"You're not coming with me," Asha declared as she spun in the mirror. The dress was clean but not nearly as brilliant as the purple one she had donned the other day. She halted in her turn and bent to pull down the hem. She winced during the descent, but the ascent was so much worse. Her muscles remembered every bad movement she'd made, and they weren't going to let her forget it. She made a face at her reflection as pain radiated throughout her body.
Her eyes flicked to the left where she could see the boy on the bed behind her. He was playing an intense game of chicken with Valentino. He kept reaching out to pet the small animal, only to retract the same hand when the goat lunged for it. Not dropping his attention from the sparring match, Sol queried back, "Why not?"
The girl turned from the mirror, "I don't think I have to explain that."
He leaned back, "I can be very discrete. You wouldn't even know that I'm there."
"I don't care how discrete you are, you do not leave this house unless I'm here, got it?"
His eyes wandered to the wall, "Sure."
She had turned back to mess with her hair when a heavy knock sounded at the front door. The fierce sound shook the very house. The girl gasped and grabbed the pouch of stardust she left on the nearby stool. Her fingers fumbled with the strings as she wrapped it around her waist, "They're here," she kept repeating under her breath. Her chant making her fingers more unsteady. The purse dropped and the star leapt from his reclined position. Asha had bent down to grasp the fallen pouch only to find Sol's golden hand lifting it from the floor, "Oh!"
"Stand up straight," his voice was bland.
Asha lengthened her spine with difficulty. In between her grunting and groaning, Sol's nimble fingers tied the drawstring purse around her waist.
"There," he nodded, stepping away, "Now you're ready."
She grabbed his hand and gave it a shake, "Thank you!"
"No problem, good-"
The girl was already out the door and running down the stairs.
"...luck," the star mumbled.
Asha leapt the last three steps and landed with a thud on the ground floor. Sakina startled at the noise, but Sabino kept his eyes focused on his busy hands. Before him was that same stray bit of rope he'd been messing with the night before. Though this time it was taking a fair bit of abuse, snapping out of knots then being strangled into new ones. The old man's movements were violent, but it didn't take long to realize why.
A broad-shouldered guard stood a few inches within the entry of their cottage. Though he was the image of propriety, his eyes still widened and traced the winding trails of salt that he could see. Asha fought with her embarrassment. She rearranged her face into something more placid and direct. She sucked in her breath and marched right up to the monster of a man. She had to over-extend her neck to even glance at his face.
"I assume you're here to escort me?"
The authoritative gaze fixed her to the spot, "Yes Señorita, are you prepared?"
"As much as I can be."
"Then you will follow Renard and myself. Make sure you don't stray too far," the man pivoted, sharp on his heels, and marched out the door. He had to duck to fit through it, but every motion was impeccable. If Asha hadn't known better, she would have sworn that he'd practiced. She turned back and waved to her mother. Sakina was exuberant in her well-wishes and congratulations, they continued to trail the girl well after she had stepped off the porch. But as she hurried after her two chaperons, she realized that her grandfather had never looked at her.
YOU ARE READING
Of Stardust and Wishes (A Wish Rewrite)
Fiksi Penggemar"Salvē!" The golden specter repeated. She was in shock. That had to be it. All that tossing around in the water must have shaken her insides around enough to make her see things. She blinked a few times, but he was still there, looking even more con...
