Mint and Zoey - Chapter 2 - Part 2

Since RHRP is finally finished and I promised my little sister I'd keep writing Mint and Zoey once I was done, here it is:



See what has happened up until now...




     Mint

Running through the hallways of the remote forest manor, shaggy hair and frilly skirts flying, Mint burst into Zoey's bedroom.
"Look what I made!" She screamed, sending Zoey toppling out of his bed in fright. "It's a kitty." She announced, thrusting a carved apple into his face.
"Don't DO that." Zoey exclaimed, clutching his chest.
"Sorry," Mint said hurriedly, examining her apple. "Crystal helped me make him. Do you think I should name him? I want to, but then I'm afraid I'll like him too much to eat him. I'm gonna ask Madona." 
Spinning on her bare heel, she dashed out of the room.
"You do that!" She heard Zoey call after her.
About to burst in Madona's room, Mint stopped abruptly and though better of it, remembering the look on Zoey's face when she crashed into his room and startled him awake. 
She gently pushed over the old woman's door.
"Madona?" Mint tiptoed to her bedside. "Are you awake?"
The little girl placed a hand on the woman's shoulder.
With a gasp, she jumped back as if stung. A bitter cold surrounded her. She had seen this before, and she knew it all to well. The whole scene was a horrible deja-vu.
She wanted to scream, but at first, no sound came.
"Zoey!"
Her memories had come back to haunt her.

     *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After comforting the traumatized Mint, Zoey and Crystal buried the loving woman next to her husband.
Since they had no gravestone, they carved a note into some wood and placed it over the grave.
It read:

Madona

Loving Wife, kind friend, forever remembered.

A couple of days later, a crude but beautiful carving appeared on the headstone. I suspect Crystal had something to do with it, but when Zoey asked Mint what she thought, the little girl hadn't said a word about it.

     *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


Zoey

"What now?" Mint's question had been whispered so quietly that Zoey had hardly caught it.
Placing his bowl of steaming soup on the kitchen table, he sat down on one of the four mismatched wooden chairs. "I don't know." With I sigh, he ran his finger's through his rust-colored hair.
It had been almost a week since Madona had died. The three had gone through the motions, and Zoey knew Mint had tried to hide her crying at night. Crystal had been unusually solemn and quite, and none of them ever felt like doing much of anything.
"We can't stay here forever." Mint's bright eyes met his. Once again she had stated the very thought he had been so hesitant to say.

"Why not?" Crystal sat across from Zoey, her two toned eyes met his. "We have food, we have shelter,"
"But the chickens and cow will die, and crops may fail," Mint pointed out miserably. "This house is very old and already falling apart. Someone's got to have known there was an old lady living out here, and if they come looking, they'll find us and a dead woman." Dropping her idle spoon, she rested her chin on balled fists. "And besides, we still have something to finish."
Zoey caught her meaningful look. 'She's way beyond her years,' he thought, stirring is soup, deep in thought. 'and she's right. We can't stay here forever. Mint and I, we have business to finish.' Finally he pushed back his chair and stood.
"Mint and I want to find the one that killed our parents'. We will leave as soon as we're ready." Pausing at the door, Zoey said over his shoulder: "Where ever you decide to go, Crystal, is up to you."
The girl was silent at first, then: "You haven't touched your soup."
"I'm not hungry."

Mint

"There." Putting on the last touches, Mint stepped back to admire her work. "You look absolutely stunning, Thorvald dear." She patted the small, raggedy plush horse on the head. The old brown thing wore a pastel pink doll dress.
"Isn't "Thorvald dear" a boy?" Tossing a shirt on to the pile of things he would pack, Zoey emerged from the closet, a quizzical look on his face.
Mint smiled wide. "Yes, but he was misbehaving earlier this morning and I thought this would be the best way to punish him."
Zoey laughed and ruffled her blue-green hair. "That is certainly the worst punishment I could imagine."
"Well, killing him would be much too--"
Crystal walked into the room and plopped a bag onto Zoey's bed. Her jaw was set; hand on hip.
"What's this?" The other two asked, Mint jumping up to see what was inside the bag.
"My things." The girl explained with finality. "I'm coming with you."
Mint looked to Zoey, wondering what the older boy would think. His face was unreadable.
"Okay. When can you be ready?" He asked evenly.
"Whenever you are." Crystal looked at Zoey, daring him to refuse her.
Mint glanced back and forth between the two. When neither said anything, she smiled. "Yay."

Lemme know what you think!