Chapter 11

Moving Day

Sylvie stretched as the sound of carnival music in the background began to irritate her. Why were they playing that blasted music so early? It felt as if she had barely lain down to sleep. However, the sun streaming through the window and into her eyes soon convinced her that it was indeed morning. Stretching her cramped back, she felt her four legs stiffen out in a stretch, rolling her body onto its side. She must look funny, she mused, with her legs and arms all sticking out straight as posts. She withdrew the digits till they were once again clustered tight to their portions of her body. Finished with her morning stretch, she rolled back onto her legs and stood up.

As she walked into the kitchen, she saw Taryn over the stove, already preparing oatmeal for them. Her stomach (or was it stomachs?) growled at the mere thought of food. However, another part of her also demanded attention, and she was more inclined to follow it. Giving a sleepy smile and wave, Sylvie stumbled out the back door.

The sound of the carnival music was even louder. They must be coming through town already, and close to her house if they were this loud. Dimly through the music, she could hear the sound of the crowds cheering the parade. It sounded as if the whole town was already out there. Father said we would probably move as the carnival comes into town. It made perfect sense. There aren't going to be many people looking for us in this mess. She could picture the snarling traffic jams that were no doubt already blocking most of the city as the circus vehicles and band marched to the field. Fortunately, it was on the other side of the city from her father's proposed exit route. They had gone over it in detail yesterday, as today was the day Nightshade's Circus was to be coming in. The fact that they were already arriving was worrisome, as it meant they were late in leaving, which in turn meant they had better hurry.

Using her rear hooves to throw the loose soil over her mess, she quickly trotted towards the house. Inside, she found the bowls already on the counter, Taryn making hers rapidly disappear, while Anna was taking off her coat and draping it carelessly on the back of the kitchen chair. She had evidently come in through the garage while Sylvie had been outside.

"Morning Mom. Is Dad ready now?" Sylvie asked nervously. She wasn't ready to go yet! She hadn't even eaten breakfast!

Her mother shook her head, vexed. "No. The fool came in before he was supposed to. He claimed he was very busy and wanted to maximize his profits while he was here. Ha! As if the town was even ready to allow him through. Ben has been trying to frantically clear people and cars out of the route since they got here. The entire town is blocked with cars and crowds. Even our exit route is clogged. Greg is trying to find a new route, but he is not hopeful." Seeing Sylvie's concerned look, she hastened to add, "However, it is possible that he may find a route at any moment, so it is best to be ready to go at any time."

That made good sense to Sylvie, so she sidled on over to her bowl and commenced to eating. She lifted her eyebrows in amazement. Taryn's bowl was already completely devoured! She glanced at her friend in surprise.

"I was hungry." Was all she would say.

Shrugging, she began digging into her bowl with the spoon. As she ate, she became aware of the ravenous hunger gnawing at her belly. The pace of the spoon quickened as she ate, quickening again as she tried to assuage the hunger in her belly. Finally, her spoon scraped clean the last shred of the oatmeal in the bowl.

Feeling full now, she set the bowl and looked up to see the stunned look of her mother. She continued to stare at the empty bowl. "I…I feared you would choke, the way that you were eating." Her shocked eyes locked with her own, and Sylvie felt a chill. She had been eating a bit fast. Her mother shuddered slightly and Sylvie knew that she was wondering what else was different about her. Damnit! I'm still the same girl that I always was. She growled angrily. Aren't I?

That last thought caught in her brain and began gnawing at her as the trio cleaned the dishes and finished packing for the move. She was sure that she was basically the same girl that she had always been, just much larger and stronger. Sure, she had sharper senses than before and a greater appetite apparently, but did that mean she herself was different? She continued to turn these thoughts over in her mind as she desperately searched for an answer. None were forthcoming, unfortunately.

The sound of the diesel engine interrupted her as she pulled the zipper closed on her large camp pack. Inside were several changes of bras and shirts, as well as her phone and other things she might need. It would be all she had for several days at least. They were to hide once they got there to make sure the move had gone unnoticed. Sylvie wasn't sure she liked the idea of hiding out, although she consoled herself that it would only be as long as it took Ben to track down that infuriating Roland and his damned shop. Something inside her demanded action, though. It was the same inner voice that she relied on for strength when the score was down and only action could bring about victory. It had served her well in the past, however, there was no choice. If she was going to be able to go back to her normal life, she would need to be able to pretend she had never been a centaur. The only way to do that was by hiding.

Sighing her frustration, she followed Taryn outside to the trailer. As she brushed up beside her, Sylvie noticed tears leaking down the sides of Taryn's face. Stopping, she grabbed Taryn's hands in her own. "What's wrong." She asked softly. Anna and Greg frowned at the delay but stepped back politely to give them the space.

Taryn gestured around helplessly. "How do you do it?" she nearly sobbed. "How can you be so calm when we are leaving our whole world behind? Everything I have is here. It can't come with me." She kicked her back legs in anger. "I'm supposed to take care of my mother Sylvie. My mother. I can't do that if I'm living on a farm miles away!" Taryn looked about ready to scream her frustration.

Sylvie was taken aback by her friend's vehemence. Mentally, she began kicking herself. She was a fool not to see how badly this move was going to be on Taryn. She didn't want to leave her behind though. Granted, Taryn was more responsible of them, but the chances of somebody spotting her were too high. It was for their own safety that they had to go.

She pointed that out to Taryn who gave a muted cry of frustration. "I know. I know. I know I have to go. But I still don't want to."

