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kuangningShe closed the book firmly, and brushed aside the pile of leaves hiding the roots of the tree in front of her, exposing a stone slab. Sliding her fingers into the groove between one side of the stone and the packed earth, she pried it up. There was a roughly squared hole there, its sides tiled with smaller stones, and the inside lined with down. It was already occupied by several small trinkets: among these, she laid the book and pen, and then replaced the stone slab, and hid the whole under the leaves once more.
She lingered there, however, letting herself sink into a calm awareness of the earth beneath her and the rustling of the leaves above her, while the shadows grew a few fingerlengths longer on the trunk of the tree. Then she stood and brushed herself off, and set off up the hill, with her mother's first call drifting on the breeze towards her.
She walked through the door and the living room, absently ruffling her brother's hair, much to his annoyance, and headed up the stairs to her room. The miniature whirlwind that brushed by her then almost unbalanced them both, and she grabbed at the railing with one hand, and steadied the child with the other.
"Slow down, Ellie," she said a little impatiently. "Why the rush?" The little girl tossed her fair hair, and looked up at her, a little abashed, but still determined. "Dinner soon," she said. "You're late, and Mama's not going to like it if you're not at table soon." Lyssa relaxed her grip, sighing, and the six-year-old dashed down the stairs, going not one whit more slowly than she had been before. Lyssa shook her head, hid a smile, and continued on her way; Eleri, she knew, was irrepressible. She washed up and dressed quickly, all the same. Ellie was right about Elise's reaction to one of her brood being late to table.
She knew there was something going on the moment she reached the landing, however, and raised an eyebrow. Everyone was gathered at table, the places were set, but there was near-silence, not the usual chatter. And everyone was staring at her, trying to hide grins. Slowly, she came the rest of the way down the stairs, kissed both Elise and Sion, and took her place at table, between Drew and Colin. "Is someone going to tell me what's going on?" she asked, looking from one to another. She looked hard at the twins, Colin and Drew, knowing that they never could keep a secret. But before the boys could give anything away, there was a knock at the door, and badly-stifled giggles erupted from Ellie.
"Alys, go answer the door, please," Elise said firmly. "Eleri, you may be excused from the table unless you can stop that." Lyssa moved to obey, but the door opened before she could touch it, and she stared for a split second before giving a squeal better suited to Ellie, and rushing to hug the visitor. Behind her, she could hear more giggles, and chairs being pushed back, and then she was being hugged herself, and leading Kyle to the table.
"When did you get in? How long are you staying? Where are you staying?" The questions tumbled out one after another, and she disregarded the quiet chuckles from Sion and Elise completely, slowing only when Kyle raised a hand in mock surrender. "Enough!" he laughed, and began to tick off points on his fingers. "First, I'm here for the weekend. Second, I got in this morning, and dropped by then to see my favourite family, but you were out, and I couldn't find you down on the dunes." He gave her a curious look, then, and she flushed. "Mm," was all he said. "I guess I'll ask about that later. Anyway, I'm staying here, Mom and Dad invited me this morning. That enough, Allie?"
She coloured up again at that, and shook her head, her dark hair hiding her eyes. Only Kyle called her "Allie" and got away with it. She'd trounced enough of the kids at school who had heard him ask after "his Allie" one day that they had long since conceded the point, but Kyle walked where better men feared to tread. After all, they both knew perfectly well that Lyssa could forgive the constant companion of her childhood anything.
Sion and Elise looked on in fond amusement, and though Elise's smile showed a trace of something more, she said nothing, only set about serving dinner. Fair of mind and fair in looks, Elise worried about her adopted daughter; it seemed that every day it became more and more obvious that Alys was "odd man out," among her sibs and among her schoolmates. Elise herself had long since faced the fact that she had never entirely had the confidence of her changeling, not since the days when Alys was the toddler Sion had found on the hillside and brought home. Even then, she mused, the small girl had been the most self-contained child Elise had ever seen.
In any case, Elise thought, smiling over at the pair engrossed in each other's conversation, Alys was entirely happy now, and Kyle always took good care of her. Though it hadn't been that way at first: Kyle had been a neighbour Sion had taken under his wing when he was just a small boy, before Sion and Elise had had any children of their own. When Sion had brought the dark-haired toddler home, ten-year-old Kyle had been obnoxious until he had realized that "his Sion" wasn't abandoning him. After that, however, Alys had very quickly won Kyle's heart as well, and she had become his constant shadow.
