EEVIE Chapter 2 part 2

They four of them went over to the chicken coop and threw some seed over the high fence, the chickens inside going wild with excitement.

“Shall we go inside? Aren’t their eggs to collect?” Dayona asked.

“I’ve already got them all,” Midni said “Their really protective over them, so I had to get in and out as quick as I could, so I didn’t have time to feed them. But they’ll be fine,”she threw some more seed over “Right. Lets go,”

They went to the garden gate and pushed it open, stepping carefully out onto the lane that was still full of puddles and sloppy mud. High overgrown bushes grew on either side, so the fields were out of site, and the sky above was cloudy but large patches of blue were still there, and the sun could occasionally peep through.

“Which way is it?” Dayona asked, her cheeks pink with excitement.

“This way. It’s quite a long walk,” Eevie warned “but if you want to turn back just say,” Eevie added, setting off. Her boots were tough so she could easily walk through the puddles without looking where she was going, and she could smell spring again. It was heavy on the cool air.

Dayona was quietly fascinated by everything, looking at the birds and the trees and the puddles in a curios way, like she had never seen them before. She would often have to pick up her trailing coat and run after the others because she would get so absorbed in whatever she was looking at that she would forget that they were still striding ahead.

“Slow down, Markus!” Eevie said, after she had turned around to see Dayona kneeling down by the base of the high bushes to peer at something, over thirty yards away. Markus stopped walking and said angrily “She’s slowing us down, stopping every five minutes to look at something. We should have got to the woods ages ago,”

“I know,” Eevie said “But she has hardly seen any of this stuff before, she’s just curios,”

“Alright,” Markus sighed “Dayona!” He yelled “Come on!”

She looked up, smiling “I was just looking at this cute squirrel! He’s so cute. Can we take him home?”

“Brenna will have a fit if you do,” Markus said, beginning to walk again, impatient to not waste any more time. They had to go back to the village soon the pick up the supplies. Eevie ran over to Dayona and said “Come on. We’ve got to move now.” They began walking along the lane again “Are you sure you’re not too warm in that coat?”

“I am a bit, but I don’t mind. I’ve never really gone outside without a coat on, even in summer,” She looked at Eevie’s jacket and sighed “Your life is so perfect here. I wish your father had stayed around when we were babies, because Uncle Jimmy said that if he had never gone to the army he would have helped look after you and Midni and Markus, and I could have lived with you as well. But because he left Brenna couldn’t take me, so I had to live with Jimmy,”

“I wish father never left either,” Eevie said quietly “But you can’t change the past, can you? Bad things make you stronger, good things make you realise not everything is bad. That’s what Brenna says anyway,”

They soon caught up with the others, who were arguing over something trivial and Eevie didn’t want to get involved. If she did they would demand her to take sides, and she didn’t want to get in the middle of another one of their petty arguments so she did her best to chat to Dayona, who looked horrified that Markus and Midni speaking to each other with such venom.

“Come on, let’s get going,” Eevie said cheerfully, taking Dayona hand and dragging her further up the lane out of earshot of Markus and Midni, whose’ voices were starting to get loader and loader by the second. Once Eevie and Dayona were almost at the end of the lane, Eevie smiled and said “Honestly. You don’t want to get involved when they get started,”

“What were they arguing about?” Dayona asked, staring at Markus and Midni in the distance. They were standing facing each other and their angry voices could be still heard, though Eevie couldn’t catch what they were saying.

“Dunno. They argue a lot, especially recently. Mainly because Markus doesn’t want Midni to get hurt,”

“What do you mean?”

“Well... Midni has been wandering off a lot recently, alone. She just says to me that she needs some freedom or something. I don’t really know where she goes, just across the fields around our cottage I think, but it is mainly at night she goes. A couple of weeks ago Markus tried to follow her, but she just disappeared somewhere before he realized where she was going. I thought they would have forgotten about it by now, but I guess not,”

“They sound really angry,” Dayona whispered, her eyes wide. Of course, she wasn’t used to being in a unpredictable family.

“They’ll stop in a minute. Anyway, we have to get to the woods fast so we can get the supplies afterwards. It’s not long now until we get there. I bet you’ll really like it, with all the bluebells,”

Dayona nodded, her smile returning like a ray of sunshine. They began to walk again, the air getting warmer but the wind was still quite cold, as if winter wasn’t quite ready to let go yet. Midni and Markus soon caught up with them, both determined to ignore each other as much as possible. Eevie found this rather annoying. She felt uncomfortable and knew Dayona must be feeling like that as well, as she kept her head down and watched the puddles shimmer as she walked around them.

“This basket is getting really heavy,” Midni said eventually.

“I’ll hold it,” Eevie offered. Midni smiled gratefully and passed Eevie the basket, flexing her fingers. Eevie had to hold the basket with both hands, and she looking inside and saw half a dozen large glass bottles of fresh water sloshing around inside, with loafs of bread and lots of other food. Brenna must have thought they were leaving for several months, not for the morning.

