The Spirited Scarecrow

by Marnie Atwell

  April didn’t bother replying. “I’ll be home soon. It shouldn’t take long to gather the items we need.”

  “Take your time,” Scout said, pressing her hand firmly over Briella’s mouth. Briella’s eyes sparkled, catching April’s attention. Surely they should appear angry or indignant to have Scout preventing her from letting fly with another inappropriate comment. Instead, they seemed to be jovial, amused even. ‘What are you up to, Briella?’ April asked through mind-link.

  ‘I thought it would be fun to have a fashion show with Scout as the model. She is rocking the new hairstyle you gave her. I’m not entirely sure how she will respond when I encourage her to play dress-ups with my clothes.’

  April’s mood lightened. She knew Briella had been hiding something from her. As it turned out, she was protecting her idea from Scout. ‘Maybe I had better stay, after all. Scout might get quite upset by your suggestion.’

  ‘I’m not going to force her, April. There won’t be any arguments. If she says no, we’ll find something else to do.’

  ‘All right. If you think everything will be okay, I’ll leave.’

  ‘Everything is fine, April. Go, have fun. See you when you return.’

  “Bye, ladies,” April said as she opened the door. “Behave,” she reminded them before the door closed behind her.

  “Sheesh, I thought she’d never leave,” Briella told Scout.

  Chapter Nine

  Scout had that uh-oh feeling when she looked at the gleam in Briella’s eyes. “What are you formulating in that head of yours?” she asked worriedly.

  “Nothing that is going to hurt either one of us,” Briella answered with a flutter of her wings. “Who knows, Scout? You might even have a little fun.”

  “I have fun all the time,” she huffed defensively.

  “I’m not saying you don’t,” Briella flew to her room and noticed the bedspread was missing. “I’ll have to remember to make that,” she pointed to the bed before continuing onto her wardrobe. “Now, Scout. I want you to look at the clothes in my cupboard and pick out something that you think will suit your new hairstyle.”

  “What I have on now looks good.”

  “I’m sorry to break it to you, Scout, but the colour of your hair and the colour of your top do not go together.”

  “What do you mean? They are both shades of purple.”

  “Yes, but the wrong shades to be placed against one another. Perhaps if your pants were that colour and your top was black . . .” Briella’s finger had come up to tap her lips while she considered that combination. “No, not even then,” she decided.

  Scout stood in front of the mirrored side of the wardrobe and studied her reflection with a critical eye. She hated to admit that she agreed with Briella. With a sigh, she said, “I see what you mean.”

  Briella sidled up beside her, “How about I start you off?” She reached into the cupboard and pulled out the most conservative outfit she owned. Scout eyed the ensemble with appreciative eyes. She had been afraid Briella would push her to wear something that showed too much skin around the waist and too much leg. Instead, she was shown a knee-length skirt in black with a blouse in sky blue that slipped over the head and had off-the-shoulder sleeves.

  “When have you worn this?” Scout asked.

  “Actually, I haven’t had an opportunity to wear that piece yet.”

  “How long have you had it?” Scout asked, swapping her pants for the skirt, admiring the shape of her calves and the way the bottom flared when she turned.

  “A while.” When Scout clicked her tongue with annoyance, Briella continued, “I’m not sure exactly. A few years maybe.”

  “Don’t you like it?”

  “It’s not really my style,” she shrugged, waiting impatiently for Scout to put on the shirt. She was surprised at how easy it was to get Scout to try on something new.

  “Then why did you get it?” Scout asked, slipping her purple corset over her head and replacing it with the shirt Briella handed her.

  “April made it for me when I was going through my Spanish phase. I immersed myself in the language, the dance, the food. I just wasn’t into the clothing. It doesn’t suit my physique.”

  Scout disagreed with that comment but kept her thoughts to herself. She thought Briella would look amazing in this outfit. Scout stared at the mirror but wasn’t happy with what she saw.

