Bramblepoint I won't stumble back

Liffey could have stayed there all day to plot her adventure with Wildfire. There were so many things that were running through her head - where they could go, what they could do, what they would see! Ideally, she wanted to think of a place that Wildfire had never been to before so they would be able to discover it together. But since she had no idea where her cousin had ever been, that seemed unlikely. Plus, in her naive fantasies, Wildfire had already seen the whole world.

But, it seemed that further plotting was not in the cards for that day. Her smile faltered when she was dismissed and fell completely when her cousin turned away to leave. "Yeah, it's okay," Liffey replied, trying to keep the disappointment from her voice, "I'll see you soon." She smiled at Wildfire's retreating form, but it evaporated once again. She paid no heed to the boy as Wildfire left, only looked after her forlornly until she was gone.

Only then did she glance at the boy and offer him the glimpse of a smile before turning and departing herself. On the way home, she could analyze the conversation and see all the ways she had been insensitive and inappropriate. For now, she needed to run. The sun was sinking towards the horizon and she was going to be in so much trouble if she didn't get home before dark.