~ Maya & Ashley ~

From Storms Come Rainbows

These two girls, Holly thought, are trouble.

"What are we, if we don't help those that need it?"

And my sister, Holly thought, is hopeless.

"No better than those oh-so-superior Rosanthians or those addlepated Pyrians, I say. Well this isn't Rosanth and this isn't Pyre, thank the spirits, this is good old Targe and I say we're helping them, and I'll spit on you if you call me a fool, Holly Young."

"I'm not going to call you a fool," said Holly. She smoothed the front of her dress and looked out the window again, at the two girls waiting outside. The little one was standing patiently, her hands clasped together in front of her, while the other one paced like a caged animal. "I'm just saying that these girls look ... they look—"

"They look like a couple of lost girls who've run into a bit of trouble—"

"Exactly, I didn't want to say it but yes, 'trouble', exactly, Patricia, thank you. Trouble. They've come from trouble and they're headed for trouble, and trouble'll come following behind them, no doubt."

"Oh, you're a hard woman, Holly Young. You're a hard, suspicious woman. How old do you think those two are? Barely out of their childhood, I'd say the younger one's not seen a single red moon—"

"Really Patricia, you are quite oddly vulgar at times—"

"—and if they've seen trouble I'm quite sure it wasn't their fault—"

"Hah! You," said Holly, pointing an accusing finger at her sister, "have been reading too many fanciful story books. Did you see that th—the older one's hands? She's been in more fights than we've had arguments, those kind of calluses don't come from digging ditches, let me tell you. And maybe I'll be cursed for saying it but that little one's got the hands of a thief, I don't mean to judge but you can't trust an innocent face—"

"You sound like Father!"

"Well perhaps somebody has to," said Holly. "Seeing as he's not around to knock sense into that thick skull of yours no longer."

"Humph." Patricia crossed her arms and turned to face away from her sister. "I think that was particularly crass even for you." She glanced back. "Why are we here, if not to help those who need it?"

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"To get by! To survive!" Holly held her hands up for her sister to see. "Now THESE are the calluses that come from digging all day! I for one did NOT spend last winter tearing the skin off my hands hacking through that frozen soil out there just for our turnips to be eaten by a couple of straggly strays—"

"They are human beings, Holly, please do not make them sound like animals—"

"That's how you have to treat them! Animals! Acting on instinct! Maybe you can't blame a dog for eating your dinner but you can sure as heaven give him a bloody good kick up the backside for it!"

"Holly. Really."

"Or better yet stop the blasted animal from getting near your dinner in the first place—"

"I don't care what you say. They're sharing our supper and staying the night and—"

"They most certainly are NOT!"

"Holly Young—"

"Patricia Young—"

"Do not oppose me!" both sisters said at once, scowling at each other, their resemblance to one another, often easily missed, in that moment quite remarkable.

Outside, in the cold air of the early Targan spring, another pair of sisters (whose resemblance to one another could also be easily missed) tried not to shiver.

"They're gonna just tell us to bugger off," said the taller, broader, older one, scowling and shaking her head as she paced up and down in front of the farmhouse. She clenched and unclenched her fists, wincing at the pain this caused. "The way that one looked at us—"

"I think they will let us stay," said the smaller, quieter, younger one, as she stood quite still (aside from the shivering). "I think they're kind."

"You're a dreamer," said the older one, whose name was Ashley, before reaching out to flick her sister's ear fondly.

"Ow, Ash! Don't!"

"That didn't hurt," Ashley stated. "Take it as a fact."

"That wasn't a fact!" cried the younger one, whose name was Maya. "Because it DID hurt! And facts can't be about that kind of stuff, Ash, don't be mean to me! I don't—"

Maya's expression softened as she saw Ashley suddenly grimace.

"Get away, get away, it's nothing," Ashley muttered as Maya came instantly to her side, her delicate hands hovering inches away from her sister's wound, unable to help but equally unable to stand not doing anything. "It just hurt for a moment, it's fine now."

"We've got to get it bandaged up better, if you keep bleeding—"

"I've had worse before," said Ashley, before grinning at her sister. "Besides, you know how tough I am."

Maya frowned. "I know," she said, her voice small. She reluctantly stepped back from her sister, still frowning. "But even though I know that, I still think you shouldn't have—"

"Look, it's done now, okay? We got out of it alive, that's all that matters."

"But—"

"That's ALL that matters, okay Maya?"

Maya looked at her sister, her large brown eyes even sadder than usual. She didn't say anything, just shook her head and turned away, looking back at the door, willing it to open, for the two nice ladies to be standing there with smiles on their faces, welcoming them inside. If that happened, Maya thought, if that could just happen, if that one good thing could just happen to us here and now, maybe I could forget. Even just a little, maybe I could forget.