When Daylight Turns To Starlight

Chapter 3

Cadence's POV

I woke up covered in a heavy blanket. I was warm for the first time since I got here. I opened my eyes and saw Tayen sitting nearby, staring off into space and chewing on her nails. My eyes were itchy from crying and my throat was raw, so I got up and left the house in search of Doc and his tea. The sun was just rising.

Tayen was following close behind me, and she called what I assumed was a name: Takoda.

Doc came running from one of the houses. I guess his name was Takoda. Tayen said more to him, and he rushed off, back into his house.

He emerged a few minutes later with a cup full of the tea. I took it gratefully, giving him a small smile and a nod. He did the same back.

It tasted the same as before. Slightly spicy, but still delicious and soothing on my aching throat. I sniffed, still haunted by the thoughts of what happened to everyone else. I bit my tongue, not wanting to sob again. Tayen put a hand on my shoulder, trying to soothe me.

I shook her hand off, I didn't want to be soothed. I just wanted to be alone. I drank the rest of the tea and handed it back to Takoda. Wrapping the blanket tighter around my shoulders, I walked back into the woods, in search of the lake.

Tayen walked next to me, eyes cast downward and still chewing on her nails. At least she wasn't trying to stop me.

We walked for a couple hours. A slow pace, before we arrived at the same clearing with the lake just past it.

I slowed even more, taking deep breaths in an attempt to keep my breathing even and my heart stable.

We finally arrived at the lake, the familiar sand beneath my feet and getting under my toenails. I sat down, not knowing what else to do.

How many people were in the choir? Sixty-two? Okay I need that many rocks. I'll make a little memorial.

I started gathering rocks that were the size of my fist, and though she probably didn't know what I was doing, Tayen joined me in collecting. After I had eleven rocks, I put them in a pile on the beach, and Tayen put her six on the pile too. Forty-five more to go. I didn't care how they looked, only that I had enough. An hour later, I counted sixty-two rocks in the pile.

I wish I had a basket, but I guess I'll have to do with the skirt of my dress. Jeez this thing was dirty. I guess if I'm stuck here I'll have to trade this dress for their deerskin clothes.

I tore off a decent amount, cutting it off at the knee. Tayen helped my gather the rocks in my makeshift bag, and we were off. I wish I knew where I had first woke up. That would be the perfect spot to make a memorial. Alas, I did not, and so I would put it in the village.

It took us a little longer to make it back to the village since we had heavy cargo, but we eventually made it back.

I sat down next to the central fire and spread out the rocks. People watched but I didn't care anymore.

I wanted to make one big stone, but I didn't have glue. I looked at their houses, and they seemed sturdy, so maybe they had their own glue. I looked at Tayen, who was watching me curiously, and picked up two rocks and made a motion of mashing them together.

She understood, and got up to get something while I laid out more rocks next to each other. I needed something sharp, or maybe just made of metal, so I could carve everyone's name into a rock.

Tayen came back with a bowl full of what looked like clay, and I took it with a nod of thanks. She returned the gesture and sat back down. I figured they had to have sharp things somewhere, so I caught her attention again and motioned with my hands as if I was writing with a pen. She looked confused, but that didn't last long and she got up to get something else.

While she was gone, I took little pieces of clay and started gluing the rocks together. She came back, and in her hand she had a knife. She handed it to me by the hilt, and continued watching me with curiosity.

I decided to glue all the rocks together before carving names into them, the process not taking as long as I thought it would. I didn't know how long it took clay to dry, so I sat back and closed my eyes, making sure I remembered everyone's name. After over three hundred rehearsals, which included roll call, I was pretty confident that I knew everybody's name. Ms Chanson of course, Harper, Piper, -the girls who sat next to me in the soprano section- Reed, so on and so on.

Tayen must've thought I had fallen asleep, because she poked my arm- making me jump. She bit back a smile at that, and I could hear her laugh in the back of her throat.

I took a small pebble and flicked it at her-missing by a lot- and earned an actual laugh from her. Her laugh was just as contagious as her smile, and I laughed with her. It was nice being around her, she didn't stare at me like I was strange, she only watched me with curiosity at the things I did.

I figured if it was any clay like we had in the future it would take a day or two to dry, so I figured I could do other things in the meantime.

There was a lot of clay left in the bowl, so I thought, why not try and make some pottery?

I grabbed a portion a little bigger than my fist and rolled it into a ball. I wasn't sure what to make, so I settled on a simple bowl.

I made a divet in the center, and used the pinch pot method to make it bigger. Tayen watched with her head tilted, watching me with a curious expression.

I continued on with my work, ignoring everyone else.

Half an hour later, I had a finished bowl.

It was lopsided, oblong, and could never work like another bowl but it was mine. I would keep it.

I set it next to the makeshift headstone. I checked the clay molding the rocks together and they were firm, but still molded with force.

The sun was beginning to set, and my eyes were becoming droopy from all that I had done today. I scooted my creations nearer to the fire, as I thought that would help them set faster, and sought out the house that I consistently woke up in.  

Tayen seemed to know what I was looking for, as she put her hand on my back and pointed to the house closest to the fire.

I went inside and laid down on the sleeping mat that I assumed was mine for the time being, and let my drooping eyes have their way.