  The costume was comfortable but didn’t seem to suit the girl in the mirror. Briella stood behind her and fiddled with the fabric. She peered over Scout’s shoulder, bunching her hair up in her fist, creating a loose ponytail. “Hmmm, that’s better, but I think this outfit calls for curling your hair, allowing it to fall softly over your shoulders.”

  Scout wasn’t comfortable with the way the conversation was going. That seemed like way too much effort to make an outfit look appealing. The clothes she wore needed to look appealing from the moment she put them on. She had more important things to worry about than the way she presented herself to the world.

  While these clothes felt lovely, although the skirt was a little breezy, they weren’t her. “Do you have anything with pants?”

  Briella’s grin triggered a shiver to run throughout Scout’s body. “Relax,” Briella rolled her eyes. “Such little faith.”

  Scout eyed the outfit and shook her head. “No. Nah-uh. I’m not wearing that.”

  “Try it on. You might be pleasantly surprised,” Briella replied. She held a bodysuit made from lycra in her hands. It was a gorgeous, jungle-green coloured fabric with blocks of black print.

  “Where do those words sit?”

  “Try it on and see,” Briella said mysteriously. Scout humoured her. She knew it would not be to her taste, but this way Briella couldn’t come back at her for not being open to new things. Scout chuckled quietly to herself. Who was she kidding? They both knew she wasn’t any good with change.

  Still, she took the outfit from Briella’s outstretched arms after disrobing and wriggled her way inside the stretchy fabric. The colour complimented her new hair tone perfectly. It also highlighted the creaminess of her skin. As expected, the words ‘Check this out’ was written across her chest and the words ‘Hot or not? ’ were written across her backside.

  Other words were strewn across her abdomen, legs and back. She wasn’t as concerned by those. “How many times have you worn this one?” Scout asked.

  “Every time Queen Glitter throws a ball and insists I attend.”

  “I’m guessing that is why I have never seen you at one.”

  “Yep, she throws me out every time.”

  “Why don’t you want to stay?”

  “I’m not interested in starting a family. Here, try this one on.” She reached into the wardrobe and pulled out a shirt similar to Scout’s corset. It was a deep purple with sparkling swirls rising up like fireworks. Scout’s eyes lit up as though it was Christmas. Briella groaned, knowing her fun had come to an end. “I was trying to save this for later,” she said.

  “Yeah, because you know it’s the kind of clothes I like wearing. This is beautiful,” Scout breathed. “Why have I never seen you in this?”

  “I’m not wearing the same style as you when we are together, and since you never wear anything else . . .”

  “Right,” Scout said a little tersely.

  Briella wasn’t about to offer an apology. She understood Scout’s desire to be comfortable. It was difficult for her friend when she was placed in a position where she needed to step outside her comfort zone.

  It was why Scout spent a lot of time on her own. She was able to do whatever took her fancy, and avoid whatever made her feel uncomfortable.

  The thing Scout didn’t comprehend, was there were ways of creating new comfort zones, and Briella was determined to teach her that. She was beginning to realise that it was going to take longer to train Scout than she thought.

  That was okay. Briella had plenty of time to transition her friend into a fashionista like her.

  S
cout peeled the bodysuit off and retrieved her black pants. She slid the shirt over her head and allowed it to fall into place. Her gasp when she looked in the mirror brought a tear to Briella’s eye.

  “Baby steps,” Briella murmured quietly.

  “Baby steps,” Scout reiterated, having read her lips in the mirror.

  Briella grabbed a pin from a drawer and drew the sides of Scout’s hair back. She pinned it in place and plucked at her fringe hairs. “Perfect,” she uttered, admiring her work.

  Chapter Ten

  The rumble of Force’s bike signalled his return. Scout looked panicked as she stepped closer to the mirror. She ran her hand through her hair, nearly jumping out of her skin as Briella shrieked. “Don’t do that! You’ll mess it up if you continue to pat it.” Briella slapped her hand away.

