Mr. Asche looked over the papers, Seren shifted uneasily. They’d gotten so carried away with the music that they’d completed three pages before their boss turned guardian came to check on them.

“This work is an improvement.” He said finally, putting them into the finished pile. “Well done. Finish your dinner.”

“Oh, yeah” Seren turned to the untouched plate which had gone cold. They dug in despite the cold, realizing once the meat and potatoes touched their tongue just how ravenous they were. Devouring the plate in a second and placing it on the desk.

“Don’t just leave your dishes. Bring them to the kitchen and clean them up.” Mr. Asche snapped as he left the study. Seren slid to a stop, already halfway across the floor. They doubled back and grabbed their dishes and quickly left the study. Trying not to run down the stairs and risk dropping anything. Passing Mr. Asche who stepped aside at the second floor to let them go, they ran into the kitchen where Mrs. Houper gossiped with Kalyani while the chef did the dinner dishes with Mrs. Houper scrubbing the counters.

“Oh, more dishes!” Kalyani laughed, moving aside from the sink for Seren to place them in the bubbly wash water.

“I’m all done!” Seren said excitedly, “Can I go see dad now?!”

“Oh…” Mrs. Houper said, pressing her lips together. “Well… no. Sorry but visiting hours are over.” Seren slowed to a hesitant stop.

“What?” They asked, tearing up a little.

“Yeah,” Mrs. Houper wiped her hands on her apron again. “They’re already closed. But you could play with your knitting or your notebooks?”

“Oh… okay.” Seren said, wandering back to the stairs with their head hung low.

“Now what?” Mr. Asche asked as he stepped off the stairs.

“Visiting hours are over, I can’t see my dad tonight.” Seren said, a few rogue tears coming down their face. They quickly wiped them away.

“Ah.” he said, staring at the child. “That’s how life happens sometimes.” Seren sniffed and forcibly wiped at their face so that no tears would show.

“I don’t want life to happen that way.” Seren said. “If I finished my work earlier could I have gone?”

“Yeah, probably.” He said thoughtlessly. Seren’s lip quivered and they roughly rubbed at their face again but didn’t stop a few tears from falling.

“Then why did I have to stay to do it?” They demanded.

“Because you chose to do more work than I told you to. No one made you do those extra pages.” Mr. Asche lectured, “And even if you only did one page, you should never leave a job half-done or done below your ability.”

“But-”

“There is no but. You put your best work forward. Always.” He said, Seren stared hard at the carpet, trying to stop from sniffling or whimpering.

“I’m going to my room.” Seren said bitterly and stomped up the first few steps.

“Don’t stomp, you’ll wake the dead.” Mr. Asche sighed. He looked down and back up toward Seren. “Hey, don’t forget to work on that homework I gave you.” Seren bit their lip hard.

“Yeah,” they said. Running the rest of the way up the stairs and to their new bedroom. Even with the windows shut and the heater blowing it was icy cold inside the room. The dried paint smell still lingered around the room, just adding to the miserable feeling sinking in Seren’s stomach. They dropped down to their knees and crawled into a corner and huddled there.

They stayed huddled in the dark in their corner. Rocking back and forth miserably, feeling like they were going to throw up. Seren thought about the conversation, about what they could have done differently. But mostly, they were stuck on the reality of the situation. Their head fogged up and their eyes hurt to focus. Seren put their palms into their eyes and pressed until colorful dots sparkled in the darkness and their skull hurt.

Downstairs, Mrs. Houper glared at Mr. Asche entering the kitchen.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“What?” He demanded. “What have I done now?”

“Kalyani, you are dismissed for the night.” Mrs. Houper said sternly. Kalyani didn’t linger to dry her hands. Quickly leaving out the back door, wiping her hands on her pants. Mrs. Houper left her own chore unfinished.

“You could have handled that better,” she said once she heard the door shut and was sure Kalyani had gone.

“I have never claimed to be good with children,” Eric explained, forgetting what he came in the kitchen for. “That’s why I chose never to have them.”

