《Redwood Crossing (Fantasy/Yuri)》 Chapter 1.1: Bluff Chapter Index Chapter 1: Bluff It wasn''t the sort of place that she normally found herself, nor was it the sort of place that she was supposed to be anywhere near to begin with. Branches slumped over the crumbled wall before her like tired, overworked men. Cracked bricks peeked through snarls of dark green, stubborn bits of the dilapidated wall showing through. She walked carefully, mindful of the prickly grass high enough to poke her knees. If she kicked hard enough, she''d see clouds of red dust billow between the blades. Put up after somebody else''s war and neglected once those sides had reconciled, the wall had been left to the whim of the elements. They didn''t need it anymore, so why maintain it? What had once been an impressive imposition, something that could function as a blockade stretching wide and far, was now a pathetic pile of bricks that nature was in the midst of digesting. Swallowed up by nature, it was a border known more by name than anything else. Shreya knew it best by the sharp warnings her mother Pravaah gave her about it. Don''t go near there. I better not catch you near the border. You remember what happened to your sister, don''t you? Shreya remembered the fat lip Shanti got for that better than her sister did. Then again, Shanti had a tendency to conveniently forget anything that got in the way of her having fun. Punishments didn''t work on her. Shreya, like others of her kind, was expected to stay on their side of the border. Few were brave enough (or careless enough, in Shanti''s case) to cross it alone. Although a nonaggression treaty existed between her people, the Marjani, and the humans of nearby Stockbrunn, there wasn''t much trust in it. Humans were notorious for going back on their word. ...which was why she wished she''d brought a knife with her. All she had was the dried gourd she kept her water in, the one with her father''s etchings carved into it. Shreya hadn''t exactly prepared for this border-hopping trip. She''d pulled a Shanti¡ªgot angry, said damn-it-all to the consequences, and did something she was probably going to regret later. It was one of Pravaah''s rants that drove her here. She''d been talking on and on about how it felt like Shreya was some place else lately, like she was floating away without her body. If that sort of thing could happen, then, believe her, Shreya would let it. She''d float up into the clouds and never come back. She''d give nothing more than to be away from Pravaah, away from the other Marjani wolves, and away from what they were and who she was. Things weren''t that easy. Knowing her luck, even if it were possible, she''d probably get tangled up in a tree on the way up and never reach the sky. Her wolven ears laid flat to her skull, hidden beneath her cap. The flaps on the side of it were long enough to reach her jawline, a string dangling from each one. Her dark, thick hair was just long enough to go past her chin, flipping outwards slightly from its volume. Over her shoulders, she wore a deer-pelt cape to further protect her from the wind. From what the Marjani Elders were saying, they were on the edge of a cold season. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. It wasn''t until she made it out of the tall grass that she stopped moving. She took in the sights. Tall trees, some with branches knotted together, others reaching out to the sky. Trampled plants. Bushes stripped of their fruits. The tiny bones of an animal, picked clean. Her ears picked up on flapping wings, no doubt belonging to the scavenger that finished off the animal. A path of dirt and gravel stretched leftwards and rightwards, cutting through the woods. Where it''d take her was Shreya''s guess. It didn''t matter to her. She knew her fit of rebellion was going to end here, with her doing nothing more than just standing in a spot where she wasn''t supposed to be. So much for that consequences-be-damned rebellion that she was going for. Too much of her anger had faded, leaving her in her natural state. She could hear her sister''s chiding already. You hopped the border and only rubbed your shoes in the dirt? You''re pathetic! Who does that?! There was enough material in that to keep Shanti laughing for weeks. Doing anything more than messing with the dirt would be risky. Standing in the path was more than enough of a risk. Anything could happen, and there wouldn''t be anyone around to save her. That''s why she was doing her best to ignore the body laid out prone, face-down in the path. She tuned in to the soft sound of breathing. Whoever it was was alive. Unconscious, but alive. She didn''t need to get herself involved in whatever had happened. It had nothing to do with her. What Shreya needed to do was tip-toe out of there. Someone else would have to be that person''s hero. She needed to go home and get an earful from both her mother and sister, and go back to her every day life. But what if something bad happened because she left this person in the woods? Clad in a red cloak, the passed-out human girl was a clear target. Any animal could come by and take her, and it''d sort of be Shreya''s fault in an indirect way. Shreya would be the last one to see her alive. If that was going to happen, Shreya didn''t want anything to do with it. Let it be known that she tried, and didn''t give this human up as a forest buffet. "Hey! Wake up!" Shreya cupped her hands around her mouth. "You can''t sleep¡ªoh, um," she realized mid-sentence that she needed to speak in a language the other girl could actually understand. She switched over into the Casternian Common language, the words feeling clunky and unnatural in her mouth. "Up, please. You can''t be here." To her surprise, that''s all it took to get the girl to roll over, finally awake. Her face was dirty, no doubt from face-planting to the ground. The otherwise clean dress she wore had a streak of dirt smeared down the front. Sweat painted her chestnut brown bangs to her forehead, the rest of her neck-length hair sticking out in multiple directions. From what Shreya guessed, this girl had been running, and running hard. The girl''s wide-eyed stare further tipped Shreya off that this girl didn''t belong in this part of the woods as much as she didn''t. --------- A/N: This is an interactive fantasy serial. Voting takes place on Thursdays through Sundays on the story''s main site. The most up-to-date chapters can also be found there, but uploading will happen in parts on RRL as well. Chapter 1.2: Bluff "What are you doing here?" Shreya looked away from her eyes. She didn''t want her to think she was going to fight her. Eye contact was a challenge. "I''m