Read Online Wintermore (Aeon of Light Book 1) by Aron Sethlen - Free Book Online
Authors: Aron Sethlen
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I…” She looks to Lurrus to save her. “I…”
Lurrus brushes her hand on Deet’s thigh. “A boy in class gave Preta a hard time, and she corrected him.”
Suspicious, Deet squints. “Hard time? What did he give you a hard time about?”
“Oh, nothing much,” Preta says, glancing away and trying to avoid Deet’s inquisition. “Just about the other day, it was no big deal.”
Yaz coughs, spitting out water. “ Ha , you beat his ass, Sis. So you used a few moves I taught you, right?”
Grandpa pinches a bloodstain on Preta’s shirt. “Looks like quite a correction. Guess you gave better than you got from the looks of it.”
Yaz extends his arms, flexing his muscles. “Penters always do.”
Preta chuckles, though in a halfhearted manner.
Deet sidearms a soiled cloth at Yaz while still staring at Preta. “What do you mean the other day?”
“Nothing, it’s nothing.”
“Preta Penter, answer me.”
“ Oh fine , about the boy in the woods dying.”
“And how would a boy in your class know about that?” Deet glares at Yaz.
“Huh? What —” Yaz says, chewing with a full mouth. He opens his arms. “What?”
Deet frowns. “Who’d you tell?”
Yaz takes an exaggerated gulp. “Me—tell? I didn’t, well… Maybe just Dix, but he doesn’t count. That’s it, I swear—I think…”
The wrinkles in Grandpa’s face tighten, and he jabs his knife in the ground. “You told that idiot loud mouth? You might as well have gathered the whole damned town and shouted it out for all to hear.”
Deet’s eyes bear down on Yaz, and he doesn’t say a word. He just stares through Yaz with a slow head shake. Deet breaks contact with his younger brother and shifts his focus to Preta. “Don’t let anyone get to you.”
“Next time anyone bothers you,” Yaz says, “I’ll be the one to correct them.”
Grandpa points his toothpick at Yaz’s face. “She can give out her own damned corrections just fine, and if you would’ve kept your big mouth shut, she wouldn’t have to correct anyone.”
Preta gently touches Grandpa’s arm. “Don’t worry about it; it’s okay. It was bound to come out sometime anyway.”
“Yeah, see,” Yaz says, “that’s what I’m saying. It was going to come out anyway . ”
Deet looks away in disgust. “You just don’t know when to keep your yap shut, do you.”
Confused, Yaz scratches his ear. “Of course, sure I know when to keep my—”
Grandpa whips a piece of ham, hitting Yaz on his cheek. “That means shut up, dung for brains.”
Yaz plucks off the pork from his face, throws his head back, and drops it into his mouth and mumbles, “Whatever.”
An awkward silence befalls them.
After a few minutes, Preta finishes eating and stands. “I’m going to the privy.”
Grandpa and Yaz snore sound asleep, and Deet and Lurrus whisper and giggle at each other between kisses.
“Be safe,” Deet says.
Preta stretches her arms above her head. “I will,” and she heads to the public privies.
Reaching for a privy door, Agna appears behind Preta. “How are you feeling today, Preta?”
“ Agna Roe ?” Preta says, looking at the old woman, trying to remember the last time she saw her.
Agna gives Preta kind eyes. “You seem much better today. It’s good to see.”
“So I guess you heard about the boy, too,” Preta says looking down at her boots. “Seems like everyone knows.”
“It’s hard to keep something like that a secret. But I was in the field with your brothers when the light struck you. They didn’t tell you?”
Preta’s eyes narrow, unsure of what to think. “You were there that night? No, they didn’t mention it. You know what, they haven’t told me much about that night.”
“Well, I was there, I promise you, and I saw a light shoot out of the forest. You didn’t ask your brothers about any of it?”
Preta tries to smile, and then she sighs. “Honestly, I just want to forget the whole thing ever happened.”
“I understand
Lurrus brushes her hand on Deet’s thigh. “A boy in class gave Preta a hard time, and she corrected him.”
Suspicious, Deet squints. “Hard time? What did he give you a hard time about?”
“Oh, nothing much,” Preta says, glancing away and trying to avoid Deet’s inquisition. “Just about the other day, it was no big deal.”
Yaz coughs, spitting out water. “ Ha , you beat his ass, Sis. So you used a few moves I taught you, right?”
Grandpa pinches a bloodstain on Preta’s shirt. “Looks like quite a correction. Guess you gave better than you got from the looks of it.”
Yaz extends his arms, flexing his muscles. “Penters always do.”
Preta chuckles, though in a halfhearted manner.
Deet sidearms a soiled cloth at Yaz while still staring at Preta. “What do you mean the other day?”
“Nothing, it’s nothing.”
“Preta Penter, answer me.”
“ Oh fine , about the boy in the woods dying.”
“And how would a boy in your class know about that?” Deet glares at Yaz.
“Huh? What —” Yaz says, chewing with a full mouth. He opens his arms. “What?”
Deet frowns. “Who’d you tell?”
Yaz takes an exaggerated gulp. “Me—tell? I didn’t, well… Maybe just Dix, but he doesn’t count. That’s it, I swear—I think…”
The wrinkles in Grandpa’s face tighten, and he jabs his knife in the ground. “You told that idiot loud mouth? You might as well have gathered the whole damned town and shouted it out for all to hear.”
Deet’s eyes bear down on Yaz, and he doesn’t say a word. He just stares through Yaz with a slow head shake. Deet breaks contact with his younger brother and shifts his focus to Preta. “Don’t let anyone get to you.”
“Next time anyone bothers you,” Yaz says, “I’ll be the one to correct them.”
Grandpa points his toothpick at Yaz’s face. “She can give out her own damned corrections just fine, and if you would’ve kept your big mouth shut, she wouldn’t have to correct anyone.”
Preta gently touches Grandpa’s arm. “Don’t worry about it; it’s okay. It was bound to come out sometime anyway.”
“Yeah, see,” Yaz says, “that’s what I’m saying. It was going to come out anyway . ”
Deet looks away in disgust. “You just don’t know when to keep your yap shut, do you.”
Confused, Yaz scratches his ear. “Of course, sure I know when to keep my—”
Grandpa whips a piece of ham, hitting Yaz on his cheek. “That means shut up, dung for brains.”
Yaz plucks off the pork from his face, throws his head back, and drops it into his mouth and mumbles, “Whatever.”
An awkward silence befalls them.
After a few minutes, Preta finishes eating and stands. “I’m going to the privy.”
Grandpa and Yaz snore sound asleep, and Deet and Lurrus whisper and giggle at each other between kisses.
“Be safe,” Deet says.
Preta stretches her arms above her head. “I will,” and she heads to the public privies.
Reaching for a privy door, Agna appears behind Preta. “How are you feeling today, Preta?”
“ Agna Roe ?” Preta says, looking at the old woman, trying to remember the last time she saw her.
Agna gives Preta kind eyes. “You seem much better today. It’s good to see.”
“So I guess you heard about the boy, too,” Preta says looking down at her boots. “Seems like everyone knows.”
“It’s hard to keep something like that a secret. But I was in the field with your brothers when the light struck you. They didn’t tell you?”
Preta’s eyes narrow, unsure of what to think. “You were there that night? No, they didn’t mention it. You know what, they haven’t told me much about that night.”
“Well, I was there, I promise you, and I saw a light shoot out of the forest. You didn’t ask your brothers about any of it?”
Preta tries to smile, and then she sighs. “Honestly, I just want to forget the whole thing ever happened.”
“I understand
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