Summer...

Many apologies for not posting in so long- summers typically mean less time to spend on the internet. As soon as I get a couple of spare hours, I will be sure to get on here and give you, my avid readers (ha), another story!

The Stars: Part 2: When It Rains

Lilah and Sam were hard at work rubbing salve on wounds and wrapping cuts when their parents arrived back from market. Sam had just begun to attempt a splint for the girl's leg when the door flew open and two laughing faces filled the room. Their smiles instantly turned to looks of shock and surprise. Da was the first to recover.

"Sam? De? What's this? ..Who is this? Why is she here?"

"Sam! What happened to her!?" said Mum.

Lilah and Sam exchanged glances. Lilah raised her eyebrows expectantly and Sam sighed.

"Mum, Da, I found her in the forest. She had been beaten- I don't know who or how, but she looked a hundred times worse than this when I found her. I had to help her. I got Delilah to help me because...her leg is broken, and I couldn't carry her and brace her leg at the same time. She really had nothing to do with this." Same looked out the corner of his eye at Lilah, who was smirking, satisfied.

Mum ran to the table and began looking the girl over. "De, get me the witch hazel. It's under the counter. Hurry. Sam, could you boil some water? Stoke up the fire. This poor girl..." Her voice trailed off when she turned her gaze on her husband.

"Da?" Sam asked hesitantly.

"Sam...do you even know who this is? Do you know anything about her? Coral...remember the posters we saw in town?"

Mum nodded. "That's why we have to help her."

Da hung his head. "This girl is wanted, Sam. There are posters hanging all over town offering thousands if anyone finds her. Apparently she escaped from the prison where she was being held. There was no name on the poster, and no mention of what she had done, but it did make one thing clear: she is not to be trusted. She's dangerous!"

"Kurt, you don't really believe that, do you? The officials would only want someone who is a threat to the King. And, in my opinion, anyone who is trying to pull the King down is my friend. Kurt, help me."

Thirty minutes later, every wound was bandaged and the girl's broken leg was in a sturdy splint. She had developed a fever, however, and there was a constantly wet and cool cloth on her forehead. Coral kept a constant vigilance over her, waiting for signs of consciousness. The whole family was curious as to who the girl was, what she had done, and why she was so beaten and bruised.

After an hour, it started raining hard. Sam and Kurt headed out to the field to check on the livestock and start unloading the market goods. The girl had been moved into a bedroom, and Delilah and Coral sat around her. Coral, on an impulse, pulled one of the girl's eyelids open, gasped, and let go.

"What is it, Mum?"

"Her eyes. They're...they were purple."

"Were?"

"They're clouded over now. You can still see the color, but she's...she's completely blind. At least in that eye." Coral did the same thing to the other eye. "She's mostly blind in that eye. I would be surprised if she could see any concrete things at all. The poor girl. What on earth happened to her?"

Delilah dropped her head into her hands. "Maybe we should have left her in the forest, right where Sam found her."
"Nonsense. She needs help. She's innocent, I know it."
"Mum...why do you think Sam picked her up in the first place? Do you really think it was because she had blood on her face?"

"Yes, I do. Sam is a sweet boy. He would never leave someone in need out in the cold."

"You're wrong, Mum. Maybe not completely wrong. He did want to help her. But the real reason he stopped at all, instead of assuming she was dead and moving on, was her beauty. She's beautiful, Mum. Too beautiful to be from around here."

The Stars: Part 1

"Lilah, please. I'm asking you as a brother. Help me."

"Sam...I..."
"Delilah. Please."

"Fine, but don't call me Lilah, got it?"

Sam nodded. "Just help me pick her up. Grab her leg. It looks bad..."

Together the siblings picked up the sprawling form of the girl on the ground. Her leg was at an odd angle, and blood covered her face and was splotched on her light blue dress. Her black hair was a mess; it looked as if it had been in a loose ponytail but had been pulled out roughly. Her head lolled to one side, her breaths coming in shallow gasps, rattling in her chest. Sam leaned down and picked her up carefully, with Lilah holding her broken leg. They carried her carefully to the small cottage, which seemed like along distance to carry the girl, even though she was small. Sam could tell by carrying her that she was strong; her muscles were hard even though she was unconscious.

Lilah and Sam walked into the cottage slowly, checking for their parents first. When they walked in, Sam headed for the long dining table in the middle of the kitchen, but Lilah protested.

"Sam! What will mum and Da say? We can't put her there."

"De...just think about what we just did. This girl needs help. Mum and Da will see that. They won't want to come home and find her on the floor! Besides, we need to set her leg, and the table is the best place to do that. Come on."
Reluctantly, Lilah followed Sam to the table and helped him set the girl down as carefully as possible. The girl's head rolled a little bit when she hit the table. She remained unconscious. Sam stared at her intently.

"I wonder who she is."

"Or why she's covered in blood. Sam, what if she's an outlaw? What if she...ran away from prison? What if she was running from the law?"

"If she was running, it looks like someone caught up with her. If it was the law, they would have taken her back with them. Whoever did this to her obviously wanted her dead, or they wouldn't have left her in the middle of nowhere."

Lilah shut her mouth, swallowing her own theories. Sam made sense sometimes.

"Lilah..."

"I told you not to call me that."

"So sorry. Delilah. Could you...would you give her a bath?"

Lilah stared at Sam. "Are you serious? Sam, I don't know who she is. I don't owe her anything. I don't want to touch her. I only agreed to this because she doesn't deserve to die out in the middle of nowhere. Doesn't mean I want anything to do with her. Alright?"

"Please."

"You already tried that."

"You...are impossible. I don't want to give her a bath. I can't."

"Oh? Is that so?"

"Lilah!"

"Fine. But I'm not doing anything unless you agree to take full responsibility when Mum and Da get back with the supplies."
"Agreed."