Markus helped Eevie carry it with his other hand, so he and Eevie held it between them, swinging it gently to the tune Markus was humming. It was a very peaceful sound, like a lullaby, but Midni threw her brother angry glances at every opportunity she got, but whenever he turned to look at her she continue to pretend to ignore him. He stopped humming, smiling at Eevie, obviously enjoying his sister’s performance. Eevie smiled back, but glanced back at Midni to make sure she wasn’t looking. It was so easy to get along with Markus, he was easygoing, and Eevie always felt incredibly happy and content when she was around him, like he had a calming presence as well as a gift to make her laugh at the funny things he did. He was also kind, and fair. Midni was just plain awkward sometimes.

They soon reached the edge of the wood, the lane they were walking along now getting thinner so it turned into a trail, disappearing into the enormously tall trees. Dayona looked up at the trees, her eyes wide, as if she now regretted her decision of coming and wanted to turn back. Eevie stopped swinging the basket with Markus and looked at Dayona, wondering if she was ok.

“Dayona?”

“Yes?” She turned around.

“You look a bit worried,” Eevie said “Don’t you feel very well?”

“Oh, I’m fine!” Dayona said, her voice a little too high. She bravely walked ahead, towards the thick tree trunks, but stopped and turned around “Can you go first?”

Markus grinned and walked forwards, pulling Eevie and the basket with him. Dayona followed, and Midni went behind her, still glaring at Markus, though he didn’t seem to notice.

Once under the shadow of the trees, it was like they were in a different world. The morning sun filtered through the leafy branches high above, dappling the ground with pale light, and the trees stood so tall and still that Eevie couldn’t help holding her breath when she saw them, as they were so breathtakingly beautiful, so pure. The trail wound between the trees, and even though Eevie had been here so many times before she still felt like she was in a dream. Nothing so wonderful and peaceful could possibly be real. The trail began to get difficult, and bushes running along either side were heavy with raindrops from the night before, and when they brushed past them they got soaked with the shower of moisture.

“It’s beautiful,” Dayona breathed, gazing around with wide eyes at the trees towering protectively over her hundreds of feet up. It seemed to be quieter in the wood, a hush of silence over everything, like the giant trees were still sleeping and Eevie and her cousins had to creep past them as quietly as they could so they did not disturb them. After half an hour, Eevie began hearing other sounds, like the birds that were nesting in the trees and the small animals that scurried around on the forest floor and up the tree trunks, though Eevie didn’t see any of them, they kept themselves hidden.

When she was young she couldn’t understand why the animals just didn’t walk up to her, as she was desperate to see them and touch them, to talk to them. She had learned that the only way to see anything in these woods was to sit very still and wait until something walked by, a squirrel or rabbit. They would always run away when Eevie breathed too loudly or she coughed, or if she just blinked, but in the short moments Eevie would see them she would feel so honoured and happy that something wild had come some close that she would be beaming all the way home, Midni complaining because she hadn’t got to see anything because she breathed to load. Markus was like Eevie though. He could sit as still as a statue and patiently wait for something to wander by, and the rabbit or bird would search the forest floor for insects and grass without even caring or noticing Markus watching them. Eevie hadn’t come to these woods in so long, not since last summer. She felt like she had really come home, and the forest was sleepily welcoming her with open arms, saying softly “You came back,”

“Almost there now,” Markus said quietly. Midni seemed to have forgotten to glare at him and was now gazing around, her mouth open, just like Eevie and Dayona was doing. The trail became wider, and soon the bushes and shrubs around them began to get thinner, the trees still standing tall and proud. Then they found it, the place. The four of them stood still for a moment, taking in the wonderful sight that was around them. Eevie shivered.

Thousands of bluebells were spread out like a sea for as far as the eyes could see, a blanket of purply blue flowers thick across the forest floor, the trees also spread out, standing tall and still. There was hardly any breeze, and when there was the bluebells shivered like waves, rippling from one end of the wood to the other. Pale light was shining through the high branches and creating pools of light here and there, so the blanket of flowers looked like it was alive as it all changed colours, going from the most intense blue to the palest lilac, depending on the clouds that drifted across the sun to change the misty light.

Rain was dripping off the dark green leaves of the trees and sprinkling over the wood, and Eevie realised she wasn’t breathing. She quickly opened her mouth and took a breath, trying not to close her eyes incase the impossibly beautiful thing before her disappeared.

“Is this... magic?” Dayona whispered. Markus stared at her, smiling slightly “You tell me. Your supposed to be the one with the witch mother,”

Dayona smiled.

“Shall we go find somewhere to sit?” Eevie said when she got her voice back. The wood had taken her completely by surprise. She had never seen it so enchanting, that it had taken her breath away. Markus and the others looked quite spellbound as well.

This time Dayona lead the way, stepping carefully through the bluebells and continuing to stare all around with her mouth open, completely fascinated. Eevie followed, holding the basket behind her so Markus could still hang onto it, and she could smell the flowers around her, and their wonderful little stalks curved over, heavy with blue and purple flowers shaped like miniature bells.

