“ARADIA WAS TEN . . .”

ARADIA:  WULFSTON?  WULFSTON!

WULFSTON:  . . . GROOOANN . . .

MARCUS CRINGED AT THE SOUND OF ARADIA’S VOICE, WISHING SHE WOULD LEAVE HIM ALONE AND SEEK OUT ANOTHER PLAYMATE . . . OR, RATHER, SOMEONE ELSE TO BE BOSSY WITH.  IN HIS TWO YEARS OF LIVING IN LORD NERIUS’ CASTLE, HE COULD HARDLY REMEMBER A MINUTE WHEN ARADIA WAS NOT MAKING HIM COME WITH HER TO THIS PLACE, OR GO WITH HER TO THAT PLACE, OR HELPING HER WITH SOME PRANK . . .

THE PRANKS.  LATELY, THEY DID NOT SEEM TO BE SO MUCH FUN.  NO, THAT WASN’T IT . . .  THE PRANKS SEEMED FUNNY, AND MADE HIM LAUGH WHEN THEY DID THEM.  BUT NOW ALL THE PEOPLE IN THE CASTLE WERE NOT LOOKING AT HIM SO NICE ALL THE TIME . . .

THEY DIDN’T LOOK MEAN, OR YELL AT HIM MUCH . . . BUT THEY HAD THAT LOOK IN THEIR EYES . . . THE SAME LOOK THAT HIS SISTER SALENA HAD HAD WHEN THEIR PARENTS MADE HER WATCH HIM WHILE THEY WORKED.  IT WAS LIKE THEY WANTED TO GET REAL MAD AT HIM—OR DO SOMETHING REAL BAD TO HIM—BUT THEY COULDN’T BECAUSE HE BELONGED TO LORD NERIUS—

AND ARADIA.  ALWAYS ARADIA . . .

ARADIA:  WULFSTON!  WULFSTON!

THE LITTLE BLACK BOY LEANED AGAINST THE BIG, FRIENDLY TREE AND WAITED, KNOWING THAT SHE WOULD FIND HIM VERY SHORTLY.  THEN HE CLOSED HIS EYES, IN SOME VAGUE HOPE THAT NOT BEING ABLE TO SEE ANYTHING WOULD SOMEHOW MAKE HIM INVISIBLE—

ARADIA:  OH, THERE YOU ARE!  DIDN’T YOU HEAR ME CALLING YOU?  YOU HAD ME WORRIED HALF TO DEATH!