Something About - Chapter Seven
Chapter Seven: An old friend. Sorry it's been so long to post.
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?"
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?"
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