True Love's Kiss
Meggie struggled to keep her eyes open. She slowly lifted the fork to her mouth. Dustfinger stared at her from across the kitchen table, a troubled look on his face. Finally, he could not take it anymore. "Meggie, you need to sleep!"
Meggie shook her head. "Can't," she muttered, lifting another bite of food. She hadn't slept since she came to Roxane's farm to watch over Farid. It had been five days.
"Be reasonable, Meggie! You can afford to rest for a few hours."
"Can't," Meggie repeated. Then she dropped her voice and continued, "Something might happen." She stared at the table, tears gathering in her eyes.
Dustfinger saw the girl's pained look, and said sympathetically, "I'm sorry, okay. It's just, you can't help anyone if you're exhausted. And it's not healthy, either."
Meggie lifted her head to glare at Dustfinger, suddenly angry, her tears gone. She wondered absentmindedly if her lack of sleep was giving her mood swings. "Since when do you care?" she hissed.
"Since you're my best friend's daughter! Think of what Silverto — Mo — would say if he knew you weren't sleeping."
Meggie dropped her gaze again. That made her think straight. She knew Mo would not be happy. "Oh, alright. I'll rest a bit." She started to stand up.
Dustfinger looked pointedly at Meggie's plate of uneaten food, raising an eyebrow. "You need to eat, too."
"Okay, okay! Calm down! I'll eat and sleep! Happy?"
"No," Dustfinger muttered. He looked away, annoyed.
Meggie glared at her plate, stuffing food into her mouth. She was nearly finished when Roxane trudged into the room. Her expression was completely devoid of all hope and happiness.
Meggie jumped to her feet, her eyes widening in fear. "What happened!?"
Roxane shook her head sadly. "It's not good, Meggie. I don't think he's going to make it."
Meggie's eyes welled up again. "No," she whispered. She dashed out of the room, tears streaming down her face. The door banged against the wall when Meggie threw it open. She ran to Farid's side, her tears dropping onto his still face. Meggie laid one hand on his chest. "Farid?" she whispered.
No answer.
What did she expect? After all, Roxane said he was dying. Meggie bent down and pressed her lips against Farid's one last time. She whispered, "Goodbye, Farid." Unable to look at his blank any longer, Meggie ran from the room. With her face in her hands, Meggie passed Roxane and Dustfinger. They made no move to stop her.
Because Roxane and Dustfinger understood Meggie's pain. They had felt it before. Both had lived without the other for ten years. They understood.
Through her tears, Meggie watched the world fly past her as she rode her horse home. She would be safe there. Farid had never been there, so she would not be haunted by her memories.
When she arrived, Meggie blew past her parents, unable to speak. She dashed up the stairs, and collapsed onto her bed. She lay there all day, and into the night.
Sobbing.