from Stockbrunn," she answered, an unexpected edge to her voice. "If you do anything to me, people are going to know. The entire village will come for you, and you''ll be sorry." Perhaps she''d said the wrong thing. It had been some time since she had a conversation in the Common language. She tried again, "why are you here?" "I''m picking flowers." "By yourself?" "What''s wrong with that?" She brushed her fingers through her hair, fixing it into a cleaner style. "Nothing. Goodbye." Shreya turned to leave. She''d done her part in making sure the girl wouldn''t be easy prey. The red-wearing girl and all of her tartness along with her could make it home on their own. The girl struggled to stand up. She took a couple of steps, then stumbled back down to her knees. Maybe Shreya had thought too soon. Not off the hook yet, Shreya stopped. "Are you sick?" "I feel a little dizzy, that''s all." She reached into the bag she had slung over her shoulder. "I lost my water when I fell." Shreya took note of how scuffed her boots were. "Here, have some of mine." She hoped the offer would put her at ease. Shreya undid the straps that kept her water gourd tied to her and passed it over. The girl held it, too unsure to raise it to her lips. "If you don''t drink it, you''ll stay sick. I''m trying to help you." She gave Shreya one more narrowed-eye look before she tipped it back, downing most of what was inside. "Thank you... Sorry about the attitude. You never know who you can trust, you know? I''m Ellie, from Stockbrunn." Ellie stood up, her demeanor entirely different. It was as if a little water had been enough to transform her into a new person, or at least wash away her bitter, tough-girl facade. Judging by how quickly she discarded it, it wasn''t a very good facade to begin with. She leaned back on her heels, a bright smile lighting up her features. "I''m Shreya, from...the forest?" "You''re a woods dweller?" Ellie asked. "You don''t look like how I''d imagine. I thought you''d look all scary or something, I don''t know. Big and brawny." "Sorry?" "Not big and brawny in a bad way! Whoa, not in a bad way, sorry." She waved her free hand, trying to dispel her words. "I mean, you live in the woods with all sorts of animals so I just thought that you''d look huge or be carrying a bunch of weapons...unless you''re hiding something under that deerskin you''re wearing. Nice cape, by the way." "Nope, I''m not," Shreya said, quick to stomp out Ellie''s suspicions. "I''m not hiding anything." "Right, because if you were, I''m pretty sure you would''ve robbed me for everything I have by now." "Why would I rob you after giving you water?" Ellie shrugged. "I don''t know. I''m just saying. It''s not like I have much stuff with me, anyway." Shreya had a better question to ask. "Why are you really here?" A girl as overly trusting as her had a death wish traveling into the woods alone. Not only were there animals lurking around, but there were also whatever these wood dwellers were. The latter would''ve stolen from her and the former would''ve eaten her. Flower picking wasn''t worth losing her life over. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. "There''s a rare flower that''s said to grow along this path. I would''ve prepared for this trip a whole lot better but this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance. I just had to go for it. I had to get out of Stockbrunn fast." Ellie said. "They don''t like people being this deep in the woods, me especially." "For good reason. You should go home." "Not without the flower." "There aren''t any here. Look around." Shreya gestured towards the weeds. None of the plants looked healthy or pretty enough to be considered flowers. "What does it look like?" "It''s black-centered with dark blue petals. We call it a leven-tinte. It looks kind of like this, like curled fingers." She squinted, looking for any signs of blue. "Maybe the guidebook was wrong... Have you ever seen one around here?" "I think we call that azura. I don''t think this is the season for it. Azura grows when the cold ends, not when it starts." Ellie lost her smile. "Are you telling me I''ve been walking around for hours for nothing?" Shreya had to repeat what she said to understand her question. "Walking around for hours for nothing. Yes. All the azura are dead. Go home." Her shoulders slumped. There wasn''t anything else she could do. Her flowers weren''t here. Poor girl. Shreya almost felt sorry for her. She would''ve died for absolutely no reason. "Alright, thanks for the help." She took a step and nearly fell, still unsteady on her feet. The water may have been a good start, but what she needed was rest. Shreya was a wolf. She could defend herself unarmed if need-be. Even at full strength, this girl didn''t stand a chance making it back on her own. Foolish... as foolish as you were, charging into the woods the way you did. What if you were in her place? "Where is Stockbrunn? I can lead you part of the way there, then I''ve got to get back home." Shreya wasn''t going to enter the village for obvious reasons. She knew more than enough about Stockbrunn to know that if her ears were showing, she''d be killed on sight. Dozens of arrows would be shot into her. Hell, her ears would''ve been enough reason for this girl to turn around and try to kill her. Something about Ellie told Shreya that she''d be stupid enough to try it if she had a knife. Ellie grinned, reinvigorated. "Thank you so much! You really don''t have to." Oh, yes, I do, Shreya thought to herself. "Which way is it?" "This way." --------- A/N: This is an interactive fantasy serial. Voting takes place on Thursdays through Sundays on the story''s main site. The most up-to-date chapters can also be found there, but uploading will happen in parts on RRL as well. Chapter 1.3: Bluff Shreya made sure to match Ellie''s slower pace as they walked, ready to catch her if she needed it. She hoped that her wolfish scent would be enough to ward off any other animals. Wolves were normally something to be feared in the forest, but she was young and alone, with a more than vulnerable human. She could run but there wouldn''t be much she could do to help Ellie. Not that she had to help her. Shreya didn''t know Ellie from any other human. "This is your last time going to the forest alone," Shreya warned her. "Don''t do it again." "You sound like my mom." She grimaced. "Ugh, I''m not looking forward to going home." "Same. My mama''s going to be angry." Angry didn''t cover it. Pravaah was going to have Shreya''s head for this. Crossing over into human territory was one thing. Helping and interacting with a human? That was on another level of