So they mixed honey and turmeric into yogurt, then lathered the mixture over their faces, trying their best not to move their facial muscles as the masks dried, which of course, only made them giggle.
Later, as Bisma taught Nori basic math, Azalea let Luna use the special soap she had gotten from town to wash her hair, informing Luna that the soap cost her most of her allowance, so Luna now owed her. As recompense, Luna offered to read to her from her poetry book, to which Azalea vehemently shook her head.
‘Forget I said anything!’ Azalea pleaded, then reconsidered. ‘Actually, I’ll take you NEVER reading from that dreadful book again as payment.’
Luna gasped, affronted. ‘This book is EXCELLENT,’ Luna said, clutching it to her chest. ‘You just lack DEPTH.’
‘Riiiiight.’
And things were once again back to the usual chaos.
The next day, Bisma made plans to go to town, and asked Luna if she would like to accompany her, hoping the excursion would further lift Luna’s spirits. At first Luna seemed willing, but when Bisma mentioned they might stop by the bakery, Luna quickly changed her mind, letting out a quick and harsh, ‘No!’
Bisma was confused. ‘What do you mean? I was thinking of getting pumpkin cookies for everyone.’
‘No,’ Luna said again, this time her voice quiet. ‘I don’t want to go.’
Before Bisma could press further, Luna retreated to her room, her shoulders stiff.
‘Baji, take me,’ Mei said, getting up from where she was churning the butter. They all loved going to town.
‘Okay, sure,’ Bisma replied, running a fond hand over Mei’s silky hair.
‘And can I get a new cake pan?’ Mei asked, excited. ‘I’ve been saving my allowance!’
‘Yes, of course, love,’ Bisma said.
Saying goodbye to the others, they left the treehouse and began walking toward Old Town. It was a bright, sunny day, and she savored the warmth on her cheeks. Scorching sunlight and cold wind were one of her absolute favorite weather combinations, and she relished it now.
Mei skipped along beside her, humming to herself. When they reached a grapevine, Mei stopped to pick a few, popping them in her mouth.
‘Yuck,’ Mei said, immediately spitting them out.
Bisma furrowed her brows. ‘What is it? Sour?’
‘No. They tasteweird.’ She picked one, handing it to Bisma. ‘You try.’
Hmm.The fruit in the Enchanted Forest was always perfect and ripe. Bisma approached the vine, touching some of the greengrapes. They had an odd texture, and she saw that most of the grapes had already fallen, rotting on the earth.
‘That’s strange,’ Bisma said.
Further along, they passed an apple tree. Bisma picked one, biting into it, and it was just as sweet as always, so whatever was happening with the grapevine must have been an anomaly.
In town, Bisma completed her tasks, dropping off poisons and picking up payment, Mei accompanying her. She saw Frederick Chapman busy at work; she couldn’t tell exactly what it was he was doing, just that he seemed preoccupied, an entire team surrounding him.
Bisma paid him no mind. She went to the bakery, where Haru gave Mei a fresh cookie, then packed a dozen for the girls back home.
He looked as if he wanted to ask Bisma something—surely about Luna—but was too shy to bring himself to voice his question. Bisma put him out of his misery, offering the information up herself.
‘Luna was going to join us but she’s been a little unwell,’ she told him.
Immediately, his face contorted with alarm. ‘Is she alright? What happened?’ he asked, and he might have asked a dozen more variations of the same questions had Bisma not replied within the next second.
She explained how Luna had been poisoned and the only way to save her had been to bleed the poison out.
Haru looked crestfallen. ‘How is she doing? Can I see her?’
‘You know that no outsiders are allowed in the Enchanted Forest,’ Bisma said. ‘Don’t worry—I’m sure she’ll visit you herself, when she’s ready.’
