Burnt Paiges

CHAPTER SEVEN: CHANGES

Quinn had gone to work that day, leaving Luca and Paige home alone, nothing uncommon.

From the moment it is too feeble to keep itself attached, the gravitational potential that it may possess, is used up in its freefall from glory. Its whole life, its main purpose was always to give, to give its earnings to the greater good. The bigger picture.

When it has been drained and the totalitarian must save itself, these 'consumables' are no longer needed and are disposed of. In its fall from heaven, its dying breath, it exhales brilliant irrefutable sparks of life. Twirling magnoliously, going out triumphantly. But it is meaningless. In its closing hours, it is devoured, as it must pay its dues to the rightful creator. Decay, death, this is the end.

"Alright, this is the last knot," Luca announced.

In the area around their home, fallen leaves were amassing, all hues of warmth, despite the chilly licks of wind. The siblings were assembling a rake, or shall I say, making one from the very minimum they owned. Unsurprisingly, Paige had a book on even that, garden tools. And so, she read for Luca the instructions as he pieced together the components.

In the bed of leaves, Paige's hair was complemented perfectly. She had always the practice of lying close to the ground. Whenever she was outside, she'd be bare footed, and never wore much other than a thin strapped dress, even when it was cold. 

And sometimes, out in the rain too she'd dance, play with the mud and catch frogs. Looking in, Paige was a nature loving girl, that and a book worm. And when she could bring the two together, along with Elise, she was in rapture.

She slammed the book closed, the next minute she had collapsed in the foliage, spreading her arms wide, away from her body. She had a big grin on her face, "Mmmmmm," she purred.

"Leaves, leaves, leaves. Leaves, leaves, leaves," Paige sang happily. She was in her element. She rolled and twirled, side to side, back and forth, bunching up handfuls in the process and releasing them into the air. Their descent enthralled her, instigating the iconic grin much like Koro.

She jumped up and started to, in its truest definition, frolic. Meanwhile, Luca was trying his best to rake with the most unstable of contraptions.

She spun and bounced and leapt, releasing leaves in the air. Her rosy copper hair streamed like a metallic rivulet, repelling distorted light, attracting leaves as they stuck out from her hair.

As he spotted her making a leaf angel, he felt the drawing and pulling urge to join her.

"Ooo, Luca," going up with the last syllable. "It's a wormy worm, and it's wiggling," her eyes shone brighter than spheres of burning gas. She held it right between her eyes, they focused till they eventually crossed.

"Leave it Paige. Worms don't like the sun."

"Why?"

"Because they're sensitive to light."

"Why?"

"That's just how they are. Any more questions?"

"Nope. Did you know that worms have five hearts?!"

"For real? That's so cool! Wait you knew that, but you didn't know they don't like the sun?" He found that weird.

She freed the creature, covering it in the dirt.

"Luca, do you know where Dr. Megan is?"

Before he could answer she called out loud, "Dr. Megan, Dr. Megan, Megan."

"Paige, Paige she's not here."

"What is it? What's the problem, I'm here, I could help, just tell me."