Running On Empty

Chapter 18~ Jaylin

"Miss Brown, the Headmaster is waiting for you. He wanted to discuss some important matters about your sleeping arrangements here. I watched the tall shadow stand with the door open and then, heard Frica's footsteps as she started running out of the door.

There was a pause in the steps and then I heard Frica whisper softly, "See you later, Jaylin."

The door closed after that and I once again remained alone in my own thoughts. It would be easy for me to go and marry someone like Frica, since it would be a marriage that both our parents would agree to, but something inside me was rejecting the idea. It was also the part of me that ached to talk to Silya again.

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Later that night, I had been brought to the dining room to have a formal meal with my wife-to-be. My father had cleaned up quite good and he looked to be a kinder, gentler person. His face was composed as he chatted with Frica's father who sat at the right side of him. Frica and I were seated across from each other. It was most likely because the two parent figures had expected us to start talking, but I couldn't get any words out. I hadn't had a third of what was on my plate for as long as I could remember. I had flipped around the names of the foods inside my head and there was a whole feast that had been laid out before us.

Mr. Brown looked to be around the same age as my father, but he had a broader shoulders and bigger feet. He was dressed a black suit and white guy. He looked like he was a security guard for a royal family often described in the story books I read. His brown hair had grey streak visible. His hair had been neatly combed back. It made the rest of him look like a statue. His hands were huge and he had a ring on his left hand finger. His eyes were brown. Whenever he chuckled at what my father said, a dimple appeared at the right side of his cheek. His eyebrows were rather bushy. His voice was deep and demanding as if he were a commander of an army.

Frica definitely didn't get her looks from him.

"What do you think of us going outside tomorrow and walking around? It would be good for you be on your feet since you are still learning to use your crutches," my father's eyes laid on me; impatient for my reply, "You can take Frica around."

I used my fork to move around a small green ball and stabbed it in the middle. "No, I don't want to do that. It won't be fun for me and I don't really care to do those kinds of things with Frica, with all due respect, Father."

Frica stayed quiet. Her eyes had been on me from the first moment I had entered the dining room. Her blond curls had fallen in front of her face as she looked down at her lap. Her slim shoulders had slumped a little from what I had said, but there hadn't been much of a difference in her polite posture.

"Then what do you want, son?" This time it was Mr. Brown who had jumped in.

"I want to meet with Silya." Yes, I had said it, but it was the truth.

"Oh, yes, I'm sure she could help you with Frica. Besides the two of you are going to be married to each other.

"That's not what I meant, sir. I don't want to marry your daughter. She is very pretty and kind, but she deserves someone better than me. There will be someone out there who is a better fit. I have already taken a liking to someone else way before she and I crossed paths, to be honest. I apologize for not saying anything until now."

All the servants stopped in their tracks from passing the food. Both my father and Mr. Brown looked like they had just went to the underworld and Frica still didn't move from her position.

"Now, now, let's think about things rationally before making any bold choices," Mr. Brown blurted out nervously. "Besides, my princess wanted this after all."