The Core

The dinner table was full of the people that Lark had already met and an older man, the father of the home, Lyrius. She sat down awkwardly in a chair that clearly didn’t fit where it was positioned. The older man had obviously already been told about Lark because once she sat down, the table grew silent.

“How was work today?” Taylon inquired, desperately trying to break the silence.

Lark sighed, pushing her vegetables around her plate. No one answered Taylon, everyone’s eyes remained locked onto their own plates. Andor rolled his eyes. “Taylon, I think we should skip this petty chit-chat and get to the root of the problem.”

“And that would be me?” Lark said, dropping her fork. She didn’t have much of an appetite anyway especially for such rough and poorly cooked food. She would have a hard time adjusting if she was going to be allowed to stay; she was going to lose more weight before she gained any, that’s for sure.

Taylon set his fork down also, “There’s no problem, Andor. She is not a problem.” Lyrius corked a brow at how quickly his son came to the girl’s defense. “She’s a human, Andor. Not a thing,” he finished.

“If I’m a human then perhaps you should let me speak for myself, I am capable of that,” Lark said.

In Palimea, there was nothing wrong with being head strong, but most women were subordinate to men. After all, if you were barefoot and pregnant, you couldn’t bring food to the table. Lark’s strong-headed nature was appalling to the older members of the table.

“I’ll be the judge if there’s a problem or not, won’t I? Is this not my house still?” Lyrius said, chiming in to settle the explosion that was about to go off. “I’m not dead yet, my boy. Until then, you shall both stand down,” Lyrius said to Andor and Taylon. They quietly continued eating dinner.

“Now girl-“ Lyrius began.

“Lark,” she interjected. “My name is Lark.”

“Ay. Lark, where is it you came from?” he asked. Rhiana raised her head for this answer. She was curious to what this girl had to say. She wanted details, the details recalled in her stories; she wanted to know she wasn’t crazy.

“Well, sir, I suppose that’s a rather vague question. Most recently, I came from the forest. Bloody and mangled, so I hear. But, if you want to trace it to the beginning, then I’d have to say that I was birthed naturally, like any other,” she said, a smirk sliding slowly onto her face.

Lyrius wouldn’t dare admit it, but he admired the girl’s spunk. He covered his smile with a stern look and shook his head. “I’m not looking for your stories or your sass, pet. You’re sitting in my house, under my roof, eating my food. You’ll answer my questions; you know what I’m asking.”

Lark smiled, relieved that she wasn’t going to have to eat any of this food “I’ve already told everyone where I’ve come from. But, if I must retell it, so be it. I am an Advisor, the Advisor of Secrets. I come from what is known as The Core. We quite literally control everything, hence The Core.”

Lyrius nodded, “And what is it you do there?”

Lark smiled, “Everything you say, everything you do and everything you see isn’t really you. It’s all been decided for you by the Advisors. Scary, isn’t it? To feel so free but, in reality, you are nothing but an insignificant piece of our puzzle. Once we find your place, you’re disposed of. We decide who is sick, who is healthy, who is alive or dead, who is happy or sad. Honestly, it must be a petty and dull existence for you have nothing of your own, really. It’s all ours. It all goes back to The Core.”

Everyone had grown increasingly silent as Lark had spoken. Only little Tyrion continued munching carelessly away on a solid piece of bread, making the only noise at the table. Soon, though, he too fell silent.

Lark continued to fill the silence, “That doesn’t quite explain why I’m here though. My idea was to protect you, to save you. After all, I know all the secrets, especially secrets of The Core. Honestly, if The Core had it their way, you’d be dead already, all of you. Perhaps Zorac finds some people here of interest or he’s just too busy or too lazy to dispose of you. Either way, I’d hate to see a city utterly destroyed when it is only our fault that you have grown so strong. I suppose, you could say, my one weakness is small hints of humanity, feelings of sympathy for you truly have no control.”

She sighed and wondered what they all were thinking, what they were feeling. They looked so blank, but could she blame them? She had just told them that their lives were essentially in her hands. Tyrion had left the table, sneaking away with two pieces of bread and slipping into the playroom. Everyone else remained fixated on Lark, as if they were waiting for her. “What it really boils down to is if you deserve it. Does Palimea honestly deserve to survive, to thrive even? Or would it serve us better as a smoldering lump? In the end, it’s what’s better for us, not you. Pity..” she said.

Lyrius rubbed the hair on his chin and stared at Lark. “What makes you think I believe any of that crap you just laid on me?” He said, raising a brow. He had every right to be skeptical. After all, who would believe a girl that no one knows, an outsider, who says that they’re nothing?

“Why would I have any reason to come here and lie to you? What benefit would I receive? You’re a logical man, Lyrius. Do I honestly get anything out of coming here?” She asked, intertwining her perfectly manicured fingers, placing her elbows on the table and locking her crystal eyes with his gray ones.

To everyone’s surprise, it was Rhiana that stood. “I believe her,” she stated simply.

“Rhiana,” Helena said with a look of disdain on her face. “Don’t be so rash, sit down. Lyrius will handle this.” Helena stared at Rhiana, waiting. Rhiana, however, crossed her arms and remained standing.

“Oh! Shut up, Helena. Honestly, is it really so crazy that the stories we have been hearing all of our lives are real? Look at her! She is the living description of an Advisor! Lyrius, you must remember all the stories! All the things they would say! The Core, it’s real! It’s in front of your face, are you so blind to ignore it!” Rhiana said, throwing her hands dramatically in the air.

Lyrius looked at his wife, still playing with the gray hairs on his chin. “Of course I remember the stories, Rhiana. But, that’s just it. They’re stories, love. Can’t you see that?” he asked her. She sat down, putting her head in her hands. She was simply a hormonal mess, why would they side with her?