things-not-to-do. Shreya widened the distance between them, trying to avoid getting any of Ellie''s scent on her. "Mine will kill me. It''ll be like, good job surviving, Ellie, it''s time to die." She mimicked a stabbing motion. "She''ll kill you?" Maybe Ellie would be safer in the woods. Shreya''d have to teach her how to survive. "No, not really." Her grin widened. "She''ll probably yell at me and make me swear to never do this again." Shreya hoped that Ellie''d keep that promise. "Heh, I''ll be lucky if Mama only yells at me. The last time my sister wandered away, things got ugly." "Ah, you have a sister? I always wanted one. Older or younger?" "We were born together." "Twins!" A bounce entered Ellie''s step. Shreya stared at her, puzzled at the word. Twins? There wasn''t an equivalent for it in her tongue. She played it off as confusion towards her exuberance. "Do you look the same? There are twins like that in Stockbrunn." "No, she''s bigger than me." Not by much, but enough to be twice as strong as Shreya was. She hadn''t bested her in a play fight since they were pups. Shreya only had her beat in speed, and even then her sister was catching up to her since she was slacking off on her training. "Be glad that she didn''t find you. She''s not nice." "She''s more like the stereotypical woods dweller, huh?" "Yeah..." Shreya had no idea what Ellie said. Ellie shook what was left in the dried gourd, the water sloshing. "Do you mind?" "You can have it." "Thank you," she said, before drinking the rest. "So what made you run away from home?" Shreya figured there wasn''t any harm in telling her the truth. It wasn''t like they''d ever see each other again. Why not commiserate on a topic it sounded like they had in common? Venting may do her some good. "Mama was mean. I was tired. Frustrated." That was the word. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. "I hope she''s not too mean to you when you get home. I don''t want something ugly to happen to you, too." Ellie frowned. "Tell her you were helping someone important. I meant it when I said that the entire village would be after you if something bad happened to me. I''m very important." "You''re too young to be important." "What?" "Um...you''re not old. You''re not important." Ellie spluttered. "W-well, okay, maybe, but my parents are. And because they are, so am I, so there." Being an Elder''s child didn''t make someone special. Shreya wondered what mental somersaults Ellie had done to get to that conclusion. "Alright." "Anyway, you can tell her that you helped me, and she shouldn''t be so mad at you." "That''s not a good idea." Shreya said. "Me meeting you. That''s what she''s afraid of." "Because I''m from Stockbrunn? If money would change her mind, I can bring you some. I''ve got money." "We don''t want your money." "Then what? I don''t want you to get in trouble for helping me. That''s not fair." Ellie said. "I''ll live. You don''t have to worry. I''m unknown." "What''s that supposed to mean?" Ellie paused. Not knowing where they were headed, Shreya had no choice but to stop too. She listened out for any approaching animals, glad to discover that no one was tailing them. "Unknown. A mystery." Ellie got it. "A stranger. Okay, you might be a stranger but so am I. You helped me, so now I want to help you. You practically saved my life." "Is your village close? We should keep moving." She tried to change the subject. "I could write you a thank you note. Can you read Casternian?" Shreya said, "a note''s not going to help me. What will help me is you getting home safely. That''s all I want." Out of options, Ellie started walking again. Shreya followed her, not liking how her head was tilted down in thought. She was wasting her time. There was nothing that she could offer that would appease Pravaah. If anything, a gift from a human would incite her rage ten times worse. --------- A/N: This is an interactive fantasy serial. Voting takes place on Thursdays through Sundays on the story''s main site. The most up-to-date chapters can also be found there, but uploading will happen in parts on RRL as well. Chapter 1.4: Bluff Shreya wasn''t a good liar. She couldn''t just say she killed someone and stole all her things... The gift couldn''t be passed off that way. Besides, that was something wolves only did in the leanest of times. Things were getting better for them, or so the Elders said. They didn''t have to resort to their old ways of thievery, and if they ever had to do those things again, Shreya wasn''t joining in. She wasn''t like the rest of them. She had integrity. Integrity didn''t breed survivors. Survival meant no limitations. The wolves who survived did anything it took to do so. They were the smart ones. The harsh ones. The cunning ones. The brutal ones. The ones that her sister was growing up to be like. The kind that her mother was. And as special as Shreya pretended to be, she knew she wasn''t that much better than them. She ate the same food they did, lived in the same lean-tos, relied on the same base instincts, and listened to the same stories they did. She was a wolf through and through. Ellie was going to prance back to her Stockbrunn life, not knowing a single thing about survival. She''d go back to her mother and father and whoever-else and they''d be too happy to see her to scold her. Cheer. Giggles. Celebration. They''d prepare a bath for her in a real tub, not in some stream somewhere, and give her a fresh dress to wear out of the hundreds she probably owned. They''d gently remind her not to go back into the woods, that she got lucky this time, and then she''d go to bed on top of five sheepskin blankets. The next day, once her parents'' backs were turned, she''d wake up, and sneak off to get some other type of flower, maybe a cousin to the leven-tinte or whatever she had called it. This flower would be as red as her poofy skirt, because, why not? Their precious daughter''s importance would be tested after that. Maybe she''d be important enough for Stockbrunn to burn down the forest to avenge her. Everyone would suffer. Or maybe Ellie was a liar, and was as common a person as Shreya was a wolf. That whole self-importance thing could''ve been a bluff so Shreya wouldn''t mess with her. Ellie''s only weapon had been her word. Humans will say anything when they''re desperate. They always like bringing up money and family, like money matters at all to wolves and hearing about their family will make their hearts bleed. Wolves have their own families to take care of. