The storm was gathering fast. The clouds were an angry steel grey and thunder was rolling furiously inside them, and lightning was screaming as it crashed towards the earth. No one could remember a storm this bad in living memory. The wind was becoming more and more angry, and if the rain came down, there was a good chance of a flood. A bad flood.
No one was outside that night, everyone sane had stayed inside, where the fires were coaxed higher and hot brandy was being passed around, with tea for the ladies. The grounds were empty. The animals were all inside, warm in their beds. Not even the wild animals had ventured out, instead retreating to their burrows. The place was empty. All except for one.
The girl crept outside, making sure to make no sound. It didn't really matter, nothing could be heard over the roar of the wind anyway. Clutching her golden coloured robe tighter around the neck, she bolted towards the gates.
As soon as she reached the rusty, iron gates, the clouds broke and rain rushed down in loud, sheets. Within moments, everything - including the girl - was soaked. Her long, wavy golden hair was hanging down in wet tendrils and her clothes were soaked. Shivering, she unbolted the ancient gates, and slipped through them.
Her robe, which had been a good idea at the time, was now a problem, since it was soaked, it was now hindering her in ways unimaginable. Tangling around her legs and weighing her down, nevertheless she carried on.
The oak tree was on top of the hill behind the house. It was the only thing on the entire hill, the rest being grass. Kathryn knew it well. At every possible opportuinity available, she went to that tree, as the winds were the best there and she could see for miles around. But she was always discovered missing, and was always brought back. It was the servants, the people responsible for her care, that disapproved of her going there. A young noble girl didn't like trees, everyone knew that. So did Kathryn, but she didn't think it was true.
Her parents didn't know about it, didn't know that she often wandered off. They never cared about what happened to her, they were always travelling, and she was never allowed go with them, being too young. Even when they were home., they never really paid attention to her anyway. Kathryn was amazed if they knew she existed at all.
She didn't know what had convinced her to come now, right in the middle of possibly the worst storm in centuries. She had just looked outside and had an amazing impulse to go outisde. She hadn't had anything better to do anyway. That thought made her grin. That had to be the worst excuse invented ever.
With a sigh she finished trotting up the hill and slumped by the tree. There was a small batch of dry grass right by the trunk., and she sank down onto it relieved. It wasn't the storm that she was angry at. She loved storms, loved gales, loved rain. It was yet another strange thing about her, a thing that meant most people didn't want to go near her, and the reason she had no friends.
She felt something course through her - anger, regret, guilt, she didn't know. All she knew was that she hated her life, hated her home, hated everyone that ws in it, Gods, even hated her parents! It wasn't fair! Wasn't fair that all the kids in the town were able to have normal lives and friends, and she was a noble and had nothing. It wasn't fair! Not fair!
She didn't notice that the wind picked up in speed, or that the thunder became louder, and the lightning more vicious. All she knew was that she wanted out. Desperately. She wanted out of this crazy life, that meant nothing to her. She didn't want this any more! Suddenly a soft golden light flashed across Kathryn's eyes for a moment, and just as quickly disappeared. She soon forgot about it, thinking it had just been lightning. But it hadn't been. It had been something that was to change her life forever...
It was then the tears began to fall, as she slowly laid down and cried herself to sleep. And all the time, the storm raged on, as if fighting on her behalf...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
When the search team found her, she was sitting under the tree, awake and huddled in her robe, shivering. She looked up, as they warily approached her. Despite the fact she was only twelve, not even an adolescent yet, she had an uncanny knack for drawing unnatural occurances to her. They had a habit of going strange.
When she slowly stood up, and faced them, golden eyes defiant, they had a full view of her and they gasped as one. Their eyes widened and some stepped back, shaking, as they stared at the girl in front of them.
Kathryn was completely dry. Her hair was soft, and not moving. But that couldn't be possible, the winds had changed to gales by this time. Her hair should have been in tangles by now. Her skin was clear and dry. Her clothes were completely normal. It was as if she had never stepped outside at all.
She stared at them with her strange yellow eyes blazing, and eventually one of them gathered the courage to walk towards her. Lifting a blanket, he put it around her shoulders, even though there was clearly no need for it. Then they began to walk back the way they had come.