Dayona soon found a spot that was free from bluebells, just soft grass, and she immediately sat down, breathless, her eyes still wide. Eevie put the basket down and pulled a blanket out of it, laying it on the ground for everyone to sit on. Midni moved quickly so she could sit in between Eevie and Dayona, and her annoyance with Markus seemed to have returned. He looked like he couldn’t care less, as he was so used to his younger sisters mood swings, and he sat down next to Eevie and said cheerfully “Right. Let’s get started on this food so it wont be so heavy when we take it back. Here,” he tore at some bread and threw it at a surprised Dayona “Eat it.”

Eevie was surprised by Markus’ bluntness. His eyes were stern, staring at Dayona until she got embarrassed and looked away. She began to nibble at the crust of the bread and Markus eventually smiled, satisfied.

They began to eat the contents of the basket, hungry after the long walk. Markus frequently glanced at Dayona, his eyes serious, scaring her so she ate more than a few mouthfuls. Markus then winked at Eevie, a tiny flicker of his eye so no one else noticed. He was just trying to help Dayona. If she was going to live with us she would have to start somewhere to get better, Eevie thought. As a matter of fact Dayona seemed to be enjoying the food, even if she ate very small bites and looked slightly worried.

“There’s still so much left,” Midni said. Food seemed to have cheered her up a bit. “The basket is still half full. Mostly with water,”

“Well we can’t carry it all the way home.” Eevie said “We have to use the basket to get the supplies from the village. I’ll pour the water out,” she unscrewed a bottle and stood up, grinning.

“You wouldn’t,” Midni said, glaring at her.

“She wouldn’t what?” Dayona asked, confused.

“This!” Eevie laughed, spinning around on the spot and flinging her arm out that was holding the bottle, the water flying out and through the air as she whirled around, it hovering in the air for a instant before falling to the ground. She continued to spin, watching as the ribbons of water danced around her before falling quickly.

“Eevie!” Midni yelled, throwing her hands above her head. Markus laughed and unscrewed another bottle, standing up and doing the same, spinning on his toes and flinging water through the air in graceful loops. Dayona looked quite shocked, but then realised what was happening and joined in a little too enthusiastically, giggling madly as she danced around sprinkling water wherever she went. Midni stood up and tried to escape, but she got wet spectacularly, her long black hair dripping wet and her face like thunder.

“Live a little, Midni!” Markus cried cheerfully as Eevie giggled and poured a whole bottle on his head. He opened another bottle and threw it in her face, and Eevie spat it out and laughed, her face dripping with the cold water. Dayona was now skipping through the bluebells like a fairy, her coat dragging along behind her as she flung more water through the air, laughing and giggling as if she didn’t have another care in the world. Midni looked at them as if they were utterly mad, still dripping wet and her sharp eyes furious.

“Stop acting so childish!” She yelled “Why are you all acting like idiots? What’s got into you?”

“Spring air, it’s so energising!” Markus laughed “And so what if were acting like idiots? Your not going to stop us, are you?”

“We’re just having a bit of fun, Midni,” Eevie said “Lighten up. Stop looking so miserable,”

“It’s called growing up!” Midni screamed shrilly, and she turned and walked away, storming out of the meadow of flowers and disappearing in the trees. Eevie was about to run after her but Markus held her back, saying “If she wants to sulk, let her. Don’t worry about her,”

But Eevie couldn’t help worry. Midni often went off in strops but never in the middle of the woods. It went without saying to never wander off on your own in these trees, even if she and Markus were at a full-blown argument they still waited until they were out of the woods until they stormed off in different directions, Eevie often dithering, wondering which one she should follow, as both of them would want her to go with them.

“But what if she gets lost?”

“She’ll be fine. She’s probably not far off, waiting for us behind a tree or something. She just wants you to worry about her, Eevie,” Markus sighed. He looked Eevie up and down and grinned “Your soaked,”

“Well, so are you,” Eevie said casually. His hair was plastered to his face and his clothes were drenched, clinging to his skin, and he removed his boot and tipped it up, and a large amount of water poured out of it. Dayona was standing in the bluebells with an empty bottle in her hands, looking upset “Why did Midni go?”

“Because she’s a moody cow,” Markus muttered to himself, bending down and beginning to pack up the basket “I need all the bottles to put back in here,”

Dayona walked through the bluebells and handed hers to him, still grinning despite herself, her hair also dripping.

“Quick, dry your hair before we get home,” Eevie said, picking up the blanket off the ground (that was quite wet) and found a dry bit and rubbed Dayona’s hair until it was relatively dry.

“The sun will dry it on the way back,” Eevie said, starting to shiver herself.

“Do you want to wear my coat, Eevie? It’s very warm.”

“No, I’m fine,” she said, squeezing the water out of the bottom of her dress. She pushed her wet hair behind her ears to get it out of her eyes and took off her boots, her socks damp. “I’ll carry my shoes back. The ground is soft enough,”

After everything was packed away Markus lead the way through the bluebells, holding the basket with one hand, Eevie behind him and holding it as well with her other hand, her feet bare. Dayona was still beaming, her thin pale yellow hair stood up at odd angles because Eevie had rubbed it so much, but at least it was dry. Just before the three of them left the bluebells, Eevie turned around and looked one last time at the beautiful blanket of flowers spread out through the trees, and a gentle breeze rustled through the leaves and made the bluebells shiver again, rippling from one end of the wood to the other, like a gentle sigh. Then they walked along the trail they had come, the basket much lighter now all the water was on Eevie and the others instead of in the bottles. Eevie was still shivering, dripping wet, wishing now she had accepted Dayona’s offer for her coat, but she knew Dayona will need it more than she did. As if reading her thoughts, Markus stopped and shrugged off his jacket, which he had taken off before the water fight so was dry. He put it around Eevie’s damp shoulders. She smiled “Thanks,”

“No problem,” he ruffled her wet hair and picked up the basket, setting off again.