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. "I think this is far enough. I can make it back from here." Ellie said. "Thank you so much, Shreya. I owe you." "Okay." "I''m going to try getting back to the path tomorrow. Ianes'' Wall. Will you be there?" "No, I won''t, and you won''t." Never mind Shreya''s second guess about Ellie bluffing. Ellie was pampered. A headstrong and pampered fool. "I won''t be alone. I''ll bring friends." "So more people can die?" Shreya asked. "Lots of people survive in the woods. You''re proof of that." Ellie said. "The woods aren''t just for woods dwellers. Stockbrunnians are allowed, too." Shreya hoped beyond all hope that Ellie''s mama would talk some sense into her. "You''re not leaving Stockbrunn. Didn''t you say this was rare?" Ellie smiled in a way that made Shreya wince. It reminded her of one of Shanti''s calculating smiles. "I''ll find a way. I''d just like to give you a thank-you present. I won''t be able to sleep until I do. It won''t be money or a letter." "I can''t say I''ll be there." "I''ll keep coming by Ianes'' Wall until you show up." "You should do something else. I won''t be there." "You''ll be there, trust me." Ellie said. "Then I''ll give you your gift and we never have to see each other again. It''ll be that simple." Shreya decided to settle for that. "Fine. Gift. And you never come back to the woods." "Yep! See you later, Shreya. Get home safely!" Ellie needed that last exclamation more than Shreya did. She reached over and patted her on the arm, a gesture that Shreya guessed meant goodbye in Stockbrunnian culture. Shreya watched her go, making her way down a fork in the path. --------- A/N: This is an interactive fantasy serial. Voting takes place on Thursdays through Sundays on the story''s main site. The most up-to-date chapters can also be found there, but uploading will happen in parts on RRL as well. The next RRL update (Chapter 1.5) will be the last one for this batch, then we''ll move onto Chapter 2. Chapter 1.5: Bluff She didn''t realize until Ellie was long gone that she still had her dried gourd with her. Insurance that they''d meet again. Ellie may have been more clever than she gave her credit for. How Shreya was going to explain how she lost her gourd to her mother, she had no clue. She knew she was going to be in for a long night. Making it back to the place that Ellie called Ianes'' Wall didn''t take Shreya long at all. She didn''t have a human or conversation to slow her down. She was in the tall grass, back on her people''s side when she ran into the last wolf she wanted to see. Her sister. Shanti''s dark blue eyes had a glint to them, the kind she got when she was hunting. Her long dark hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail. She showed her teeth in a wicked grin, fangs gleaming. "My, my, my. What do we have here?" After spending so much time speaking in the much stiffer Casternian Common language, Shreya was glad to switch back into her native tongue. "I took a walk." Her nostrils flared. "Not alone. Where''d they go? Did you kill them?" "Get your nose checked." Shreya glared right into her eyes. Shanti didn''t back down. Her ears twitched. "Of course you didn''t kill them. There''s no blood. So what were you doing out there, dear sister?" "I''m not repeating myself." Shreya tried to walk past her. Shanti stood in her way. "Move." "Mama''s going to smell that stink on you. You should do something about it." Oh, the arm pat. Shreya tore off some of the tall grass and rubbed it where Ellie had touched her. It wasn''t the best cover-up against an expert''s nose, but it was better than nothing. "Is that better?" "Ooh, that confirms it!" Shanti laughed to herself. Great, once she started cackling it was hard to get her to stop. "You were with a human. Close enough for them to touch you. What happened?" "I helped her get home." "Where''s home?" "Stockbrunn." Shanti laughed harder. "Stockbrunn of all places!" Shreya must have missed the joke. "She says she''s important to them. I don''t know about that." Shreya said. "Shanti...I don''t know what''s so funny but don''t tell Mama about this. I might go see her tomorrow." "You plan on seeing her again? Why''s that?" Shanti sobered up, amusement still flaring in her eyes. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Shreya sighed. "She took my gourd. I need to get it back." "Who cares about a stupid gourd? We make ''em all the time." "It was Papa''s." "Why the hell did you have his gourd?" Shanti shoved her shoulder. "I don''t know. Just don''t tell Mama, okay?" Shreya said. "I''ll be in enough trouble for being out here. She doesn''t have to know I met a human on top of all of that." "But this is my chance to finally see you in big time trouble. I never get to see what it''s like from the other side." "Don''t tell her. I''m..." Shreya had to come up with something fast. "I''m going to use the girl for info. Okay?" "What info?" "Stockbrunn info! If she''s that important, I can get some info out of her that''ll be helpful to Mama. Then she won''t be so mad. But all that''s going to get messed up if you tell her anything, Shanti, so you better not." Shanti''s expression was too difficult for her to read. "Okay. You wanna get Papa''s gourd back and you wanna be a spy. And you want me to keep your secrets for you...but I want to see you suffer. This could be my only chance. You''re puttin'' me in a real tough place." "You''d be doing me a favor," which was rather dangerous, seeing how it was Shanti. Nothing good came out of owing Shanti a favor. Paying her back was going to be a pain and a half. "Ha, I''ll think about it." Shanti said. "C''mon, let''s get home before Mama gets the both of us." Shreya could only hope that her sister would buy the spy idea. Who knew what would happen if she didn''t? --------- A/N: This is an interactive fantasy serial. Voting takes place on Thursdays through Sundays on the story''s main site. The most up-to-date chapters can also be found there, but uploading will happen in parts on RRL as well. The next RRL update will be Chapter 2 of the story. Chapter 2.1: Heiress Apparent Chapter 2: Heiress Apparent Ellie Navarrete supposed it could''ve been worse. Her mother could''ve actually killed her. She certainly looked like she was a split second away from doing so, what with her eyes bulging out and her spit flying all over the place. The vein in her neck pulsed. Her face rivaled a tomato. She had to pause to take a deep breath before launching into what Ellie guessed would be another half hour of screaming. "What''s wrong with you?" Hilda had Sunflower''s leash wound tightly around her fist. The dog in question was elsewhere, forbidden from being in the house. "I told you to never, ever go anywhere without her. What were you doing?" "She was getting a haircut and I couldn''t