did. His words of praise and encouragement were the closest thing she could think of that indicated that anyone even cared. Noting his disappointment at her lack of response, she decided to make amends by telling him what she was about to do, making him the only one to know what was on her mind, besides herself.
"Do you remember the old ruins I told you about soon after I first got here?"
"Yes, I remember. They are about a mile or so from here. We spent a few hours up there looking through them. There was not much left of them if memory serves me right."
"It does, but things, I hope, have changed. I believe I have found more of them, so I am going to camp out there for a while to do a bit of amateur excavating."
"You could do that from the house." He reasoned.
"I know, but I want to do it this way, it will make it seem more real. It is not as if I have anything better to do at this moment, and you never know what I might find." A hint of excitement crept into her voice as she spoke and her face lit up in expectation.
"When did this plan of yours start to take form?" He smiled at her, pleased at how she seemed almost transformed by her hopes, yet feeling apprehensive about not having been told anything about it before.
"I decided this yesterday afternoon."
He raised his eyebrows at her and frowned, this was not a move he approved of. She was obviously leaving early so no one would see her go, this, to him, meant one thing. She did not plan to tell anyone anything about her plans, or at least she had not until just a few moments ago. What bothered him the most was that she had almost been successful. If he had not forgotten his keys he would have been gone when she left the house.
"Did you have no intention of telling anyone about your plans Aura?"
Her eyes fell and her cheeks flamed, she clutched at the straps of the backpack in her hands and refused to answer.
"I see," her father replied as he acknowledged the fact that she was not about to give him a voluntary answer. "I believe that means a no, is that right Aura?"
She still refused to answer, shrugging her shoulders and turned an even deeper shade of crimson.
He shook his head at her in disappointment and, after a short period of awkwardness, began again. "I realize that the area is fairly safe Aura, but someone would have been bound to have noticed that you were gone sooner or later and would have worried, did that never occur to you?"
Her gaze rose to meet his at this and in sudden irritation she asked. "So who would have missed me father?" She then swallowed convulsively and, on a calmer note, explained her outburst. "Nobody would have noticed or have even cared that I was gone. Mother would have even welcomed my absence. Nor am I dramatizing things, this is just the way things are." She ended with a long, deep sigh.
"That is not quite true Aura," he defended his wife. "You mother loves you very much."
She frowned at him. It was no less than what she should have expected. "Think about it father. If you give it any amount of thought at all you will agree with my observations."
That was the problem, he realized, deep inside he did agree with her, for it did seem that her mother did resent her. It was, to his way of thinking, the woman's main flaw, because, other than the way she treated her own child, she had been a perfect wife and mother to him and his children. He decided they would be better off, at this point of the discussion, if they talked about some other, more neutral, subject.
"As I remember Aura, those ruins are quite a way from here. Would you like a hand setting up? I have a little extra time this morning. I will give you a ride over there, and I could spend a some time with you. If it is all right with you, that is."
She smiled as she nodded her consent. "I had thought to make two or even three trips to take everything I wanted. This way I will be able
"Do you remember the old ruins I told you about soon after I first got here?"
"Yes, I remember. They are about a mile or so from here. We spent a few hours up there looking through them. There was not much left of them if memory serves me right."
"It does, but things, I hope, have changed. I believe I have found more of them, so I am going to camp out there for a while to do a bit of amateur excavating."
"You could do that from the house." He reasoned.
"I know, but I want to do it this way, it will make it seem more real. It is not as if I have anything better to do at this moment, and you never know what I might find." A hint of excitement crept into her voice as she spoke and her face lit up in expectation.
"When did this plan of yours start to take form?" He smiled at her, pleased at how she seemed almost transformed by her hopes, yet feeling apprehensive about not having been told anything about it before.
"I decided this yesterday afternoon."
He raised his eyebrows at her and frowned, this was not a move he approved of. She was obviously leaving early so no one would see her go, this, to him, meant one thing. She did not plan to tell anyone anything about her plans, or at least she had not until just a few moments ago. What bothered him the most was that she had almost been successful. If he had not forgotten his keys he would have been gone when she left the house.
"Did you have no intention of telling anyone about your plans Aura?"
Her eyes fell and her cheeks flamed, she clutched at the straps of the backpack in her hands and refused to answer.
"I see," her father replied as he acknowledged the fact that she was not about to give him a voluntary answer. "I believe that means a no, is that right Aura?"
She still refused to answer, shrugging her shoulders and turned an even deeper shade of crimson.
He shook his head at her in disappointment and, after a short period of awkwardness, began again. "I realize that the area is fairly safe Aura, but someone would have been bound to have noticed that you were gone sooner or later and would have worried, did that never occur to you?"
Her gaze rose to meet his at this and in sudden irritation she asked. "So who would have missed me father?" She then swallowed convulsively and, on a calmer note, explained her outburst. "Nobody would have noticed or have even cared that I was gone. Mother would have even welcomed my absence. Nor am I dramatizing things, this is just the way things are." She ended with a long, deep sigh.
"That is not quite true Aura," he defended his wife. "You mother loves you very much."
She frowned at him. It was no less than what she should have expected. "Think about it father. If you give it any amount of thought at all you will agree with my observations."
That was the problem, he realized, deep inside he did agree with her, for it did seem that her mother did resent her. It was, to his way of thinking, the woman's main flaw, because, other than the way she treated her own child, she had been a perfect wife and mother to him and his children. He decided they would be better off, at this point of the discussion, if they talked about some other, more neutral, subject.
"As I remember Aura, those ruins are quite a way from here. Would you like a hand setting up? I have a little extra time this morning. I will give you a ride over there, and I could spend a some time with you. If it is all right with you, that is."
She smiled as she nodded her consent. "I had thought to make two or even three trips to take everything I wanted. This way I will be able
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