Today the chore at Diana’s temple was dusting. Keenin's efforts the day before had earned him meals for Dia and himself, but it wasn’t enough to get them anywhere. Clide had slipped out of the city to find bigger game to eat. Dia was standing by the door in her new navy dress, waiting for a chance to slip away. Keenin tried not to look at her. He had told her that she didn’t need to come and was still waiting for her to disappear out the door or tell him she would see him later, but there she stayed. He didn’t get it and it was making him nervous.
Keenin continued to ignore her and stood up on his toes to reach the bottom of a high window ledge. Dust rained down. He stepped away blinking the grit from his eyes, rubbing them with the back of his sleeve, and dropped the cloth. He must have looked like an idiot. He opened his cleared eyes and was surprised by Dia bending beside him to pick up the cloth.
“You’re doing it wrong,” Dia said standing. “You need a bucket of water.”
“For what?”
“So the dust doesn’t get blown around. Rupert you too. Get a bucket and stop polluting the air.”
“Yes mam,” Rupert said.
"Here," she said holding out the cloth.
“Why are you here anyways?” Keenin asked when Rupert left.
“What?”
“I mean it’s not like you’re doing anything. Didn’t you want to leave?”
“Not like this.”
“Then how. Explain it. Don’t just stand and stare. It’s frustrating.”
“I--
Rupert entered the room carrying a bucket. Dia swiped the cloth from his hand and walked over to plunge the cloth into the water, then she wandered away to clean out the statue alcoves in the entrance hall. Keenin turned to Rupert.
“What did I do?”
“I don’t think a girl like that will tolerate you, even if you are related. You kind of smell.”
“Well-
That didn’t have anything to do with what Keenin meant but…
“You boys are supposed to be working,” Dia’s voice interrupted them.
“Right,” Rupert said. “Here’s another cloth.”
“Thanks,” Keenin said.
At first, he tried to catch up to Dia to talk it over, but as he and Rupert made their way out towards the door Dia switched sides and made her way back along the opposite wall. As Keenin put his attention back on clearing every crevice of every statue he soon forgot about her. At the front doors and entrance to the hall, he dunked his cloth in the bucket and brought it up dripping with grey water. It wouldn’t do. He picked up the bucket and took it to the back to fill. Entering the prayer chamber he saw Dia. Her hand was against the wooden door he had been told not to bother with.
“Dia,” he called to her.
She didn’t seem to hear him. Again. Irritated after being ignored all day he went over and put his hand on her shoulder to turn her around. Her eyes were so clear they were almost like mirrors. For a crazy moment, he thought he saw the tiny figure of Tess reflected in the corner of her eyes. Then her eyes slowly closed and she collapsed.
He barely caught her weight, dropping the bucket in the process, the bottom of her dress soaked up the water as it spread. He held her as tightly as he could, not daring to move and lose hold.
Rupert entered the hall with his bucket.
“What happened?”
“Help me move her,” Keenin said.
Rupert put the bucket down and together they carried Dia to a bench where they could lie her down flat. That’s when he pictured the lifeless body of Tess. His head started to spin as he stepped back as the idea that Dia had died overcame him. Rupert grabbed his arm.
“Call her parents,” he said.
Parents…
“Scalion, her parents need to pick her up. Go out and call them.”
“I---can’t.”
“You can’t or you won’t.”
“It’s just us all right,” Keenin blurted shamefully.
Rupert loosened the grip on Keenin’s arm.
“You really aren’t from around here.”
“Look,” Keenin said. “I’m sorry, just help her out for me.”
“What happened?” Clide’s voice butted in.
He was standing at the arched doorway to the prayer room.
“She-
“She didn’t eat enough,” Clide said matter of fact.
It sounded odd.
“Ok,” Keenin heard himself say.
If food would fix this then why the hell not agree. Dia moved. She lifted her arm to her head and opened her eyes.
“I think I hit my head,” she said.
“You fainted,” Clide told her. “I told you to eat this morning.”
“Ah,” Dia said.
“I think we’ve done enough work,” Rupert said. “Let me tell the priest.”
“Dia I’m sor-
“I’m all right,” Dia said brushing away Keenin consolation and sitting up. “I just have a headache. That food won’t be bad though. Clide how are you doing?”
“Better than you.”
“All right.”
Keenin was getting the feeling that they were exchanging secret messages. Rupert entered the room.
“You can go, but do you want me to show you a good place to eat. My treat.”
“Yes please,” Dia said.
“Can you walk?” Rupert asked.
“Of course,” she said standing.
The three of them walked out and Keenin trailed in the back. He didn’t like it. He couldn’t take it. If life was going to be one big mystery from now on, then this was no better than being back with the thieves where every day was full of unknown opportunity and misery.
They took their seats inside a restaurant. He didn’t speak. Keenin looked at the menu, picked something, told the waitress. It didn’t even matter that it was his first time at a restaurant. Keenin hated it. He hated the way that they talked. He hated how they were eating. He hated that he was sitting there.
“Why don’t you eat?” Dia asked him.
Keenin lifted his head.
“You know damn well why,” he said getting up and leaving.
He walked, and walked, wanting nothing more than to curl up in a safe bed away from people that judged him and ignored him. When he spotted a familiar empty display table he went to it and crawled underneath to crouch there so that he could simply be alone. Some children had closets, locked doors, and dark cellars to hide away in. He had a simple wooden table. Eventually, he saw Dia walking towards him and fixated his eyes on the ground.
“Do you know how ridiculous you look,” Dia told him when she finally stood in front of his hiding spot.
“Go away.”
“And how childish.”
“Go away.”
“All right sorry. I’ve just been a little distracted and-
“I said I don’t want to hear it. I hate lies. I hate being lied to.”
“Then I’m sorry!” she yelled at him, finally as frustrated as he.
Dia walked away and Clide took her place.
“You know Rupert is going to show us to the public baths. I think you should come or at least go back to the base. You’re making a scene.”
“Just do one thing for me.”
“Sure kid.”
“Tell Dia to stay away from me.”
“If that’s what you want-
“Just tell her,” Keenin said pushing the table away and standing. “Where are the baths?”
*
The public baths were really nice. He couldn’t deny that. The best part about it was there were no girls in the separated baths. He leaned his head back against the edge of the tile basin. That annoying itch was finally gone.
“That star shape is supposed to be the mark of the warrior,” Rupert explained, his arm blocking the clear view to point out another indistinguishable clump of stars through the open ceiling.
Keenin didn’t particularly care about what each speck was called, they made him forget and that was enough.
“Hey. Where do you usually bath?” Rupert asked.
“The river.”
“A river. That’s funny.”
Keenin didn’t bother replying. A different sky had come to mind. Spread with drifting clouds and tinged with dancing leaves. In his memory of an earlier time Lester nudged Keenin's leg so he looked over.
“Why are you crying? We’re going to find our parents and learn our real names right.”
A sinking feeling came over him, actually slipping, sideways. He jerked awake in time to right himself in the bath. Rupert was out of the water and wrapping a towel around his waist.
“That’s enough for me,” he said. “It’s cold in here. Want me to wait outside for you?”
“No, I’ll be fine,” Keenin said.
Keenin was the last one there. He examined the bouncing candlelight.
“If the gods really do listen then let Lester be safe.”
He put his hand on the edge of the basin and pulled himself out of the water. He padded over to his towel and a slight scuffle caught his attention, but he decided it was just his senses playing tricks on him again.
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