wait." "Couldn''t wait for what? It couldn''t have been class because you weren''t there." "Yes, I was." Ellie reached for the easy lie. "Ask Zinnia. She''ll back me up." Unlike Ellie, Zinnia was pursuing secondary studies out of her own free will and interest. She was a sit-at-the-front-of-the-class and jot-down-every-word-the-teacher-said kind of girl. Zinnia dreamed of leaving the town some day to go to a northern university, in a town twice as advanced as Stockbrunn. Ellie didn''t see the point in that. Neither of them were ever going to be free enough to leave. "I did. I asked her and you know what she told me? She told me that you haven''t been to any of Guarin''s lessons in weeks. Weeks, Ellie!!" That traitor was too honest for her own good. Ellie flinched. "Okay, I haven''t been going. I''ve been getting notes from her." "Don''t lie to me." "I''m not!" "You know what our agreement was. I''d give you space, all the space you''d need to grieve, and you''d study like you''re supposed to." Hilda said. "I don''t make you do any fieldwork. I don''t make you join me for deliberations. I don''t make you help the townspeople with their tasks. I don''t make you do sword lessons. I''m not making you apprentice with anyone. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. "And yet, you have the audacity to skip off into the woods instead of doing the one thing I ask you to do. No, it''s not audacity. It''s stupidity." Her voice, hoarse from all the yelling she did earlier, dropped to a whisper. "Who cares about Gaurin''s lessons? They''re for people who want to go to university. Primary school''s good enough." "How are you supposed to correspond with other villages in Casterne if you can''t read and write at an advanced level? How can you deal with village-to-village economics if you don''t have a deeper understanding of history?" "I can hire someone to do all that stuff for me," she said. Now it was Hilda''s turn to throw up her hands. "What is it that you want me to do, Ellie? Seriously, I''m all out of ideas here. If I give you space, you lie to me. If I pressure you, you get upset. What do you think I should do?" Ellie knew this line-of-questioning was a trap of some kind. "Keep doing what you''re doing?" "No." Hilda said. "I''ve let you use her as an excuse for long enough." "An excuse?!" Ellie''s voice rose sharply. "That''s enough. You''re going to Gaurin''s lessons. You''ll help your aunt and uncle in the field in the morning, then go." "This isn''t fair. I''m not ready!" Why was her mom doing this to her? She didn''t understand. She didn''t know what it was like. ------------- A/N: This is an interactive fantasy serial. Voting takes place on Thursdays through Sundays on the story''s main site. The most up-to-date chapters can also be found there, but uploading will happen in parts on RRL as well. Chapter 7 (the most recent chapter) will be posted some time on February 25th on the site. Voting will end by February 28th at 11:59 PM EST. Chapter 2.2: Heiress Apparent "You keep saying that, but you''re ready enough to charge into the forest all alone. Look at your dress. You ruined it." "How do you expect me to focus in Gaurin''s class when he hates my guts?" "He doesn''t hate you." "Oh, right, sure, he doesn''t hate me, just like the Diallos and the Glockners." All of those families, with their bitter, beady little eyes. They were the reason why she avoided certain parts of Stockbrunn entirely. She couldn''t go down Kuefer Street without worrying that she''d run into one of them. "Need me to go on?" "No one hates you. You''re the heiress apparent. That means something to these people. Don''t confuse their jealousy for hatred." "You don''t get it." "I do get it. I wasn''t that much older than you when I became the Chieftess." Hilda said. "You can''t spend all of your time moping and crying. You have to put the town first. They need you." "As if you don''t mope and cry about Dad." "...What did you just say?" Ellie refused to back down. "I said¡ª" Just then, the front door opened. In walked Henrik Stenberg, a boy about Ellie''s age who worked as her father''s nighttime attendant. Dr. Cuthberht had recommended him to them after his older sister Johanna had left them for medical school. He was tall, gawky, and awkward in his height and long limbs, much like a baby horse that didn''t have its footing yet. His posture suffered from having to lean down too much to get on other people''s level. He had a pair of round silver glasses perched on his nose. His throat bobbed when he swallowed. "I''m so sorry for being late Chieftess Hildegard." They''d gotten on a first name basis in the months since he had started working in their home. Hilda made sure her glare lingered on her daughter before she turned to him. "It''s not a problem. Bodil is finishing up with him upstairs. Why don''t you take Ellie up with you? She hasn''t gotten a chance to say hello." "Yes, ma''am." He hung his coat on the rack by the door. "Shall we?" Ellie went up the steps without waiting for him. She heard the door shut, signalling that her mother had left. Good for her, then. She probably realized she was going to lose. They''d finish their fight at a later time. She spoke over her shoulder. "What made you so late?" "Agatha lost a tooth." "Who?" "My little sister." "Right, cute little Agatha! I remember her now." She didn''t. Ellie had too many things to juggle to remember something as minor as that. Her mother acted like she had to keep tabs on everyone in town, right down to memorizing their birthdays and who their second and third cousins were. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. On top of that, she had to learn a whole bunch of other irrelevant stuff. The last Territorial War had been maybe 24 years ago. They weren''t fighting the Erzyans¡ªCasterne''s neighboring territory¡ªany time soon, so why did she have to practice spear fighting? Not that she was keeping up with those lessons, either. Spear fighting occupied her time even less than Guarin''s lessons did. Old Gaurin with his peg leg. Apparently, his family had originally come from Nystad, the coastal town where Stockbrunn imported its dried fish from. He''d been a teacher there, too, specializing in political affairs. For whatever stupid reason, he moved down to Stockbrunn and became a secondary studies teacher. Ellie knocked on her father''s door. Bodil Olsson, his daytime attendant, opened it. Even though Bodil was older than her mother, her eyes were less tired-looking, still holding onto a youthfulness reserved for women half her age. She had permanent creaselines on her forehead, and the edges of her red hair were graying. She''d been working