“You have one now, and they’re learning from you.” Mrs. Houper said.

“I am not their parent and it’s not my job to teach them.” He said, turning to leave. Mrs. Houper slammed her hand on the counter, stopping his retreat.

“You are their acting guardian which means you are teaching them, whether you like it or not!” She snapped. “A life is like the seasons, Seren is in spring, nearly summer. The soil of their life is absorbing all the seeds and resources for them to grow. Soon it’ll be too late to choose what plants grow.”

“What the fuck does that mean?”

Mrs. Houper heaved an irritated sigh.

“It means you’re teaching them the wrong things!” She said shortly. “Seren is a CHILD. Children listen, they see, they learn. What do you think you’re teaching them?”

“To be resilient,”

“To be alone!” Mrs. Houper yelled. Eric stepped back, he hadn’t heard his childhood nanny yell, ever. “The silence that haunts you is the absence of anyone meaningful in your life! What life is this? Go up there and correct your mistakes!”

“Right,” Eric nodded. He turned and sped out of the kitchen, he stopped three steps up before his better judgment took hold. “Wait a minute.”

“Forget something?”

He turned and saw Mrs. Houper with a basket of laundry rounding the stairs from the opposite direction of the kitchen.

“I… I’ve never heard you yell at me.” He said, shaking out the uncertainty and standing straight. For half a second he mistook himself for a child again. Mrs. Houper raised a brow at him.

“That’s because I’ve never yelled at you.” She said, puzzled. “Are you okay?”

“Weren’t you just in the kitchen?” He asked, caught off guard.

“No, I’ve been in the laundry room.” She said, “Were you looking for me?”

“No… I…” Eric held his eyes. “Nevermind. Don’t worry about it.” He started up the stairs, ignoring the weird look Mrs. Houper was giving him. He stopped on the landing and looked down the hall toward Seren’s room. The silence of the stairs creeped down at him like a predator stalking prey. He wandered to the window, insisting that he just needed a little air. Outside he noticed a hunched figure in the snow, sitting perfectly still.

“Mrs. Houper?” He yelled down the stairs.

“Yes?”

“Can you have the intruder in the backyard removed?”

“Yes,”

“Thank you.”

Mr. Asche turned and wandered down the hall to Seren’s room. The door had been left open but the light was off. He peeked into the room, frowning at seeing the bed empty. Clicking on the light, he pushed the door open to look around.

Seren silently begged for him to leave, but he didn’t. Instead, he sat on the bed.

“I’m going to level with you,” he said quietly. “I’ve never been good with kids, and you do admittedly have special needs.”

“Are you tired of dealing with me?” Seren whispered from behind their hands.

“No!” Mr. Asche barked before realizing he’d yelled at them. “No, I’m not giving up on you. We’re just going through some growing pains. But I won’t give up on you.” Seren peeked through their fingers at him.

“Do you promise?” They asked quietly.

“I promise.” He said. Then he stood up. “Try and pick yourself up. Feel free to ask for whatever you need.” Seren nodded.

“Can you turn off the light?” They asked, “It’s too bright.”

“Sure,” Mr. Asche shrugged. Clicking off the light and leaving Seren in the dark. Seren sighed, counting their breathing. Once they had their breathing under control, they started to hum. Humming the same song over and over until they felt better. With a final deep breath, Seren let all the negative feelings fade away. Still slightly numb when they got up and turned the light on. Taking a second look around their room.

They left the room and wandered down the halls to the library. Inside Mr. Asche was looking through the shelves and pulling books out to inspect them.

“Excuse me?” Seren asked in the doorway.

“Mhm?”

“Is there anything that might help the smell of the paint?” Seren asked. Pulling their hair over their shoulder and playing with it.

“Yes, Mrs. Houper set aside some candles for you… oh.” Mr. Asche snapped his fingers. “You haven’t seen anything strange, have you?”

“No?” Seren said, confused. “What’s considered strange?”

“Just anything that feels a little off. Don’t worry about it.” He said. “Run along, Mrs. Houper downstairs can help you with those candles.”