move in the glimmering light.
Still they shouldn't have.
Her father cleared his throat. "Do you like it?"
Some of the light had already disappeared from her mother's eyes, Maya saw when she looked up. "I love it. But this must have cost a fortune."
Her parents exchanged a strained look and then her father turned back to her. "Don't worry about any of that, Maya."
She hung it around her neck and grinned. "Thank you so much."
She hugged her mother, startled as always at how frail she was. Her father hugged both of them.
"It is an old heirloom, passed down for generations in the family," he whispered into her hair.
From the corner of her eye, Maya saw Giles stare out the window, his eyes unfocused. Hurt still clung to him like a rain cloud.
She held out her left arm. "Look what Giles made me."
They both leaned closer to admire the work, her father whistling appreciatively. "I haven't seen work this fine outside the Ring. You would do well there, Giles."
Giles waved his hand through the air dismissively, beaming. "The cities are no place for normal people."
Maya studied the bracelet and necklace side by side. "With both of these to channel my powers, I'm sure I can make a difference."
Her father coughed, and sprayed Maya with the wine he had tried to swallow.
"I thought you agreed you would stop saying things like that," he said when he regained control of his breathing. "Claiming you have a gift is a dangerous thing. People don't understand that kind of talk."
"They'd understand living a better life and that's what I want to give them," Maya protested. "Honestly, Dad, I've never heard of a bad thing happen to anyone with a gift."
Her father poured himself more wine. "You never knew anyone with a gift, so you have no idea what you are talking about."
"You know someone with a gift?" Maya asked. "Who?"
Her parents exchanged another strained look, and her mother shook her head. Maya's father looked down at the table and continued anyway. "I went to the copse on the north side of town once to gather some firewood and found a dying woman there. In front of my very eyes, grass shot up from all around her, burying her from my sight."
"She could grow things? Like me?" Maya interrupted. "Where is she now?"
This woman had the same gift as Maya, and she could use it at will. She could teach Maya so much.
"She died. Our doctor couldn't heal her. She kept pleading with us all not to reveal to anyone what she could do, that they would kill her if they knew."
"Who's 'they'?" Maya asked, her heart beating furiously in her chest now.
"She never said. We assumed she spoke of the people of whatever town she was from. So you see, it's not safe to go around telling people you have a gift."
Maya glared at her father. His story was too fitting, the woman had a gift too much like her own. "I'm not a little girl anymore. You can't just tell me lies to scare me."
Her mother laid a hand on Maya's. "It's the truth."
Maya looked at Giles for some support, but he was turned away from them staring fixedly out the window. He turned to face them, his face pale and his eyes wide. "I can't believe it. You did it."
"Did what?" Maya asked.
"Come see," Giles said and pointed out the window. Maya walked up to him.
Tall, ripe wheat hissed in the night breeze.
I did it! It worked.
She opened the window and jumped out, ignoring the others' surprised yells.
Frost would come this night. The wheat needed to be picked.
Once it was all safely inside she'd listen to her parents' admonitions and warnings. They wouldn't refuse ripe, healthy wheat, not once it was collected and stored inside the house.
~
"How is this possible?" her father demanded, pulling Maya back from collecting the wheat, his voice hoarse, almost threatening. "These were no more than shoots this morning."
Maya looked into his eyes defiantly. "I did this with my gift. I let the life giving warmth water them, and make them grow. I also made sure
Still they shouldn't have.
Her father cleared his throat. "Do you like it?"
Some of the light had already disappeared from her mother's eyes, Maya saw when she looked up. "I love it. But this must have cost a fortune."
Her parents exchanged a strained look and then her father turned back to her. "Don't worry about any of that, Maya."
She hung it around her neck and grinned. "Thank you so much."
She hugged her mother, startled as always at how frail she was. Her father hugged both of them.
"It is an old heirloom, passed down for generations in the family," he whispered into her hair.
From the corner of her eye, Maya saw Giles stare out the window, his eyes unfocused. Hurt still clung to him like a rain cloud.
She held out her left arm. "Look what Giles made me."
They both leaned closer to admire the work, her father whistling appreciatively. "I haven't seen work this fine outside the Ring. You would do well there, Giles."
Giles waved his hand through the air dismissively, beaming. "The cities are no place for normal people."
Maya studied the bracelet and necklace side by side. "With both of these to channel my powers, I'm sure I can make a difference."
Her father coughed, and sprayed Maya with the wine he had tried to swallow.
"I thought you agreed you would stop saying things like that," he said when he regained control of his breathing. "Claiming you have a gift is a dangerous thing. People don't understand that kind of talk."
"They'd understand living a better life and that's what I want to give them," Maya protested. "Honestly, Dad, I've never heard of a bad thing happen to anyone with a gift."
Her father poured himself more wine. "You never knew anyone with a gift, so you have no idea what you are talking about."
"You know someone with a gift?" Maya asked. "Who?"
Her parents exchanged another strained look, and her mother shook her head. Maya's father looked down at the table and continued anyway. "I went to the copse on the north side of town once to gather some firewood and found a dying woman there. In front of my very eyes, grass shot up from all around her, burying her from my sight."
"She could grow things? Like me?" Maya interrupted. "Where is she now?"
This woman had the same gift as Maya, and she could use it at will. She could teach Maya so much.
"She died. Our doctor couldn't heal her. She kept pleading with us all not to reveal to anyone what she could do, that they would kill her if they knew."
"Who's 'they'?" Maya asked, her heart beating furiously in her chest now.
"She never said. We assumed she spoke of the people of whatever town she was from. So you see, it's not safe to go around telling people you have a gift."
Maya glared at her father. His story was too fitting, the woman had a gift too much like her own. "I'm not a little girl anymore. You can't just tell me lies to scare me."
Her mother laid a hand on Maya's. "It's the truth."
Maya looked at Giles for some support, but he was turned away from them staring fixedly out the window. He turned to face them, his face pale and his eyes wide. "I can't believe it. You did it."
"Did what?" Maya asked.
"Come see," Giles said and pointed out the window. Maya walked up to him.
Tall, ripe wheat hissed in the night breeze.
I did it! It worked.
She opened the window and jumped out, ignoring the others' surprised yells.
Frost would come this night. The wheat needed to be picked.
Once it was all safely inside she'd listen to her parents' admonitions and warnings. They wouldn't refuse ripe, healthy wheat, not once it was collected and stored inside the house.
~
"How is this possible?" her father demanded, pulling Maya back from collecting the wheat, his voice hoarse, almost threatening. "These were no more than shoots this morning."
Maya looked into his eyes defiantly. "I did this with my gift. I let the life giving warmth water them, and make them grow. I also made sure
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