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It's not so much the crack of the whip that draws Kate back into the moment, but the feeling of his eyes on her. Miles is just a kid, admittedly--he can't be any older than fifteen, and her first official meeting of him yesterday morning endeared him a little to her (playing a silly clapping game with his little sister Flora, acting his age, and then apologizing for scaring her, hands now nervous and genuine, clenched on his knees). But then things took a sharp turn for the worse.
He's off. He's watching her all the time, and--he's not acting like a kid like he first seemed to be. It's like he hasn't learned any proper social skills in his whole entire life. And after him trying to kiss her last night...Kate's a little scared, but more angry.
He's old enough to know better. To just know this isn't proper behavior. Right?
"You don't have to whip her so much," she finds herself saying to him.
He doesn't miss a beat. "It’s a strong animal. If you don’t exert power over it, you’ll never gain control.”
The way he says it, and just--the words that he says in general? Have a sexual undertone. It really rubs her the wrong way. A kid having a crush on an adult is one thing. She's worked with kids for awhile, and it's sort of normal, as long as it's not the other way around of course. But saying stuff like that isn't.
She doesn't look at him. But his eyes are still on her.
Two Years Earlier
“It’s a strong animal. If you don’t exert power over it, you’ll never gain control.”
The smile falls slightly from Miles Fairchild's face. Peter Quint--broad-shouldered, unshaven, with a loud voice and off-white teeth--is teaching him how to ride. Miles is almost thirteen, he's proud to say, and he and Flora have both been relying on Quint for a lot after their parents died. He's a good guy. He's Miles' friend.
Miles thinks of all the times Mrs. Grose calls him and Flora thoroughbreds proudly.
It's a strong animal, he thinks as Quint's eyes are on him--he's saying something else, but Miles isn't listening.
If you don't exert power over it-- Quint's hands on him later. Again.
You'll never have control.
It's okay. He's his friend. This is normal.