(more to follow later.)
She lingered there, however, letting herself sink into a calm awareness of the earth beneath her and the rustling of the leaves above her, while the shadows grew a few fingerlengths longer on the trunk of the tree. Then she stood and brushed herself off, and set off up the hill, with her mother's first call drifting on the breeze towards her.
She walked through the door and the living room, absently ruffling her brother's hair, much to his annoyance, and headed up the stairs to her room. The miniature whirlwind that brushed by her then almost unbalanced them both, and she grabbed at the railing with one hand, and steadied the child with the other.
"Slow down, Ellie," she said a little impatiently. "Why the rush?" The little girl tossed her fair hair, and looked up at her, a little abashed, but still determined. "Dinner soon," she said. "You're late, and Mama's not going to like it if you're not at table soon." Lyssa relaxed her grip, sighing, and the six-year-old dashed down the stairs, going not one whit more slowly than she had been before. Lyssa shook her head, hid a smile, and continued on her way; Eleri, she knew, was irrepressible. She washed up and dressed quickly, all the same. Ellie was right about Elise's reaction to one of her brood being late to table.
She knew there was something going on the moment she reached the landing, however, and raised an eyebrow. Everyone was gathered at table, the places were set, but there was near-silence, not the usual chatter. And everyone was staring at her, trying to hide grins. Slowly, she came the rest of the way down the stairs, kissed both Elise and Sion, and took her place at table, between Drew and Colin. "Is someone going to tell me what's going on?" she asked, looking from one to another. She looked hard at the twins, Colin and Drew, knowing that they never could keep a secret. But before the boys could give anything away, there was a knock at the door, and badly-stifled giggles erupted from Ellie.
"Alys, go answer the door, please," Elise said firmly. "Eleri, you may be excused from the table unless you can stop that." Lyssa moved to obey, but the door opened before she could touch it, and she stared for a split second before giving a squeal better suited to Ellie, and rushing to hug the visitor. Behind her, she could hear more giggles, and chairs being pushed back, and then she was being hugged herself, and leading Kyle to the table.
"When did you get in? How long are you staying? Where are you staying?" The questions tumbled out one after another, and she disregarded the quiet chuckles from Sion and Elise completely, slowing only when Kyle raised a hand in mock surrender. "Enough!" he laughed, and began to tick off points on his fingers. "First, I'm here for the weekend. Second, I got in this morning, and dropped by then to see my favourite family, but you were out, and I couldn't find you down on the dunes." He gave her a curious look, then, and she flushed. "Mm," was all he said. "I guess I'll ask about that later. Anyway, I'm staying here, Mom and Dad invited me this morning. That enough, Allie?"
She coloured up again at that, and shook her head, her dark hair hiding her eyes. Only Kyle called her "Allie" and got away with it. She'd trounced enough of the kids at school who had heard him ask after "his Allie" one day that they had long since conceded the point, but Kyle walked where better men feared to tread. After all, they both knew perfectly well that Lyssa could forgive the constant companion of her childhood anything.
Sion and Elise looked on in fond amusement, and though Elise's smile showed a trace of something more, she said nothing, only set about serving dinner. Fair of mind and fair in looks, Elise worried about her adopted daughter; it seemed that every day it became more and more obvious that Alys was "odd man out," among her sibs and among her schoolmates. Elise herself had long since faced the fact that she had never entirely had the confidence of her changeling, not since the days when Alys was the toddler Sion had found on the hillside and brought home. Even then, she mused, the small girl had been the most self-contained child Elise had ever seen.
In any case, Elise thought, smiling over at the pair engrossed in each other's conversation, Alys was entirely happy now, and Kyle always took good care of her. Though it hadn't been that way at first: Kyle had been a neighbour Sion had taken under his wing when he was just a small boy, before Sion and Elise had had any children of their own. When Sion had brought the dark-haired toddler home, ten-year-old Kyle had been obnoxious until he had realized that "his Sion" wasn't abandoning him. After that, however, Alys had very quickly won Kyle's heart as well, and she had become his constant shadow.
(more to follow later.)
