Page 129 of The Outsider
My heart squeezed at the sincerity in her voice.
“But it must’ve cost a small fortune,” she continued, a little guiltily. “With the wedding clothes, too…”
She wasn’t wrong; it hadn’t come cheap. But I also had more PNCs than I’d use in a lifetime, so it evened out in my mind. I’d also never had anyone I wanted to spoil before her. It didn’t help that she was so obviously delighted every time I did.
“Don’t worry,” I said, kissing her forehead. “We’re doing fine. But if it makes you feel better, I can crack the whip extra hard come harvest season—make you really work for it.”
She laughed. “Alright. Do your worst.”
The spring festival that afternoon was like I remembered, other than a few new vendors. The Post was decked out with more stalls and tents than usual, selling everything from essentials like food and weapons to random Old World trinkets that were good for nothing but satisfying people’s curiosity.
“Ride with me today, Ash,” Claire had said happily to Asha before we left, offering her a hand from Poppy’s back.
With her blue velvet cloak, her red hair half-up, and her skin shining in the sunlight, she looked like a faerie, as my grandmother would’ve said. On horseback, she was even more striking than usual, and something about it pulled on my heartstrings. She lookedright.Confident. Like she belonged there.
Asha had hesitated, staring at her hand for a minute before slowly taking it. To my surprise, she actually smiled a little at Claire as she climbed onto Poppy’s back. It didn’t make me like her any more than before, but for Claire’s sake, I was glad. I wanted her to have her old friend back…even if that friend still hated my guts.
It seemed like everything had burst into bloom overnight. The grass was green; flowers had popped up everywhere; and sunshine beamed down on us as we left Ghost, Bella, and Poppy at the stable. I walked around with Claire, letting her explore. I’d brought some strawberries to trade in my bag, since they’d just ripened.
“Such a nice day,” Claire said as the four of us walked down the busy street. “Look, John. A bluebird.”
She pointed at the streak of blue that flew by and landed on a nearby tree. I couldn’t help smiling. I touched the small bluebird charm at my belt.
“I always think of you when I see one,” I replied, putting my arm around her shoulders as we walked. “Granny said that they were a symbol of hope. Seems fitting.”
Claire flushed a little, and I kissed the top of her head.
“Get a room,” Kimmy said from just behind us, and Claire laughed. “I don’t like this side of my brother you’ve brought out, Claire. It’s harder to mock him when he’s sweet to you.”
“I’m sure you’ll find a way,” I replied, rolling my eyes.
As usual, Asha was quiet and unimpressed.
We stopped at a flower stand, where Kimmy admired the azaleas and traded for seeds to plant in the flower garden. Claire stopped by one of the Old World trinket stalls because they had a tiny selection of books. I traded for a couple, to add to our ever-growing stacks in the storage shed at Summerhurst.
Further down the street, a three-piece band was playing music, and a small crowd of people were gathered, listening and dancing. Claire’s eyes lit up.
“Come dance with me,” she said, tugging on my hand, and I chuckled.
“Not a chance. Too many people.”
“You’ll be fine,” she insisted. “Please?”
I kissed her. “I’d rather watch you, baby.”
She pretended to pout, but then smiled and went to dance in the centre of the crowd.
“It’s been a long time since I danced,” Asha said to Kimmy, holding out her hand. “Let’s do it.”
I stared at her in total surprise. Kimmy obviously felt the same, but she brushed past it quickly, giving her a sweet look that even I felt. “Thanks, Ash.”
She took Asha’s hand and they went to the centre of the crowd where Claire was, the three of them dancing together to a bouncy jig. I tapped my foot to the music, watching them dance and laugh together. It was a nice image. I liked seeing Kimmy happy; she’d been a bit mopey lately with Asha gone so much.
A large group passed in front of me to join the dancing crowd, and as they meshed with the others, I lost sight of my family. A minute later, Claire and Kimmy were still there, but Asha was gone. They didn’t seem to have noticed because the crowd now took up most of the street. I looked around, trying to spot her, but it was hard to see past the mass of bodies. After a minute or two, I weaved towards Kimmy to tap her on the shoulder.
“Where’s Asha?” I said loudly.
Alarm flashed across her face. “I don’t know.”