for them since Ellie was 7. If circumstances had been different, Ellie might have thought of her as a second mother. She''d make a better one than her real one, in any case. Bodil stepped aside so they could enter the room. "You''re right on time. Vicente''s almost ready for his nap." ------------- A/N: This is an interactive fantasy serial. Voting takes place on Thursdays through Sundays on the story''s main site. The most up-to-date chapters can also be found there, but uploading will happen in parts on RRL as well. The latest chapter, Chapter 7, has now been posted to the site. Voting will end by February 28th at 11:59 PM EST. Chapter 2.3: Heiress Apparent Vicente''s room was modestly furnished for safety rather than style. A dresser of spare clothing stood across from his bed. His wheelchair sat near the window, the blinds still open despite the sun having gone down. The wood floor was bare of any rugs. A couple of paintings hung on the wall, one of them a portrait of the Navarrete family a couple of years before the accident. Ellie wished they''d been smiling in it. Her mother had wanted them to have a stoic pose, and Ellie had fixed on the best expression her five year old self could muster. She sat on her mother''s lap. Her father looked strong in the portrait. Square jawed with a determined stare. Muscles gained from years of hunting. Broad shoulders that could carry the weight of Stockbrunn. The three of them looked off into the distance, towards a future none of them were ready for. A future that had him ten years debilitated, a stick-thin shadow of the man in the portrait. "Hi, Dad." Ellie announced her presence. Bodil and Henrik stepped out to discuss his care and give them some privacy. Their hushed whispers filled the hallway of their otherwise empty house. There were one too many rooms in their home. It''d been built with a larger family in mind. "Ellie." He raised a frail hand towards her. She took it, his fingers feeling more like bones. If she squeezed too tightly, she was sure he''d break. Vicente smiled. Bodil had been careful to shave his face without cutting him. "Tell me about your day." Telling him the truth ran the risk of sending him into an episode. His episodes were why his bed had been fitted with straps. Once, he''d gotten a seizure and flipped himself onto the floor. It took months for those bruises to heal. "I had fun with my friends." Ellie repeated the same bland answer she''d given him yesterday. "We played games." "That''s so nice." He turned his head away from her. Tears clung to the corner of his eyes. "Don''t cry." Ellie wiped them away with her thumb. Vicente mumbled something into his pillow. "I''ve got to go. Henrik''s here for you." She kissed him on the cheek. "Good night, Dad." He let go of her hand, and she left. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. She couldn''t handle that much more of him. On her way out, she bid both of his attendants farewell, and turned in for the night. Her bedroom was the way she''d left it: blankets kicked to the floor, small lockbox on her nightstand, and various tiny tools spread across her desk. A couple of them needed to be replaced after one too many lockpicking attempts. Her closet had been left open from this morning when she''d hurriedly put something on to go into the woods in. Ellie unlaced her boots and kicked them free of her feet. It had been a long day. If the rest of her didn''t know it, her toes sure did for how beat they looked. She''d stashed the borrowed gourd beneath a bush outside of the house. Walking in with it would''ve required too much explanation. All her mother needed to know was that she''d been in the woods. It wasn''t like that was the first time she''d ever been there. And it wouldn''t be the last time, either. ------------- A/N: This is an interactive fantasy serial. Voting takes place on Thursdays through Sundays on the story''s main site. The most up-to-date chapters can also be found there, but uploading will happen in parts on RRL as well. This is the last part of Chapter 2. The next post will be Chapter 3.1. The latest chapter''s poll is still active. Voting will end by February 28th at 11:59 PM EST. Chapter 3.1: A Pig and a Dog Chapter 3: A Pig and a Dog To Ellie''s great relief, Hildegard wasn''t around the next morning to resume her ranting. She figured that her mother spent the night in the Town Hall, buried up to her neck in work. And denial, too, if she thought she won! Deep down, Hilda had to know Ellie was right. Putting a time limit on grief was just...all kinds of wrong. Ellie set a pot of water on the gas burner, switched it on, and lit a match to get it started. Any minute now, Bodil would arrive to relieve Henrik of his duties. Sometimes, she showed up with breakfast in tow, big armfuls of fresh baked bread and jam, but Ellie wasn''t in the mood to talk to her even in exchange for food. She made four servings of bulgur wheat porridge, dumping each one into a capped jar that she stuffed into her bag. This time, she ensured she''d look better prepared for her journey. She packed a travel-sized water jug, an apple, a small bundle of jerky wrapped in wax paper, and a blade from her lockpicking kit. Its size made its function as a weapon questionable (and not at all intimidating), but it was better than nothing. Already in her bag was her main thank-you gift to Shreya, her savior. Once she was finished, Ellie wiped the counters and put everything away. Leaving behind a mess was bound to trigger another fight, so she did everything she could to avoid that. She swore she had the kitchen glowing by the time she was done cleaning. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.Slinging her bag over her shoulder, she shut the door behind her. The sun hung high in the sky, hot enough to make her forget yesterday''s chilliness. Her boots crunched gravel as she walked down the path to their front gate. Having to think fast, she''d shoved the gourd beneath the closest bush to the gate. The way its leaves arched over the dirt provided enough cover for it to be a good hiding spot. ...Supposedly. On second glance, it seemed to be peeking out a lot more than it had when she left it. Anyone with sharp enough eyes could spot it. If it weren''t for a certain traitor leaning against her wire fence, she would''ve scooped it up immediately and been on her way. ------------- A/N: This is an interactive fantasy serial. Voting takes place on Thursdays through Sundays on the story''s main site. The most up-to-date chapters can also be found there, but uploading will happen in parts on RRL as well. The next post will be Chapter 3.2. The latest chapter''s poll is still