Chapter 7
Seda
Seda sat at her desk, fiddling with the chain around her neck. She kept checking the clock and the door every few minutes, growing more anxious with each passing minute. It was two o’clock, and Cahir still hadn’t returned.
Her hair caught on the chain as she twirled it around her fingers, and a few strands pulled out. She took off the necklace, setting the white stone down on the desk as she unwound the strands from the chain.
She needed to focus on her work while also handling Cahir’s responsibilities today so no one would notice his absence. There were two piles of papers on her desk that needed to be reanalyzed and entered into the system, but her nervousness prevented her from focusing.
She let out a deep sigh, picked up the top paper from the stack, and started reading the report. But the words began to run together halfway through. She set the paper back down and picked up her necklace again, watching the sparkles dance around the tabletop.
She jumped at the sound of a beep as the office door swung open. She spun around with a smile, expecting to see Cahir, but it was Benny standing there with a cup of coffee.
Her smile faded.
“Sheesh, don’t look so excited to see me.
It’s not like you were expecting anyone else?
” He laughed lightly, then winced, realizing how insensitive that came out.
“Here, I brought you a drink. Not the best coffee… a little burnt. But it was leftover from some execs who came through and brewed a large pot.”
She accepted the coffee with a small smile, the aroma filling the air and making her stomach growl. “Thank you.”
“He’ll be back soon,” Benny said to her, his eyes filled with tenderness.
“I hope so,” she replied as she took a slow sip of her coffee and winced. “You weren’t joking. This coffee is a little gross.”
They shared a gentle smile, both making an effort to stay positive despite the circumstances. As Benny took his seat in Cahir’s chair across the desk, his leg started to tremble with nerves.
She noticed his gaze drift to the mandarin on the floor, the same one she had thrown at Cahir for falling asleep the day of the Wyrd.
She hadn’t picked it up yet. Picking it up felt like giving up hope. She knew that didn’t make sense, but every time she glanced over at that same mandarin, she saw his dimpled, mischievous grin as he awoke from his nap.
“I’m scared for him and Dad,” she said as she set the coffee down.
“What if something happened to Cahir? There wasn’t enough time to make it to Cascade when he left.
Where would he even have stayed to be safe for curfew?
What if Dad is already at the Camp? This was a bad idea. I can’t do this without Cahir, Benny.”
“Do you remember that one time when the Jotnar attacked the dome and the crowd went crazy, and a Rozzer tripped while holding his sword? Cahir caught that sword by the blade. It almost stabbed you!”
Seda did remember that. The blade hadn’t actually cut Cahir’s hand. He claimed it wasn’t sharp and handed it back to the Rozzer, who stared at it in confusion.
“He’s a lucky guy, Seda. You’re also special to him. I can see it in his eyes when he looks at you. He’ll be back.”
She took another sip of the lukewarm coffee and nodded. Hope felt better than despair. He was right, Cahir was clever. He’d return. She just needed to stay positive.
Benny stood up from the chair. “I will be back in a bit to check things. Mom wanted to know if you were going to stay with us tonight again?”
“No, I want to be at home. Please tell her I love her when you see her.” She wanted to be in her own home, where she felt secure and surrounded by their belongings, and perhaps he’d come back for her there.
“I will. Love you,” Benny replied.
Benny left the room, and Seda looked down at her desk. The conversation gave her a little confidence. Cahir would be back. She picked up the report one more time and started reading again from the first sentence.
At five o’clock, the clock chimed, and Seda put down the last report she was reviewing. She had wrapped up both stacks of reports for the day and only got up to use the restroom. She stood up from her desk and stretched her cramped back, nervously biting her nail as she stared at the clock.
She watched the second hand slowly move across its face.
Cahir hadn’t returned yet.
It occurred to her that maybe, since the work day was almost over, he’d gone home instead of coming to the office. She quickly gathered her things, cleaned up her workspace, and left the room.
Walking home felt lonely as she rushed through the streets, occasionally taking shortcuts through apartment courtyards to speed things up.
A cat suddenly darted across the road in front of her. She tried to avoid it but tripped and fell, catching herself with her hands.
She worried she might have hurt the cat and called for it. It peeked its little black and white head out of a bush, gave her a dirty look, then turned away and sauntered off, as if Seda was the one at fault.
She sighed and tried to compose herself as her palms now ached from the fall. As she sat there brushing the gravel from her hands, the color red caught her attention.
Someone had stapled red pieces of paper onto a nearby wooden post. She stood up and moved closer to read what they said.
At the bottom of the paper was an image of a dragon. All of the pieces of paper conveyed the same message. Seda tore one from the post, shoved it into her pocket, and quickly ran the rest of the way home.
