An old friend..
Dusty-Rae pulled back her hood, spilling her matted curls out
around her face. The expression on her face was one that
Faeryn had never seen there before, not even the day she left.
It was cold and heartless, unforgiving. It was the very
expression Faeryn would've expected to see on her own face
during that gunfight. Although it had been a rather one-sided
gunfight for Faeryn's liking. She preferred when her enemy
fought back.
Dusty's fearless expression of hatred quickly turned to
something that was a little more expected, shock and
disbelief. She let out a quiet, disjointed cry and turned to
Faeryn. A fresh tear fell down her cheek and left a track in the
dirt that had clung to her face.
"I killed him." She whispered in a low voice. And then as if
she just realized it, "Ryn?"
"Yeah. How's life Rae?"
Dusty swept forward in a rush and wrapped her dirty,
trembling arms around Faeryn. Faeryn held her back and let
Dusty weep openly onto her shoulder. But only for a moment,
she might have had patience for such things when she was a
girl, but no more. She pushed Dusty away from her, not
coldly, but as a frustrated parent may do to a small child. She
gestured to the red-headed devil of a girl that now sat
huddled by the fire, a small but dark bruise blackening her
cheek where the man named Ed struck her.
"That's Ani."
"Let's gather up anything useful and go make camp up ahead
where my camp is. I doubt either of you want to be here
anymore. And then I'd like to hear your story Dusty, and hers,
Ani's. But, survival first, always first."
"Is Ryder with you?" Dusty choked out in a quiet and scolded
voice.
The name cut Faeryn to the bone, maybe deeper, but she
wasn't sure she had anywhere deeper than that. It made it
especially hard to hear it from the lips of an old friend. But
she shook her head no and proceeded to pick up the bags the
men had with them and rifle through them. She sorted all the
useful items into one pile and packed them into one of the
bags.
Dusty watched this with a horrified and alienated look in her
eyes. She didn't say a word or make a movement, and neither
did Ani, she continued to sit by the fire.
When Faeryn was done, she hoisted the bag up over her
shoulder and walked off into the night. Dusty promptly
grabbed hold of Ani and hoisted her up to her feet; they set off
after Faeryn into the night. Faeryn swept down and grabbed
hold of her back pack, which she had stashed previous to the
gunfight. She hadn't wanted to lose any of her possessions,
meager as they were, they were important. She spun quickly
to make sure the two girls were following her. Even though
she knew Dusty was her age, and Ani couldn't have been
much younger, she couldn't help but think of them as girls,
naïve and hapless. It felt weird to her that her one time best
friend could be so alien to her, but then, was it really so
strange, her and Dusty had always been different. Two
extremely different creatures thrust roughly into the
awkwardness of young womanhood, side by side, yet so far
from each other.
Faeryn made it back to the place where she had set up her
brief camp, previous to the gunfight. She lay down her bags
by the remains of her doused fire and crouched down next to
it. Some of the wood from earlier was still good; she took her
flint and striker from her pack and managed to catch a piece
of wood aflame on the third try. She looked up from her
crouch at the soft sound of shuffling feet on the ground. Dusty
and Ani were walking up to her and the small but growing fire.
She gestured to them and they sat down beside the fire,
across from her.
Faeryn reached into her backpack one more time before
talking to the girls. She took out a small, wrapped portion of
dried meat and split it into three pieces. She handed them all
around and for a minute or so they sat in silence, chewing.
The fire was beginning to crackle now, so Faeryn pushed
some of the wood she had gathered earlier onto it. She turned
to them.
"So, I guess this is the part where I ask you what happened?"
She directed at Dusty.
Dusty sat for a minute, thinking of how to begin. "Well, I guess
the best starting point is on the day you and Ryder left town."
She began.
"What do you mean? I left alone."
"Oh, well, Ryder left that day too, I always assumed you two
went together." She looked at Faeryn as if questioning
whether or not to continue.
Faeryn gave an impatient nod at Dusty. Ani sat in solemn
silence.
Dusty continued: "Once you guys were gone, I spent most of
my time just sitting there, in my parents' old house. I think I
was half expecting someone from the west to come and save
me, like in a fairy story or something. They never did come.
But troops from the east did. Raiders. They scoured the whole
town, I tried to hide. But they found me eventually. They
brought me to their camps and made me a slave. I was there
with them, traveling around, raiding and fighting. Always
there. It was awful. After a couple years of this I was sent to
the east to be a hand for Captain James Ryan. I'm sure you
know who he is Ryn. Ryan tried to put me with child and after
a year when I couldn't catch pregnant he sent me back on the
road to be a slave. I don't even know how long I was there for
when the rioting started. Something happened, something big,
an argument of some kind, and the troop I was with started
fighting among themselves. I thought it was my chance to get
out, but so did those guys, Brian, Ed and Nevin. They took
me. And that's where I've been since."
Dusty choked it all out in a moment, without hesitation or
feeling. When she was finished she sat in silence and looked
down at her hands, which were fidgeting in her lap.
"I'm sorry Dusty," Faeryn said, a little of her old compassion
slipping back in, "I wanted you to come with me. You should
have. I'm glad I got to see you again."
Dusty let a single tear slip from her eye, "Well, it's all over
now. Thanks Ryn."
Faeryn turned to Ani. Her deep auburn/red hair was hanging
down around her face. It looked as though it would be
beautiful and shiny in any other circumstances, but now it
hung in a dirty, tangled mess. She looked up at Faeryn with
stubborn defiance in her eyes.
"What's your story Ani?"
