A Handful of Pixie Dust (Sequel to The Art of Survival), chapter 5
Nia screwed up her face in concentration and licked her lips thoughtfully. She adjusted the black crayon in her hand and squinted up at Billie Joe who was lying on the sofa, talking to Bethan. With deliberation, she added one more line to the paper in front of her and crawled over to Billie Joe. Tugging at his shirt, she said, "Uncle Billie."
Billie Joe looked down at Nia with a smile. "What is it, Pixie Dust?" he asked.
Nia held out the piece of paper to Billie Joe. "I drew this for you." she told him.
"For me?" Billie Joe asked, sitting up and taking the paper from her. Nia nodded enthusiastically and Billie Joe looked down at the page in his hand. His smile grew as he saw a scribbled dough figure on the page with a mass of messy black hair and green eyes.
Bethan leant over the sofa to look at the drawing. She smiled proudly and looked up at her daughter. "That's great, Nia," she told her. "But you forgot the stink lines."
"Hey!" Billie Joe exclaimed, turning around to glare playfully at Bethan.
Nia's high-pitched laugh swarmed through the room as the doorbell rang. Bethan poked her tongue out at Billie Joe as she turned around to go to the door. She was chuckling to herself as she swung it open. Suddenly, Bethan found herself staring into a pair of hazel eyes that had haunted her dreams.
"Rhys." Bethan gasped in shock, grasping the door tightly.
Rhys looked down at the floor awkwardly as he said, "Hey, Bethan."
As the two stood in an uncomfortable silence, Bethan studied Rhys. He hadn't waned at all. It was like the past five years had never happened. He still wore his brown hair draping down over his eyes and his chiselled face still suggested a form of maturity and trust that had fooled Bethan when she'd first met him.
Rhys squirmed under Bethan's gaze and he raised his eyes to look at her. "How've you been?" he asked, his expression crammed with compassion. Or was it? After what he had put her through, Bethan didn't know if she could trust him anymore.
"How have I been?" Bethan asked calmly. "Let's see. I've been raped, abandoned and then made to bring up the child of someone who wasn't man enough to accept his actions."
"Don't be like that, Bethan." Rhys pleaded.
"What am I supposed to be like? You frigging abandoned me when I was pregnant!" Bethan exclaimed.
In the living room, Nia crawled closer to Billie Joe with a troubled expression. "Uncle Billie, who's that man?"
Billie Joe cleared his angered expression and picked up Nia, cradling her. "He's no one." he replied, his ears tuned into the conversation.
"I was scared, Bethan! I didn't know what to do! I wasn't ready to be a father!" Rhys explained.
"And you think I was ready to be a mother?" Bethan asked. "You think I was strong enough to go through all that on my own? You must be kidding." She went to shut the door but Rhys pushed back against it, preventing her.
"Bethan, please. I'm sorry. I just want to see it." Rhys said.
"It?" Bethan repeated, shaking her head. "For your information your daughter's name is Nia."
"I have a daughter?" Rhys asked quietly.
"Don't act as if you care, Rhys. I don't buy into your games anymore."
"But I do care!" Rhys insisted. "I wanna be a part of her life."
"Well you're too frigging late for that," Bethan snapped. "She has other fathers in her life now and they do a much better job than you'll ever do." Once again, Bethan went to close the front door.
"Bethan, please." Rhys pleaded.
Bethan paused. "Leave us alone, Rhys. I never want to see you around my daughter again." Bethan slammed the front door and turned around, resting her head against it. As she started crying, Bethan slid to the floor, drawing her knees tight to her chest for protection.
Billie Joe looked down at Nia with a smile. "What is it, Pixie Dust?" he asked.
Nia held out the piece of paper to Billie Joe. "I drew this for you." she told him.
"For me?" Billie Joe asked, sitting up and taking the paper from her. Nia nodded enthusiastically and Billie Joe looked down at the page in his hand. His smile grew as he saw a scribbled dough figure on the page with a mass of messy black hair and green eyes.
Bethan leant over the sofa to look at the drawing. She smiled proudly and looked up at her daughter. "That's great, Nia," she told her. "But you forgot the stink lines."
"Hey!" Billie Joe exclaimed, turning around to glare playfully at Bethan.
Nia's high-pitched laugh swarmed through the room as the doorbell rang. Bethan poked her tongue out at Billie Joe as she turned around to go to the door. She was chuckling to herself as she swung it open. Suddenly, Bethan found herself staring into a pair of hazel eyes that had haunted her dreams.
"Rhys." Bethan gasped in shock, grasping the door tightly.
Rhys looked down at the floor awkwardly as he said, "Hey, Bethan."
As the two stood in an uncomfortable silence, Bethan studied Rhys. He hadn't waned at all. It was like the past five years had never happened. He still wore his brown hair draping down over his eyes and his chiselled face still suggested a form of maturity and trust that had fooled Bethan when she'd first met him.
Rhys squirmed under Bethan's gaze and he raised his eyes to look at her. "How've you been?" he asked, his expression crammed with compassion. Or was it? After what he had put her through, Bethan didn't know if she could trust him anymore.
"How have I been?" Bethan asked calmly. "Let's see. I've been raped, abandoned and then made to bring up the child of someone who wasn't man enough to accept his actions."
"Don't be like that, Bethan." Rhys pleaded.
"What am I supposed to be like? You frigging abandoned me when I was pregnant!" Bethan exclaimed.
In the living room, Nia crawled closer to Billie Joe with a troubled expression. "Uncle Billie, who's that man?"
Billie Joe cleared his angered expression and picked up Nia, cradling her. "He's no one." he replied, his ears tuned into the conversation.
"I was scared, Bethan! I didn't know what to do! I wasn't ready to be a father!" Rhys explained.
"And you think I was ready to be a mother?" Bethan asked. "You think I was strong enough to go through all that on my own? You must be kidding." She went to shut the door but Rhys pushed back against it, preventing her.
"Bethan, please. I'm sorry. I just want to see it." Rhys said.
"It?" Bethan repeated, shaking her head. "For your information your daughter's name is Nia."
"I have a daughter?" Rhys asked quietly.
"Don't act as if you care, Rhys. I don't buy into your games anymore."
"But I do care!" Rhys insisted. "I wanna be a part of her life."
"Well you're too frigging late for that," Bethan snapped. "She has other fathers in her life now and they do a much better job than you'll ever do." Once again, Bethan went to close the front door.
"Bethan, please." Rhys pleaded.
Bethan paused. "Leave us alone, Rhys. I never want to see you around my daughter again." Bethan slammed the front door and turned around, resting her head against it. As she started crying, Bethan slid to the floor, drawing her knees tight to her chest for protection.