Complete silence enveloped her as she entered the apartment.
She hurried to the bedroom and bathroom, searching for Cahir, but he wasn’t in either room.
She stifled a sob and returned to the portrait to say her usual, brief prayer.
She slowly stepped into the living room, the heavy silence making her heart sink.
Seda approached the sofa and straightened a throw pillow.
Then, unsure of what else to do, she grabbed a small towel and wiped the kitchen counters, removing the thin layer of dust that covered them from the opening of the shattered window.
She cleaned her way around the apartment, keeping busy as she waited for Cahir’s return.
She kept glancing at the clock every thirty seconds and watching the door, hoping it would swing open and she’d be met with his dimpled smile.
Time passed slowly as she worked. When she had nothing left to clean, she sat on the couch, cringing internally at the thought of messing up the perfectly straight fabric, and stared at a photo of her and Cahir on the table beside her.
She picked up the frame and looked at it closely, remembering the day.
Cahir was looking down at her with a wide grin, his arm wrapped tightly around her shoulders.
She was making a disgusted face as he held a fermented egg toward her lips.
Her hair was down that day, blowing in the wind and sparkling in the sun.
She noticed a black bird behind her in the photo, as if it had just landed and perched on a tree.
She looked more closely at the bird with an azure-tipped beak.
How strange that it looked like the one who scratched her and broke the window.
She wondered how many black birds shared that peculiar coloring.
She felt a pinch in her pocket and pulled the red piece of paper. She had forgotten about it.
Who are The Rising?
It couldn’t be Joro’s government officials or advisors since it addressed the food issue. And the dome is weakening? The dome was the only thing keeping them safe from the horrors outside.
If the dome falls…
The thought was too overwhelming.
She placed the letter on the side table next to the photo and stood up.
She walked into the kitchen and grabbed a pot to make rice for dinner.
While it cooked, she peeled a banana and pressed the peel to her nose, inhaling the scent.
The delicate aroma reminded her of the peel stuck to Cahir’s face, and she smiled at the memory.
After she ate dinner, she tidied up the kitchen and went to the shower.
Curfew alarms blared out across the city.
Seda froze as a sudden feeling of loneliness washed over her, like a cold, forgotten cup of coffee left on a table. She fought to contain a sob as her hand covered her mouth. She glanced back into the living room, her gaze locked on the door, still waiting for him to walk through.
Cahir had not made it home before the curfew.
Her eyes stung as she turned on the shower, watching the cold water stream out slowly. She numbly undressed, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to fall.
She stepped into the water and began scrubbing her body until it burned.
The ground trembled violently, and Seda slipped on the wet tile. She fell, and the slippery soap flew out of her hands just like her hope had moments before.
The loud sound of the dome wailing pierced the air, and the earth shook again and again. The apartment walls quivered, and dust fell around the bathroom with each quake.
For the first time in her life, the Jotnar were attacking the dome while she was alone. She curled into herself as the cool water splashed against her red skin.
Her heart beat like a heavy drum, her body clenching tighter with each attack.
I am alone. I am alone
I am… alone
She sobbed as another violent tremor shook the room. Her lungs seized, as if grasped by invisible hands. She pressed her hands to her head, and a muffled scream echoed in the shower, the sound trapped between her clenched teeth.
The monsters were about to break down the dome at this rate, as the red paper had warned. Seda had never felt the force of their attack on her home so strongly before.
What would she do if they did? She had nowhere to go and no protection.
Gradually, the ground stopped shaking, leaving her surrounded by the same quiet, empty space. The cold water dripped onto her, echoing off the hollow walls of her chest.
Her body began to tremble.
She stayed there, shivering but motionless, until the hard floor began to ache against her hip and her skin started to wrinkle from the splashing water.
She slowly took a deep, agonizing breath, sat up, and reached for the shower knob, turning the water off. She placed her hand back on her lap and sat there, staring down at her fingers.
Drip… Drip… Drip…
The silence consumed her, the gentle tapping of water hitting the tile floor the only sound she could hear. The noise grew louder in her mind with each passing drip, until it seemed to pound against her skull like a hammer.
Her legs felt weak as she stood. She reached for a towel, wrapped it around herself, and took her first brave step out of the shower.
She slowly made her way to the bedroom on shaky legs, her hair still wet, and the towel securely wrapped around her body. She placed her necklace on her dresser, then lay down on Cahir’s bed, her damp hair soaking into his pillow. The towel, tightly wrapped, felt like her only protection.
She fell asleep to the scent of cedar on his pillows, sinking deeper into her loneliness.
Dark images of slithering snakes haunted her dreams. The same snakes she often dreamt about.