Sarah reached for Lucille but her arms stopped short. She looked toward her father.
If she could only be alone with him for a moment…
A large sob escaped her mother and the woman fell forward onto Sarah. Her nails dug into her daughter's thighs.
“Mama, that hurts.” She tried adjusting under her mother’s hold.
Lucille dug her nails deeper.“What did you do at the mines, Sarah?”
Sarah closed her eyes and silently cursed all her neighbors. Why couldn’t they ever keep their mouths shut? Or at least this one time.
She released a silent breath.
“N-nothing. I was trying to get Daddy out but…but the rocks were too big—”
“The whole town was there. They all saw what you did.” Her mother turned her head up, staring into Sarah’s face. More tears spilled.
“Are you the reason?” her mother asked with brown eyes that appeared the darkest they had ever been. “Is this our punishment for you?”
Sarah’s stomach clenched. The hands in her lap turned into fists and she moved away from her mother.
Lucille stared, eyes still wary on her daughter.
Sarah stepped back, giving one last glance toward her father before closing the door and moving down the hall. Her mother’s wails quickly followed her retreat. Sarah’s own eyes burned with fresh tears. But it wasn’t her job to comfort Lucille.
She moved down the stairs and into the kitchen, where she grabbed her boots from their place by the door. Her bowl of soup rested at the edge of the table. Sarah hadn’t had much of an appetite since bringing her father back.
She scoffed at the word. Had he really come back? Did he still count as living if he was not conscious?
Sinking to the kitchen floor, Sarah pressed her eyes against her knees. Her jaw trembled and she bit her lip to keep it steady.
“I did the best I could,” she said, fighting back the tears. “I saved Daddy. Not Mama, not the miners, not anyone in this damn town!” The rage bolted through her like a spike. She had saved him, along with the other trapped miners, and she was being treated like a villain?
Sarah wiped her tears away and got to her feet. She couldn’t cry. Not too much. Because no matter what anyone said about her, she was going to save her father.
Sarah was considering sneaking back into her house. She had pretended to leave for school hours ago in the hopes of being alone with her father while her mother went into town. For some reason, her mother was taking her good time.
Sarah rolled her eyes. The one time the woman decided not to be punctual.
Finally, her house’s screen door creaked and her mother stepped outside. The roar of her father’s pickup followed.
Sarah sighed, pushed herself up, and started jogging toward her home. When she arrived at the forest’s edge, the pale blue pickup was disappearing behind a cloud of dust. It had to be her mother. Her father still hadn’t woken up.
This was her chance. Likely her only chance considering Lucille had been very particular about Sarah being left alone with her father. So particular, Sarah had to lie and skip school to have this moment with him.
Her fingertips tingled and the smell of burning wood greeted her nose.
Frantically removing her hold from the tree she was leaning on, Sarah stepped back and shook her hands out.
“I cannot start burning things every time I get upset. Come on now, Sarah!”
Once the engine’s roar was mute, Sarah stepped from the trees and into her house. If her mother was taking the truck, that meant she was heading into town. They had gone shopping already, which actually meant Lucille was going to see her “friends.”
Sarah rolled her eyes.
She moved up the stairs, then down the hall to her parents’ door. Her father’s gravelly breathing no longer surprised her. It had become background noise to her dreams.
Her mother had done a good job of keeping him presentable. He was shaved, his hair combed, and clothes changed. If Sarah didn’t know better, she would have thought he was resting after returning from work.
But he wasn’t.
She kneeled by his bedside and clasped his hands in hers. Her blue eyes poured over his face. The wrinkles, the sunspots, and the laugh lines. Now all she needed was to see his eyes—the same blue as her own—open again.
“I’m going to bring you back, Daddy. Just hold on.”
Sarah sat back on her legs and placed her hands on her thighs. Staring at her father, she reached out with her magic. She wanted earth, so she pictured it in her mind.