“Shouldn’t we wait for Midni?” Eevie asked quietly. Markus stopped, looking annoyed, and he yelled “MIDNI! If you don’t come out now we’ll leave without you!”

Eevie looked around, wondering is Midni was watching close by, sulking as Markus had said she was. No one answered. No one came.

“Where do you think she is?” Dayona asked.

“She’s probably close by, hiding,” Markus said, his eyes searching the trees around them. Eevie looked as well, expecting to see Midni step out of the shadows with a big grin on her face. But she didn’t.

“Midni,” Markus yelled again “This is your last chance. If you don’t come out now we’ll leave and go home.”

Still no one answered.

“Please, Markus.” Eevie pleaded “Let’s just go an look for her. She can’t have gone that far-”

“No. We have to leave now,” he paused, looking up through the trees, ignoring Eevie when she tried to reason with him “It’s noon. Were already late as it is. She knows this forest as well as we do, she’s probably gone home,”

Eevie didn’t say anything. She knew he was right but still wasn’t so sure, she wanted to be certain that Midni wasn’t being eaten by a grizzly bear right at this moment, or being chased up a tree by a pack of hungry wolves. Markus pulled her along, even though she tried to stand her ground, locking up her legs so she couldn’t be moved. He raised his eyebrows at her. She gave in, following him with her head down. Dayona lifted her coat when puddles began appearing again, and soon the light at the end of the trail told them they were almost out of the woods.

Eevie was starting to get a headache, her hair cold, and soon her wet dress turned a warm dampness against her skin, which felt even more uncomfortable than when it was cold. After another ten minutes Eevie could really see the light ahead, getting closer and closer. Markus walked faster, and Dayona was now struggling to keep up, her coat weighing her down.

Eevie let go of the basket and ran ahead, reaching the sunlight. She stepped out of the shadow of the old trees and stood on the muddy lane they had walked down just an hour before, and she looked around. Midni wasn’t anywhere.

“BOO!” A voice roared, making Eevie scream and jump in shock, and two hands closed around her eyes from behind and Eevie quickly pushed them off and turned around, seeing Midni grinning at her.

“You nearly wet yourself then!”

“It wasn’t funny, Midni!” Eevie gasped, trying to get her breath back.

“It so was. Your face!”

“What’s going on?” Markus demanded. He and Dayona had only just caught up.

“I just surprised Eevie, that’s all,” Midni giggled.

“I heard a scream,” Markus walked over to Eevie, concern in his eyes “Are you ok?”

“She’s fine,” Midni said before Eevie could speak “Anyway, what took all of you so long?”

“We were looking for you,” Eevie grumbled, annoyed with herself because she had been worrying about Midni so much, and all that time she was waiting to ambush her.

“Come on, Eve. I know my way around here better than you do,” she winked at her. She was talking about her night time walks. Eevie stared at her, horrified. Wandering through those woods at night would be her worst nightmare, and just the thought of it sent chills down her spine. She gulped.

“Well, now we’ve found you,” Markus threw an annoyed glance at his sister “We can get the supplies from the village. How do you feel, Dayona?”

“I feel really sick,” Dayona said suddenly, looking paler than ever, her skin a pasty white. Eevie took her arm and guided her to a fallen log by the lane, sitting her down.

“Just try and breath,” Eevie said soothingly “Do you feel any better?”

“I’m better now,” Dayona said “I’m just not used to, you know, so much excitement. And eating that much... I never thought I could, but I did!”

“Markus can be very persuasive, you see,” Eevie said “He just wants you to get better, we all do”

After a few more minutes’ Dayona seemed to get some colour back into her cheeks, and she felt well enough to walk again. She took off her ridiculous coat and Eevie carried it, so Dayona could walk freely without stumbling over the material all the time. She looked painfully thin without the bulk of the coat to hide it, and Markus and Midni cast her anxious and shocked glances, but Dayona was yet again fascinated by everything around her, so didn’t see.

The sun was warm, drying Eevie’s hair and dress. She had also taken off her two jackets and was carrying them too, while Markus carried the basket and Midni walked by Dayona incase she felt ill again. She had also put her boots back on, though they were still wet and they squelched with every step she took. They walked down a different lane this time, taking a shortcut that would head strait to the village. The puddles were almost dry, and it got warmer as the day progressed. Soon the village of was in sight, a small cluster of houses at the top of the hill. After another half an hour they arrived at the village, where everyone was busy shopping at the market stalls that had been put out because of the fine weather. Markus was still leading the way, heading for the butchers shop where Lenny worked.

