Chapter Text
“Abed? Abed, where are you?”
Alia hid behind the coat rack, tucked away in a corner of the store that hopefully wasn’t too obvious to the searching eyes of grown-ups. It was a little hard to breathe with fabric so close to her mouth and nostrils, but she’d rather have that than be amongst all the bright lights and chatty people and music that would sound even louder if she were to leave her hideout.
The clothing hung up neatly in front of her were raincoats, glossy and in identical shades of bright yellow. They were the perfect size for a child Alia’s age, but she was only interested in using them as protection. She grabbed the sleeves of the raincoat and pressed the cuffs to her ears.
Even with the noise around her being obscured now, she could sense the lack of her mommy’s voice. Had she gone to talk to one of the big guys with the word “security” on their vests? Alia peeked out from her hideaway, her big eyes scanning the store.
That’s when she saw the dress.
It was in the kid’s Halloween section, right next to a miniature fireman’s uniform. The dress was a pale blue, with puffy sleeves and a flouncy skirt. Hanging alongside the dress in a small zip-up bag was a plastic tiara coated with glitter. Alia’s eyes widened.
“Cinderella…”
Children’s attentions can be easily snatched from one thing to another, and in this case, Alia was no exception. She crouched down and crawled past the raincoats, before getting to her feet once again and walking to the dress in an almost enchanted manner.
Alia couldn’t help but gasp when she touched the fabric. It was so smooth, so fit for a princess. She brought the dress to her cheek and rubbed it side to side, letting the sensation soothe her as the rest of the world fell away.
“Abed! what are you doing?!”
As if she was being pulled out of a dream, Alia felt two hands on her shoulders jerk her backwards. She yelped, unable to hold onto the delicate fabric.
“Mommy, I-”
“What makes you think that you can just go wandering off like that!?” Alia’s mother hissed, her eyes steely and sharp. “You could’ve gotten lost!” she added, her grip on Alia tightening.
“I’m sorry mommy, I really am, I just got scared of all the bright lights-”
“That’s no excuse!” Alia’s mother snapped. Some other customers stared as they passed by. Alia found herself wishing that she was behind the raincoats again. She hung her head.
“I’m sorry mommy, I’ll be good …”
Abed’s mother took a step back, and took a deep breath. Even at such a tender age, Alia could tell that her mom didn't really believe her. She checked her watch, forehead still slightly creased from furrowing her brow in frustration. Alia looked back at the Cinderella dress, still shiny and perfect amongst everything, like some sort of beacon.
“Mommy?”
Her mother’s eyes darted back to her, now looking more tired than angry, which was better. Anything was better than angry.
“Can I be Cinderella for Halloween?”
Alia’s mother was silent. There was something in her eyes that Alia couldn’t quite identify, but it was soon replaced by a resigned apathy.
“Abed…let’s just go home, okay?” she said, all the strength gone from her voice.
“But I wanted to be…” Alia started, but she was already being pulled through the store, past shirts and pants and flouncy skirts that looked like they’d be fun to twirl around in.
Longingly, she stared back at the Cinderella dress, seeing it get smaller and smaller until it was completely out of sight.
For the rest of the day, Alia was completely silent.
It was a lonely night, and Troy was asleep.
His dream was blurred at first, the landscape unsure of itself. He knew it was a forest - a pretty one too, though he’d never say something so girlish - but the rivers might as well have been blue streaks of paint. Not even his footsteps felt fully formed. Everything seemed sluggish, as if he was walking through mud. And yet, as Troy walked on, things started to come into focus.
The trees were of extraordinary heights, practically giants. Troy bent his neck back to see if they ended, but they seemed to stretch on forever. The rivers came into view, the two of them running vertically to the sides of the road. The road itself was made of gravel, and yet it somehow seemed to be gaining a certain glint as time passed. And was it getting smoother now? Yes, the gravel seemed to be turning into glass before his very eyes.
Troy made his footsteps light. He’d broken glass once, a nice vase that belonged to his Nana. There’d been a lot of yelling after that, and then the switch, and then he’d cried for a very long time. Troy never liked his Nana very much.
After a while, another form started to take shape in front of him.
Their back was turned, their hair covered with cloth, and Troy knew it couldn't be anyone else than the mysterious girl from the library. Here, in the solitude of nature, she looked even more striking. Troy waved to her.
“Hey! It’s me, that guy from the library!”
No response. Troy raised an eyebrow. The girl’s hijab rippled slightly in the wind. Troy took a deep breath and began walking to her.
“Look, I know I didn’t get to tell you my name, but could I at least know yours?”
Again, Troy was met with nothing. He sighed, and tapped the girl on the shoulder.
“Uh, hello?”
Just like in the library, the girl turned to face Troy. But something was different this time. She didn’t just look alerted, for there was a single tear running down her soft cheek. Troy stepped back, once again being unable to look away from such gentle eyes. It felt selfish to admit, but they looked even softer now that she was crying.
“Ah, sorry!” Troy said, almost stumbling over his words. “I didn’t mean to scare you, I was just trying to get your attention” he sputtered, quietly wishing for a tissue to offer this sweet girl. And perhaps a hug as well.
The girl lowered her gaze. And then, as quickly as she had appeared, she began to fade away.
Troy grasped at her hands, hoping he could get her to stay, but before he knew it she had completely vanished. There were only the trees, the water, and the glass under his feet. After what seemed like an eternity of all three, Troy opened his eyes to find himself in bed.
Rubbing his eyes, he leaned over to look at the clock. Damn, only 3 am? Troy ran a hand through his hair and made himself comfortable again. Well, as comfortable as he could be, considering what he’d just seen.
Troy turned to lay on his side, and thought of rivers and glass roads and trees that went on forever. And a strange girl with a name he didn’t know.