"Kiri . . ."
"He doesn't see it that way, huh?"
With a grimace, she let herself fall from the tree, hitting the pounded earth with both heels. It stung a little, but a low key frustration filled her veins, strengthening her resolve. Who cared about a couple of lousy feet?
As if to further this point, Kiri aimed a kick at a rotten peach, sending a bee to fly drunkenly after it. When the little insect got back to her nest, she would be evicted. Maybe killed. But ah, for the sweetness of today a little bee would toss away tomorrow.
Kiri grabbed the bee out of the air, crushing it instantly.
"You didn't need to do that."
"Shut up, Moana." her heart quickened at the power in those two words, at the open hurt in the boy's face.
"Just because--"
"I said shut up! You are such a, a, a goody-goody!"
Hot blood flushed her brown cheeks. Such a silly, childish phrase. But then, wasn't Moana being just that? Silly, childish, annoying Moana. Taking the forbidden peach from the safety of her sleeve, Kiri sank her white teeth deep into its sweet flesh, right in front of him! He looked so stunned, so absolutely, wonderfully startled . . .
"You're being really childish, Kiri. I mean, really. Really? The old man talked about this, didn't he? Isn't this just that rebellious stage? Aren't you just typical, typical, typical? He raised us to be--"
"Raised us! Raised us!" she spat bits of white peach as she spoke. "That old man never so much as looked at us except to tell us to mind the trees or to scold us."
"Kiri--"
"What is going on here?"
"Uh-oh."
Quickly, Kiri tried to tuck the fruit back into the draping sleeve as she turned to face the old man. Too late, she realized that the juice around her
"He doesn't see it that way, huh?"
With a grimace, she let herself fall from the tree, hitting the pounded earth with both heels. It stung a little, but a low key frustration filled her veins, strengthening her resolve. Who cared about a couple of lousy feet?
As if to further this point, Kiri aimed a kick at a rotten peach, sending a bee to fly drunkenly after it. When the little insect got back to her nest, she would be evicted. Maybe killed. But ah, for the sweetness of today a little bee would toss away tomorrow.
Kiri grabbed the bee out of the air, crushing it instantly.
"You didn't need to do that."
"Shut up, Moana." her heart quickened at the power in those two words, at the open hurt in the boy's face.
"Just because--"
"I said shut up! You are such a, a, a goody-goody!"
Hot blood flushed her brown cheeks. Such a silly, childish phrase. But then, wasn't Moana being just that? Silly, childish, annoying Moana. Taking the forbidden peach from the safety of her sleeve, Kiri sank her white teeth deep into its sweet flesh, right in front of him! He looked so stunned, so absolutely, wonderfully startled . . .
"You're being really childish, Kiri. I mean, really. Really? The old man talked about this, didn't he? Isn't this just that rebellious stage? Aren't you just typical, typical, typical? He raised us to be--"
"Raised us! Raised us!" she spat bits of white peach as she spoke. "That old man never so much as looked at us except to tell us to mind the trees or to scold us."
"Kiri--"
"What is going on here?"
"Uh-oh."
Quickly, Kiri tried to tuck the fruit back into the draping sleeve as she turned to face the old man. Too late, she realized that the juice around her
