A Disguised Singularity

Chapter 3 - Zuri

A swift knock at the door from her mother roused Zuri from her sleep, marking the start of her sparse daily routine. Since her grandfather had forbidden her from taking part in any tasks pertaining to the school, Zuri's duties were limited to cleaning and cooking. On days when her entire day wasn't occupied with these tasks, which was often, her primary goal was to remain unseen by her uncle Indar and her grandfather.

Throughout her childhood, Zuri was constantly subjected to the vigilant and critical scrutiny of her family. Her uncle Indar and grandfather Itzal were the most overt and vocal critics. Several other household members, particularly those in Uncle Indar's immediate family, shared his opinion, but they were far discreet. Adding to Zuri's immense frustration, Indar seemed to witness every one of her errors and was eager to pass judgment as well as suggest punishments for her actions. Regrettably, there was no one in her family with enough influence to alter the increasingly negative perception of those ones who continued to despise her existence.

Zuri's mother was her steadfast champion throughout her life. Even though her ability to deflect attention from her daughter was short lived, her mother was undeterred. Zuri's father, although present most of the day, rarely made any effort in his daughter's defense. The older she got, the more apparent it became that her father cared far more about making his father and brother happy than he did about her. Because of that, the role her father played in her life was almost non-existent. Luckily, she was able to continually find refuge in the only other member of her immediate family, Iker. Like his Elurian sister, Iker was also incessantly the target of unsolicited attention from Uncle Indar and Itzal growing up. After a long day in class, Iker was expected to spend the little time left in his day training instead of playing with his friends. His persistent opposition to their plan subjected him to the relentless scrutiny of the men who were determined to see him lead the family business in the future. Despite the success of her Uncle Kepa's career as a blacksmith, it was clear that Iker was not permitted to follow in his uncle's rebellious footsteps and pursue anything of which the family didn't expressly approve.

Because he was nothing like either his brothers or father, Kepa was by far Zuri's favorite uncle. Despite his tall, brawny, intimidating stature like that of his brother Indar, Kepa was the most amenable and levelheaded man in the house. In Itzal and Indar's presence, her Uncle Kepa may halfheartedly agree whatever current thing was bothering them about her, but often, Kepa chose to remain neutral about his Elurian niece. His wife, Lorre, and twin daughters, Araya and Maia, were just as amenable towards her. Araya and Maia never took issue with her being Elurian and because they were so close in age, the three of them had spent most of their lives together, both in and out of school. If it weren't for Aella, Lorre and Kepa's oldest daughter, Zuri would have felt completely at home with Kepa's family. Aella was, regrettably, quite close with Indar's eldest daughter, Calista, and they both mirrored the contempt for her that was openly tolerated around the estate. Unlike the rest of her family, Aella's disgust with her Elurian cousin was obvious. She'd never let an opportunity to belittle the family outcast if given the chance. Consequently, Zuri was never close to either of her eldest cousins.

This morning, as she sat down for breakfast, Zuri could already sense things were set to go awry. The men were agitated about something, and she knew deep down the conversation was bound to turn on her. Unfortunately, she'd already made the poor choice of sitting down to eat with the rest of the family instead of waiting for the men to go to work or eating alone in the kitchen. Even though she despised being the center of anyone's undivided attention, Zuri found she frequently the topic of conversation around the table lately. Their critiques paralyzed her and made her stomach queasy. She frequently found herself staring at her plate unable to eat until the men were gone. The newest problem her family had with her was her lingering presence.