Moonlight Hair
The First Time
The first time I saw her, she was running down the football field with her skinny arms stretched wide and a loud whoop of joy sliding out of her mouth like honey, sweet and glistening in the chilly fall air. Her laughter was infectious, but she was all alone. Her straw hair was mussed, her pale face glowing with blood-blush and glee, her lips chapped and red from the cold.
She ran as fast as she could down the football pitch, then stopped in the goalkeeper's net, sat down, hugged her knobby knees to her chest, and stared up at the steel-grey sky.
Her hair was the colour of moonlight, a weak, shimmering silver-gold, and I was caught by her contagious smile.
I walked down to the pitch, feet numb and brain buzzing. When moonlight hair girl saw me, her lips cracked into a bright smile. She hopped to her feet and waved at me, her bird bones shining through her pale pale skin.
"I'm Adara," she said, her voice musical and sweeter than treacle.
"M-Madelline," I stammered.
"Hi, Madelline!" she chirped. She reminded me of a bird, always moving quickquickquick across the ground, her big frost-green eyes, the colour of grass after a cold night, darting around in her delicate pointed face. "I'm new here, can you show me about?" I nodded, my stomach churning nervously. I hated this feeling, the nauseous ick of fancying someone.
But I couldn't help it, not really. Not when she had hair like that, eyes like those, a laugh sweeter than honey and her birdlike limbs.
That day at lunch, Adara and I sat together on the green grass in the commons. She didn't eat anything, so I didn't either.
"Aren't you going to eat?" she asked. I shrugged. Adara squinched her pert nose at me and tossed me a packet of crisps that had been lying next to her bag.
"Eat them, they're good," she told me. I shrugged again. I was hungry - my stomach was growling at me and I hadn't had time for breakfast that morning - but if Adara wasn't eating I wasn't either. I hated eating when other people weren't eating.
Adara's eyes were wide and reproachful.
"You have to eat, you know," she said matter-of-factly.
"I know," I sighed. "I just don't like eating by myself, I don't like being the only person eating." Adara rolled her eyes and pushed the packet of crisps into my hands.
"They're not even real crisps, they're like whole-wheat crackers with little seeds and things in them, look." She opened the packet and pulled out one of the crackers. It actually looked delicious, all golden-brown and stuffed with seeds. I sighed and took it from her and put it in my mouth. It was delicious.
"Aren't they nice?" Adara giggled. I nodded and took another. Adara stretched out on her back, her fine hair flowing onto the ground like moonlit water. She opened her eyes wide and stared up at the steely clouds.
"Wow, look at the sky, so lovely," she sighed. I set the packet of crackers aside and lay down next to her. My stomach was tight with nerves. This girl was so so beautiful.
Beautiful things get broken, get stolen, get lost.
She had hair the color of moonlight and I was so afraid.
She ran as fast as she could down the football pitch, then stopped in the goalkeeper's net, sat down, hugged her knobby knees to her chest, and stared up at the steel-grey sky.
Her hair was the colour of moonlight, a weak, shimmering silver-gold, and I was caught by her contagious smile.
I walked down to the pitch, feet numb and brain buzzing. When moonlight hair girl saw me, her lips cracked into a bright smile. She hopped to her feet and waved at me, her bird bones shining through her pale pale skin.
"I'm Adara," she said, her voice musical and sweeter than treacle.
"M-Madelline," I stammered.
"Hi, Madelline!" she chirped. She reminded me of a bird, always moving quickquickquick across the ground, her big frost-green eyes, the colour of grass after a cold night, darting around in her delicate pointed face. "I'm new here, can you show me about?" I nodded, my stomach churning nervously. I hated this feeling, the nauseous ick of fancying someone.
But I couldn't help it, not really. Not when she had hair like that, eyes like those, a laugh sweeter than honey and her birdlike limbs.
That day at lunch, Adara and I sat together on the green grass in the commons. She didn't eat anything, so I didn't either.
"Aren't you going to eat?" she asked. I shrugged. Adara squinched her pert nose at me and tossed me a packet of crisps that had been lying next to her bag.
"Eat them, they're good," she told me. I shrugged again. I was hungry - my stomach was growling at me and I hadn't had time for breakfast that morning - but if Adara wasn't eating I wasn't either. I hated eating when other people weren't eating.
Adara's eyes were wide and reproachful.
"You have to eat, you know," she said matter-of-factly.
"I know," I sighed. "I just don't like eating by myself, I don't like being the only person eating." Adara rolled her eyes and pushed the packet of crisps into my hands.
"They're not even real crisps, they're like whole-wheat crackers with little seeds and things in them, look." She opened the packet and pulled out one of the crackers. It actually looked delicious, all golden-brown and stuffed with seeds. I sighed and took it from her and put it in my mouth. It was delicious.
"Aren't they nice?" Adara giggled. I nodded and took another. Adara stretched out on her back, her fine hair flowing onto the ground like moonlit water. She opened her eyes wide and stared up at the steely clouds.
"Wow, look at the sky, so lovely," she sighed. I set the packet of crackers aside and lay down next to her. My stomach was tight with nerves. This girl was so so beautiful.
Beautiful things get broken, get stolen, get lost.
She had hair the color of moonlight and I was so afraid.