Post by Allison Kazim on Jan 1, 2020 15:03:34 GMT -8
“Finally,” Allison stopped to take a breath, a smile spreading across her face as she sat back down, adjusting her coat and the small bag of packages tucked under her arm. It was another reminder of how her time at Cabal had become more than she thought it would ever be. It was worth the hours of hunting to find the perfect gifts, but she had, eventually finding a snow globe that changed the pattern of snowfall depending on the mana a person channeled into it, depicting their home and part of the scenery she knew her family loved most.
She strolled the familiar streets a little slower than she normally would., waving to familiar faces as they greeted her before going about their shopping. Singing drifted into the streets from shops and small groups of shoppers, the glow of enchanted crystals illuminating the pavement, sparkling and mimicking the appearance of snow falling. The side street that lead to the more run down apartments was quiet in comparison, lights in the windows were sparse and more subdued. A small cloud of steam filled the air as she let out a small chuckle at the sight of her family's apartment, sticking to the right side on the warped third step that creaked for the millionth time at being used and skipping over the broken fifth step with a longer stride.
“Mom, Dad, I'm home.” Her parents stood in the center of the small apartment, murmuring to one another as they turned to face her.
“Allison.” Heaving a heavy sigh, he waved her in and shut the door behind her. “Come in, sweetheart. Sorry for the mess.” There were tight lines around his lips, a stiffness to his movements where he normally smiled and filled the room with laughter. There was an erratic rush to her mother's movements as well, hair disheveled and clothing askance where they normally were worn thin but well maintained.
It was too quiet.
“Where's Mae?” She looked around for some sign of her sister other than the patchwork creature she treasured.
“Missing.” Time stopped. Her mother's sob was like a muffled cry underwater. The bag of packages fell to the floor, glass crunching. “Your mother's been here in case she comes back, but I've been out looking for her.”
“When?” She strode through the doorway before her father could finish explaining, the air suddenly carrying a chill that cut through her bones.
“This afternoon. We've been checking the city, but no one's seen her..” She didn't feel the ground beneath her as she jumped most of the stairs. A sudden tightness wrapped around her waist as her father grabbed Ali by her wrist, holding her from bolting into the masses half cocked.
“We've asked for help. If you want to join us, take the east side. I'll check with the upper city.” She jerked her hand away with a nod, forcing herself to breathe, to focus.
“I'll meet you back here in an hour.”
The sun crawled across the sky as Ali scoured the streets, stopping every time at the sounds of bright laughter and high pitched voices full of joy and excitement, but not the one she needed. There was nothing. No scrap of cloth, hair, witness, or anything that might suggest her baby sister was hiding somewhere in the throng of people.
“Mae?” Her voice was swallowed up in the sound of singing, choked out by the joyful greetings of friends and family.
Where was she?
The crowds thinned as the sun began to set, soft purple bleeding through the blue sky as the stars began to flicker. No moon shone to help her as she took another deep breath, eyes stinging as she pushed to expand the search outside the city.
'She has to be somewhere.' Shadows moved in the deepening dusk, too small to be a person. 'Please let me find her.'
Checking with her father and neighbors gave them no news of the little girl that normally roamed the streets with her friends. Ali's chest tightened as she took a left off the main road, a sudden decision to search the markets one last time before returning home. Maybe, just maybe, with fewer people there, there'd be a sign. Only a few shops remained open, working on closing and going home, but in the darkness was a faint glow that was too low to be a light or goods unless they were broken. A small sneeze echoed, freezing the battle mage in her tracks.
“Mae?” The glow flickered and died. By the time she reached the area, all she could see was a small scrap of cloth and a mop of dark hair with a faint flickering light that kept fizzling out. It had to be her.
“There you are.” Breathing in relief as Mae looked up at her, Ali dropped to one knee at the sight of a familiar face. Her heart hammered against her chest so hard that it hurt, her ears ringing as she wrapped her sister in a tight embrace, resisting the urge to yell at the child or cry in front of her.
Wrapping her scarf around the girl, Ali wrapped a hand around her sister's shoulder, the family reuniting in the light the poured through the open doorway.
“Where have you been?” Her mother demanded, openly weeping and not letting anyone else touch the girl she'd struggled to bring into the world.
“I needed a present for Ali,” came the muffled explanation through sniffled and smothering celebration. A small silver was presented to Ali as her sister looked up sheepishly.
“But you already had something in mind. What made you leave like that on your own?”
“It wasn't the right one.” She shook her head, stubbornly. Her mother let out an exasperated sigh.
“Well, you're home. But we are going ot have a talk about leaving on your own like that. Never do it again, do you hear me?”
Ali looked down at the tiny bell, a faint ringing still in her ears as she took in the fine details that her family wouldn't normally be able to afford. There was something about it, a sense of enchantment that made it seem a little brighter, a little more than just a bell.
“Thank you, Mae.” She smiled and crouched next to the girl, showing the bell to their parents as well. “I love it. Just promise net time to take someone with you, okay? And make sure to thank the merchant who enchanted it for you.” Mae shook her head, pushing away from her mother with her cheeks still damp from tears.
“They didn't do it. I did.”
Everyone fell silent explanation, processing what she said. Finally, Ali smiled and shook her head, ruffling Mae's hair.
“You're really something, you know that? But let's go get some sleep.” There was little to do but let her parents take over the situation while she tried to fix what had been broken, but it was enough. They would be watched over soon. Hopefully this wasn't something that would happen again.
