RTW – Sayin’ It

I had to leave early this morning, so I didn’t have a chance to check out YA Highway‘s Road Trip Wednesday until now. The prompt for this RTW is “Write a dialogue between two of your favorite YA characters.” Since it’s so late in the day, I’m going to cop-out a bit and write some dialogue between Kayla and Mishalla, characters from my own book, Tankborn. They definitely qualify as two of my favorite YA characters.

This exchange is based on something mentioned in passing in Tankborn. It’s from Kayla’s and Mishalla’s past, when they were ten years old.

Mishalla: Kayla! KAYLA!
(Kayla runs along the riverbank toward Mishalla)
Kayla: What? What’s wrong?
Mishalla: (almost crying) I stepped on a sewer toad. It’s all squished between my toes. Don’t you dare laugh at me!
Kayla: I wouldn’t, not ever.
Mishalla: Is it going to poison my foot? Why’d you tell me to take off my shoes?
Kayla: Better muddy feet than muddy shoes. Your nurture mother hasn’t the dhans to buy you a new pair.
Mishalla: Better muddy shoes than poisoned toes. I think my foot is numb.
Kayla: Can you walk?
(Mishalla shakes her head. Now she’s really crying)
Kayla: Maybe if you wash your foot off in the river?
Mishalla: Maybe…Oh, no. The Brigade is coming. Across the river. Two of them.
(Kayla looks)
Kayla: We have to go. Now!
Mishalla: I can’t. I can’t feel my foot.
Kayla: Then I’ll carry you.
(she starts to pick up Mishalla)
Mishalla: Wait! Get the sewer toad.
Kayla: What? Why?
Mishalla: I want to hide it under my brother’s pillow.
(Kayla grabs the dead sewer toad and Mishalla wraps it in her skirt. Kayla picks up Mishalla and runs with her back home).