The food was set out like a feast. Roasted lamb, soft rolls, steamed vegetables that looked too perfect to be real. The long table was dressed up like it was expecting royalty. Plates were full, glasses clean. The checkered placemats gave it a bit of a diner feel, but the food said something else — this wasn't just dinner.
Miranda sat at the head of the table, her smile warm and bright. She was happy. Genuinely happy. "This lamb is amazing, right?" she said, laughing lightly. "I had it catered. I can't cook to save my life!"
Marly smiled back, small and soft. "It's really good." She didn't look up much. She cut her meat slowly, chewing as if the food might turn on her if she moved too fast.
Across from her, Austin was all quiet confidence. His eyes drifted across the table, watching. Every now and then he made a comment, something harmless, something neutral. Nothing real. Sera, sitting across from him, was all smiles. She played with her hair and laughed at everything he said like it was charming. "Austin," she said, leaning in a little, "this reminds me of that night after the poetry event. Remember?"
Austin nodded like he did, but he didn't answer. He kept glancing at Light. Watching her. Measuring.
Emily and Justin were sitting across from each other, saying just enough to pass. They laughed when Miranda laughed, agreed when she talked about how "wonderful it is to bring different people together."
Kimberly tried talking to Light once. Asked if she liked the food, then complimented her dress. "That yellow suits you," she said. "It really brings out your skin."
Light didn't say much. "thank you
," she answered, short and flat. She picked at her food, didn't eat much.
Miranda didn't notice the cracks. She was busy talking about her garden and a new book she was reading. She thought everything was going well. To her, it was just a lovely evening with lovely people.
Then Light put her fork down.
"excuse me," she said, quiet but clear.
The table went still.
Miranda blinked. "Oh, sweetheart. Everything alright?"
Light nodded. and stood up, tucked in her chair, and walked out.
Marly didn't move. Her eyes followed her daughter, but her body stayed still. watching for Emily's reaction to her daughter's departure.
not long after the flushed Sera excused her self , she wondered off to the garden to breath as her heart seemed to be beating fast and her cheeks felt like hot coal. she spoted the distressed khanya/light and went to her, truth is she has always found her mysterious, she had never seen any emotion in her not once and this was her just to unveil a mystery
"ka..kaya..kanywa..k-"
"just call me light" she said with a polite smile"a very beautiful garden your family has, i see why your mother loves it." she smiled and faced sera
sera looked at the garden as if seeing it for the first time, it was as if she was given a new pair of glasses and what she saw was unexplainable "mmh i can't seem to find way to describe it especially with the moon playing it's part on the beauty"
"i know what you mean, the way the moon is just looking down on the flowers — not rushing them, not burning them. Just... watching. Like it's okay to rest now." she chuckles "And the flowers, they just sit there. Not trying too hard, not trying at all, actually. And still, they're beautiful. Just by being there.They're not scared. Not hiding. They're open. Even in the dark. Even with no one really seeing them.You ever notice how some flowers still bloom at night?"
she looks at sera then looks back at the garden "Like... they don't care that no one's clapping or looking. They're still soft. Still full of color. Still standing. And the wind's not even moving that much, but it's like the whole garden's breathing. Slow. Like it's safe. The moon isn't loud. It's not trying to shine like the sun. But somehow, it makes everything look better. It makes things gentle. Things that usually go unnoticed — like broken petals, patches of dirt, the cracks in the stone path — all of it just... fits." she chuckles once more
"I don't know. It is like nothing's pretending. It just is"
sera looks at khanya/light amazed by her by how light speaks of the garden with so much feeling yet without showing emotion as if a robot programed to talk about happiness "wow light that was poetic you should join poetry night but i see what you mean the w-"
And then came his voice — slicing through the quiet like it always did. That sound alone dragged her back, soured the air, reminded her of everything ugly she had just escaped for a moment. "sera , light, sera!!" Austin shouted
"we are here! come this side" sera shouted back
Austin made his way towards the ladies and saw what he referred to as the annoying sera and the ugly worthless nobody. but Austin was no fool his mom had taught him well in the skills of acting "beautiful ladies you are being called back to the dinning area" he said with a polite smile.
sera smilled at the thought of Austin referring to her as a beautiful lady as she made her way to the the dinning area, Austin and khany/light followed behind her, Austin tripped light who used her knee to break the fall "ohh my mistake couldn't see you there it is rather dark" he said with a smirk on his face as he offered a hand to lift her up
"are you okay" said the clueless, concerned sera
"am sure she fine, let's head inside" Austin took sera hand and directed her toward the dinning area, khanya/light's knee bleed and throbbed in pain as she continued her way to the dinning area.
Chairs scraped softly against the floor as everyone began to rise, the last bits of conversation folding into farewells and laughter. The warmth of dinner lingered in the air, clinging to the plates and the dim lights overhead. They left the room together, a small crowd spilling out into the night — jackets pulled close, footsteps uneven across the gravel.
In the soft shuffle of movement, Miranda's gaze slid to Light, walking just ahead. It wasn't obvious, not to anyone else, but Miranda caught it — the slight hesitation in her step, the way her body adjusted mid-stride. A limp. Small, quiet, like a secret Light never meant to share.
Miranda didn't say anything. Just watched, and kept walking. "let me see you out, sera please stay behind and clean up"
sera was displeased with the request but stayed anyways. at the gate a firgure emerged a black tall well built man came closer and closer "good evening'' he said as he slightly pulled down his hat towards his face
"sheriff , what a surprise , what brings you here this late at night" said the curious Justin
the sheriff glanced at Miranda as if expecting her to answer, seconds passed as if minutes in the silence untill the sheriff answered for him self "well Miss Miranda seemed to forget uhm.. some paper work at the office so i thought i should remind her since she on my way home but since i have, i will take my leave now"
"ohkay, nice seeing you sheriff, have a good evening" said austin as the sheriff took his leave, the rest also followed by and went to the farm.
at the house a blow came sharp and sudden — the back of kanya/light head cracked forward, her breath catching in her throat before she could even cry out. Her body crumpled, folding to the ground like paper in the wind.
She landed hard on her knees.
The torn one took the brunt of it — skin already raw, blood already there, now pressed cruelly into the dirt. A sharp hiss escaped her, but she didn't lift her head.
She stayed there.
Still.
Breathing.
Looking down.
The gravel blurred.
Time loosened its grip.
And then, without warning, it started — the memory. The one she never asked to come back. she remember when she was young how she would look to her mother for help , how she thought she would rescue her how naive of her back then she thought but now she looked at the ground and closed her eyes to escape the pain. she knew no one would rescue her not even her mother, she didn't even care to know what was a reason for this sudden beating, she just wanted it to be gone, finshed.
"manners just manners, who are you took leave us and wonder, wonder and speak to sera.....'
Emily continued on on her ranting and all marly did was look down without saying a word, as expected by khanya/light.