active (as of February 27th at 1:00 AM EST). Voting will end by February 28th at 11:59 PM EST. Chapter 3.2: A Pig and a Dog "What do you want?" Ellie kept the gate latched. Zinnia Trotter blinked, not expecting that. "Nice to see you, too." Her long hair was free flowing, laying over her shoulders. Before she''d cut it, it had been long enough for her to sit on. She wore her work outfit, a pair of coveralls that had been stained to hell over the years. Gloves stuck out of her pocket. She may have been a scholar, but she was still a farmer through and through. The Trotter family''s pigs were an integral part of the town''s economy. They were bouncing back from a heavy loss of their stock, which meant that the majority of Zinnia''s free time was spent around the pig pens. "Hurry up. I''m busy." "I wanted to warn you about your mom." Zinnia gripped the wire. It shook, betraying her nerves. "She figured out that you haven''t been going to class." "Yeah, because you told her. Thanks." Sarcasm. "It was better me than Gaurin. He thinks she''s okay with you skipping." Zinnia mumbled, "I was trying to help you." "Next time, don''t. She practically screamed my ear off. I''m holding it on with glue, see?" Ellie said. She kept her tone crossed, despite her joke. "Don''t you have somewhere to be?" She shifted the way she stood, the glass in her bag clinking together. "No. I just got done with the pigs'' morning feed." Zinnia said. "You''re paying her a visit, aren''t you?" All her nervousness had cleared up, replaced with bitter disapproval. "Someone has to feed her." "She can forage." "And so can you, but no one makes you do that. You''ve got a nice house and all kinds of nice things. What if that all went away for you?" And that wasn''t even half of the story. "Try being exiled on top of all that." Zinnia said, "it''s because of me that she has that shack of hers. If it were up to my father, she''d be dead." She let go of the wire. "Next time, learn all of the facts before you try guilt tripping someone." "You never visit her." "Why should I? I''m not her keeper." She yanked her gloves out of her pocket. "And can you really call her exiled if her exile is mostly self-imposed? We don''t want her near our farmland, but she''s free to go anywhere else." Ellie held back laughter. "Yeah, sure, if she wants to disappear forever, she''ll get right on that." She sucked in a sharp breath when she realized the weight of what she''d said. "I-I''ve got to go check on Sunflower." Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. "Yes, yes. I have to return home. I can''t keep my mother waiting." "Tell Ianthe I said hi." "Okay!" She wouldn''t. They both knew it was better if she didn''t mention Ellie''s name to her. Zinnia hurried away. Ellie counted to sixty twice before finally retrieving the dried gourd. Away from the gate and hidden from view, she poured the thank-you gift into it. She''d found the wine bottle in their cellar, dusty and forgotten on the bottom rack. Someone had made it for her mother and they never got around to drinking it. Even though she knew Hildegard wouldn''t miss it, Ellie planned on keeping the bottle, filling it with water, and putting it back in its place. She''d gotten away with doing that before. ------------- A/N: This is an interactive fantasy serial. Voting takes place on Thursdays through Sundays on the story''s main site. The most up-to-date chapters can also be found there, but uploading will happen in parts on RRL as well. The next post will be Chapter 3.3. The latest chapter''s poll is still active (as of February 28th at 12:20 AM EST). Voting will end by February 28th at 11:59 PM EST. This is the LAST DAY for voting on the latest chapter! Chapter 3.3: A Pig and a Dog Ellie rounded the house. They kept their dogs in the back, most of them working as guard dogs or scarecrow dogs to keep birds away from their crops. Her uncle had taken them to the field at the crack of dawn, save for Sunflower. She wasn''t a field dog. Sunflower was her dog, meant to keep her company throughout the day. Sunflower leapt up from where she''d been laying, her brown eyes shining. She shook the leaves out of her reddish hair, a cluster of them still clinging to her jumper. As was common with dogs, her outfit was simple, a shirt-and-pants combo stitched together from repurposed fabric. With the season changing, Ellie would have to get her something longer than the shorts she had. Her tail wagged rapidly between her two legs. She wrung her hands to keep from being overwhelmed from her mounting excitement. "Here, girl." She bounded over to Ellie''s outstretched arms, her floppy ears bouncing as she moved. Ellie squeezed her close, only taller than her by a couple of inches. At this point, Sunflower was pretty much done with growing. What she lacked in height, she made up with her strength. Her tug-of-war record was spotless. Ellie let her go, holding her at arm''s length and brushing the dirt off of her. Sunflower hummed from the attention. "We''re going on a walk today," Ellie told her. "Stay here." Watching her owner leave plummeted her mood. It shot right back up when she returned, harness and leash in hand. Sunflower stood, arms raised, as Ellie fit the torso harness on her. She made sure that none of the straps were too tight, stopping with every pull to check in on Sunflower. Once everything was right, she clipped the leash to the back. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! The groomer had put Sunflower''s fluffy hair in a low ponytail, complete with a red bow that was sure to be the cause of envy in other animals. Ellie scratched her behind the ears, earning an esctactic grin from her companion. She then led her to the gate and away from their property. ------------- A/N: This is an interactive fantasy serial. Voting takes place on Thursdays through Sundays on the story''s main site. The most up-to-date chapters can also be found there, but uploading will happen in parts on RRL as well. The next post will be Chapter 3.4. Chapter 8 will be posted on the Redwood Crossing website some time on Thursday. Chapter 3.4: A Pig and a Dog Elllie tucked the gourd under her arm. She kept her head down as she traversed the dirt and cobblestone-lined streets. Their estate was located in the wealthier end of the residential district, where things were quiet for the most part. Most people were away at work, be it as farmers, merchants, shopkeepers or something else. Agriculture was the beat that kept Stockbrunn moving. A woman¡ªEllie didn''t lift her head to figure out who¡ªsaid hello to her and she muttered a small greeting back. Some kids raced by, nearly crashing into a man hoisting a