(follows Oranges)
"Being morally upright has its disadvantages." Delphinium muttered, imitating Master Meriadoc's learned vocabulary, and kicked at a dirt clod by the side of the riverbank.
"What was that, Del?" Aster asked, looking up from arranging the yellow wildflowers she had picked.
"Nothing." Del whipped a flat pebble into the broad stream and watched it skip all the way across to the other bank with satisfaction. Aster was singing a happy tune about sunshine while she fiddled with her stupid flowers. Del wanted to strike her. "Aster, why didn't you go on the crop raid with the rest of them? Sammie and Daisy especially begged you to go...I begged you to go..."
"You never raid. And I couldn't leave you alone. That would be rude!"
"You are all sweetness and light." Del turned back to the stream with a sigh. Sarcasm was lost on Aster.
"Thank you, Del, I...AICK!!" Del actually heard the rock strike Aster's teeth with a terrible chik! sound and she whirled around. Aster's hands covered her mouth and tears and blood began to seep over her fingers. She hunched over in pain. Another rock came flying out of the bushes and hit her on the shoulder. "Oh!" Aster sobbed.
Del ran over, grabbed her by the arm and dragged her behind a stump. She could hear sniggers from the bushes and her lips curled in distaste. "Ith Bathil!" Aster sobbed making herself as small as possible behind their cover. "Bathil!"
"Basil...your brother?" Del poked a finger into Aster's mouth to check the damage and found a cut lip and a scratched tooth. "Well. He really is mean as custard isn't he?"
"Cuthtard?"
"Nevermind. So he likes to throw rocks, huh?" Aster nodded, blood drooling from her mouth. Del was enraged. Cruelty against Aster was like...like kicking a blue-eyed baby. "Well, I like to throw rocks, too..." Del's hand closed around a smooth river stone and she stood up. Aster tried to yank her back down but succeeded only in having Del grab her and pull her up. "Stand up, Aster!"
"No! He'll hit uth!" She couldn't get away.
"ASS, ASS, ASTER! ASTER THE ASS!" came a crowing voice from the bushes and another rock hit Del right in the chest. She barely felt it.
"Oh, how witty..." Del said and threw her stone as hard as she could, which was mighty hard indeed, in the direction the jeering voice was coming from. It cut off with a squawk and Basil Digg-Tooter came flying out of the foliage with his hand on his stomach. My, he seemed upset. "See, Aster, he should have stayed under cover. Now we can get him good..." Del picked up another stone and waited for Basil to come closer. Aster watched intently. WHACK! Del's stone impactd Basil's forehead and he stopped, shocked and, perhaps, dazed. Del casually scanned the ground and picked up a small chunk of dried wood.
His eyes uncrossed. "You better not!" Basil shouted. The wood exploded quite beautifully against his ugly face. He screamed. "I'm gonna...!" WHACK! Another rock. Basil fell down. He regained his legs and took off at top speed, weaving drunkenly.
"Watch me, Aster...see? Put one foot in front of the other and draw back your arm...like you're throwing a spear...now, when you throw put ALL your weight behind it..." Del bounced a couple more pebbles off the back of his head for good measure and Aster watched as Basil disappeared over the horizon. Her eyes reflected years of bullied fear and Del was truly sorry to see it. "We're going straight to your mother. We're going to tell. We'll tell Floria, too. Come on..."
"But Bathil will get me later..." Aster's eyes were pouring helpless tears. "He thaid tho!" Del couldn't help it, she snickered.
"Hey, Athter..." she mimicked, "After your parenth and your thithter get through with Bathil...there won't be anything left of him large enough to give you any trouble. And I'll teach you how to fight and throw and thtick up for yourthelf."
Aster was smiling and her nose was running. "Really?" She flung her arms around Del. "Really? Are we friendth now?"
Delphinium suddenly gave up. She patted Aster on the back and felt a strange sort of release as a knot of meanness and unhappiness unravelled inside her heart. "I thuppose tho."
~