Dust (Of Dust and Darkness) - By Devon Ashley Page 0,23
since I’ve been here, but maybe one of the older ones. You’d have to ask Juniper.”
Oh, my Mother Nature! Someone here might be from home! I’m pretty sure I passed Juniper somewhere in the middle when I came in earlier. I pivot and take two steps in her direction when Holly snaps, “No!” I jump and freeze in place. Willow stirs on the ground but doesn’t wake. “You can’t ask her now. Tonight.” My spirit dampens and I return to my post with my head hung low. “Don’t forget where you are, Rosalie. We don’t have freedom anymore.”
Annoyed, I reply, “You mean, right now.”
“What?”
“You mean, we don’t have that freedom right now. Anymore means you have no faith you’ll ever get it back.”
“Whatever,” she gripes, clearly frustrated. She closes her eyes and sighs extra loud. “Just sort, Rosalie.”
I let out an exaggerated huff. What is it with these pixies? Don’t they want to be free? Don’t they want to go home again? Will it kill them to keep a little faith and believe that someday someone’s going to come looking for one of them and set this nightmare straight? Why is that so hard to flippin’ believe? There’s no way this prison is impenetrable. It’s run by a bunch of stupid sprigs for crying out loud!
I decide not to engage Holly anymore. Clearly, we’re both a little moody and I don’t want to tick off one of the few pixies still willing to talk. I focus on the task before me, but basically I just move the powder around in circles. At one point I even spit in it. Holly pauses long enough to cock her eyebrow, then returns to her pile, not caring if I contaminate the powder any further.
I begin to think on Holly’s whole family idea. I mean, I’m used to what I grew up with, and I’m not knocking it. But when I really think about it, there weren’t too many individuals that truly cared about me the way Holly described. I guess I can consider Maple, the pixie that headed up the pixling home, as my mother. She was responsible for me, in a way. Truthfully, Poppy’s the only the pixie I would consider a sister, and that’s because we’ve been roommates all our lives. She’s always been there for me, even though we seem to like different things. Our friendship was easy because we accepted each other’s quirks. Me being total nature girl, always covered with dirt and constantly sneaking out to sleep under the stars directly, and she being very primped and proper, a hair never out of place. I wonder what it would have been like for us to grow up as real sisters, with a mother and father watching over us directly, loving us and caring for us, actually taking responsibility for us.
Someone up front coughs a few times. Those poor pixies up front with the fires. I’m not looking forward to that station in the least, even if Holly and I are on speaking terms those days. Holly rushes over to the pixie against the wall beside her and begins shaking her.
Oh! Coughing!
I rush to Willow and shake her shoulders like crazy, remembering what she said about being a heavy sleeper, yet she doesn’t stir. I look down the path and see a light growing brighter as it progresses our way. I shake harder and yell, “Willow!” in a hushed voice. Still nothing, and I can almost make out the form of the thick spriggan as it nears. Desperation takes over and I throw the bucket of water at her face. Willow gasps and spits, slinging the water off her face. Her eyes pinch with anger but I cut her off before she can add the threatening commentary. “Move!”
She jumps to her feet without hesitation. Holly and the fourth pixie move the extra lanterns to light up the entire table and the four of us bend over and sort through the particles in our respective areas.
My heart panics, pounding so hard I’m sure it’ll burst from my chest any second. When the spriggan arrives, he lingers on Willow longer than usual, even moving the lantern closer to her head for examination. I feel awful for putting her under this scrutiny. What if they punish her for wasting water or something? What if she’s beaten and it’s all my fault? Can I take the punishment myself? Will I even step up and take the blame in that instant?