“And no peeking at the packages!”
____________________________________________
She strolled the familiar streets a little slower than she normally would., waving to familiar faces as they greeted her before going about their shopping. Singing drifted into the streets from shops and small groups of shoppers, the glow of enchanted crystals illuminating the pavement, sparkling and mimicking the appearance of snow falling. The side street that lead to the more run down apartments was quiet in comparison, lights in the windows were sparse and more subdued. A small cloud of steam filled the air as she let out a small chuckle at the sight of her family's apartment, sticking to the right side on the warped third step that creaked for the millionth time at being used and skipping over the broken fifth step with a longer stride.
“Mom, Dad, I'm home.” Her parents stood in the center of the small apartment, murmuring to one another as they turned to face her.
“Allison.” Heaving a heavy sigh, he waved her in and shut the door behind her. “Come in, sweetheart. Sorry for the mess.” There were tight lines around his lips, a stiffness to his movements where he normally smiled and filled the room with laughter. There was an erratic rush to her mother's movements as well, hair disheveled and clothing askance where they normally were worn thin but well maintained.
It was too quiet.
“Where's Mae?” She looked around for some sign of her sister other than the patchwork creature she treasured.
“Missing.” Time stopped. Her mother's sob was like a muffled cry underwater. The bag of packages fell to the floor, glass crunching. “Your mother's been here in case she comes back, but I've been out looking for her.”
“When?” She strode through the doorway before her father could finish explaining, the air suddenly carrying a chill that cut through her bones.
“This afternoon. We've been checking the city, but no one's seen her..” She didn't feel the ground beneath her as she jumped most of the stairs. A sudden tightness wrapped around her waist as her father grabbed Ali by her wrist, holding her from bolting into the masses half cocked.
“We've asked for help. If you want to join us, take the east side. I'll check with the upper city.” She jerked her hand away with a nod, forcing herself to breathe, to focus.
“I'll meet you back here in an hour.”
The sun crawled across the sky as Ali scoured the streets, stopping every time at the sounds of bright laughter and high pitched voices full of joy and excitement, but not the one she needed. There was nothing. No scrap of cloth, hair, witness, or anything that might suggest her baby sister was hiding somewhere in the throng of people.
“Mae?” Her voice was swallowed up in the sound of singing, choked out by the joyful greetings of friends and family.
Where was she?
The crowds thinned as the sun began to set, soft purple bleeding through the blue sky as the stars began to flicker. No moon shone to help her as she took another deep breath, eyes stinging as she pushed to expand the search outside the city.
'She has to be somewhere.' Shadows moved in the deepening dusk, too small to be a person. 'Please let me find her.'
Checking with her father and neighbors gave them no news of the little girl that normally roamed the streets with her friends. Ali's chest tightened as she took a left off the main road, a sudden decision to search the markets one last time before returning home. Maybe, just maybe, with fewer people there, there'd be a sign. Only a few shops remained open, working on closing and going home, but in the darkness was a faint glow that was too low to be a light or goods unless they were broken. A small sneeze echoed, freezing the battle mage in her tracks.
“Mae?” The glow flickered and died. By the time she reached the area, all she could see was a small scrap of cloth and a mop of dark hair with a faint flickering light that kept fizzling out. It had to be her.
“There you are.” Breathing in relief as Mae looked up at her, Ali dropped to one knee at the sight of a familiar face. Her heart hammered against her chest so hard that it hurt, her ears ringing as she wrapped her sister in a tight embrace, resisting the urge to yell at the child or cry in front of her.
Wrapping her scarf around the girl, Ali wrapped a hand around her sister's shoulder, the family reuniting in the light the poured through the open doorway.
“Where have you been?” Her mother demanded, openly weeping and not letting anyone else touch the girl she'd struggled to bring into the world.
“I needed a present for Ali,” came the muffled explanation through sniffled and smothering celebration. A small silver was presented to Ali as her sister looked up sheepishly.
“But you already had something in mind. What made you leave like that on your own?”
“It wasn't the right one.” She shook her head, stubbornly. Her mother let out an exasperated sigh.
“Well, you're home. But we are going ot have a talk about leaving on your own like that. Never do it again, do you hear me?”
Ali looked down at the tiny bell, a faint ringing still in her ears as she took in the fine details that her family wouldn't normally be able to afford. There was something about it, a sense of enchantment that made it seem a little brighter, a little more than just a bell.
“Thank you, Mae.” She smiled and crouched next to the girl, showing the bell to their parents as well. “I love it. Just promise net time to take someone with you, okay? And make sure to thank the merchant who enchanted it for you.” Mae shook her head, pushing away from her mother with her cheeks still damp from tears.
“They didn't do it. I did.”
Everyone fell silent explanation, processing what she said. Finally, Ali smiled and shook her head, ruffling Mae's hair.
“You're really something, you know that? But let's go get some sleep.” There was little to do but let her parents take over the situation while she tried to fix what had been broken, but it was enough. They would be watched over soon. Hopefully this wasn't something that would happen again.
“And no peeking at the packages!”
____________________________________________
Assignment of Christmas: Write an event where your character either saves the holidays, or ruins it. Whatever definition that is for you. 250 word minimum. 1,000 word maximum. Tag @kek in the discord server when ready for judging. Must be done before 01/03/01
Word Count: 1189
