Hey look I finally finished part seven. Shorter than I originally intended, but I'm on vacay right now so not as much time. This is just a transition part.
Also I'm only going to quote the previous part from now on
Can I take a moment to complain that this looked longer on my doc???
PART VII
A few hours later
naughty2
, Kade and Date emerged from their room, still smoothing the wrinkles from their clothes and combing through their hair. As they hurried to the common area of the house, Date caught Kade’s eye and they smiled, both blushing crimson. Date wandered a little closer to Kade, and began putting stray strands back in their places while he patted his own rumpled shirt.
Upon reaching the common area, Kade and Date saw their children entertaining themselves. Rhueng and Rit were studying from their textbooks, and Kaew was threading garlands with her grandmother.
Prang, however, was nowhere to be seen. Kade voiced Date’s question: “Where’s Mae Prang?”
Date looked around. His youngest daughter wasn’t in the common area.
“Do any of you know where Mae Prang is?” Kade asked their children. All of them shook their heads.
“P’Pin, P’Yam!” Kade called. The two servants scuttled into the room. “Jao ka, Khun Ying?”
“Do either of you know where Mae Prang is?”
Both servants shook their heads. “Rao mai roo sak, jao ka.”
Kade and Date turned to meet each other’s gaze. Date saw his own concern reflected in his wife’s eyes. He sprung into action.
“Pin, Yam! Go search the house for Mae Prang. I’ll go make sure she hasn’t gone outside.”
“I’ll go check her room,” Kade said calmly but seriously as she followed Pin and Yam out of the room.
Date strode through the common area and out the front door. Where could Mae Prang be? He began hurrying toward some trees, then stopped. What if Prang had decided to play by the pier and fallen into the water? He’d reprimanded her countless times before for playing in that forbidden area.
Date stalked in the direction of the pier.
Sure enough, as he neared the pier, he heard sniffling from behind a nearby tree. He approached the tree, clasping his hands behind his back. He rounded the trunk.
Little Prang was curled up in foetal position, rocking back and forth with her head buried in her skinny arms as she sobbed.
Uh oh.
Sobbed.
Date didn’t do crying very well. He always tried to comfort Kade when she was upset, but he’d never felt comfortable doing it. A constant fear nagged at him every time, prompting him to worry that he would say the wrong thing and make the teary person even more upset. He’d found it best to just avoid his crying children and send Kade to help.
But he didn’t have Kade with him. Date would have to go fetch her from her search, which was most definitely continuing back in the house. He spun around to leave before Prang noticed him.
He heard a crack. Crap.
Maybe she hadn’t heard him step on the twig?
“Khun Pa jao ka?”
Crap.