Luminous

38 - Marin's Secret

"Mistral! Just pick one braid and get it over with, will you? I haven't got until Miracle Fest!"

Overall, it was an ordinary day in the Hild House. Except for today, Mistral was doing up Meya's hair instead of Morel. As a result, Meya's daily morning whining was more melodramatic than usual. She bobbed and jerked her head to the rhythm of her rant, which only slowed Mistral down.

Mum sighed over the acorns she was pounding with her pestle.

"Meya, the fields are only a little way away. A quarter hour won't make much of a difference."

"And Meya is also only a little way away from lynching." Meya spun around and sniped at Mum. Mistral combed out the ruined braid and redid it from the top. Luckily, Meya was too busy giving Mum a piece of her mind to notice, "Beautiful hair won't make much of a difference. If at all. So, remind me again who this is for?"

Meya glared upside-down at Mistral, who was working too feverishly to respond. Mum was losing her temper fast, so Marin hastily pitched in,

"Let Misty have some fun, Meya. Your hair is rich and strong. And it's such a rare color."

Meya's glare changed target to Marin. For someone so impatient and impulsive, her eyes were paradoxically cold. Marin barely had time to prepare for the barrage of acid her middle sister usually reserved for her, before the girl let loose.

"So I should lend me head as her practice loom? Me time is gold. And what's under me hair is how I mine it. Will you decide on one already, Mistral?!"

Mistral jolted and dropped her attempt at the elaborate lace braid. Poor girl was on the verge of tears. Mum abandoned her pestle, her well of patience drying,

"Meya, workday or rest day, you're scarcely in this house. Would it kill you to play with your sister for a quarter hour?"

Meya sneered at Mum,

"Because that's me job. Feeding all your pretty mouths. And this is your job. Braiding each other's hair and matchmaking the May Queen."

Meya snatched her lunch and straw hat then sprang up. Mum bolted to her feet.

"You will not talk to me like this!" Meya ignored her and strode pointedly to the door. Mum stormed out from behind her pile of acorns, "Don't you walk away from me, Maelaith Hild! Get back here this instant! Meya!"

The door slammed shut. Mum stood panting, red in the face, her chest heaving. Mistral dashed in and clung to her dress. Mum draped an arm around her.

"Does she know she's the reason we can't work?" said Morel, who'd been silently cracking acorns for Mum.

"Morel," Mum growled in warning.

"You know it's true, Mum!" Morel sprang to her feet, "We're all carrying Greeneye blood! We're dirt poor! Who'd want to marry us if we weren't the prettiest we could be? Why d'you even marry Dad, anyway?"

Marin's heart skipped several beats. Mistral clutched Mum's leg tighter. Mum raised a trembling finger,

"Morelia Hild, you stop right there, or Freda help me I will beat your calves raw!" Mum snarled. Morel flinched, eyes wide in fright and guilt. "There are Greeneyes on my side as well. There are Greeneyes in every family in Latakia!"

A suffocating silence fell. Morel stood frozen, unblinking, breathing gingerly as she watched Mum. Marin got up and went over to her, laying comforting hands on her shivering arms.

Mum calmed herself with a long, slow, silent sigh.

"You're not working outside not because Dad's afraid the sun will steal your beauty. And what we do here isn't any less important than the work Meya and the boys do in the fields." Mum glanced at each of her daughters in turn,