The Solstice Daughters

chapter 4

TRIAL 1

      day three

"HERE you are, sweet thing."

Willa gasped at the soft material resting between her petite hands. "Oh Sisla, this is beautiful." Sisla giggled with her back to the girl as she sorted through her drawers for a freshly washed towel. "I know."

The shirt dress she had given Willa was loose below the waist and buttoned up at the chest. It was simple in design but the glossy cream charmeuse material made up for it as it slid between her fingertips. "This looks way too expensive to hand over to strangers you might never see again, don't you think?" She asked with an eyebrow raised.

Sisla scoffed, ripping the dress away from her and holding it out from the shoulders. "I made this myself." She said as if it were already obvious. "It's not often I see a girl around here. Even if I never see you again at least I can rest knowing you don't look like the disaster that you currently do right now."

"Right." Willa replied with a look of bewilderment. She shifted on the single bed that was pushed to the corner of the room under the minuscule window; which Sisla had explained was to avoid storm incidents. It wasn't an extravagant residency but it was comfortable and the ginger didn't seem like the type of person to expect more than safety and simplicity.

The springs under the bed squeaked as Willa let her body collapse on top of the comforter, eyes examining the ceiling paintings in thought.

"Did you paint those?" She asked. The room itself was a pale snow white but it didn't lack character. Drawings covered the walls, pressed flowers stuck to every corner possible. Old and new books scattered the floors along with an array of colorful mosaics.

The painting above her was of a field filled to the brim with lilac tinted lilies and doves, some resting on the flowers, others in flight.

The bed dipped to the right of her. "Have you ever been anywhere that beautiful?" There was a pause. "Oh wait, you have amnesia, never mind." Both girls turned their heads towards each other with cheeks plump in laughter.

"Whenever I have dreams, day or night, I always see myself in a field like this. It was getting annoying to keep to myself so I decided to display it where I can visually see it every day." Silsa explained.

Willa had only recently met her but she didn't seem much of the villain type. Then again, she had to still be aware of what sort of information she revealed to her new friends because no one on this island was to be trusted, just yet.

"Go on then. The storm generally cuts out the heated water but you can wet that towel I lent you and wipe yourself down. And if the dress doesn't fit we can always find you another one." Sisla smiled.

Willa thanked her and scurried into the extremely small bathroom, locking the door tightly behind her with a single key. Tapping echoed against the walls from the drops of rainwater slipping through a crack in the ceiling into a small wooden bucket. On the opposite end sat another metal bucket filled to the brim with lukewarm water.

It was significantly difficult to rip the damp clothing off her shivering body but she knew she would feel better once she'd put the dress on. Using the towel to wipe off little smudges of dirt and blood, she counted the ugly scratches and bruises she'd managed to pick up on her trip. She had known she'd have a few but never noticed the extent to which they had spread over every part of her body.

A surprisingly large swollen purple patch stung as Willa pressed the towel to her hip. She must have gotten it from the fall she and Pan had taken outside. Pan.

She wondered how the boys were doing. She hoped their toes from falling off from the cold even if she knew it was unlikely. Willa still had questions about the connection between Sisla and the group. She had a lot of questions, in fact. She just didn't know when would be an appropriate time to ask them.