Page 8 of Clouded by Envy

Despite her being the injured one, Bray stuck out a hand and placed it on Brenik’s shoulder, giving it a soft pat. “I have a good feeling about her.”

“Is this the gift of survival the Stone told us about?” Maybe Bray could see who was good and who was not.

“Possibly.” She shrugged.

A squeak radiated outside when the old woman returned from her shelter with a handful of objects. Quickly, the human knelt on the ground, and Brenik clenched the grass in between his fingers to calm himself down. Brayora was already crawling across the grass to inspect the objects as the woman lined them in a neat row.

Pointing at each object, the woman told them what they were. “I’ve got a tweezer, alcohol, cotton balls, antibiotic cream, and some bandages. Ain’t nothin’ special, but it’s the best I can do.”

Brayora crawled nearer.

“You’ve gotta come closer than that, dearie, since yer foot is so small. Even with these glasses it’s hard to see at my old age. By the way, my name’s Ruth. I must have forgotten to tell you two that in the process of being scared to death. In fact, I think I might still be dreaming.”

Glasses.That was what the instrument covering her eyes was called. Brenik found them interesting.

Bray rolled onto her back and lifted her foot into the air as Ruth grabbed the tweezers. Steadily, she held Bray’s foot and right when the tweezers rubbed against the bottom of her heel, Bray let out a high-pitched giggle. “Aren’t you the cutest thing I ever did see.” Ruth laughed in return.

Frustration sewed its way through Brenik’s bloodstream. Bray was already being favored once again. But then Ruth’s head tilted down, her big eyes meeting his, and she gave him a warm smile. “And you, aren’t you the most beautiful tiny prince I ever did see.”

“I am Brenik,” he said while tipping his chin up with pride at being called a prince, which would be considered on a higher level thanthing.

With the tweezer still in her hand, Ruth pointed between Brenik and Bray’s foot. “Are you gonna sit over there all day, Prince Brenik, or are you gonna help me with this little lassie’s foot?”

“She is my sister,” he grunted as he flew and landed on Ruth’s wrinkled wrist.

“Well, tiny prince, I am gonna have you help me since I can’t see all that well. Point to all the pieces, and then I’ll dig ‘em out.”

Brenik didn’t have to be asked twice. He felt needed, and helped Ruth find each small fragment of glass. There were four in all, and one minuscule piece she had to scrape at several times to retrieve.

When Ruth was finished, she cleansed the area with the alcohol and a cotton ball, followed by adding the cream and strapping on the bandage.

Afterward, she took Brenik and Bray inside her home to give them a lesson on Earth, because Brenik told her they knew nothing. Ruth said she was going to teach them everything she knew—from reading to the world in general. But they couldn’t ever show themselves out in the open, and they were lucky to have stumbled upon her. She switched on a box she called the television, and that was their first lesson.

“Welcome to Texas.” Ruth grinned. “People love TV.”

4

Bray

Present Day, 1995

After scurrying out of Luca’s house, Bray sat inside the tree for a while, not knowing what to do. She wished Brenik were there—he would have probably had them abandon their home and find somewhere else to live, since Bray had been seen.

But Brenik was not there, and Bray was a much more curious person than he was. The night had already spread its dark blanket on the world when she peered out from the hole. Fluttering out of her home, Bray dove to a peach to get a few bites to fill her stomach. The fruit was not as juicy as the one from earlier, but she didn’t mind because the sweet taste still fulfilled her.

At the back of the house, a light shined from one of the bedroom windows. Bray angled her head to the side to try and see inside. The master bedroom’s lone window attached to the side of the house, so she assumed this one must belong to Luca. Ruth always said curiosity killed the cat, but Bray was not a cat, so she flew toward the lighted window.

There was a thin gap between the white laced curtains, and she could see Luca’s black head leaning over a book, reading intensely. No sign of his brother Wes.

Lightly, Bray tapped the window—he didn’t hear it. So she poked at the window again. Nothing. Harder this time, she struck the glass twice and that got Luca’s attention. He craned his fragile neck toward the window, expression blank.

Then she tapped it three times, and he slowly rose from the bed and walked to the window, tearing the curtains away from the glass. Giving a quick wave, Bray smiled at him, and Luca shook his head as he opened the window.

“What are you doing?” Luca whispered and closed the window as she flew in toward a tall wooden shelf, positioned against the wall across from the bed. Books of all shapes and sizes were neatly tucked in organized lines.

“I was hoping you had a TV in here,” she said while poring over all the book titles, her eyes roaming over each and every spine.

Ruth taught Bray and Brenik how to read, not that Brenik had enjoyed it much since he had struggled with the activity, but Bray loved it—still did.

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