Page 74 of Upon Buried Embers
The clan is silent, and I itch to touch my neck, but resist.
“Now, enjoy the rest of the feast,” Rohan says, when no one speaks. “Night is falling, and we need to head to the lake.”
Everyone continues to eat, some going up to Rohan and walking with him, even the children around here go up to speak to him.
“Hiwa,” A small voice comes from in front of me, and I smile at Melle.
“Hi, Melle.”
“I has bwed.” She shows me the bread in her tiny hand.
“Wow, that looks like the best piece of bread there ever was.”
“It is!” she giggles, taking a bite and chewing with her mouth open.
I smile softly at her. The roundness of her cheeks and the cute braids in her hair. How adorable she is.
“Melle!” Nora shouts, and I look to see her coming this way, Darcia following.
“Go now to your mother, Melle.”
“Buts you hav no bwed.”
“That’s okay, I’m not hungry.” My stomach rumbles as if on cue.
“Your tummy says you are.” She points at it with her little finger. “Mama says no one shud go hungwy.” She hands the bread to me, as her mother gets closer.
“It’s really okay, Melle. Go on to your mother, now.”
“You don’t want my bwed?” Tears glisten in her eyes.
“No, no,” I rush out. “That’s not what—”
She lets out a loud cry, and my eyes widen in shock.
“Melle, okay, I’ll take the bread. It’s okay—”
Thwack.
My head snaps to the side, my cheek burning.
“What did you do to my daughter?!” Nora’s angry voice hits me, and I bring a hand up to my cheek.
“I’m sorry, I—”
She grabs my hair, shaking me and I cry out. “I will rip your insides out!”
I see others gather around, shouting and screaming at me as Melle cries out.
“Mama,” Melle wails in front of us, grabbing her mother’s pants.
Someone shoves me, and another tries to grab me.
Nora gets in my face and grabs my hair. “I will kill—”
“Enough!” Rohan booms, suddenly there, shoving others aside. “Let her go, Nora.”
“But—”
