make sure if she drowned in the town’s scrutiny, they didn’t drown with her.

  “Run, Sarah.”

  “Jacob?”

  She knew the rock was coming toward her but she didn’t know why. It hit perfectly at the rim of her forehead, breaking Sarah’s skin. Warm blood trickled along her hairline and down to her jaw.

  Sarah wiped at the crimson, smearing it across her pale cheeks and palms.

  Another rock sailed through the air, slicing the flesh right under her eye.

  “You should have stayed away from him.”

  Elaine.

  Sarah smashed her teeth together. She took in a sharp breath, removed her hand from her bleeding face, and straightened her stance.

  Elaine stood on a hill’s slant a few yards up from where Sarah was on the path. Beside her were two girls from her gaggle: Beth and Susanna.

  Sarah pivoted to face them directly, pushing away at the desire to open the earth beneath the three young women’s feet. If there were ever time to test out her magic, her three peers were ideal test subjects.

  Still, she had made an agreement with herself. And her town would consider any retaliation on her part an admission of guilt. Though it bruised her pride, Sarah had to play passive.

  “Leave me alone, Elaine,” Sarah said. “I’m going home and I’ll forget this ever happened.”

  Elaine scoffed. Sarah wasn’t surprised. She didn’t really expect Elaine to retreat. In her age, the girl had only grown crueler. Her infatuation with Thomas had saved Sarah the last year. Now all that storage seemed to be roaring back to life.

  The three descended down the hill.

  “First, we’ll capture the middle one. Then, her two friends. Understood?”

  “Franklin, no!” Sarah peered around the forest, attempting to catch a glimpse of the gnome. She couldn’t allow him to interfere.

  “She really is crazy.” Susanna gave her a once over. She shook her head. “Elaine, we should go. Her mother wasn’t lying. Something’s got a hold on her.”

  Beth looked at Susanna. “All the more reason not to run, Susan.”

  “She already made that Jacob boy disappear,” Susan retorted.

  Sarah rolled her eyes. That old rumor is still going around I see.

  “The Father told us not to fear evil, didn’t he?” Elaine jutted out her chin and continued her descent.

  “Blind them with our dust.”

  “Ethlen, no,” Sarah whispered. “You can’t interfere.”

  “There she goes again.” Elaine twirled her cross between her thumb and forefinger. When the three were only a few feet from Sarah, she lay the necklace against her chest.

  “You need to keep your evil hands off Tom.”

  “Thomas
is free to socialize with whomever he chooses. And…” Sarah raised her chin. She met Elaine’s glare directly. “I’d never hurt him. He’s a good friend.”

  Sarah could have dodged Elaine’s slap but she didn’t, nor did she return the favor. Instead, she swallowed the small bit of pain and faced her enemies again.

  “I’m leaving, Elaine. Goodnight.”

  Without another word, Sarah spun on her heels and moved down the path. The sound of urgent footsteps followed.

  Nothing I can do. She sighed.

  One of the three pushed Sarah to the ground. Her forest friends screamed out to her. She ignored their pleas to help.

  Fingernails dragged across her neck as a weight pressed into her back. Someone’s thighs pushed into her sides and Sarah knew she was trapped.

  “Get her, get her, get her!”

  The end of Sarah’s long ponytail was yanked up and the plait undone as they pulled at her red strands.

  She forced her hands out to remind herself not to attack.

  One of them had a grip on her skull and they pushed her face into the earth while another kicked her side. Between the soil filling her mouth and the air being kicked out of her, Sarah’s world was becoming blurry. She could feel each kick to her gut vibrate through her. She could hear the three girls panting while she gasped for air.

  They were four young women alone in the woods. Everyone had left to town for the day and darkness had begun to settle. There was no one to hear Sarah’s agonizing gasps or their panting exertions.

  Someone stomped on her open hand.

  “Maybe we should stop.” That was Susanna.

  Her friends didn’t listen.

  “Elaine. Beth.” There were tremors in her voice. “Stop, w-we…her mother’s going to have her exorcised, then she’ll be fine. We can’t kill her!”

  Mama wanted me exorcised?

  “Sarah!” Thomas’ voice was like a clear bell in a sea of white noise. She could hear him stumbling down the hill and running toward them. The attack immediately stopped.

  “What are you doing to her?”

  A flashlight illuminated Sarah’s curled form. She blocked her eyes and turned away from it.

  “I’m trying to protect you, Tom.”

  “By attacking my friend? She’s covered in blood. Sarah, can you hear me?” He moved her hair away from her face. The size of his eyes informed her how badly she looked.

  The three young women had grown quiet.

  “You three need to leave now.” He glared at Elaine and her friends. “Get out of here. Go!”

  “Even her own mother calls her a demon, Tom. We were only—”

  “Now!”

  If Thomas had been a dwarf, Sarah was certain the volume of his shout would have shaken the forest. Soon Sarah could hear retreating footsteps. When the sound had become distant enough, she flipped onto her knees. Then, embracing the streak of pain that ran along her sides, she forced herself to her feet.

  Immediately she began to sway. She knew down the path was her home, the place where her father waited for her. That thought steadied her and she moved forward.

  “No, no. Let’s take it easy here.” Thomas stepped in front of her and placed both hands on her shoulders.

  “I’m fine. Just n-need to get…home.” The word caught in her throat. She started coughing and before she could protest again, Thomas had lifted her onto his back.

  “Just rest now, alright? I’ll get you home.”

  Part of Sarah wanted to push away, yet his back felt solid underneath her. His skin offered a comforting warmth, so she let the last bit of her energy go.

  Slowly, the two made their way through the forest back to Sarah’s home. As Thomas carried her, Sarah kept her eyes on the moon, wondering if all of Lyrica was staring at the same moon.