“No, lets go this way,” Eevie said “If you get the meat first we will have to carry it all around the other shops. Get it last,”

“Alright,” Markus nodded, shifting the basket to his other hand and striding towards the market stalls. Eevie looked around, looking for the stall that sold the sugar and spices, trying to ignore the looks some people were giving her, disapproving looks. Eevie heard someone mutter “I heard her father has left her again, poor child...” and someone else whispered “Are they shopping on there own? I don’t let my children out of my site...what is the world coming to...”

Eevie stuck her chin out, standing tall, trying to look braver than she felt. She breathed in and tried to blink the moisture away from her eyes, and walked towards the stall selling the sugar and spices. Markus paid for them, putting them in the basket. The stall holder just asked for the money, he didn’t even say your welcome when Markus politely said thank you. Dayona was looking more and more confused by the second, and Eevie was afraid she might ask why people were so rude to them, but she kept her mouth shut, looking around in interest at the people and the small houses and the stalls. Midni just kept her head down, not making eye contact with anyone, trying to disappear. But the people of the village didn’t approve of her either. She was the strange looking girl with dark circles under her eyes, who didn’t look like the people who lived around here, she looked almost foreign. Midni had to live with the mutters and whispers and dirty looks a lot more than Eevie had ever had to.

Markus moved through the crowd, his face tense, and he went behind the stalls to wear the shops were, Eevie and the others following. He lead the way inside a crowded shop, that sold the basic things, and stood in the queue. A few people turned around to look at the four teenagers, but no one said anything. When Markus was at the front the shopkeeper looked him up and down, as if he was expecting trouble. Markus looked pleasantly back, though Eevie could tell he was getting annoyed.

“And, er, what can I do for you, Mr. Barley?”

“Just the usual, please,”

The shopkeeper glanced Dayona’s direction, and he looked at her curiously “And who are you?” he said rudely. Dayona looked at him, her eyes wide.

“And is that any of your business?” Markus tried to say as politely as he could, but he couldn’t keep the bite of anger out of his voice. The shopkeeper glanced at him again, turned around and began to get Markus’ order from the shelf behind the counter. He dumped the supplies on the counter and Markus dropped the coins on the counter, gathering up the food and putting it in the basket. The shopkeeper heard the clink of the glass bottles from within and looked even more curios, until Markus snapped the basket shut and strode out of the shop, Eevie and the others following.

“Are you alright, Markus?” Eevie asked breathlessly, running to keep up with him as he stormed down the street, his face dark.

“I’m fine. I just can’t stand the people around here,” he said loudly, so the people walking past looked in his direction. He ignored them, striding to the next shop, the last shop.

“Do you want me to carry the basket?” Eevie asked. Markus slowed down enough for her to keep up with his massive stride, and said “Fine. Don’t let the bottles rattle around though, we don’t want more people looking at us the way he just did,”

“What do you mean?”

“He thought they were bottles for Thornah, you know, alcohol,” Markus said angrily “He’s going to tell the whole village now, that Uncle Thornah is getting us to buy his drinks for him, or even for ourselves. He’s more of a gossip than his stupid wife is - remember she told our head teacher that Thornah was beating us? Just because I fell out of a tree and had bruises all up one side she just assumed... Anyway, lets get out of here,”

He strode again to the butchers’ shop, Eevie running to keep up. He pushed the door open and the man behind the counter beamed at their welcome, saying “I knew you’d be around today. Why are you all wet?” He asked, looking at Eevie and Markus with a bemused expression on his face.

“We had a water fight,” Eevie grinned.

“You did? Make sure you don’t catch a fever or something daft, you know what Brenna is like,”

“We know,” Eevie smiled.

“Dayona arrived yet?”

“Yea, she’s outside somewhere,” Markus smiled, but Eevie saw that his face was still grave from the rude shopkeeper before. Lenny was a friend of the family, the only real friend to the Barley family. He used to go to school with Thornah when they were kids. He was tall and gangly, and thanks too a sudden growth spurt when he was in his early teens he was left uncoordinated and clumsy, so he had several missing fingers because he had many accidents. He was wearing his ususal bloody apron and his tools behind him looked menacing and sharp, hanging on hooks on the wall.

“So what will it be today then?” Lenny asked “It’s been a bit quiet today, to tell you the truth. I hope your going to buy something big or I’ll be out of business at this rate!”

“Brenna wants some Beef,” Markus said, and Lennys’ face lit up “Have you got any?”

“I sure do,” Lenny said, whistling as he went into the back room of the shop. Eevie could hear him still whistling as he looked for the meat he had in storage.

“I’m gonna find the others,” Eevie muttered, leaving Markus in the shop. She was still carrying the coats and they were starting to hurt her arms now, so wanted to dump them on Midni since she hadn’t carried anything the whole way there. She looked through the crowd and saw Midni and Dayona looking at the stalls, Dayona looking pretty excited at all the things being sold but Midni looking rather bored, still keeping her head down so the curtain of black hair his her face. Eevie made her way over to them, and gave Midni the coats, saying “Markus will be done in a minute. Do you want to see Lenny, Dayona? He’s a friend who owns the butchers,”

“Ok!” Dayona beamed, going with Eevie to the butcher shop. When they all went inside Lenny looked up from cutting the meat to smile in welcome at Dayona, doing a funny cutsie that made them all laugh, saying “Pleased to finally meet you, Dayona. How long will you be staying?”