Sylvie reached out and took her hand, smiling brightly. "Don't worry." She told her. "It will only be for a week or two, you'll see. Ben will find Roland and we'll be going home." She wasn't sure that would actually happen, but it was the only hope they had. The words worked however, and Taryn calmed down enough to actually give her a bit of a smile, before she boarded the trailer. Sylvie followed close behind.

As she stepped into the half-stall that was in the trailer, the light behind her vanished as Anna and Greg closed the doors to the trailer. She thought she saw her father's grim face a moment before they slammed shut. I wonder why he looked so grim. Shrugging it off, she braced her feet as the motor to the truck started. With a lurch, they started rolling.

Buildings and streets passed slowly outside the trailer as they merged with traffic heading out of the city. Sylvie hung back from the windows, not wanting to be seen. Fortunately, the thick screen on the windows limited that possibility and she began to relax and enjoy the ride. They picked up speed as they reached the outskirts of Red Leaf. Buildings gave way to forest and then patches of farmland as they continued on the highway.

Time had no meaning for her in the trailer. If it hadn't been for her trusty wristwatch, she never would have been able to tell that more than an hour had passed.  They must be getting close now. She peered through the screen, looking for familiar landmarks. A gnarled and twisted oak tree passed by, signaling the end of their journey. Known locally as the "witch's tree", it had not leafed in anyone's memory, but had stood a grotesque guard over the country side. It was just a few miles from Ben's parents' farm. Sylvie had once spent a weekend there on an invite from Ben to her father. She excitedly looked over to point that out to Taryn, but saw her morosely staring out the window. The words died in her throat, and she returned to staring out the trailer.

Mr. and Mrs. Brodrick were a handsome couple. She bustled about with the air of a matron sure that everything had a place and everything fit in its place. Mr. Brodrick was a tall, weather-beaten man with iron-grey hair and piercing eyes. They welcomed the girls warmly into their home. Walking out of the trailer, Sylvie found herself in the Brodrick's barn. Tall rafters soared over her head, and great pens filled with lowing cattle filled the space. On the other side were several larger, fenced in stalls for horses. The animals to a one were peering at her and Taryn. It made her feel uncomfortable, feeling all those eyes, watching her.

Mrs. Brodrick evidently detected her discomfort because she laid a hand on Sylvie's flank. The simple touch calmed her and she allowed herself to be led into one of the stalls. The stall had no door, but there was a privacy curtain hung there. Inside, she found more curtains strung near the top in bolts of bright cloth that warmed the room-she had to think of it as a room and not a stall-considerably. Faded and worn posters depicting lush scenes of waterfalls and peaceful lagoons were on the wall, and on the floor were a pair of mattresses set side by side. They looked wide enough for her to lay comfortably down on. Near the other wall was set a tall table that looked wrenched from a workbench someplace, its surface had a rough-hewn look about it.

Mrs. Brodrick stood to the side as she looked over her room. "I know it isn't much dearie." She said quietly. "But it's the best we could do on such short notice." Outwardly she looked calm, but Sylvie could tell she was nervous for some reason, her fingers kept tapping her thigh. Sylvie realized right away what the problem was.

"I like the room a lot Mrs. Brodrick. It's even nicer than my own rooms back in Red Leaf." She started politely. Then she hesitated. How to address the next issue? A surge of anger flooded through her. Why should she have to explain herself? She was the one who had this done to her. There was no reason, she thought, no reason at all.

Almost angrily she stalked into the room and tossed her pack near the mattresses. Mrs. Brodricks voice suddenly cut in on her. "Well, dearie. I can see we are going to get along fine. Provided you drop this attitude of yours. I've raised three rowdy boys and two even rowdier girls, and I didn't put up with this from any of them. I'm not about to put up with it from you. Breakfast will be in here tomorrow at seven. After that, we go to work. You may be trying to keep a low profile, but there will be plenty of work for you in the morning in the barn, so don't you worry about that." Sylvie opened her mouth to protest, but Mrs. Brodrick just kept right on going. "I'll have a list of your chores ready for you by morning. And those mattresses will need to be shaken every morning so they don't get infested. Their your things now, so you will have to take care of them." She suddenly paused. "Oh…I'm sorry dearie. I wonder, what exactly do you eat? I had planned on whipping up a batch of…well, never mind. What exactly is it you need?"

Sylvie stood there stunned. Bemusedly shaking her head, she replied "I would like some oatmeal. I should warn you however, we do eat a lot of oatmeal." Guiltily, she thought of the extra cans of oats her mom had purchased the other day that they had devoured. Their appetites were getting a lot larger, it seemed, to feed their bodies.

Mrs. Brodrick blinked. "Well of course dear. I had expected as much. Growing girls always need plenty of food." Sylvie felt her face grow warm. "Well, that's it then." Mrs. Grogan continued. "I'll leave you now to get settled, and we'll see about some dinner tonight. Then we'll all turn in until tomorrow. Good night, dear."

"Good night Mrs. Grogan." Sylvie smiled at the back of the retreating woman. In an interesting coincidence, she reminded her of her aunt Margret. Kind and motherly she was, but with a will of iron that you could bend steel around.

Sylvie pulled out a pillow and set it on the bed. Next, she pulled out a poster of her favorite moviestar and placed it over the poster of the weird goldfish. As she unpacked, she mused that…for better or for worse, she was here. It would be interesting to see what things tomorrow would bring.