  The night she had met Alex, the night he had attacked her and she had saved him, the moon had been large and round, as well. Was he staring at the same moon from a balcony in the Alclian domain? And was Serwa by his side?

  Thomas sighed. “I had a feeling, I mean I didn’t know. I just had a feeling Elaine was up to something. I never once thought she’d be capable of this. I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner.”

  “Not your fault,” she whispered.

  “Maybe not directly. I still took too long to listen to my gut. I should have stayed after and waited for you.”

  She patted his shoulder. “You’re here now.”

  He scoffed and she knew he was smiling. “We’ll tell your parents and Ms. Carr what happened. They’re not going to get away with this. I’ll be your witness. And don’t say you don’t want to.”

  He read my mind.

  “You don’t have to be everyone’s punching bag all the time, Sarah.”

  She placed her chin right between his neck and shoulder. “Thank you, Tom.”

  “So, you’ve finally given in and used my short name, huh? Hm, I’m glad to hear it. You want to hear something else?”

  “Hm?”

  “That story I told you about, way back when I was sick. I started working on it again and I’ve got a new main character.”

  “Hm.” Sarah was struggling to keep her eyes open.

  “She’s a quiet but fiesty redhead. And she’s smart, too, more than she gives herself credit for.”

  Sarah laughed outright at that one. Her sides still ached and the action intensified the pain but she couldn’t resist. Thomas joined in, his back still solid and steady beneath her.

  Soon the familiar light of her porch came into view. Sarah released a long exhale. She tapped his shoulder.

  “Here’s fine. Let’s talk with my parents tomorrow.”

  “Sarah…” He squatted down some and let her slide off. “It won’t take long if that’s what’s worrying you. Tonight, we only have to tell them. Everything else can happen tomorrow.”

  She shook her head. “I’m exhausted and everything…well, it hurts. I don’t think I’ll be in school tomorrow. I’ll tell my mama at breakfast.”

  He glanced toward the house, then met her gaze once more. “Fine. I’m telling Ms. Carr tomorrow though. Then, we’ll both come here for her to hear it straight from you. Alright?”

  She bobbed her head. “Goodnight, Tom.”

  “Night, Sarah.” He slipped his hands into his pockets and waited. She could feel his eyes on her as she moved into the house. Before closing the door, Sarah gave him one last wave.

  The house was quiet. She hadn’t seen the pickup outside, which meant her mother had gone into town again. It seemed in her father’s absence, her mother had increased her activity with her gaggle of hens.

  Looking up the stairs, Sarah took in a deep inhale and prepared herself. Something so simple had never felt so daunting. She leaned against the wall and moved up one stair at a time. On the very top stair the floorboard creaked.

  “Lucille, is that you?”

  She stared down the hall. Her parents’ bedroom light was on.

  “Anyone there? Sarah, honey, you getting home?”

  So many words rushed through her mind. None of them seemed right. It even hurt to smile, yet Sarah wore the largest grin. Her body shook in delight. The day’s events dimmed in her memory and finally she spilled tears of joy. They streamed down her face rapidly, adding a layer of salt to her bruised lips and stinging the wounds along her face.

  Finally, gripping the wall’s corner, she managed to say, “Y-yes. I’m here, Daddy. I just got in from school.”

  “Let me get up and—”

  “No!” She remembered her appearance. “I’ll come to you. I’ll wash up and bring you something to eat.”

  He didn’t respond.

  “Daddy?”

  Under her father’s weight the mattress squeaked, followed by a long sigh.

  “If you say so,” he replied. “Even I’m too tired to argue.”

  “I’ll be right there, Daddy. Just give me a minute.”

  Sarah ran down the hall and into the bathroom where
she filled the tub to its rim. She tossed her clothes to the floor, stepped into the tub, and began scrubbing away the filth. She could hear her father humming away down the hall.

  Glancing down at her dress, she pulled it in with her. Better to kill two birds with one stone.

  The warm water stung her open wounds. Examining herself, Sarah counted a total of twenty cuts. The two on her face from the rocks, the five on her neck from their nails, three more on her right shoulder, and smaller ones scattered over her thighs. A few of them still bled. They burned from the soap and Sarah found herself biting her lip to counter the pain.

  Only this caused more blood to dribble from her busted lip. She had forgotten about that one.

  Sarah watched the blood drip into the dirty water. It was an odd color, a shade she realized could only come from a combination of blood, filth, and soap.

  Her knees jutted out of the water like two snowpeaks with slashes of red traveling downward. Sarah went to take in some air but her throat had constricted.

  She needed to get out of the tub.

  Seething tears rolled down her face. She gripped the tub’s rim yet her grip would not hold. Her arms and hands had become rattles. Her feet searched for the tub’s bottom to stand on but Sarah could not find it. It was as if she were swimming in a bottomless lake, the shore nowhere in sight.

  Fresh sobs broke from her. Her father’s humming had become a flat noise in the background.

  She tried closing her eyes and taking in some air, only to reopen them in the next moment. All she saw were the woods, all she felt were hands grabbing at her, fingernails digging into her skull. Then, everything hurt. Every wound burned and every bone ached.

  The tears continued falling. Her father continued humming.

  Sarah sniffled and snotted, her body growing heavy. Leaning back in the tub, she gazed at the ugly water. The forest’s dirt and her blood.

  It made no sense. Once before, Sarah had wished to be like her peers, to make her mother happy.Yet they’d acquired a level of cruelty she couldn’t imagine.

  Her mother…

  She shook her head. Her breathing evened out and, finally, Sarah found rest.

  Chapter 10

  I can’t see.