Dirt beneath their house, mud after a rainstorm, fresh soil for their farm…
Sarah could feel the element strongly. It was in the cracks of the room walls, the floorboards, and moving along the window’s edge with the wind. But she needed the earth, the coal, inside her father.
Sarah placed a hand on his chest. She focused her energy there, letting it spread over him.
Where is it?
Then, she felt it. Just some of the coal, in his lungs. There was more between his ribs like little pebbles stuck between piano keys. The rest lined his windpipe.
She took a deep breath. “I can do this.”
Sarah called to the earth, pulling it with her magic until it loosened from her father's chest.
She cupped her left hand. With her right, she made an arc motion, moving from his chest to his throat, and finally to her left palm. The bits of coal followed.
Again and again, she repeated the movements until she couldn’t feel the coal in her father. Sarah placed a hand on his chest once more. She checked, then double checked.
Opening her eyes, Sarah pulled her magic inside herself. Her father’s gravelly breathing had ceased. His chest moved with less effort. And in her left hand was a small, neat pile of coal dust.
Using the tips of her fingers, Sarah pinched the very top of the pile. The black smeared across her skin.
“So much trouble from something so tiny,” she whispered, before turning her gaze on her father. “You’ll be okay now, Daddy.”
The sound of their pickup truck made Sarah jump to her feet. The engine stopped and the rusty creak of the pickup door took its place.
Sarah pushed her parents’ window open with her right hand and tossed the coal out. The dust disappeared and she squeezed the window shut before tip-toeing to her room. Quietly, she pushed her window open, flenching each time it squeaked.
Her house wasn’t much in height but Sarah didn’t want to take the chance. Her day wasn’t over after all and dying would really ruin her to-do list.
She sighed, before calling to the wind. A gust of air shot diagonally across her house, tossing her curls around her. Sarah prayed, then she leapt from her window sill. The strong gust caught her and she went spiraling upward. Fear pulled at Sarah’s heart as her magic moved her higher into the sky. She needed to remain calm if she wanted to feel solid ground again.
Sarah imagined herself landing safely on the ground and slowly her fear eased. As soon as her feet had touched the earth, she collapsed on all fours. Breathing heavily, she peered around to see if her mother had noticed a redheaded girl soaring through the air.
When Lucille didn’t rush out the house, Sarah made her way to the forest. She kneeled by Mother Tree. Sweat had built on her brow.
Now onto her next task. She had never tried going to the blue herself. Hopefully, the first time was a charm.
“Come on, come on. Find it, Sarah,” she whispered still resting by Mother Tree.
Her energy moved through the trees with no effort. She could feel their roots stretching beneath the earth and the branches reaching up to the sky. She could even stretch her senses across the forest floor. The only problem was what she sought was not within the forest.
Sarah fell back onto her legs and released a frustrated exhale. She had pushed herself a bit too hard, she knew that. But she also knew had to get back to the blue place where Gan had reached out to her. The question was how?
/> She groaned, before falling forward and placing her forehead against her thighs. “Think, think, think.”
The blue place usually reflected parts of the real world. How could she get to the reflection of her forest?
Sarah gazed at the trees, partially hoping a blue portal would just appear and take her to Gan. She rolled her eyes. Locating or opening portals was not a skill she had picked up in Lyrica. Still, she couldn’t quit. Gan had reached out to her. That along with the images of screaming children and knights had set her on edge. Something was wrong in Lyrica, and she had to figure out what.
She eyed the roots that moved outward from Mother Tree. They expelled and dived into the ground like waves.
She crossed her arms and tapped her fingers against her elbows.
“If the blue reflects the real world, then maybe roots are like the anchors? I can follow them and they’ll lead me back.”
She bobbed her head and grabbed the root nearest to her.
Once more, Sarah.
