Chapter 7: Dinner

Over the course of dinner, Imala and Avaron recounted to the brothers and Ken the events that occurred to them beforehand. They listened intently and carefully. They had questions, but didn't ask them, perhaps saving them for afterward.

Gran'pa Ken nodded. "Mmmmn...I see. So that's how you wound up here...Imala, was it?"

"Yes." Imala scooped some stew into her spoon and put it into her mouth.

"Look, old man; can you get home or not?" Avaron asked. "I don't want to be stuck out here any longer."

"Well, the canyon entrance is far from here. You could easily leave the desert and go home from there," Mordecai noted.

"Yes, Mordecai," Gran'pa Ken agreed. "But we must find Bella first." He swallowed some stew and continued, "She could be anywhere in the desert. Perhaps if we were to set out..."

"What if we don't find her in time, though?" Imala pondered worriedly. "This land is so hot and harsh. Something could have happened to her already."

"We'd be darn lucky if something didn't!' Avaron sarcastically joked, taking another bite of her stew. "That girl is so happy-go-lucky, she could drive a band of thieves mad."

Imala rolled her eyes. "Very funny, Avaron."

Gran'pa Ken was lost in thought, rethinking the sisters' story over and over again.

...Attacked by a horde of snakes...

That one thought kept tugging at his mind over and over again. Could it possibly be that...?

No, that wasn't possible, he reassured himself. He was sealed away, safe and sound, in a stone shell. It had been such a long time, but now it was happening again?

"How far away are we from the nearest town?" Imala asked. "Surely, people from all over this region come and sell their wares, right? Maybe, if we were to ask them, they could tell us if they'd seen Bella or not."

"Hm. Not a bad idea, sis." Avaron drank the rest of her stew from her bowl. And maybe, I could start cooking up a little something myself, she thought to herself.

"The nearest town is called Tumbleleed Village." Menard said. "It's just down the road from here, not that far away. I'd say it's about half a mile from the house."

"Good to know!" Imala finished her stew and set her bowl down. "But it's been a rough day. I think we should all get some sleep before we head out tomorrow." 

Avaron yawned, stretching her arms out. "Yeah, I'm pretty tired. Where can we sleep?"

"We can set up some mattresses and blankets on the floor in our rooms." Mordecai said, standing up. "Come on. Let's set them up."

Later, that night, Imala was sound asleep in her stew mattress. It wasn't much, but it was comfortable enough. 

As she slept, she dreamt about the good times with her sisters; from playing with them as children, looking at the stars together, wondering what their future had in store for them.

They had only each other. Everyone of them was irreplaceable. Bella was Bella. There could be no other Bella to replace the original. Sure, she drove everyone crazy, but she loves her sisters back too.

Imala smiled in her sleep. Tomorrow would be better. Just like old times. Just like when they were little girls, trying to get by in life, all those years ago.

Tomorrow will be better. It had always been.