Rhys' compliance almost ended the moment her mother mentioned taking the quills out. Almost. By sheer force of will she managed to maintain some semblance of rationality. The quills needed to come out. Whether or not that scared her was irrelevant. Besides, she trusted her mom; she was in good hands.
"It'll be okay, I promise." If not for the quills protruding from her mouth Rhys' lips would have set in a hard, wary line. Instead they remained parted and quivered ever so slightly with barely contained tears. She'd been really stupid. "Open your mouth as wide as you can." Easier said than done. With much apprehension she did as she was told...and managed to open her mouth only an inch or two more before the quills really started to protest. Her eyes welled with fresh tears. She'd been so, so stupid. Why did she have to be so stupid?
