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Authors: Melanie Atkinson
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our behalf as Sai and I
form a new special kind of relationship.”
My gaze locked with Faema’s.
Hot rage burned behind my eyes but I knew Faema would only see my fury as her
personal triumph. She smiled slyly as those in the audience tried to follow her
stare. She didn’t force the islanders to wonder who she spoke of for long.
Lifting her hand, she pointed directly toward me.
“Our sister from another land
has come to join us tonight. Let us welcome our foreign friend, Aylen.”
My legs twitched, whether from
a desire to kick Faema or the urge to buckle I wasn’t sure. Haji kept her arm
around my shoulders to offer her support. Or hold me back. Another islander
close by noticed my flushed cheeks and chuckled.
“Excited to be here, eh?” he
said, nudging me with a meaty elbow. “Look, Faema wants you to join her. Always
generous, that girl.”
Generous? I nearly gagged.
Meeting Faema’s eyes, I gave
a small shake of my head as she beckoned me forward. For the first time, I
looked at Sai standing beside his newly crowned princess.
When his eyes met mine, I was
somewhat satisfied to see horror splashed across his features. Good. Let him
feel a hint of what I’m feeling, I thought.
His jaw clenched and
unclenched several times and he balled his fingers into hard, white fists.
Leaning into Faema, he whispered vehemently into her ear. She blushed for a
moment and her phony smile faltered for a fraction of a second.
“Apparently,” she said,
forcing a giggle, “my escort would like a private moment with me.” Her
tone, laced with suggestion, coaxed the crowd into whoops of delight. Sai
gripped her arm and led her out of the circle and into the throng. It was the
signal the crowd needed to disperse and search out new entertainment.
I moved to escape. Several
islanders tried to catch up to me, welcoming me to the festival. I struggled to
return the greetings, but all I saw was the cluster of trees ahead, promising a
cocoon of dark solitude.
When Haji and I finally made
it through the thick of the crowd, she walked with me to the edge of the
forest. Pushing deeper into the jungle, I suddenly realized she was planning to
lead me back to my parents’ home. I halted, reaching for her arm.
“Haji, wait.” She turned to
me, her eyes sympathetic as they searched mine. “You’ve been a good friend
tonight.”
Her forehead wrinkled in
concern but I went on before she could protest.
“I’m not ready to go home yet
and I need some time alone.”
“Are you sure? I’m happy to
stay with you.”
“It’s alright. I just need to
think. It’s been—” I choked on the sentence and began again. “It’s been a
strange night.”
Eyes wide, Haji nodded.
Grateful, I offered her a fleeting smile before I turned and plunged my way in
to the forest as quickly as possible. The trees enveloped me as I pressed on,
bare toes scraping over rocks and roots. I brushed my fingers over branches and
bark in gratitude for the silent music of the night. The sounds of Lailie still
echoed from somewhere in the distance, but soon, the call of the ocean drowned
out any other sound.
When the trees finally
thinned out, the moon’s reflection on the sea dazzled my eyes. The tide moved
methodically on the shore, breaking over the sand in rolling waves. It caressed
the beach with soothing rhythm as water and earth embraced like long lost
friends. I wanted to be a part of the dance.
I closed my eyes against the
images of the evening. The story I had heard. Tales of magical stones. A sea
providing a way for its people to escape a king. Faema’s smile. Sai kissing
her. Immediately I shoved that image away. Instead, I focused my thoughts on
the Vairdan legend. There couldn’t be anything in the story, could there? Sai
and the other islanders had always acted as though they were special, as though
the island, itself, blessed their presence. Was that why I didn’t fit in? Why
Sai had no interest in me as anything more than a
form a new special kind of relationship.”
My gaze locked with Faema’s.
Hot rage burned behind my eyes but I knew Faema would only see my fury as her
personal triumph. She smiled slyly as those in the audience tried to follow her
stare. She didn’t force the islanders to wonder who she spoke of for long.
Lifting her hand, she pointed directly toward me.
“Our sister from another land
has come to join us tonight. Let us welcome our foreign friend, Aylen.”
My legs twitched, whether from
a desire to kick Faema or the urge to buckle I wasn’t sure. Haji kept her arm
around my shoulders to offer her support. Or hold me back. Another islander
close by noticed my flushed cheeks and chuckled.
“Excited to be here, eh?” he
said, nudging me with a meaty elbow. “Look, Faema wants you to join her. Always
generous, that girl.”
Generous? I nearly gagged.
Meeting Faema’s eyes, I gave
a small shake of my head as she beckoned me forward. For the first time, I
looked at Sai standing beside his newly crowned princess.
When his eyes met mine, I was
somewhat satisfied to see horror splashed across his features. Good. Let him
feel a hint of what I’m feeling, I thought.
His jaw clenched and
unclenched several times and he balled his fingers into hard, white fists.
Leaning into Faema, he whispered vehemently into her ear. She blushed for a
moment and her phony smile faltered for a fraction of a second.
“Apparently,” she said,
forcing a giggle, “my escort would like a private moment with me.” Her
tone, laced with suggestion, coaxed the crowd into whoops of delight. Sai
gripped her arm and led her out of the circle and into the throng. It was the
signal the crowd needed to disperse and search out new entertainment.
I moved to escape. Several
islanders tried to catch up to me, welcoming me to the festival. I struggled to
return the greetings, but all I saw was the cluster of trees ahead, promising a
cocoon of dark solitude.
When Haji and I finally made
it through the thick of the crowd, she walked with me to the edge of the
forest. Pushing deeper into the jungle, I suddenly realized she was planning to
lead me back to my parents’ home. I halted, reaching for her arm.
“Haji, wait.” She turned to
me, her eyes sympathetic as they searched mine. “You’ve been a good friend
tonight.”
Her forehead wrinkled in
concern but I went on before she could protest.
“I’m not ready to go home yet
and I need some time alone.”
“Are you sure? I’m happy to
stay with you.”
“It’s alright. I just need to
think. It’s been—” I choked on the sentence and began again. “It’s been a
strange night.”
Eyes wide, Haji nodded.
Grateful, I offered her a fleeting smile before I turned and plunged my way in
to the forest as quickly as possible. The trees enveloped me as I pressed on,
bare toes scraping over rocks and roots. I brushed my fingers over branches and
bark in gratitude for the silent music of the night. The sounds of Lailie still
echoed from somewhere in the distance, but soon, the call of the ocean drowned
out any other sound.
When the trees finally
thinned out, the moon’s reflection on the sea dazzled my eyes. The tide moved
methodically on the shore, breaking over the sand in rolling waves. It caressed
the beach with soothing rhythm as water and earth embraced like long lost
friends. I wanted to be a part of the dance.
I closed my eyes against the
images of the evening. The story I had heard. Tales of magical stones. A sea
providing a way for its people to escape a king. Faema’s smile. Sai kissing
her. Immediately I shoved that image away. Instead, I focused my thoughts on
the Vairdan legend. There couldn’t be anything in the story, could there? Sai
and the other islanders had always acted as though they were special, as though
the island, itself, blessed their presence. Was that why I didn’t fit in? Why
Sai had no interest in me as anything more than a
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