The Copperhead's Choice

Chapter 48

"This way." He leads her back to the dinging room, then resumes his place next to the door.

"Good." She nods. Before she opens the door, she looks at him. "What's your job."

"Dishes."

"Oh." She enters the room and tosses the avocado pit at Daniels head. Water Trickle, the one across from Daniel, ducks when he hears the THONK!

"Yowch!" he covers his head.

"Hmm." She goes back to her uncle Frosts seat. "Keep it."

"Why? You threw it at me!"

"You deserve it. I'll get David later. I trust him to stay still longer."

"Can we not talk about this now... Please?" David makes sure his brother is fine before turning to look at Ebony.

"We can talk about it whenever I want to."

"Not at the table, Ebony." Fern sneaks a piece of Ebony's avocado.

"You're not my mom." Silence. Everyone looks at her. She shrugs.

"Wow." Fern makes a face at it.

"It's a little bit... Salty. Isn't it?" Ebony smiles wickedly. "Isn't it?"

"How much salt did you put in that?"

"More than an average fairy should be able to stand. You might want to have a drink. Of water or... whatever it is you drink."

"Let me try it!"

"No let me try it!" Creek and Plain turn on each other, growling.

"you can all try." She grabs a few pieces than watches them pass the bowl around. Watching all of her uncles and her fathers faces turn to disgust. "Hehe! I love you!"

"Yeah."

"We just found that out."

"Why would you eat it like that?"

"You poisoned it!"

"No, it's not good like that."

"ugh." Midnight pushes the bowl away from himself and across to Crimson. "Try that."

"No! I saw your reactions. So obviously it's gross and I'm not going to eat it!"

"No, Try it!"

"I don't want to." He shakes his head.

"Tyr it!"

"Why won't you try it?"

"Because I don't want to."

"It's not all that bad, dad. YOU might even like it."

"Fiiiii.... I still don't want to."

"Just try it!"

"Yeah! Try it!"

"eat it!"

"Just try it!"

"Come on, a tini little bit!"

"Try it!"

"Okay fine. But just know. I'm doing this for you. No. other. Reason."

"Good!"

"here, have a small piece."

"Thanks." He looks around at everyone, skipping David and Daniel, before putting it in his mouth. Unlike his siblings, he doesn't make a disgusted face. "You know... it's not that bad. I actually... kind of like it." He takes another piece.

"Hey! That's mine! Go get your own." He smacks his hand softly when he reaches for more.

"Why would I do that?"

"Cause this is mine!" she hisses at him. "And you don't want to eat to much at one time, otherwise you will not sleep. I speak from experience." David smiles at he, until she looks at him. Then leaves it.

"What?" he shrugs. "I'm very good at staying still and covering my head, aren't I?"

"Yes. Very talented. Enough for me to... keep you."

"gee, thanks."

"your welcome. Pumbaa."

"Are you calling me fat?"

"No. I'm calling you greedy."

"Fair enough."

"Man, now I don't want to hurt you." She says, looking at the avocado, then handing it to Crimson.

"Yeah!" David claps.

"Don't push your luck."

"Okay."

"Hey Ebony." Midnight says.

"Yes, Father?"

"When do you have memory's like you did last night?"

"Only when I'm with you."

"how do you know this?"

"Because I haven't relived my past... like that at least, since I saw you last."

"And when was that?"

"Last night."

"really?"

"Yes."

"And before that?"

"Once or twice. But not like that." Then she thinks. "Now that I' actually using my brain a little bit."

"Ebony." David growls.

"What?" She shrugs and smiles sweetly at him. "Has Alette told you her story?"

"There's been a lot of now that I think about it, with you, my daughter." Midnight laughs. "I think she said that was it. Why?"

"Why are you asking us this?" Ash asks.

"And you didn't have anything erased from her mind?"

"I don't think we did." Crimson and Midnight look at each other and shrug.

"I..." Ash says quietly and guiltily.

"Ash, what did you do?"

"I..."

"You?" Midnight says.

"I... She..."

"She what?" Crimson asks. "Get on with it, Ash."

"She wanted it."

"Wanted what?"

"she wanted not to tell." He looks down at his hands.

"Not to tell? Not to tell what?"

"Dad Hold on. Uncle Ash. Was it about something the color say... green?" he looks up at her, then back down. "And something that moves, something that involves all sorts of precious things. That happened once a month, twice a month, my bad. And that had... day, a girl younger than her at one point, one that she hated with all of her might." She gets closer to him since he's conveniently sitting across from her almost, across the table, until she's right in his face. "Does any of that have to do with Alette? Or... these?" she fingers the glass heart on Ashes necklace. In the center of his charms with fragments of green something in it. Fragments of Alette's wings, which are now gone, besides what he's got in this glass heart.

"She..."

"She didn't want your siblings to know she was royalty, Eh? She didn't want any of us to know? Does she know that I DO know?"

"No..."

"Was she-"

"What's going on?"

"Nothing, Father." She says, glaring at Ash, staring into his gray eyes. "Does she even care about them? Does she even know?"

The door opens. Alette laughs out the door, then looks in. "Hey Ash! You wa...nna.... what's going on?"

"Hmm." Ebony lets go of the heart charm, letting it thump again him. He waits till she's out of his face before checking it to make sure it's not damaged. The door closes as Ebony sits down.