Of Smoke and Dust 🖋

Chapter Twelve: a birthday song, a forgotten girl, and a little child's revenge

CHAPTER TWELVE

Past

July 8th 2018

2:09 PM

"Happy biiiirthday to you."

The light, lilting voice drifted over the air and tickled Maia's ears, the song meant for a crowd sung only by one person. Hidden within the trees near her house, crouched within a rock half-cave she and Leonie had found maybe a year and a half ago, there was no question as to who it was.

"Happy birthday to yooooou."

Maia curled farther into the crevice, hoping to conceal the far-too-bright purple sneakers and striped leggings that would surely give her away. She wasn't in the mood for Leonie's games. Not now.

"Happy biiiiirthday dear Maaaaaia." 

Crunching footsteps grew closer, along with a mostly-hummed, slightly eerie tune.

Leonie's polka-dotted pink-and-yellow "lucky pants" came within eyesight, stopping in front of the cave's entrance. Maia would have laughed, if she weren't so busy stifling her sobs.

The legs bent, and Leonie's smiling face filled the entrance. If she noticed Maia's tear-stained cheeks at all, she ignored them as she leaned forward to whisper the last line in her best friend's ear:

"Happy birthday to you."

"Leonie." Maia strove valiantly to make her voice cheerful, but her efforts fell flat. "Hi."

Leonie stiffened immediately, perceptive girl that she was. Her eyes dawned with new understanding as she finally picked up on the fact that there might be a reason Maia was hiding in a small, dry cave on her birthday that wasn't just her own enjoyment. Leonie's voice was as gentle as Leonie was capable of being when she asked, "What happened?"

"Lee -"

"Maia." Leonie looked deadly serious. Maia, after all, was Leonie's, and Leonie didn't let anyone hurt what was hers.

"It's nothing."

"It is not." Leonie interrupted. "It's your birthday, and -" Leonie's eyes flew back to Maia's wet face, and her lips tightened. "And you're crying. Who did it?"

"Lee, no -"

"Lee, yes."

"It's nothing."

Leonie snorted, the sound dry and brittle. "Yeah, right. Who. Was. It?"

Maia had never really figured out how to stand up to her best friend, no matter how she tried. Leonie was an overwhelming, dominating force, and this situation was no different. "My parents." She admitted, each word drawn out agonizingly. The storm on Leonie's face grew darker with each syllable. "They-they-"

"What did they do?" Leonie pressed.

Maia's face was pale, shadowed. "They forgot."

"Forgot what?"

"My birthday."

Leonie's face whitened with fury.

"They. Did. What?"

"Lee, I-"

"I-I-I." Leonie mocked. "Maia, you have to stand up for yourself. I bet you didn't even tell them, did you?"

"Leonie-"

"I'll bet," Leonie plowed over her. "That you just left and came right here. Am I wrong?"