Free Salene's Secrets by Laura Jo Phillips Page B

Gryphons, even though it would also mean not being able to sense her sisters, brothers, or parents. 
    To make things worse, the mysterious yearning sensation continued to grow.  It was strange to have such a powerful longing for something when she didn’t even know what it was she longed for.  Sometimes she used it to distract her from thinking about the Gryphons, though it always left her feeling frustrated afterward. 
    As exhausting and physically painful as training was, it gave her something to focus on besides her confusing and mysterious emotions.  It also gave her a sense of accomplishment and confidence that she hadn’t felt in a very long time.  Best of all, it diverted her thoughts away from the Gryphons.  She could sometimes go as long as ten whole minutes without thinking of them, and could only hope that would increase over time. 
    One afternoon she found three cardboard cartons stacked just inside her bedroom door when she got home.  She paused for a moment, taken aback by the unexpected feeling of nostalgia that washed through her at the sight of them.  She went into the bathroom and turned on the shower while trying to understand her reaction.  She was nearly through with her shower before the answer came to her.
    The last time she and her sisters were together before anything bad happened to any of them, had been when they were packing up their apartment on EDU-12.  They’d graduated from college, finished tutoring the summer session, and her Gryphons were planning a party for them to take place as soon as they got home.  All things she didn’t want to think about.
    Finishing her shower, she threw on some clothes and went downstairs to have dinner with her parents, passing the cartons without another glance.  She’d already decided not to open them until after her parents left on their trip.  It would give her something to do when she was alone in the house, which she wasn’t looking forward to at all. 
     
    Later that same evening she was sitting on the deck watching the moon as it rose into the dark purple sky.  After the memories brought on by the sight of the cartons in her room, she was dreading going to bed more than usual so she decided to sit outside, listen to the night sounds, and make a final decision about Jinjie.
    Jinjie had agreed to accompany her to EDU-11 and, according to Rayne, he was actually looking forward to it.  The question she’d been debating with herself since learning of his decision had been whether or not to invite him to come and stay with her until it was time for them to go pick up her brothers.  One day she thought it was a great idea, the next she didn’t.  Once she decided to make up her mind once and for all, it didn’t take her very long to decide against it.  She needed to become accustomed to being alone, and she couldn’t do that unless she actually was alone.
    After making that decision she allowed herself to lean back on one of the deck loungers and relax.  She hadn’t moved in nearly an hour, and since her mind was, for once, at rest, she felt no inclination to do so.  It was a mild evening and the patio door was open behind her, so she had no trouble hearing her parents talking as they entered the living room together.  She didn’t pay much attention to what they were saying until Garen said something that caught her attention.
    “I think it’s been too long since you’ve had a good spanking,” he said with a soft growl.
    “Promises, promises,” Lariah said lightly.  “I think the three of you are getting too old for such energetic play.  I think you should stick to the basics.”
    “Too old?” Garen demanded, his tone outraged.
    Salene was so shocked that it took her a few moments to realize she needed to let them know she was there.  She cleared her throat, then held her breath at the sudden silence that fell.  A moment later she heard footsteps approach the patio doorway, step through, then Garen knelt down beside