“All summer, I hope,” Dayona said, smiling shyly. Lenny nodded and said “So how many are going to this special meal?” He asked them all “Am I invited?”

“You eat too much, Len,” Markus laughed “Brenna already told you she doesn’t want you to come to one of her dinners again,”

“She loves me really,” Lenny winked, bending low over the meat again and cutting it carefully with his seven fingers, “So how much do you want?”

“Enough for five people,”

“I’ll put in a bit extra because you’re my favourite customers,” he winked again at them all, but when he looked up from his work he accidentally cut his finger on the knife.

“Not again,” he said exasperated, throwing down the knife and going to clean himself up out back.

“You alright, Len?” Midni called, leaning over the counter to try and see him. She wasn’t shy around Lenny, she actually looked forward to him coming to dinner because they made each other laugh, Midni with her sarcasm and Lenny with his funny clumsy ways. I was always fun when Lenny came to dinner.

“Yea, I’m alright,” Lenny said, trooping back behind the counter, a small bandage around his middle finger (His second finger on that hand) “Tough as old boots me, tough as old boots,”

He wrapped up the meat and gave it to them, waving them goodbye from his shop.

“He seemed really nice,” Dayona said happily, as they walked out of the village, away from the disapproving looks. Word must have spread very fast, as when they were walking out of the marketplace Eevie heard two old women muttering to themselves, and Eevie caught a few nasty words “...yes. John Billowy, the one who owns the shop down the road said he heard whiskey bottles... like father like daughter, they always say.”

It was a good thing Markus or the others didn’t hear, because Eevie felt like she wouldn’t have been able to stop them from giving the nosy old women a piece of their mind. Eevie almost felt like turning around and saying something, anything, just to get the anger that was bubbling up inside of her out, but she stopped herself. She just carried on walking by the others and tried to join in with their conversation but the whole time her head was just spinning round and round...I heard her father has left her again, poor child...Are they shopping on their own? I don’t let my children out of my site...like father like daughter, they always say...

Eevie didn’t even bother listening to her cousins talking anymore, she just watched as her feet walked automatically across the ground, one foot in front of the other, her boots squeaking because they hadn’t liked getting wet. Her dress was still damp, and she realised that she must have looked like a right mess... no wonder people were whispering... she was in too small clothes that were damp and her hair was wet, still dripping, and her boots that were too big for her must have looked awful... Don’t think about it, Eevie thought. Don’t think about what other people think... they don’t know you... they don’t care about you... so why bother? Block them from your mind, forget about them... But no matter how hard she tried she couldn’t forget the dirty looks the people had given her, and the even worse looks... the look of pity...

“What’s up?” Markus asked “You’ve gone all quiet,”

“I’m fine,” Eevie lied. She didn’t want to talk right now, and Markus understood. He didn’t say anything else but matched his stride to hers, keeping her company as Midni and Dayona chatted in front. Midni seemed more relaxed around Dayona now, she wasn’t a total stranger any more, and Dayona didn’t seem to find Midni quiet so intimidating any more, so they could talk to each other freely. Eevie helped Markus hold the now heavy basket, and they swung it gently between them, Markus humming again, the same lullaby as he hummed before. It was a wonderfully soothing sound, and Eevie felt herself become gradually happier as she listened to it, which had obviously been Markus’ intention.

After another half an hour they arrived back home, Brenna practically having a heart attack when she saw them, demanding why they had taken so long and why on earth were they wet. Markus explained that the basket somehow flew through the air and magically the water inside flew out and opened of its own accord and tipped itself on them all, getting them drenched. Brenna gave him a stern look and he somehow slipped out the door as quick as lightening, before she could get her breath back to yell at him.

For the rest of the day Brenna used the ingredients Markus bought to make the special dinner, and since they had cleaned the house from top to bottom the day before, there was really nothing else to do. Eevie changed out of her wet clothes in her bedroom, putting on Markus’ trousers and one of his shirts, and she dried her hair off a bit more, still unable to forget the whispers and mutters she had heard down in the village, the looks people had given her. She thought she had gotten used to it, she had been dealing with it all her life, so she had no idea why it was bothering her now, why she couldn’t forget about it.

She went back downstairs and tried to think of something else, anything else, but her mind was still troubled, still thinking about it too much. What is wrong with me? She thought suddenly, sitting at the bottom of the stairs and putting her face in her hands. Why do I care so much about what those nosy idiots think? What have they ever done for me? Why do I always have to please people, try and keep everyone happy? Why am I always so sensible, why do I never stand up for myself... why wasn’t I braver... why didn’t I just tell them to stop being nosy? Markus could do it. He at least has a bit of respect. But I just stood there, looking as shy and as awkward as usual... not saying anything when I knew people where looking at me like I wasn’t good enough... I didn’t want to offend them...