Pouring all she had into it, her magic moved along the root. Sarah could sense it, like an extra limb, curling and twisting through the earth. She could feel it. There was the dampness and chill of the soil, the scurrying jitters of life surrounding it, even the rough skin of other roots as she passed them.
Sarah could feel all of it. Everything. And it all ran deep, beyond Mother Tree.
Her body seemed to lift up in the air. The speed of her magic accelerated and the familiar blue encompassed all she saw.
Sarah took a deep breath. She pictured Gan, thought of their conversations, replayed how her old friend had come to her last. It couldn’t have been a dream.
“Gan, I’m here. I’m here.” Her magic slipped from every part of her, advancing over the blue landscape. “I got your message. Now see me. Please.”
“Hello?”
Sarah spun around. A smile was already tugging at her lips, only to falter.
“Um…hi?” The young man standing in front of Sarah was not Gan. In fact, he had an entire foot on the old elf. His hair was straight and ear-length, which matched well with his pronounced features. Including his pointed ears.
“You’re an elf.”
The young man glanced around. “Well, last time I woke I was at least. But, where is—”
She squealed. “Yes! I did it. Oh, Serwa and Alex would be so proud.”
“You know Serwa and Alex?”
Hearing their names spoken by another brought Sarah to a standstill. Her celebration ended, and she found herself examining the elf from head to toe.
“How do you know my friends?” Sarah asked.
He crossed his arms and arched an eyebrow. “Maybe you could answer my question first?”
The tips of Sarah’s fingers tingled. An uneasiness settled into her stomach.
She had no way of knowing if the elf was friend or foe. Was he a member of Gan’s tribe?
Turning to him, Sarah lifted her chin and hardened her energy in the space. He peered around at the sudden shift in atmosphere, but otherwise seemed unbothered.
“I know Serwa and Alex. They’re friends of mine.”
“Mine, as well.” He narrowed his eyes. “Where are you from?”
“It’s my turn to ask a question,” she replied. “Do you know an elf named Gan? I need to speak with her.”
He cocked his head to the side, an odd smile on his face. “What do you want with my grandmother?”
As Sarah prepared to respond, he closed the space between them. Being a foot taller than her, he tilted down until they were face-to-face. Sarah stumbled back but he grabbed her by the elbow, boring his eyes into her.
“Are you…are you from Earth?”
She nodded.
“And is your hair the color of fire?”
“Uh, red, yes. Who are you again?”
The young man smirked. “I’m Skuntz. It’s nice to see you again, Sarafina.”
Stepping away, he offered his hand. Sarah did not take it.
“Tell me who you really are. What have you done with Gan?”
“I have told you and I haven’t done anything with my grandmother.”
Sarah shook her head. “Skuntz was younger than me when we met. It’s only been two years, so there’s no way you can be him.”
“I am who I say,” he replied, an incredulous look on his face “And it hasn’t been two years since you left. It’s been twelve, at least in Lyrican time.”
She blinked at him. “Lyrican time?”
She had completely forgotten. Time in Lyrica was either faster or slower than on Earth. Rarely did the two match. Serwa had told her that near the end of her first journey, which meant…
“I’ve been gone for twelve years?”
Skuntz scratched his head. “Listen, I’m sorry to give you more bad news. My grandmother isn’t in our home and she won’t be able to speak with you until she returns.”
“Where is she?” Sarah asked, though the words sounded distant. Her ears were full of Skuntz’s last comment.
Twelve years.
“Sarafina?” He was staring at her, a slight crevice between his brows.
“Uh, sorry.” She shook herself. “Gan reached out to me and I need to know she’s well.”
“My grandmother is fine,” he said. “She’s left to help the wounded. I was praying by the Great Spirit. That would explain how I got called here.”
“Who are the wounded? Is there another plague?”
Skuntz pinched his eyes and shook his head. “Of course, I’d have to tell you this, as well.” He sighed. “Sarafina, Lyrica is at war.”
“No. The stone is returned. Balance was restored.”
