A/N: Oh boy, here we go! It's starting to get a bit scary. Magnifico has embraced his inner demons and poor Sabino is having a rough one.
Thank you all for reading! How's the story so far? Are you excited for the final stretch? :)
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"Habibti!"
Asha rolled over. Candlelight was in her face. Eyes lidded, her hand went up to block the flame. What time was it? Her head felt heavy as she looked to the window. According to the rays that slid underneath the curtains, she guessed it was sometime past midnight. Her mouth filled with cotton, she rasped, "Yemma, what's going on?"
She couldn't make out her mother's expression, the light was bright enough to turn her into a silhouette. But she could see the woman's quick movements, her constantly shifting weight. Why, she looked distressed!
Oh no, Baba!
The girl threw off her quilt before Sakina's excited voice stopped her, "Oh Asha!" she could hear the smile in her words, "Something wonderful has happened. Come see, come see!" she felt her mother's warm hand wrap around hers, yanking her from bed. Stumbling, her feet hit the cold floor.
Her stomach twisted.
Then she was pulled toward the door. All the way the familiar voice exclaiming about how ecstatic she was about...something. Halfway across her room, the girl yanked herself from her mother's hold. The figure stopped. Turning, the candle flickered, catching the side of her face. A face that was happy, exuberant even. Yes, it was her mother. But why had her hands felt so...
The girl's fingers brushed together, trying to recapture the odd feeling.
"Habibti?"
"Oh!" she was shocked from her reverie, "I-I'm right behind you Yemma. I just have to get something."
The woman's face didn't change, "Very well, but hurry!" Sakina swept from the room, taking the light with her.
As Asha's eyes adjusted, they drifted to the trunk. Her heart constricted. Shaking her head, she called herself silly. What was it but some girlish crush? There would be plenty of boys, more human and far more rational...respectable...and...
The vise tightened.
Letting out a frustrated sigh she started toward the door before her knotted stomach made her stop again.
Staring at the sliver of hallway visible from where it had been left ajar, her breath quickened. Something was wrong. But why? All was silent within the house. The only sound came from the unending altercations in the city below. Her mother was in a wonderful mood, and her grandfather had not taken a turn like she'd initially feared. So why did her feet refuse to move? Her fingers rubbed together once more.
Breathing out, she dropped to her knees. Reaching beneath her bed, she retrieved book after weighty book. Struggling back to her feet, she arranged them along the top of the chest. Her movements spidery and quick, some sat upright while others toppled over or leaned against the other. The haphazard collection was fine in the dim room. She whispered her apology before pivoting to the desk. Her fingers wrapped around the bottle of stardust. Holding it up to the thin light, the smattering that clinked around the bottom was pitiful. It would have to do, though.
She may have been over-reacting, but as she poured the remaining dust down her sleeves, her heart slowed a bit. It was better to be prepared, right?
With a gulp, she left the room.
The hallway beyond was quiet as always. The same wood planks creaked in their usual pattern. The same shadows decorated the ceiling. The same knots and bumps guided her hand over the walls toward the stairwell, where she grasped the same railing. So familiar, it should have been comforting. But as she descended toward the main room, she couldn't help but notice how dark it was there.
YOU ARE READING
Of Stardust and Wishes (A Wish Rewrite)
Fanfiction"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...