  “Do you mind?” Scout shouted back. “You scared me half to death,” she puffed the air in and out of her lungs around the words.

  “What is up with you anyway?” Briella asked with narrowed eyes.

  “Nothing,” her head came up as Force entered the room.

  “April? Girls?”

  “Over here,” Scout answered, dropping the barrier to the mind-link.

  Force wandered over, his eyes widening at Scout’s new look. “Somebody’s been busy,” he smiled. “You look lovely, Scout.”

  “Thanks, Force. Where have you been?”

  “Out and about,” he hedged. “Where’s April?”

  “Out shopping for scarecrow stuff,” Briella answered.

  “You’re okay with that?” he asked.

  “Briella told her what to buy,” Scout replied proudly.

  “Seems like I’ve missed a lot. Want to catch me up.”

  “Sure, but there may not be time,” Briella’s gaze was drawn to the window. “I believe April has returned. Are you two going to be weird?”

  “Why would we be weird?” he wandered to the window, to see her car heading towards the parking area.

  “You two did heal each other, right?”

  “So?”

  “There are ramifications for those who use more energy than is necessary.”

  “Such as?”

  “Romantic feelings,” the fairies’ voices blasted in stereo.

  “Is that right?” Force said, pieces of the puzzle falling into place. “Has April indicated she might be feeling some after-effects of the healing?”

  “Nope, you did,” Briella laughed. “When you came home and made her mad, again. The look on your face when she responded told us you wanted to smack her or kiss her. Instead, you chose to turn and walk away. Dead giveaway.”

  “Do you still want to kiss April?” Scout asked, fluttering at eye level.

  “No.”

  “Do you want to think about that? She’s about to walk in the door.”

  Force opened his mouth to speak when the door opened behind him. “I’m home,” April called happily. “Wait until you see what I’ve bought.”

  The fairies glanced at her shopping bags. They attempted to appear intrigued but failed miserably. As Briella had already stated what she wanted, they already knew what would be in there. Unless, April had bought something on impulse. Scout flew to April, “Did you get something that wasn’t on the list, April?”

  Her smile said it all. She raised her head and spotted Force. “Liam, I didn’t know you had returned. Did you have a good morning?”

  “Hmmm, you?”

  “For Heaven’s sake, you two. Are you seriously going to stand there and make pleasantries?” Scout wiggled her finger at them both. “Work out your feelings and get back to normal. If you are going to be awkward around each other, Force may as well buy out April’s share of the house and you and Briella can stay along the coastline.”

  “There’s no need to go that far,” Force stated. He didn’t want April to leave and not return. He would miss her, terribly. “We are fine, aren’t we, love?”

  April raised an eyebrow. He’d referred to her as ‘love’ again. For the sake of the girls she chose to let it slide. “Yes, girls. There is no need for drastic measures. Liam and I were confused by the circulation of the excess energy. Are our auras back to normal?” she asked Scout.

  Scout confirmed their energies had stabilised. “Have the energies amalgamated or dissipated?” Force asked.

  “Seems like they have dissipated. Your colours are as they were yesterday.”

  “Great. How about we look inside those shopping bags and get started on our newest project.”

  “What else did you buy, April?” Briella asked.

  “Nothing important,” she said, walking behind the divider that separated the sleeping area from the living areas. Depositing a small pink bag in a drawer, she returned to see the three of them rifling through her shopping.

  “Like what you see, Briella?” she queried.

  “Everything is perfect. Are we going to go and get the stalks from the cornfield and bring it back here for assembly, or should we assemble it there?”

  “What would make you feel more comfortable about the whole process?”

  Briella thought back to her dream and felt her fear beginning to rise. The thought of having it chase her through the cornfields had sweat springing from the pores on her forehead. “Here,” she croaked. “We should put it together, here.”

  “Him, Briella. Don’t think of the scarecrow as ‘it’. He will be less scary if you refer to the scarecrow as ‘him’.”