Taylon’s voice broke the silence, “I believe her too, Dad. She didn’t almost die just to play some petty little prank on us. What else could it be?” He asked, rubbings his mother’s shoulders soothingly. Lyrius glanced at his son and then back at Lark.

Andor growled, “This is ridiculous.”

Lark finally spoke then, “Is it really so ridiculous? Have you ever wondered what’s past the forests? They can’t go on forever, can they? What’s in the Outside? Haven’t you ever wondered why things happen the way they do? Or, do you always listen to your precious Elders? What do they know that I don’t?” Lark said, corking her brow.

Andor spoke again, “Are you really going to feed into this, Lyrius? She’s obviously mad! Look at her, spewing this crap as if she’s better than us! This shouldn’t be allowed here! The nerve of her! Questioning our ways, she’s an Outsider!” He hollered, standing.

“Andor, what are you going to do? Kill me? You keep describing me as an Outsider, something from the Outside. Something must be there then, no?” She asked, her smirk returning. Everyone drew silent again and waited for something, anything to break the silence.

Andor’s knuckles were white against the table, Rhiana’s head was buried and she was stifling tears, Helena watched patiently and Taylon stared baffled at Lark. Lyrius sat at the head of the table, pondering.

“I certainly can’t kick a lady out, especially in this weather and your condition, both mentally and physically,” Lyrius smirked a little. His gray eyes crinkled in the corners and he rubbed his thinning hair. “So, you’re welcome to stay. As of right now, I suggest we clean up and get ready for bed. This blizzard is making me tired.” He stretched and yawned, standing and walking to his chest in the sleeping room.

Soon enough, everyone was cleaning dishes or getting ready for bed. Rhiana gave Lark some of her old pajamas to wear. They were a pale yellow and faded but, they were soft and warm. Lark sat down on the couch, pulling her knees up to her chest and sighing. Everyone else slowly emptied from the kitchen and all that was left was the cracking and popping of the fire.

Lark began by mulling over the possibilities of what she was doing to these people. It was true that she was risking their lives and her own by coming out here, but she had to do it. Something in her would not let these people die. There was something in her that knew it was wrong for Palimea to be destroyed. After all, they didn’t even know anyone else existed. She was the only one who knew what Zorac really feared, but even she questioned why none of the Advisors wondered.

She didn’t have time to get any deeper into her thoughts because someone sat down beside her, handing her a cup of warm milk. “You should get some sleep,” Taylon said, smiling and sinking into the couch, closing his eyes. “Tomorrow you have to start training,” he said with a smirk.

Lark shrugged, “I’m really not all that tired. What am I training for?” She asked, raising a brow and sipping her milk. It was sweet, to her surprise, and filled her stomach that was growling loudly. She sighed and stared into the fire, hoping Taylon would say something because she didn’t want to think. She had too many secrets weighing her down.

“Lyrius said if you’re to stay here, you need to be of use. My mother can’t do much as of right now and soon she’ll be bed ridden and we need someone to fill her place until she’s healthy again,” he said to her. “I suppose they want you blend right into society, you’ll learn. It’s simple.”

Lark rolled her eyes. She wasn’t a domestic woman, she knew that much. She wouldn’t ever cook anything or clean because she didn’t have to, she was an Advisor. Or was she? She had left The Core, hadn’t she? She deliberately disobeyed them and was now seeking a way to defy them. Was she really still an Advisor?

Of course she was, she still knew all the secrets.

“No,” she finally said, “That won’t do.” Taylon glanced at her with big eyes. He was utterly shocked that she didn’t like the idea. Wasn’t it what every woman wanted? How could she not want to keep a home safe and sound? How could she not want to have meals and a warm fire awaiting him?

“What do you want to do? Come hunting with me and Andor?” He said, chuckling to himself. He couldn’t even imagine her small figure running through the forest. She would surely make tons of noise and get herself killed. That was how he found her, after all. She belonged in the home.

“Yes, actually, I would like that. I’m rather good with a knife,” she said. She hadn’t even noticed he was joking because she was so appalled by the idea of staying home all day. She did not like the idea of being confined especially in such a dull place to do petty work. “If anything, I’ll need an hour outside. It isn’t my place to dictate what happens,” she added.

“I thought it was, oh great one,” Taylon said, smirking and lightly pushing Lark’s shoulder.

“Your sarcasm is highly unnecessary. I’m being completely serious! I cannot stay in this house all day, I’ll die," Lark said, setting her empty cup of milk on the table next to Taylon’s. He studied her face slowly and something inside him wanted nothing more than to give her exactly what she wanted.

“I’m being serious also, you’ll die out there,” he said to her. “Pretty much, you’re useless.” He chuckled but his laugh faltered when Lark shot him a harsh look. “Yeesh, take a joke. Don’t be so uptight. Who’s gonna hear us?” He asked.

“You never know,” she replied.

Taylon shrugged, brushing her comment off casually. He touched her leg softly and stood. “Alright, let’s compromise. You go to bed now and I’ll take you out hunting tomorrow and if you live, we can make it an everyday occurrence. Deal?” He asked, holding his hand out.

She stood, brushed off the yellow pajamas and stared at his hand.“Good night,” she said, walking away.

Taylon smiled to himself because he had never encountered someone so different from what he was used to. She was a tornado of sarcasm and secrets that was tearing his family apart, but maybe it was good thing. It was so comfortable around Palimea, nothing new or exciting was happening. Maybe Lark was exactly what they needed, exactly what he needed.

“Good night,” he whispered back, even though she was long gone.