Don’t think like that, Eevie told herself fiercely. You are good enough. Soon you’ll be out of here, you won’t live here for ever. There are so many other things in the world to see and do, Eevie thought blissfully. Soon I’ll be able to go wherever I want... I’ll be free...

When Eevie had pulled herself together she went into the kitchen, where Markus was sitting and Brenna was pacing, mumbling to herself as the dinner cooked. Eevie sat down next to Markus, who was trying to read a book because he was bored. But he kept glancing up at Brenna, rolling his eyes when she wasn’t looking.

Brenna had literally pounced on Dayona as soon as she had stepped over the threshold, demanding to know why she wasn’t wearing her coat and if she was alright, checking her over to see if she had a temperature or anything. She had obviously been worried sick when they had all left and got home late, and she kept fussing over Dayona, even though she insisted she was fine and there was nothing to worry about. Brenna didn’t look convinced and when Dayona sneezed earlier because the pollen was heavy outside and drifting in through the windows’ Brenna had fretted like a mother goose, insisting that Dayona immediately go to bed. Dayona had trooped upstairs, just to make Brenna happy, but Brenna kept checking on her to see if she was still alive.

“Just give it a rest, already!” Markus sighed, as Brenna was still pacing, obviously wondering if she should run upstairs again to check on her “Dayona is fine! She had a great time with us, she loved us!”

“Well I’m not so sure that she is fine,” Brenna mumbled, hurrying upstairs again. Markus rolled his eyes and grinned at Eevie, but his smile soon slipped off his face when he looked at her.

“Are you sure your alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine!” Eevie said “I’m alright. Please, stop asking me...I’m fine...”

Markus stood up without saying a word and crouched down beside her chair, putting his arms around her. Eevie tried to push him away but he held on tight, whispering “Don’t let them get to you. They don’t know us... it doesn’t matter what they think,”

Eevie sighed and nodded, hugging him back. She wished even more that she was as brave as Markus, he could easily take care of himself and at the same time he was looking after her. She let go of him and folded her arms, resting her head on the table, tired because Midni’s tossing and turning had kept her awake for ages, as well as her annoying worrying thoughts that never seemed to go away. Markus went back to his book, which had been one of the lucky ones that had not lived through the storm. Eevie listened as he turned the pages, which was a very relaxing sound along with his even, gentle breathing.

Brenna returned to check on the dinner, only to hurry back upstairs again to get Dayona a drink. Eevie hoped that Dayona wasn’t too bored, having to be treated like an invalid when she was just a normal girl, just a bit vulnerable. Eevie remembered Brenna fussing over her like this when she was ill a few winters ago, and Eevie had got so frustrated staying in bed all day so had demanded to go to school the next day even though she clearly wasn’t ready. Brenna had reluctantly agreed and Eevie had returned from school three hours early, having been sick on the teacher when he was asking if she was alright. For weeks afterwards all the kids at school had made her life hell.

For the rest of the day Eevie wandered around the house, bored, not knowing what to do with herself. Markus’ little pep talk had made her feel better, but it didn’t stop her worrying about all the other things in her life, the things that she was worrying about anyway before she had set foot in the village of that afternoon.

Her father would be home soon, and that thought gave her fear and hope, a hope that she would see him again and the fear that he would be back to his old ways, and probably drink more because he had not got the job. But what if he did get the job... how could Brenna cope for the entire summer without him, and look after four teenagers on her own? Eevie knew she would struggle, and she didn’t want Brenna getting ill over it. She was the only thing that was really holding the family together, she was the strong one who put up with her sons drinking and her grandchildren’s quarrels, she was fierce and determined not to let the family fall apart, she kept the house running smoothly and kept them all alive. Eevie shuddered at the thought of not having her, at the thought of having to live with her father who was utterly hopeless at looking after her. He still needed his mother to take care of him, a woman around the house, to keep things running smoothly, for his dinner to be on the table for when he got home. Stupid typical man.

Eevie wondered what her life might have been like if her mother had never died... she would be the perfect mother, Eevie thought. She would look after me and treat me like her princess, and love me always, and I could grow my hair long like hers used to be, and father could still be in the army, enjoying himself... coming home much more often though, always sober, treating his wife like a queen and kissing her all the time and telling her how lovely she was, and giving Eevie a big bear hug and saying “I wanted to come home early, just to see my two favourite girls”...

Eevie shook her head, fighting the fantasy away. She couldn’t think like that. It was never going to happen. Her life now was much more important that a dream, a wish. Wishes hardly ever came true. Every birthday Eevie had blown out the candles and wished with all her might that she had a mother. Even though she knew it was stupid and pointless, she still did it. Her last birthday, on March the thirteenth, she had wished the same thing again, screwing her eyes up even though she knew nothing spectacular would happen. She blew out the candles with the help of Midni and Markus and silently made her wish, and that night she had dreams of her mother, and the image of her was so clear that Eevie could almost reach out and touch her. There were no pictures of her, no paintings, the Barley family weren’t rich enough for that, but Eevie had pictured her mother so clearly that she had really believed that she had come back from the dead, to see her. But then Eevie had woken, sobbing into her pillow when she realised it was just a dream, trying not to make a noise incase she woke the others. Midni hadn’t been in bed that night. That was the first time she had gone on one of her night time strolls.

