Sky Dust

Chapter 16

She shook her head as she looked down from the sky.

"There's almost nothing here. Only, like, two grains."

"Maybe look more?"

"No use. It's probably done too much damage."

"Okay, I'm freezing. We'll have better luck next time."

Vivia came closer. Spencer felt her warm hand touch his as his eyes found his home. Not a single light marked Casep at nighttime; even the few that still had hopes for finding sky dust had already left. It was a depressing sight to Spencer. The lanterns lined up around poles weren't lit.

"Miserable," he murmured, more to himself than to Vivia. She flinched, and he realized that she had heard.

"It is," she looked at the pouch again, her expression turning from sober to concerned. Noticing that it was okay, she looked back up and then squinted.

Spencer kept walking until he saw that she had stopped. She was eyeing one of the houses.

Her hand pulled him closer.

"Look!" She hissed, pointing at a random place in the dark. In a moment Spencer realized that she was pointing at a window. He looked closer and noticed a faint blue light that exposed a bit of the wooden surface.

Sky dust.

"They have found some..." He whispered, enchanted.

Vivia came closer to the glass, breathing against it. She put her hand on the window, as if she wanted to be closer. She was whispering, but Spencer could make out some of the words she was saying.

"Good for them... Where'd they find it?"

"Should we take it?"

She turned around.

"Are you kidding me? We can't steal!"

"But it'll be safer with us."

"No, it won't. It's theirs, and they decide what to do with it. Let's go!" She pulled him away, but he didn't lose sight of the house. They got to their own house quickly, and the first thing Spencer noticed when he turned the lights on was something made of metal lying on the table.

He came closer. It was painted blue, and it looked like a music box. He understood that it was one of the sky dust devices, and something inside was making him want to use it.

"An invisibility device," Vivia said as she came up behind him. "Really cool things."

"I've heard of them," Spencer nodded, touching and stroking the surface softly. He heard Vivia climbing up the stairs and hurried after her.