Read Online Looks Over(Gives Light Series) by Rose Christo - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Rose Christo
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apart. How far is it?
"It's just a few hours away. It's in the mountains."
I shot him a quick and insolent smile. The name of the reservation had kind of tipped me off.
"Shut up," Rafael said, grinning, abashed. I wanted to kiss the grin right off of his face. "Anyway, it's cold there. So...there's that. Bring food. No, wait. Bring samosas. I like 'em."
I glanced quickly around the playground. No one was looking at us. I grabbed him by the front of his shirt, pulled him down to my height, and kissed his cheek. He looked dazed. I slugged him on the shoulder and started the walk home.
There wasn't any school on the day of the pauwau. By afternoon, Granny had me put on my green deerhide regalia and Dad embarrassed me by telling me I wore it better than he had at my age. We said our goodbyes, and Granny and I carried baskets full of samosas and apple pie and wojapi out of the house. I really wished Dad were coming with us. Actually, I considered staying behind with him. I'd just turned around to run back home when Granny rapped me sternly on the back of my head. Stars burst behind my eyelids. Ow. Granny wasn't a woman anyone in their right mind would want to cross.
The whole community of Nettlebush piled out into the parking lot between the hospital and the turnpike. I'd never seen the parking lot so crowded before. We were a mosaic of colors in traditional deerhide and elkskins, in overcoats and breechclouts and fringed sheepskin gowns.
I spotted Rafael's family standing by a big black SUV. Gabriel waved us over, a merry smile on his face. He wore tan trousers, a brown breechclout, and--not much else. Where was his overcoat? I guessed he was going shirtless. Considering our destination, I thought it a brave move.
"You're looking lovelier than ever, Catherine," Gabriel said.
Granny preened. She did look nice, actually, her white regalia fringed in royal blue, her painted glass necklace hanging around her throat. Gabriel helped her into the back of the SUV with a couple of her friends, the nattering Mrs. Threefold and the absentminded Mr. Marsh.
Mary Gives Light stood facing me in ornate violet regalia. A sudden and impetuous grin enveloped her face, and it was so sharklike and lupine, all at once, that it reminded me of Rafael's--especially when her dimples showed. But it lacked his profound innocence.
"Hey!" she said. "It's my buddy!"
She snatched me into a deceptively strong embrace. She knocked the breath out of me and I probably would have coughed, except that I couldn't. I can't cough or hiccough--it's weird, I know. Your vocal folds need to close partway, and mine just don't.
I felt a hand on my arm, and then Rafael pulled me safely out of Mary's crushing grasp. "Would you let him breathe?" he said.
Rafael and Mary and I sat in the middle row of the SUV. Gabriel slid the doors shut when we had all boarded. Rosa, in the passenger seat, smiled meekly at me through the rear-view mirror. Her regalia was a soft salmon orange fringed with softer blues and greens, her leggings a pale yellow stitched from dried creosote petals. Her glossy black hair fell over her shoulders in the double braids characteristic of the Great Plains. Between her rich dress and her round, innocent face, she made me think of a child's cornhusk doll.
The car pulled out of the parking lot and onto the turnpike. Gabriel messed with the radio dial. "It'll be nice when we can listen to our own radio station, won't it?"
Rafael was wedged between Mary and me. I really liked his regalia, muted and gray; it matched the gray dove's feather knotted in his hair and lightened the dark blue in his eyes, reminding me of a cloudless sky.
Rafael reached beneath his seat, pulled out a wad of unwrapped, half-melted licorice, and offered it to me. I was very touched, but I could have puked on the
"It's just a few hours away. It's in the mountains."
I shot him a quick and insolent smile. The name of the reservation had kind of tipped me off.
"Shut up," Rafael said, grinning, abashed. I wanted to kiss the grin right off of his face. "Anyway, it's cold there. So...there's that. Bring food. No, wait. Bring samosas. I like 'em."
I glanced quickly around the playground. No one was looking at us. I grabbed him by the front of his shirt, pulled him down to my height, and kissed his cheek. He looked dazed. I slugged him on the shoulder and started the walk home.
There wasn't any school on the day of the pauwau. By afternoon, Granny had me put on my green deerhide regalia and Dad embarrassed me by telling me I wore it better than he had at my age. We said our goodbyes, and Granny and I carried baskets full of samosas and apple pie and wojapi out of the house. I really wished Dad were coming with us. Actually, I considered staying behind with him. I'd just turned around to run back home when Granny rapped me sternly on the back of my head. Stars burst behind my eyelids. Ow. Granny wasn't a woman anyone in their right mind would want to cross.
The whole community of Nettlebush piled out into the parking lot between the hospital and the turnpike. I'd never seen the parking lot so crowded before. We were a mosaic of colors in traditional deerhide and elkskins, in overcoats and breechclouts and fringed sheepskin gowns.
I spotted Rafael's family standing by a big black SUV. Gabriel waved us over, a merry smile on his face. He wore tan trousers, a brown breechclout, and--not much else. Where was his overcoat? I guessed he was going shirtless. Considering our destination, I thought it a brave move.
"You're looking lovelier than ever, Catherine," Gabriel said.
Granny preened. She did look nice, actually, her white regalia fringed in royal blue, her painted glass necklace hanging around her throat. Gabriel helped her into the back of the SUV with a couple of her friends, the nattering Mrs. Threefold and the absentminded Mr. Marsh.
Mary Gives Light stood facing me in ornate violet regalia. A sudden and impetuous grin enveloped her face, and it was so sharklike and lupine, all at once, that it reminded me of Rafael's--especially when her dimples showed. But it lacked his profound innocence.
"Hey!" she said. "It's my buddy!"
She snatched me into a deceptively strong embrace. She knocked the breath out of me and I probably would have coughed, except that I couldn't. I can't cough or hiccough--it's weird, I know. Your vocal folds need to close partway, and mine just don't.
I felt a hand on my arm, and then Rafael pulled me safely out of Mary's crushing grasp. "Would you let him breathe?" he said.
Rafael and Mary and I sat in the middle row of the SUV. Gabriel slid the doors shut when we had all boarded. Rosa, in the passenger seat, smiled meekly at me through the rear-view mirror. Her regalia was a soft salmon orange fringed with softer blues and greens, her leggings a pale yellow stitched from dried creosote petals. Her glossy black hair fell over her shoulders in the double braids characteristic of the Great Plains. Between her rich dress and her round, innocent face, she made me think of a child's cornhusk doll.
The car pulled out of the parking lot and onto the turnpike. Gabriel messed with the radio dial. "It'll be nice when we can listen to our own radio station, won't it?"
Rafael was wedged between Mary and me. I really liked his regalia, muted and gray; it matched the gray dove's feather knotted in his hair and lightened the dark blue in his eyes, reminding me of a cloudless sky.
Rafael reached beneath his seat, pulled out a wad of unwrapped, half-melted licorice, and offered it to me. I was very touched, but I could have puked on the
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