Read Online A Life Earthbound by Katie Jennings - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Katie Jennings
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multiplication table.
Behind her, she heard shuffling and muffled giggling, which annoyed her. They were goofing off again and disrupting everyone, as usual.
She glanced over her shoulder and gave Blythe and Liam an irritated look. Blythe just stuck her tongue out, which caused Liam to laugh behind his hands.
“Settle down and get back to work,” Serendipity scolded, gliding past them and approaching Rhiannon’s desk. Stopping, she held out hand. “Let me see.”
Rhiannon gave her paper to her mother, her eyes lowered.
Serendipity perused her daughter’s work, pleased that the girl’s answers were not only correct, but written with clear, precise handwriting. Without a word, she set the paper back down on the desk and moved on to where the Furies were sitting.
Rhiannon exhaled and then returned to her work. She’d grown accustomed to receiving silence instead of praise from her mother.
An hour later, they were dismissed for the day. Rhiannon neatly stowed her papers, books, and pencils into her bag. Behind her she could hear Liam and Blythe chattering loudly as they stuffed their bags and raced out of the room, excited to play in the courtyard. Rian helped Brogan put away his things and then the two of them left without a word.
Knowing the Furies would be heading outside as well, Rhiannon left the room and eagerly went to the dining hall. She looked forward to seeing the fairies laying out the food for lunch. She took a seat, thanking the fairies as she always did, and then selected a turkey sandwich and juice.
She enjoyed being the first one there, when it was still quiet and calm. She enjoyed the solitude and the silence of an empty room, where she could sit alone with her thoughts, with no distractions or disruptions.
At least, until the others came in.
She heard the laughter first, making her defensive and she fought back the instinctive envy. Instead, she sat straight and cocked her chin ever so slightly, pretending not to care.
Blythe rushed into the room ahead of Liam, racing around the table to take a seat across but down a ways from where Rhiannon was sitting. Her hair was a wild poof of vivid red, and she was panting and out of breath from being chased. Her grin was a mile wide as she beamed at Liam, who collapsed into the chair beside her.
“I beat you!” she declared, clapping her hands joyfully. Liam glared at her, clutching his stomach and gasping for air.
“You…cheated,” he managed, punching her in the arm weakly.
She punched him back and they began a shoving match right at the dining table, laughing and smiling.
Rhiannon just rolled her eyes and turned away.
When she finished eating, she got to her feet and started to leave, only to stop when Liam called out to her.
“You should come play with us, Rhia,” he said, his goofy smile bright and charming as he ran a hand through his tangled mass of dark curls. “My dad’s putting up a swing for us outside, you gotta come try it!”
She looked over her shoulder at him, her head almost shaking before she decided. But her instinct told her to say no and so she did. She didn’t have time to play on a swing.
Seeing his face fall, disappointed yet again by her refusal, she turned and swiftly left the room, wanting to get as far away from him as possible. It hurt to see him look like that, so she did the only thing that she knew worked: she fled, and tried to forget.
She started walking down the corridor toward the Greenhouse where her father was waiting for her, only to stop dead in her tracks when she saw a man and a young boy walking through the atrium toward her.
She recognized the boy as Michael, even though it had been awhile since she’d last seen him. His father had brought him by a few times over the last couple of years, but he never stayed long. He didn’t get along with any of the children except the Furies, and she was certain they only put up with him because they were told to.
His father, Burke Callahan, had been
Behind her, she heard shuffling and muffled giggling, which annoyed her. They were goofing off again and disrupting everyone, as usual.
She glanced over her shoulder and gave Blythe and Liam an irritated look. Blythe just stuck her tongue out, which caused Liam to laugh behind his hands.
“Settle down and get back to work,” Serendipity scolded, gliding past them and approaching Rhiannon’s desk. Stopping, she held out hand. “Let me see.”
Rhiannon gave her paper to her mother, her eyes lowered.
Serendipity perused her daughter’s work, pleased that the girl’s answers were not only correct, but written with clear, precise handwriting. Without a word, she set the paper back down on the desk and moved on to where the Furies were sitting.
Rhiannon exhaled and then returned to her work. She’d grown accustomed to receiving silence instead of praise from her mother.
An hour later, they were dismissed for the day. Rhiannon neatly stowed her papers, books, and pencils into her bag. Behind her she could hear Liam and Blythe chattering loudly as they stuffed their bags and raced out of the room, excited to play in the courtyard. Rian helped Brogan put away his things and then the two of them left without a word.
Knowing the Furies would be heading outside as well, Rhiannon left the room and eagerly went to the dining hall. She looked forward to seeing the fairies laying out the food for lunch. She took a seat, thanking the fairies as she always did, and then selected a turkey sandwich and juice.
She enjoyed being the first one there, when it was still quiet and calm. She enjoyed the solitude and the silence of an empty room, where she could sit alone with her thoughts, with no distractions or disruptions.
At least, until the others came in.
She heard the laughter first, making her defensive and she fought back the instinctive envy. Instead, she sat straight and cocked her chin ever so slightly, pretending not to care.
Blythe rushed into the room ahead of Liam, racing around the table to take a seat across but down a ways from where Rhiannon was sitting. Her hair was a wild poof of vivid red, and she was panting and out of breath from being chased. Her grin was a mile wide as she beamed at Liam, who collapsed into the chair beside her.
“I beat you!” she declared, clapping her hands joyfully. Liam glared at her, clutching his stomach and gasping for air.
“You…cheated,” he managed, punching her in the arm weakly.
She punched him back and they began a shoving match right at the dining table, laughing and smiling.
Rhiannon just rolled her eyes and turned away.
When she finished eating, she got to her feet and started to leave, only to stop when Liam called out to her.
“You should come play with us, Rhia,” he said, his goofy smile bright and charming as he ran a hand through his tangled mass of dark curls. “My dad’s putting up a swing for us outside, you gotta come try it!”
She looked over her shoulder at him, her head almost shaking before she decided. But her instinct told her to say no and so she did. She didn’t have time to play on a swing.
Seeing his face fall, disappointed yet again by her refusal, she turned and swiftly left the room, wanting to get as far away from him as possible. It hurt to see him look like that, so she did the only thing that she knew worked: she fled, and tried to forget.
She started walking down the corridor toward the Greenhouse where her father was waiting for her, only to stop dead in her tracks when she saw a man and a young boy walking through the atrium toward her.
She recognized the boy as Michael, even though it had been awhile since she’d last seen him. His father had brought him by a few times over the last couple of years, but he never stayed long. He didn’t get along with any of the children except the Furies, and she was certain they only put up with him because they were told to.
His father, Burke Callahan, had been
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