  “Whatever. Can you and Force go and get the stuff to fill the bags with? Scout and I will start filling the feet and hands. Did you get sand or rice?”

  “I bought some sandpit sand. Shouldn’t one of us stay with the two of you?”

  “No. You two need to get your friendship back to normal. You can’t do that with us around.”

  Force reached for April’s hand. He held it in his for a few seconds before letting go. “Anything?”

  “Nope,” April answered. “You?”

  “Nope.”

  “All right then, we’ll be off,” April stated. “Oh, and Scout, I love the top you are wearing and the way you’ve done your hair.”

  “Thanks, April.”

  “We’ll be back soon,” Force said, leading April towards the door.

  “Okay,” the girls cried, gathering some implements to transport the sand from the bag to the gloves and socks.

  When the door closed behind the Gatherers, Briella said, “So, they’re really back to normal, huh?”

  “Not even,” Scout replied. “The energies have amalgamated.”

  “Does this mean there is a greater chance they will become a couple?”

  “That is how Rochelle and Toren’s friendship started. They were friends who developed deeper feelings for one another. When an accident occurred, and they had to heal one another like April and Force did this morning, their energies mixed and their love blossomed.”

  “You sound displeased by this development.”

  “Why should I be? They’d make a perfect couple.”

  Scout flew to the bag with the gloves. “I’ll start with these, why don’t you fill the feet.”

  “Okay,” Briella flew to a different bag and pulled out a toe sock. “Wow, they are a good colour, aren’t they? He’s going to be a handsomely tanned scarecrow by the time we are finished with him.”

  Scout’s mouth rose slightly at the corners. Briella was showing signs that she was warming up to the idea of assembling a scarecrow.

  Chapter Eleven

  By the time April and Force had collected enough cornstalks to fill the Hessian, Briella and Scout had completed the hands and feet. They studied the interactions between Force and April which appeared friendly and awkward free. Scout sighed with relief.

  “How did you get on, girls?” Force surveyed their work. “You’ve done well. Not too full, not to light. It will give the fingers and toes a chance to bend and move.”

  “Why would they need to bend and move?” Briella squeaked.
/>   “It will make it easier to pose him on the poles I bought this morning.”

  “You went shopping for poles?” Scout asked.

  “What did you think I was doing?”

  “We weren’t sure. Catching up with some of the locals, perhaps?”

  “Well, I was doing stuff for my girls.”

  “You are going to continue to have a life outside of us right, Liam?” April asked.

  “Of course, but there are no cases at the moment.”

  “That is not what I meant. You are going to make friendships and seek other people’s company while you are living here. You aren’t going to rely on us to keep you entertained every second of the day.”

  “Is that what you want, April?” he returned.

  “I won’t be living here every second of the day. I probably won’t spend more than a couple of weeks a year here.”

  “Who’s hungry?” Everyone’s eyes turned to Scout. She clasped her hands and smiled sweetly. April checked her watch and moved to the kitchen without a word. She gathered plates, glasses and cutlery.

  April took some lettuce, cheese, tomato, and ham from the fridge. She collected eight slices of bread from the bread bin and a couple of small mushrooms from the bottom cupboard. In no time she had made sandwiches and poured sparkling grape juice into glasses. The fairies would be dining on mushrooms and daisies.

  Their meal was taken in silence. Each lost in their own thoughts. While Force cleared away the dishes, April began stuffing the jeans. She was working on the second leg when Force picked up the t-shirt and started filling the sleeves.

  The fairies sat on the bench and watched them work, swinging their legs over the side. Scout’s mind soon began to wander. “Oh, Briella. We forgot to create the invitations to the party,” she gasped.

  Briella’s hands flew to her face. “What are we going to do?”

  “Well, we’re not going to panic,” Scout began, drawing a moan from Briella.

  “This is becoming a little repetitive, Scout.”

  “What is?”

  “Well, we’re not going to panic,” she replied in a mocking tone.