Bia

Trevor drove me home, his car winding through the tree-lined streets until we came to an abrupt stop in front of my house. We were both still shaken up from the fortune teller. The child.

I got out quickly, thanking him for the nice day and for getting me out of detention. He said he’d see me on Monday, but I doubted that. As long as I had gym class I wouldn’t be at school. I didn’t need any more torture than I already had.

I finally allowed myself to relax when I was inside my house, on the tattered couch with a bag of Doritos next to me, the TV on.

One of my cats, Doris, meowed loudly to let me know she was going to join me. Then she settled herself in my lap.

I flipped through the channels, hoping for a soap opera or something equally cheesy that would take my mind off of the little girl’s predictions. No such luck. All that was on was the news… and they had a huge story.

“...where gunshots rang out into the crowd. Onlookers spotted a teenage girl with a gun, but she disappeared after a dog came out of nowhere. No one was injured in the attack and there's been no word on whether or not the fair will be running while investigators piece together what happened.”

I stared blankly at the fair I’d left only an hour ago, at the pale faces in the crowd and scattered bags on the ground. Gunshots. A girl. Maybe she was one of those Protectors?

“Get some sleep,” I told myself. “Your brain is running on empty.”

Shoving Doris off of me, I heaved myself off the couch and trudged upstairs to my bedroom. My tired body flopped easily into bed and I didn’t bother removing my tight skinny jeans or clingy tank top before crawling under the blankets.

Mom would wake me up at some point, after she came home, so I’d get undressed then. Right now, however, I needed to free my mind of being awake. I needed dreams.

“Calyx!”

A small yet powerful voice rang through my mind as if someone was in the room with me. I darted out of bed only to see I was alone, and the clock told me I had been asleep for a good two hours.

“I must’ve dreamed it,” I frowned, leaning back into my pillow.

Just as my eyes were about to close, I heard the same voice calling the same name. This time I was sure it wasn’t a dream.

With a heavy sigh I made my way out into the street to see if anyone was lost or angry at Calyx Baker. Though, the small voice didn’t seem angry. More like… terrified.

“Calyx...”

This time the voice was a low whimper and it didn’t seem to be in my head as it was before. The voice was coming from the end of the street.

I broke out into a run, moving faster than any gym teacher had managed to get out of me, and propelled myself to the corner of our street.

“You’re not Calyx.” A short figure stepped out of the shadows and under the streetlight.
“Wait, Fable?” I stared at the girl from the gypsy fair, the one who’d cried.
She glared at me. “I wanted Calyx. But I guess you’ll do.”

I reached my hand out to her, as if she was a puppy. She grabbed it furiously and pulled herself towards me, hugging me tightly. That’s when I noticed a small patched bag slung over her shoulder.

“Did you run away?” I asked her.
She looked up at me. “Yes, well… I had to. The guns and all the people… and someone knocked over my tent… but I knew Calyx would take me in. She has a nice home.”
“What about me?” I prodded.
“Your home sucks.” She started walking down my street and I followed.
“Thanks for the blatant honesty,” I commented.

Fable pushed her bag into my arms.
“Can you carry this please?” she asked.

I was wary. “Why?”
“Because it’s heavy and it hurts my back,” she mumbled.
I weighed it in my hands. “What’s in here?”
“Everything. I didn’t know what I’d need, so I brought it all. I would’ve left a note for Momma… but she can’t even read. That’s why I left. I don’t want that life. I don’t want to grow up to be her. I want more than that,” Fable explained.

I understood her completely. She needn’t say any more than what she’d already said.

For a nine year old, Fable was quite tiny. She had the body of a six or seven year old, I’d guess. Knowing this, I picked her up in my arms and carried her exhausted body down the rest of the street.

She nestled into my chest, resting her head on my shoulder.
“We’re going to Calyx’s house, right?” she said sleepily.

“In the morning,” I soothed. “You can sleep in my bed tonight and in the morning we’ll pay Calyx a visit.”

This weekend, I had done more socializing than practically any other day in my history. Oddly enough though, I didn’t regret it. For once I had someone that needed me and I could do my best to get her what she wanted.

It only happened that she wanted Calyx. Of course. But I mustn’t be bitter. If Calyx and I knew the same girl, then maybe we could do more together. Maybe I’d finally see inside that glass castle of hers.