Peach Tree Grove

     The ravens were coming, and they couldn't be here when they came.      The ravens were coming and Lishia was still struggling. The circles under her eyes were deep and black, and her breathing was coming in heavy, labored pants. He gently took her shoulder. Her eyes were half-closed and glazed over, not really registering anything. She wasn't doing well. But they couldn't stay here.      He looked to the sky and then back to his sister. The tendons in his hand were tightening. His fingers tugged harshly on his hair and he took a deep breath.      Lishia's eyes were almost fully closed now. He stood up again and cast his eyes across uniform gray above. He could feel them coming. Everything could. The very grass shrank and grew gray when the ravens passed over it. And those black specks before the mountains did not have anything good in them. He licked his lips once, then sank quickly to the ground at his sister's side. She ...

  In contrast to her long lean limbs and economically built body, the acrobat’s facial features were soft and full. Her eyes were round and bright and her mouth plump and well-shaped. Her face was not round, but it had some cheek to it, framed by soft strands of blonde hair.  “Are you ok? That could have been really bad.” She placed her hands on the hips of her unitard and tilted her head curiously.  “I’m fine, thank you.” Erraline smoothed her hair and shook out her skirt. She was a little embarrassed to have almost died because she had been thinking about her father and not where her feet were going, but at least she had found someone to talk to about the syringe. “Thank you for catching me.” “Oh you’re welcome.” The other girl smiled sweetly and waved a hand dismissively. “Lots of first-timers to the Carnival get tripped up by the machinery. You’re not the first one to almost fall in.”  “How long have you been at the Carnival?” Erraline asked.  “...