| Pryane Pryane leaned up against the wooden rail that had been placed around the rockiest outcropping, looking out at Ocean Side Island. It was barely visible in the dawn light, but visible enough. Beautiful. "Oh, the poor girl who's not good enough to get Searched herself is instead going to stare and dream... Do I look happy?" Someone asked in a mocking voice, and Pryane whirled around to see Faiyr standing behind her. He had a fake dreaming look on his sneering face, and Pryane had a sudden urge to punch the snot out of him. She turned back to look out at Ocean Side, trying to ignore him. "Okay, so now you're afraid that you're not going to be able to beat me in a fight, right, little dreamer girl?" Faiyr asked sarcasticaly. A smile spread across his face as Pryane turned back to him, still saying nothing. "C'm on girl, let me have it. Punch me." Pryane remained silent, although she wished desperately to explain. Faiyr was a new Apprentice, but surely he'd heard about her freakish disability. "C'm on, girl, punch me. You shouldn't be afraid to punch me." Suddenly feeling angry beyone words, Pryane turned around and let her fist fly at Faiyr's face. It connected firmly, and he was sent staggering up against the side of a building, gasping sharply in pain. Pryane stared in horror at his bloody nose, and then back at her fist, which was red with not her blood, but Faiyr's. What had she done? She'd just punched an Apprentice... That was the last thought that Pryane had before Faiyr returned the punch. Although it wasn't as hard as Pryane's had been, she was up against the guardrail and it was more dangerous for her. She ducked under the fist before he could punch her, and quickly ran off to her room. She couldn't just believe what she had done. Suddenly, she could hear the new MasterFisher's shout. "PRYANE! GET BACK HERE AND EXPLAIN YOURSELF THIS INSTANT!" Turning away from her room, Pryane plodded to where the MasterFisher and Faiyr stood. The MasterFisher was rarely at the Fisher Hall, and knew little of anyone. In fact, the big talk about Pryane's disability had gone on before he'd returned from an outing, and he'd heard nothing about it. "Well," He said, pointing to Faiyr's bloody nose. "Explain yourself, quickly and thoroughly." Pryane made no reply, but lowered her eyes to the floor. "Pryane! I want you to explain yourself at once, unless you want to be put on midden's duty for a month! And trust me, I will use force to get the information out of you." She said nothing, but saw the MasterFisher's hand raise. It came down sharply across her face, and Pryane felt the stinging pain, and closed her eyes quickly. It was a good thing that she did so, because the MasterFisher's hand whipped right across her eye. Had her eyes not been closed, there was little doubt that she would of been blinded in that eye. The MasterFisher brought his hand down on Pryane's cheek again and again, and the tears began to roll in an almost steady stream down the girl's cheeks. "HEY!" Both MasterFisher, Pryane, and Faiyr turned to look at the source of the voice, Pryane's vision blurred by tears as she sobbed. One of the workers in the kitchen strode up sharply, glaring at the MasterFisher. "She won't tell me why she hurt Faiyr," He said, obviously more than slightly scared of the woman. "Pryane, honestly!" The kitchen worker contiuned to glare. "Then you're a cold, heartless man who pays no attention to what goes on at his Fisher Hall. Slapping Pryane for not talking! Hah!" There was no hint of amusement in her voice. "Didn't you know?" She asked suddenly. The Master Fisher shook his head, the words "know what?" written in his eyes. "Pryane can't talk." Next |