Moon Child

Chapter 3 / Returning to the Nest

 Woooosh! Thump.

"Ouch!"

Wooosh. Thump.

"Hey!"

Wooooosh. Thump.

"Knock it off!"

Wooosh. Thump.

I manage to dodge the fourth pinecone and look in the direction off the thrower.

My sister stands only a few feet away from me and glares at me with a bewildered and very, very angry facial expression.

Even though it's dark, she's very good at aiming and barely misses.

Then, she takes another swing with her hand and throws the next pinecone at me.

Even though I try to dodge it, it hits me on the head.

"OUCH! Aliyah, I told you I was sorry!"

My sister pauses and glares at me. "What for? For trying to sneak off again? For not telling me? For leaving me behind?"

I should probably choose my next words very carefully. If I say anything wrong, Aliyah will continue to use me as a human throwing target and I can already imagine Juno announcing my death at breakfast tomorrow.

"Attention, toavers: It looks like our little newcomer from Vandor got murdered by her younger sister last night. Cause of death: hit by a swarm of pinecones."

Yikes, what an awkward death. No thanks.

I nervously glance at Quinn. She's leaning against a tree and observes our argument with an amused smile on her lips. She must really enjoy watching me being pelted with pinecones. Sadistic bitch.

I shoot her an irritated look, which makes her grin even wider. Then, I turn my attention back to my sister.

"I'm sorry for not telling you about my attempt to sneak off beforehand."

I can't read Aliyah's facial expression; she just stares at me with a poker face.

Back at home, people would always confuse us with each other because we looked so similar.

Aliyah and I are only 13 months apart. People always guess I'm the younger one because I'm a little chubbier than Aliyah, but I'm already seventeen and she has just turned sixteen a little while ago.

She's almost as tall as me but I still tower over her by about one or two inches.

We share the same almond skin tone and both have curly hair; although Aliyah has cut her's short and dyed it black so that people wouldn't confuse her with me anymore.

A few days ago, she has made her curls into little twists that bounce around her pretty face and accentuate the shape of it.

Right now, my sister looks both stunning and creepy at the same time, thanks to the weird combination of the darkness of the surrounding woods and the flickering light of the campfire in the distance.

Before getting ambushed by my pine-cone-throwing sister, Quinn and I planned to head back to the fire.

But now, she stands there steadily - just like the pines surrounding us - and I know that she won't let me pass before I give her the answers she wants. Even if I managed to outrun Aliyah, I'm sure that Quinn's only waiting for an opportunity to tackle me again.

Aliyah continues to stare at me with a blank expression. "You're not sorry for leaving me behind, you don't care about me. You're only sorry you got caught by Quinn AGAIN."