Of Smoke and Dust 🖋

Chapter Six: the scent of pine, a frozen lake, and the far too quiet clearing

Past

December 2nd 2016

6:03 AM

Maia was in bliss.

Her eyes were closed. Her body, cocooned in fuzzy blankets. Her hands, fisted around a sheet.

The smell of frozen wind and pine drifted past her nose, tickling slightly with each inhale.

Everything was perfect.

Until a warm hand touched her shoulder and shook gently.

"Are you awake?" Came the loud whisper from the pillow beside hers. The sound of crinkling sheets and a protesting mattress accompanied the words.

Maia groaned and rolled over.

"Maia?"

"Mmmph."

"You are awake." The dreaded voice said triumphantly. There was more shaking. "Get up!"

"Don' wanna."

"Maia!" The hand left her shoulder in order to tug at the blankets. Maia yanked them closer to her chest.

"Stap it."

"Get up!"

Maia cracked open her eyes slightly, letting light flood her vision. She blinked rapidly. "Good morning to you too, Lee."

She was staying at Leonie's house for a sleepover, and currently, she was regretting every moment of it.

Leonie had kept her up until nine o' clock, even though Maia's bedtime was 7:30, and now she expected her to wake up?

The traitor.

Said traitor was leaning over Maia with a beaming smile, blonde hair a frizzy mess that cascaded down her face in order to brush Maia's cheeks. "Hello! I'm hungry, do you want to get breakfast?"

"I want to sleep."

"Not an option."

Maia groaned again.

Leonie tugged at her hand. "Up, up, up!"

"Lee." Maia weaseled. "Come on, please?" She pouted as best she could, sticking out her lower lip and peeking her hands above the blankets. "Please?"

Leonie pouted right back, large blue eyes imploring, button nose crinkled. Clearly she was doing a better job than Maia, because Maia found herself yawning and sitting up, stretching out her arms above her head. The wind was more prominent up here, and glancing around, Maia realized that Leonie had left the window open.

No wonder it smelled like pine, she thought somewhat irritably when she noticed the prickly branches nearly sticking through the small opening between the sill and the glass.
Leonie touched her shoulder again, directing Maia's attention back to her.

Maia crossed her arms stubbornly.

Leonie hunched her shoulders, a devastated expression sliding into place.

"Fine." Maia found herself grumbling, sliding out from beneath the blankets. The air was far too cold, and Maia flinched even through the thin fabric of her pajamas.

"It's not that bad." Leonie encouraged. "Really."

Maia's goosebump-covered arms begged to differ.

"Why'd you open the window?" She demanded.

"I was too hot."

Maia shot her an unimpressed look.

Leonie crawled over Maia's legs to reach the side of the bed, where she slid from the mattress into a standing position on the floor. Her retort was simply, "Come on, not everyone is naturally freezing like you are. Plus, breakfast."