By Brittney Tracey
Dusty-Rae pulled back her hood, spilling her matted curls out
around her face. The expression on her face was one that
Faeryn had never seen there before, not even the day she left.
It was cold and heartless, unforgiving. It was the very
expression Faeryn would've expected to see on her own face
during that gunfight. Although it had been a rather one-sided
gunfight for Faeryn's liking. She preferred when her enemy
fought back.
Dusty's fearless expression of hatred quickly turned to
something that was a little more expected, shock and
disbelief. She let out a quiet, disjointed cry and turned to
Faeryn. A fresh tear fell down her cheek and left a track in the
dirt that had clung to her face.
"I killed him." She whispered in a low voice. And then as if
she just realized it, "Ryn?"
"Yeah. How's life Rae?"
Dusty swept forward in a rush and wrapped her dirty,
trembling arms around Faeryn. Faeryn held her back and let
Dusty weep openly onto her shoulder. But only for a moment,
she might have had patience for such things when she was a
girl, but no more. She pushed Dusty away from her, not
coldly, but as a frustrated parent may do to a small child. She
gestured to the red-headed devil of a girl that now sat
huddled by the fire, a small but dark bruise blackening her
cheek where the man named Ed struck her.
"That's Ani."
"Let's gather up anything useful and go make camp up ahead
where my camp is. I doubt either of you want to be here
anymore. And then I'd like to hear your story Dusty, and hers,
Ani's. But, survival first, always first."
"Is Ryder with you?" Dusty choked out in a quiet and scolded
voice.
The name cut Faeryn to the bone, maybe deeper, but she
wasn't sure she had anywhere deeper than that. It made it
especially hard to hear it from the lips of an old friend. But
she shook her head no and proceeded to pick up the bags the
men had with them and rifle through them. She sorted all the
useful items into one pile and packed them into one of the
bags.
Dusty watched this with a horrified and alienated look in her
eyes. She didn't say a word or make a movement, and neither
did Ani, she continued to sit by the fire.
When Faeryn was done, she hoisted the bag up over her
shoulder and walked off into the night. Dusty promptly
grabbed hold of Ani and hoisted her up to her feet; they set off
after Faeryn into the night. Faeryn swept down and grabbed
hold of her back pack, which she had stashed previous to the
gunfight. She hadn't wanted to lose any of her possessions,
meager as they were, they were important. She spun quickly
to make sure the two girls were following her. Even though
she knew Dusty was her age, and Ani couldn't have been
much younger, she couldn't help but think of them as girls,
naïve and hapless. It felt weird to her that her one time best
friend could be so alien to her, but then, was it really so
strange, her and Dusty had always been different. Two
extremely different creatures thrust roughly into the
awkwardness of young womanhood, side by side, yet so far
from each other.
Faeryn made it back to the place where she had set up her
brief camp, previous to the gunfight. She lay down her bags
by the remains of her doused fire and crouched down next to
it. Some of the wood from earlier was still good; she took her
flint and striker from her pack and managed to catch a piece
of wood aflame on the third try. She looked up from her
crouch at the soft sound of shuffling feet on the ground. Dusty
and Ani were walking up to her and the small but growing fire.
She gestured to them and they sat down beside the fire,
across from her.
Faeryn reached into her backpack one more time before
talking to the girls. She took out a small, wrapped portion of
dried meat and split it into three pieces. She handed them all
around and for a minute or so they sat in silence, chewing.
The fire was beginning to crackle now, so Faeryn pushed
some of the wood she had gathered earlier onto it. She turned
to them.
"So, I guess this is the part where I ask you what happened?"
She directed at Dusty.
Dusty sat for a minute, thinking of how to begin. "Well, I guess
the best starting point is on the day you and Ryder left town."
She began.
"What do you mean? I left alone."
"Oh, well, Ryder left that day too, I always assumed you two
went together." She looked at Faeryn as if questioning
whether or not to continue.
Faeryn gave an impatient nod at Dusty. Ani sat in solemn
silence.
Dusty continued: "Once you guys were gone, I spent most of
my time just sitting there, in my parents' old house. I think I
was half expecting someone from the west to come and save
me, like in a fairy story or something. They never did come.
But troops from the east did. Raiders. They scoured the whole
town, I tried to hide. But they found me eventually. They
brought me to their camps and made me a slave. I was there
with them, traveling around, raiding and fighting. Always
there. It was awful. After a couple years of this I was sent to
the east to be a hand for Captain James Ryan. I'm sure you
know who he is Ryn. Ryan tried to put me with child and after
a year when I couldn't catch pregnant he sent me back on the
road to be a slave. I don't even know how long I was there for
when the rioting started. Something happened, something big,
an argument of some kind, and the troop I was with started
fighting among themselves. I thought it was my chance to get
out, but so did those guys, Brian, Ed and Nevin. They took
me. And that's where I've been since."
Dusty choked it all out in a moment, without hesitation or
feeling. When she was finished she sat in silence and looked
down at her hands, which were fidgeting in her lap.
"I'm sorry Dusty," Faeryn said, a little of her old compassion
slipping back in, "I wanted you to come with me. You should
have. I'm glad I got to see you again."
Dusty let a single tear slip from her eye, "Well, it's all over
now. Thanks Ryn."
Faeryn turned to Ani. Her deep auburn/red hair was hanging
down around her face. It looked as though it would be
beautiful and shiny in any other circumstances, but now it
hung in a dirty, tangled mess. She looked up at Faeryn with
stubborn defiance in her eyes.
"What's your story Ani?"
By Brittney Tracey
No comments:
Post a Comment
Drop Your Comments...