“But-” I began.
“Be quiet.” He ordered, “I’ll go and look for them both now, all right? You just stay here until I get back. Hawthorne can’t have gone far. He can’t fly without you, remember?”
This calmed me slightly and I nodded.
Jack departed from the stables to help Camryn search for Hawthorne. I waited patiently for their return so I could apologise and hug my big ball of fluff. I didn’t even remember what I had done during my panic attack though Jack had said I had punched and kicked every bit of him Hawthorne that I could reach. Had I really been so violent? That kind of reaction was quite unlike me and I felt horrid just thinking about it. I was currently successfully repressing the memory of Seth Swaggart and the back alley at present as I was worrying about someone other than myself, which was also quite unusual.
It was half an hour before I heard the crunching footsteps in the snow just beyond the stall door. I slid from the stool and stood upon my weak, shaky legs waiting for my friends to enter. First Camryn entered; her red curls speckled with snow, then Jack a few paces behind. Neither of them said anything until they had hung their coats upon two hooks.
“Well?” I pressed.
“We couldn’t find him.” Camryn said, a little short of breath.
“We looked for as long as possible.” Jack said quickly, “It’s getting dark now, and the snow was becoming thick.”
I groaned, “I don’t believe he ran off like that.”
“I’m sure he will come back soon. You know how he doesn’t like to be alone.” Camryn said absent minded, stroking a nearby Pegasus.
“I’m going to wait here until he comes back.” I decided.
Jack shook his head, “Avalon, you can’t neglect your chores any longer. You’re already on thin ice. Any more negligence and you will be booted from the premises.”
I bit my lip, “Camryn, you’ll keep an eye out, wont you?”
“Of course, I’m always here.” She confirmed.
Once I was back inside the manor I bustled about cleaning and organising. At one stage Charles asked me to clean the Master’s study, but not to worry about Sebastian Forsythe being bothered by me because he was currently having dinner in the dining hall with his wife. When I entered the study it was the same as usual. Not only was this a study, but it was also a library and an observatory. A large winding staircase was towards the south of the large room, which led to a huge landing above. From below you could barely see the large mechanism used to gaze at the stars. Of course I had never been up this stair case, that isn’t to say I wasn’t curious. I stood below for several minutes, vaguely polishing and dusting surfaces, my eyes straying upwards every now and then. Hawthorne and Seth Swaggart were heavy on my mind and each time I thought about either it made me feel sick to my stomach. When it was time for bed I would make one last trip to the stables to see if Hawthorne had returned. I decided that if he hadn’t I would go looking for him tomorrow afternoon during my lunch hour.
As for Swaggart, well, I didn’t know what to think about that. I was scared out of my mind, but Jack seemed to think he was talking nonsense. He said that Seth’s power of so called “death detection” was much too far-fetched, because Jack believed that life is what we make it, and nothing is predetermined, therefore making Seth’s power impossible. I didn’t know what I believed in. I guess I believed in fate. I thought it was fate that I had met Hawthorne. It had been perfect timing that the night I happened to run away, Jefferson was getting ready to depart for the city. It was also perfect timing that Hawthorne happened to be on his way here. I guess in that sense I did believe in fate. So did that mean that death was predetermined too?
I ushered the thought from my mind and found that I had been staring up at the landing containing the enormous telescope that pointed towards the large glass dome ceiling. It was quite pretty indeed. Before I had thought about it at all I found my feet moving towards the spiral staircase. The black night sky could be seen clearly through the glass dome ceiling. A perfect night for flying, I thought. Hawthorne could change his coat to match the heavens and no one would ever see us. I placed my foot upon the first metal stair and hesitated. The Master was currently having dinner with his wife in the dining room, an affair which should take at least half an hour. After all I had been in this room no longer than five minutes. What was the harm in having a little peek? On my first day Charles had told me never to get caught upon the Master’s Observatory landing, but technically I didn’t plan on getting caught. What would the harm be in simply ascending the stairs anyway?