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“She’s glaring at you,” Stardust stated matter-of-factly.
“I know, I’m not blind.”
“Doesn’t she like you?”
I pretended to be admiring wicker baskets on display in a neighboring stall. “If you must know,noneof the villagers like me; they find me suspicious.”
I paused when I spotted a familiar young girl I’d been paying particular attention to this past year. She sat on a little stool several yards away near the stall of spices while her mother arranged her wares to sell, clutching a stuffed bear close. Her eyes, puffy from tears and lack of sleep, darted nervously around, as if she expected something as frightening as the nightmares that usually tormented her nights to be lingering within the market. My heart sank as I scanned the air around her and noticed a grey nightmare lingering near her. It was there morning after morning without fail; I couldn’t even recall the last time she’d had a dream.
I hesitated until the little girl’s sniffle compelled me to leave Stardust to her browsing and approach to crouch in front of her. “Are you alright, sweetheart?” I asked quietly.
She rubbed her red nose. “I’m scared.”
Once more my gaze flicked up towards her nightmare but I hastily looked away before I could tumble inside. There was no need to steal a peek; if it was like the others I’d witnessed this past year, it was full of shadows, monsters, and darkness.
“I know. You’ve had a lot of bad dreams, haven’t you? But I promise they aren’t real.” Perhaps after I reached the Dream World I could create a dream for her, so she could have at least one restful night. I stroked her hair the way Mother sometimes did for me and she relaxed at my touch. “What’s your name?”
She offered a watery smile. “Sophia.”
“My name is Eden. Would you like a flower?” I pulled out one of the wildflowers I’d picked from the fields during yesterday’s walk to the village, which the encounter with Darius had caused me to forget was still in my pocket. She hesitated before taking it with a shy smile.
“Everyone says you’re a witch who has magical powers. Is that true?”
I swallowed the lump suddenly invading my throat. How could I truthfully deny her when her accusation was my biggest fear? “There’s no need to be afraid, for there’s no such thing as—”
A horrified shriek cut off my attempts to reassure her as Sophia’s mother noticed me near her daughter. “Get away from her, you witch!” She jerked Sophia behind her and shielded her from me.
I held up my hands. “I meant no harm. She was crying, so I only—”
“Get away!” She stepped menacingly forward, forcing me to back into a neighboring stall. It jostled, causing several apples to tumble to the ground, earning an angry cry from the vendor.
Tears burned my eyes. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean any harm. I only wanted—”
The mother’s purple fury paled as she suddenly noticed the white flowers clutched in her daughter’s hand. She snatched them away and waved them in front of me. “What did you give my daughter? Did you curse these?”
I frantically shook my head. “No, I picked them from—”
“Get away!”
She raised her hands as if she meant to physically push me, but before she had the chance I turned and ran. I paused at the edge of the market to glance back at Sophia, whose face was streaked with fresh tears while her mother knelt before her, trying to calm her.
“There, there, darling. There’s no need to cry. Mummy got rid of the evil witch.”
Sophia’s wide eyes lifted to mine, her own filled with fear, causing my heart to wrench. I turned and hurried in the opposite direction, weaving around stalls and villagers, all of whom shrank away as if fearing any contact with me would cast a curse upon them.
It took me a moment before I finally spotted Stardust back at the baker’s, still goggling over the pastries. “You’ve seen enough; we need to leave.”
She pouted. “But we just got here.”
My heart still pounded from the confrontation with Sophia’s mother; its memory only fueled my desire to leave Earth behind and find a place away from the judgmental stares, a place I could finally call home. “Please, Stardust. I can’t stay a moment longer.”
Stardust dug into my bag and rummaged around. “But I’m hungry. I’m sure you have some money in here somewhere. I want one of those tasty-looking treats. If you’ll just buy me a snack for the journey, we can go.”
“Don’t.” I tugged my bag away, but Stardust grabbed hold of the strap and yanked it towards her. “Let go.”
“But I want to try a Mortal moonbit,” she whined.
A few people paused and stared. I resented the fact that Stardust was invisible to everyone but me, undoubtedly making it appear as if I was playing tug-of-war with a ghost.