Eevie sighed, standing up from sitting on her bed and stretching, deciding to pay Dayona a visit. She went out into the hallway and lightly knocked on Dayona’s door, the guests’ bedroom.

“Hello?”

“It’s me, Eevie,”

“Come in!”

Eevie stepped inside the dark room as the curtains had been shut, and it was very stuffy and warm inside.

“Can I open the curtains? I can’t see a thing,” Eevie asked.

“Sure. Brenna closed them so I could go to sleep, but I’m not tired.”

“You should see Midni,” Eevie laughed “She’s dead on her feet downstairs,”

Eevie had walked in on Midni slumped in one of the armchairs in the living room, her mouth gaping open as snored softly. When she had woken by Eevie closing the door she had stumbled out the room like a zombie, and she was now sleeping in the garden.

“Does she get tired a lot?” Dayona asked, as curios as ever. Eevie pulled the curtains open and saw Dayona pinned down to the bed by the tight bed sheets Brenna had wrapped around her, tucked in too tight.

“Yea, she’s just weird that way,” Eevie said, and she added “Do you want some help with those? It looks like you can’t breath,”

“I’m alright,” Dayona said cheerfully “I’m used to it,”

“Is Brenna getting on your nerves?” Eevie grinned “She can be a bit too fussy sometimes,”

“It’s alright. I like her. I think she’s nice,”

Eevie nodded, sitting on the edge of Dayonas’ bed. She still felt a bit awkward, being around Dayona. It was hard to get used to someone new around.

“I’m starting to feel a bit cold,” Dayona mumbled, pulling her blankets even higher so they covered her chin.

“Do you want anything?”

“No, I’m fine. I really want to see Brenna cooking. Mmm... I can smell the food from here,”

Eevie could smell it to, and it made her stomach grumble. She looked embarrassed and said “Sorry. My stomach is moaning,”

“Mine does that a lot,”

Eevie didn’t say anything for a moment, wondering is Dayona was joking. When she looked up Dayona was looking towards the window, looking as tiny and as thin as ever, her matchstick arms folding over herself to hide her ribs that could be seen through the bed sheets.

“How do you do it?” Eevie whispered “Why can’t you eat?”

“I can eat,” Dayona said simply “It’s just hard, that’s all. I have always eaten not very much... I just didn’t like the feeling of chewing and swallowing, I always felt so full afterwards. Really uncomfortable, like I couldn’t move. But when your brother, I mean your cousin Markus gave me the bread in the woods I thought I didn’t have any other choice. It tasted better than I had thought it would,”

“We just want you to get better,” Eevie said “Markus wasn’t being nasty. He just cares about you,”

“I know,”

Eevie was quiet again, trying to think of what to say.

“I am going to really try,” Dayona said, looking at Eevie with her big pale eyes “I need to get better, I can’t go on just not eating. I sort of know what started it.... I-I found a painting of my mother, and she looked so beautiful, so elegant and tall and thin. When my parents got married they had lots of money because my mother was rich, so they could afford paintings. I know my mother is a witch,” Dayona said carefully “But I don’t have any of her powers, there has never been anything magical about me. But I still wanted to be her, so I thought if I ate less then I would be as beautiful as she was. I don’t know where she is right now... she took all of my fathers inheritance money and just...left....

“I was so angry with her,” Dayona said, her eyes dark “She left me, but I couldn’t stop wanting to be like her.”

Eevie nodded slowly, thinking. Dayona was putting herself through this to be like the person who abandoned her, and where was it getting her? Even more weak and even more cut off from the outside world.

“We’ll help you, Dayona,” Eevie said, looking at her and smiling “We’ll help you realise that you are better just being yourself, being you.”

Dayona looked close to tears when she hugged Eevie, and Eevie was again shocked at how thin she was, her bones sticking out her pale skin.

“Come downstairs in a bit. I’ll show you some of my books, well, the ones that didn’t get ruined,”

“What do you mean?”

“You know that storm last night? Well Midni left the books outside and I had to go and get them, and half the pages flew out and now they are all drying off on the kitchen windowsill. They don’t really belong to me, they’re my fathers...”

“You really miss him, don’t you?” Dayona asked quietly. Eevie nodded “Sort of.”

Dayona stared at her for a moment, like she was trying to read Eevie’s mind, trying to figure out what she was thinking. Eevie felt uncomfortable after Dayona kept staring and muttered “See you downstairs,” before escaping into the hallway, away from Dayona’s innocent childlike eyes that made Eevie trust her too much, so Eevie almost felt like blurting out everything to her. Sighing, she went downstairs and sat down in the kitchen again, watching as Brenna cooked and Markus read. Midni was still in the garden, dozing under the apple tree, her mouth open again. She sat bolt upright and started choking on something, and when Eevie ran outside to see if she was ok Midni spat out a dead fly into her hand, it’s wings still twitching slightly.

“No wonder Brenna always tells me to shut my mouth,” Midni gasped “She said I would catch flies,”