Chatoyant College Book 7: Upon What Soil

Chapter 33: Craft Fair

The craft fair was, to Edie's disappointment, kind of small. That was what they got for not publicizing it to people who could join, she supposed. There were probably a dozen different tables, and only a couple of people shopping besides their group—but they were early, anyway. The tables were arranged in a horseshoe shape, and the five of them immediately headed for the right end of the horseshoe. Edie, excited despite her minor disappointment, was in the lead. She immediately started laughing and cooing when she saw what was on display: little dolls made out of thick clothespins. "Look at this one!" she cried, picking one up and showing it to the nearest friend—Dawn. "Its hair is adorable!"

The doll's hair was made of yarn—most of them seemed to be, actually. This one was a vivid orange, and it was short, but it stuck up all over the place. It was almost like a lion's mane. It had a painted-on face with an open mouth and a shocked expression. It was dressed in a cunningly sewn green jacket and brown dress. Actually, it looked kind of faerie-like. The association with Leila's sister disturbed her, and she put it down quickly, but her other friends were all exclaiming over the dolls as well, and they didn't notice her sudden discomfiture.

"Oh my god, look at this one!" Corrie held one up with an astonished grin. Its yarn hair was yellow and tied behind its head. It was wearing a red T-shirt and a tiny pair of jeans. The expression on its face was a huge grin. "It looks just like me!"

Edie laughed with surprise. "It does! Are these voodoo dolls?" she asked, turning a teasing grin on the black-haired girl sitting behind the table.

The girl grinned back, but her tone was serious. "They could be, if you wanted them to. I didn't deliberately make them to look like specific people, but I do take commissions."

"Well, I'm definitely buying this one," Corrie said, grabbing her wallet. "I wouldn't want anyone else making a voodoo doll of me. Also, it's really adorable."

"Then I won't complain about the resemblance!" said the girl. She gave Corrie change from a small box at the back of the table.

"How do you find the time to make all this?" asked Roe, picking up a doll with blue yarn hair and a multilayered black dress. "I can barely sew. I can't imagine making clothes this tiny."

The dollmaker shrugged. "It's like any other hobby, I guess. You make time. Stay up late, skip a few assignments, you know. I got started making them for my friends in high school, so it's gotten easier over time. Of course, I've also made them more complex, so they still manage to take just as much time." She lifted the layers of skirt on the doll Roe was holding, showing that the bottom petticoats were made of a fine mesh.

"That is awesome," Roe said. "I'm on a budget, but I will definitely keep your dolls in mind."

"That's cool," said the girl. "I mean, like I said, it's a hobby. I'm just trying to get some of my investment back."

As they moved on to the next table, Roe asked the group generally, "Wasn't Troy going to come with us?"

"Oh, no!" said Corrie. "I told him about it but I didn't tell him when we'd be going. Of course, I didn't know we'd be going so early, either. Should we go find him?"

"I'm sure he can get here himself," said Annie. "Even after we leave."

"Yeah, but it's more fun if there's more of us," said Roe. "Where are the other guys, anyway? Duncan and Rico, I mean?"

"They weren't interested in the craft fair," Dawn said quickly. "I asked them yesterday. But hey, maybe I can find a present. Rico's birthday is coming up." She didn't look enthusiastic about it. Edie wondered if she was avoiding Rico after what had happened last night.

"We don't need guys anyway," said Annie, laughing with unusual verve. "Girls' day out! But that could include Leila, I guess. Where is she, Edie?"

Edie, looking at one of the watercolor paintings on display and taken by surprise, could only flounder and blurt out the first thing that came to her head. "I don't know. I mean, I haven't seen her today, but she's probably, you know, where she usually is. I guess I forgot to ask her about the craft fair."

"I'm sure she saw the flyers around campus," said Corrie. "She probably wasn't interested."

Edie nodded and headed on to the next table, feeling uncomfortable. She was remembering Leila's strange, cool attitude this morning. Even as she tried to muster an interest in the hand-knitted potholders on the table in front of her, she couldn't shake the image of Leila closing her eyes as she leaned against her tree, seemingly indifferent to Edie.