Finding the Light

Chapter 6- Past, Present and Future

Kaleigh led Iris through the camp, occasionally calling out a greeting to a few of the people they passed, to a sky blue wagon. Kaleigh knocked briskly on the door and waited impatiently, tapping her foot on the wooden steps. The door was opened by a young lady with shoulder length dark brown hair who was shorter then Kaleigh but still taller the Iris. The girl in the doorway frowned at the sight of Kaleigh and Iris, the wagon giving the short girl enough height to look down her nose at the pair of them. Kaleigh gave a strained but polite smile back. It was obvious there was no love lost between the two.

"Did you need something?" Dianna said with a toss of her hair and a barely concealed sneer, her heavily decorated wrists and ears give a small jangle with her every movement.

"Yes actually, Madam Rose was wondering if you had some spare clothes Iris here could have." Kaleigh's voice is polite but her eyes are tight with dislike.

Dianna looks over Kaleigh's shoulder and glances Iris up and down and gives a small sniff of disdain, but steps aside without another word. Kaleigh gently grasps Iris wrist and leads the reluctant girl into the wagon. Dianna points to a small plain wooden chest under one of several hammocks in the small room.

"Some clothes I've out grown should be in there, I was planning on burning them but you may have what ever is still salvageable. I have to go, my parents are sharing supper with the Coopers today. Don't even think of taking anything else, I'll know if you do."

Kaleigh glared at Dianna as she left the wagon, who shut the door behind her with more force then was necessary. Iris frowned at the door and decided she didn't like Dianna, the girl had a bad feeling about her, like sour milk. Iris examined her surroundings as Kaleigh dragged the plain trunk into the middle of the room and began to examine it's contents. The room was small but that was to be expected as the gypsies only used their wagons for traveling in and sleeping when it was to cold to do so outside. Trinkets, strings of beads, and colored glass hung from the ceiling alongside drying aromatic herbs giving he air in the wagon a sweet spicy smell. Iris brought her attention back to Kaleigh as the older girl lifted some fabric out of the trunk.

"Some of these clothes will still be a little big on you but that can be adjusted. A few minor repairs on some of the more worn things you'll have a wardrobe of your very own." Kaleigh said with a smile.

Iris smiled shyly back and stepped a little closer to see the fine fabric. The fabric in Kaleigh's hands was a beautiful skirt of rare purple coloring and burnt orange swirls that were shaped to look like vines. The threads were small and carefully woven by experienced hands. Iris was suddenly painfully aware how she had never worn something so fine with exception to the cloak that still hung from her small frame. And Dianna had been planning on burning these clothes. Kaleigh folded the skirt and picked out a few other things that would fit Iris or could be adjusted to. She passed an outfit to Iris and stood back on her feet.

"You get changed into those, I'll wait outside and when your done we'll go back to Aunt Rose. Supper should be done and then we'll watch the evening entertainment before bed. How does that sound?"

Iris wondered eagerly what they would have to eat and pondered what Kaleigh meant by 'entertainment'. Iris nodded with another smile and an eager look in her eye. Kaleigh tilted her head to one side and looked at the girl in a curious fashion.

"You don't talk very much do you?" She asked cautiously, not wanting to offend the girl who she was, very quickly, getting to like.

Iris shook her head no, not wanting to offend the older girl she was, very quickly, coming to trust. Kaleigh smiled and reached for the door to give Iris some privacy but turned at the last moment and looked at the girl, quite seriously but with kindness in her eyes.