Beast by Tiffini Hunt

Seasons Pathway, I carefully studied the walls. It almost looked as if the seasons were happening as I watched; the trees were moving.
    Leala was in the dining room, holding clean plates in her hands. She was setting them on the table.
    “What are you doing?” I asked her, confused.
    “Hey, sweetie, I am just setting the table for lunch,” she informed me.
    “Wait! Did not we just have breakfast?”
    “We did, but that was hours ago.”
    “Hours?”
    “Yes, darling, hours. You disappeared for a while.”
    “But I-I was just in my room for a few minutes.” I was utterly confused.
    I did a double-take, looking from the dining room back toward the direction of my room.
    “Well, you were in there longer than a few minutes. The last thing you said was that you were going to take care of the roses. You left, and then we never saw you come back downstairs or go outside.”
    “Uh, okay?”
    She set the dining table with three extra spots for Ava and her family, hoping that they would come. Leala smiled at me as she set out the silverware and napkins. I smiled back as I walked over to sit in my chair.
    It was almost time for lunch when Deleena walked in, drying off her hands. She looked as if she were preoccupied with something. Then she walked over to sit across from me.
    “Where is Russel? He knows we are about to eat, right?” Leala asked Deleena.
    “I told him when we were going to eat. He said that he would not miss it. So I am not sure where he went,” Deleena explained.
    Russel was never late when it came to a meal. He always ate the most, no matter what meal it was. So it did not make any sense for him to miss it.
    “Wait! Should we wait a little bit to see if Ava and her family come? That way, we give Russel more time to get here,” I said. I wanted to make sure that no one missed out on lunch.
    “Good idea. Let us give them a few more minutes,” Deleena agreed.
    Time passed quickly. We waited as long as we could, but there was still no sign of Russel or Ava and her family. It was hard enough not having my parents there for my birthday, but two of my best friends were missing too. I hoped that Ava and her family were okay, along with Russel.
    After we finished our lunch, we cleaned off the table. Once it was clean, I told them that I was going to take care of the roses, for real this time. So I made my way upstairs to change into ratty clothes.
    Once outside, I spent a long time tending to the roses. Before I knew it, Leala came out to tell me to clean up so that we could make our way over to Ava’s.
    I ran to clean up quickly. When I came back downstairs, Leala was waiting for me in the foyer. Together we made our trek to Ava’s house. We were swinging our hands and skipping, enjoying nature and the fresh air.
    When we finally made it to their house, something was strange. Their door was wide open, but we did not see anyone. We called out to them, but no one answered. I looked at Leala in confusion.
    I let go of her hand and walked toward the gate in front of their house. One of their workers, one I had never seen before, came out of a shed by the side of their house. He explained to us that they were out for the day.
    “Thank you, sir,” Leala said as she grabbed my hand tightly. “Let us go,” she said sternly.
    Her voice was a little shaky as we began to leave. Her hand was trembling, and I could feel her heart beating quickly, but I did not understand why.
    Once we were back at the castle, it was just about dinnertime. Leala and I walked into the kitchen to get clean dishes and silverware for the table.
    The castle was quieter than normal. Usually there were people yelling, singing, and clanking things together. But aside from Bernard working in the kitchen, it was almost silent.
    Leala and I set the table. Afterward, I walked over to the couch and sat down. Leala started a fire for me. Since there was some time before dinner would be finished, I ran into the library to grab a book to read by the