Rimwick

A Discussion On Agriculture, A Waterfall, and Shish Kebabs

I pull my jacket and boots on, which someone had put neatly by the door, and wait while Bradley grabs his shoes and a pocket knife. Like the Dusk Children, he doesn't have anything over his black t shirt.

We step outside and into a clearing of icy wind. The sun smacks brilliant light off of the crunchy snow, reflecting the cold world in bright patterns of frigid air. The door we came out of was set into the side of a hill, and smoke rises up from the low mound, suggesting that there's an entire house underneath it.

"It's beautiful up here." My breath fogs in front of my face as I speak.

Bradley smiles. "It is. Freezing, but beautiful. You should see it in the summer."

I can picture what he means. The forest behind my house comes alive during the hotter months; it must be so many times more gorgeously wild up here. Not that I know exactly where we are, but judging by the mountains rising high in the distance, we're far up in the hills.

"So, tell me," Bradley says as we start tramping through the snow. "How is everyone back in Rimwick?"

"Fine," I reply, without expansion.

"Uh-huh." Bradley narrows his eyes at me. "Did something happen?"

"Well..." I scramble over a boulder. The trees are growing more densely, and the snow covering the ground is less thick. "My dad died."

"Oh, gosh." Bradley stops and holds my gaze. "I'm so sorry. What happened?"

I bite my lip. "He was out after dark. Dusk Children took him away."

"Riley, that's... that's terrible. We would never do something like that."

"Really?" I snap. "Then why didn't he come home?"

Bradley puts his arm around my shoulders. "There are different Dusk Child tribes. I meant WE would never kidnap someone. I know that must have been horrible."

I wipe away the tears I couldn't blink back. "It was. Is." I take a deep breath and calm down. "Sorry."

"For what? He was your dad; you care about him." Bradley squeezes my shoulders before letting go, and we continue walking.

"Other than... well, other than..."

"My dad dying? It's okay, you can say it."

He grins sheepishly. "Other than your dad dying, how have you been?"

"Alright." There's no need to go into my now friendless state at school.

"Alright? No new hobbies or anything? A boyfriend?"

Well, that was direct. "No boyfriend. But I took up needlepoint."

"Needlepoint? Really? That's a new direction for you."

"I like it. The needles are useful when I have to stab people's eyes out."

Bradley's expression turns serious. "I've done that. Stabbed people's eyes out."

I stare at him. "Seriously?"

He grins at me. "Of course not. Race you!" He takes off running and I dash after him, laughing as I slip across the snow.

"Wait! Where are we going?"

"You'll just have to guess!" Bradley calls over his shoulder. I tumble after him as the wind blows my hair back until I trip and face plant into the snow.

"Riley!"

"I'm fine."

Bradley scrambles back and helps me up. "I win."