Not a word was exchanged throughout this by anyone.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kathryn's parents, Jakal fer Harten and Maria fa Harten, had been gone for three days. And for the entire three days, Kathryn had kept to her room, reading, brooding or doing needlework. Mostly reading or brooding, she had never been good at needlework and despised it.
The noble girl was mostly quiet and sensible. Usually adults liked girls like that, the kind that never back-answered, or were rebellious or anything. But no adult readily liked her, no one sane liked her. It was because Kathryn was too strange. Weird things happened to her, she caused weird things to happen to her. And the worst thing was she had no idea how they happened to her, they just did! And she still got the blame and it wasn't her fault!
Her meals had ben delivered to her room, by her maid Gretchen, a young girl, around sixteen, who clearly didn't like Kathryn. She spoke as little as possible to her, and actually hardly ever looked at her either. That was fine by Kathryn, she didn't like Gretchen much either.
That particular day, instead of just dumping the tray on the table and stalking out as quickly as possible, Gretchen walked over to Kathryn, who was sitting on her bed, reading. "Miss?"
Kathryn looked up. Upon seeing her maid's face, her eyes narrowed. Gretchen looked sorrowful, an expression she never used. Scornful and sullen were her most favourable ones. Her face was pale and she was wringing her hands anxiously on the apron around her face. This was all very suspicious. "Yes?"
"Mr. Severus would like to see you. Right now. Miss.. it's about your parents." Gretchen looked even more nervous. Kathryn sat up straight in the bed, staring right into Gretchen's blue eyes.
"What about my parents?" she asked, in a dangerously calm voice. Whne Gretchen only squeaked (something she never did) and continued to wring her hands, Kathryn lost her patience. "*What about my parents?*" she yelled.
"Mr. Severus.. an accident..." Gretchen looked positively terrified by now. The light breeze had turned into a louder breeze, and was whistling around the windows.
"Where is he?" Kathryn demanded, looking furious.
"The main hall Miss. Miss wait! You don't understand!" Gretchen called, rushing after her.
The servants working in the halls and the footmen at every corner, froze when they saw the very angry young girl, storming towards them. Those in the middle of the halls, leaped back to avoid coliding with her, as he obviously had no intention of avoiding them.
Mr. Severus was sitting on a small couch by the front doors, where guests were put after they had been introduced and were waiting for Kathryn's parents to come to them. He looked up as Kathryn came up, and paled when he saw her angry face. Her eyes were positvely snapping.
He was a tall, thin man, with dark hair that was beginning to go grey and dark eyes. He had exceptionally pale skin and never seemd to burn nor tan. He was Kathryn's father's personal servant and accompained him and his lady on the journeys they made. But her parents weren't anywhere in sight. Where were they?
"Lady Kathryn," he began, standing up and bowing. "It is a pleasure to -"
"Where are my parents?" she interuppted, glaring at him. Severus looked at her, opening his mouth to scold her for interuppting, when he saw her face and decided against it. Kathryn was usually a quiet girl, but upon the subject of her parents she was ridiculously touchy and very often lost her temper. No one wanted to deal with her then.
"They... Lady I'm not sure how to say this.. but..."
"Mr. Severus," she growled.
"They're dead Lady," he said finally, after a long pause. "They died last night on their way back here. It was bandits Lady. They held up the carraige and demanded they give them everything valuable they had. Including their lives. After taking everything they shot them, the footmen and the driver. I was a few miles behind them you understand, if I hadn't been,. I would surely have been killed as well. They are being carried back here for the funeral and..."
But Kathryn wasn't listenng. After Mr. Severus had said the first three words, *They're dead Lady*, she had sank into a dark, bottomless pit, she didn't know how to get out of. She wondered dimly if it was grief. Her parents, for all their mistakes, were still her parents and they were now gone. They would never be back, she would never see them again.
"Lady?" It was Gretchen. She came up, with a worried frown on her face. She grasped Kathryn's arm. "You need to sit down Lady. You're in shock."
Kathryn shook off her hand. What use was sitting down? Her parents were dead. They would never be coming back. Her parents were dead, were dead, were dead, dead, dead, dead...