“It’s not the elementals. Lyrica isn’t dying like before,” he replied. “The humans never took the oath, they never agreed to peace. Now they’re hunting.”
“Hunting what?”
His image was starting to fade.
“Skuntz?”
“I can barely see you anymore. And I feel…tired?”
“What are they hunting?” she asked again.
“Everything that isn’t human.”
The young man blinked a few times before falling over. Sarah reached for him but his body had turned into mist.
“No, darn it!”
Sarah looked around her. Again, she was alone.
Sarah slammed her fists against the earth, then grasped the root which had lead her to the blue place. She traced her energy back. Slowly, slowly until the blue was gone and she had returned home.
Chapter 7
“Have you done your chores?” Her mother busied herself around the kitchen, keeping her back to Sarah.
“Uh, no. I’ll go do them right now.”
“It’s half past four, Sarah. You should already have started. Get to it.”
She paused. It had taken her nearly three hours to remove the coal.
“Did you hear me, girl?”
“Y-yes, Mama.” Without another word, Sarah walked back to the stables. As soon as she was free from her mother’s presence, the tension eased. She had managed to save her father without being caught, or at least she hoped she had. The doctor was scheduled to visit early next week. Then Sarah would know for sure.
Now there was only Lyrica.
She pushed the stable doors open, then immediately stumbled backwards and slapped a hand over her nose.
It seems I actually have two problems. Ugh. How did Daddy do this every day?
Holding her breath, Sarah pulled the wagon in from beside the stable. She tried inhaling as little as possible, while she filled the wagon with horse and cow dung. Once that was done, she moved it all into the manure spreader, rinsed Nancy’s hooves clean, and hitched her up.
Nancy moved slowly across the fields while Sarah rode her. The spring sun blazed down on them. In the midst of the heat, Sarah reached up to adjust her straw hat only to touch air.
“I guess it’ll be me and my sunburn tonight.” She sighed, went to play with her hair,
but realized her hands were filthy and placed them on Nancy’s sides.
At the rate they were going, Sarah knew she had at least another hour before having to go into the house. A single hour to figure out how she could help Gan and everyone else in Lyrica.
Serwa had been right. She had warned Sarah, their entire group, about the human’s failure to take the oath. Her warning was coming back to haunt them.
A hollow feeling opened inside Sarah. What did that mean for Serwa and Alexander? Had they been captured? And what about Solar and the other dragons? Nettle?
The feeling inside her deepened.
She gripped her thighs and released a breath. Her arms were shaking.
“So much can happen in twelve years. What if they’re all…” She swallowed the word away. Nettle was still young for a fairy. She’d be alive for several more centuries. Even Serwa and Alexander had longer life spans. They wouldn’t be killed easily either and Skuntz would have told her if they had passed.
She bobbed her head. “They’re fine. They’re alive and fine.”
They had to be.
“But how am I going to get back?” she asked herself. “Will the well even work without Solar or Nettle?”
Sarah stared behind her into the forest.
Franklin and the other gnomes had been on Earth for years now. Ethlen and her fairies, too. It couldn’t hurt to ask them though.
Nancy’s steps halted. Sarah looked back at the now empty manure spreader.
She heaved a breath. The hardest task was complete.
Sarah walked Nancy to the stables, then completed her other chores. Once the animals had been fed, the fences checked, and the sky began to darken, it was time for dinner.
Heading into the house, she left her shoes on the porch, planning to give them a good cleaning the next day. Her mother sat at the kitchen table, a plate of food untouched in front of her.
Sarah wiped her dirty hands on her dress, watching her mother. She looked toward the stairs, then returned her gaze.
“Everything okay, Mama?”
“Hm.” The woman stared straight ahead. “I’m not sure. How was school today, Sarafina?”
Sarah stretched her smile wide across her face. “It was great! We started a new book with Ms. Carr.”
The Pariah Child- Sarafina's Return Page 5