box over his shoulder. He shouted at them and they scrambled, scurrying off somewhere else to continue their game. The next street over was busier. Carts of wares were being pulled towards the market. Two bearded men were chatting animatedly about a theater production, their conversation loud enough for Ellie to hear even as she turned in another direction. Popular, upcoming actress this. Great stage design, that. Someone bellowed at them to get back to work. A painter sat on the edge of the road, calling for attention. A cat lazed next to her, lounging in the shade cast by a street light. Its black and white hair shone from the sunlight. Ellie gave the painter''s art a quick glance: a pianoforte with women''s legs, a melting flower bouquet, and a close-up of a bleeding mouth. Ellie weakly called the paintings nice, and moved on. She had to duck to avoid getting hit by a ball. A chubby boy and girl were throwing it back and forth, getting more daring with every toss. They kept trying to catch it backwards, failing each time but still having enough fun to make it worth it. The clay, brick, and wood buildings that surrounded her were clustered close together. They loomed over her, a mix of white and brown. The tight, grid-like system that the town was built on gave them more room for farm land. They passed an off-leash dog that Sunflower promptly barked at. Ellie waved off its owner''s apology. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. After some time, they finally made it to the very edge of the town, the area where Marietta Trotter (more properly known as Marietta of Trotter, but Ellie would lose her head if she corrected her on that) lived. The location offered her just enough protection from wild animals. It was close enough to Stockbrunn to make them wary. Her shack was no-frills, built out of scrap materials. There was only enough space in it for sleeping, although she''d somehow managed to fit a mirror in there. It was Marietta''s prize possession, second only to her collection of ribbons. Ellie knocked on her door. Marietta opened it so fast that Ellie nearly got hit with it. ------------- A/N: This is an interactive fantasy serial. Voting takes place on Thursdays through Sundays on the story''s main site. The most up-to-date chapters can also be found there, but uploading will happen in parts on RRL as well. The next post will be Chapter 3.5. Chapter 8 is live on the site now. Voting on the latest chapter will end on Sunday. Chapter 3.5: A Pig and a Dog Marietta Trotter wore dark pink overalls that went to her knees over a brown stripped blouse. Light pink bows adorned it, one on each pocket and shoulder strap, and another on her stomach. She had a red bow clipped to her hair, a coincidental match to Sunflower''s ribbon. Ellie avoided pointing that out. Over her bottom hooves, she wore long yellow socks stuffed into buckled shoes. Her pig ears poked out from her orange hair. "I brought breakfast." Ellie had to block Marietta from digging into her bag. "But we''re going to eat it with a friend." Marietta grunted. "Who?" Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. Pigs were the only animals in Stockbrunn that had mastered the Common language. It was a point of pride for them, and Marietta was no exception to that rule. "Her name''s Shreya. She''s a woods dweller." Ellie said. She backed up to give Marietta space to exit her home. "I''ve gotta return something to her and I don''t wanna go alone, so..." "So you''re holding my food hostage." Her hand, two-pronged with a thumb, reached again for her breakfast. Sunflower growled at her, stopping her in her tracks. "Your bodyguard isn''t enough?" "There''s strength in numbers." The added benefit was that this time Shreya couldn''t call her foolish and unprepared. She had a pig and a dog with her. "Why do numbers matter? Don''t tell me you stole something from her." "I didn''t! I borrowed it. She gave it to me ''cause I didn''t have enough water," she explained. Ellie unclipped Sunflower''s leash. Now free, Sunflower ran in circles around Marietta''s tiny house. "She''s a nice person." "That''s what they all say." Her snout wrinkled. "Hey, you either help me or you don''t get any food. What''s it gonna be?" Ellie didn''t want to do this the hard way, but she had to. "What kind of help do you want? I''m not fighting anybody for you. That''s what the dog''s for." "Just walk with me and be my friend. Do what you usually do...all the way to Ianes'' Wall." "Are you nuts?" Marietta put her hooves on her hips. "You might as well paint a sign on yourself that says ''eat me'' if you''re going there." "I was there yesterday. I survived." Ellie said. "If I can make it there alone, we''ll definitely be fine with the three of us together. C''mon, Marietta. You know you want this great breakfast of¡ª" The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "Chicken jerky, apple, and wheat porridge. I can smell it. You spilled some." She took another sniff. "Yeast smell. Grape smell. Sugar. You''ve got wine in that gourd. Is it for me or for your woods dweller?" "It''s my thank-you gift to her." "Good, then I''ll take the rest." "Um, how about one jar, the jerky, and the apple? I kind of made one jar for everybody." Ellie didn''t know how she got on this end of the negotiation. She should''ve been the one setting the conditions. Marietta grinned. "And all I have to do is walk with you and make you look good? Okay, I''ll take it." She produced a key from her pocket, and locked her door. She had ribbons to protect. "Yeah. C''mon, Sunflower. We''re leaving." Excited at the sound of her name, she bounced after them as they made their way into the forest. ------------- A/N: This is an interactive fantasy serial. Voting takes place on Thursdays through Sundays on the story''s main site. The most up-to-date chapters can also be found there, but uploading will happen in parts on RRL as well. The next post will be Chapter 4. Chapter 8 is live on the site now. Voting on the latest chapter will end on Sunday at 11:59 PM EST. Chapter 4.1: Fool Chapter 4: Fool "We''re lost, aren''t we?" "No, we''re not." Ellie waved her hand dismissively. "It''s not much longer from here. We''re close." "That''s what you said an hour ago." Marietta said. They were long past her point of comfort. Her hooves pulsed in her shoes, jolting pain up her ankles with every step. If she''d known they were going to be walking in circles, she would''ve worn a different, although still just as stylish, pair. She''d forgotten that Ellie wasn''t the most sensible and efficient of girls. No compass. No sticking to the given path. No doubling back to the last place they saw a signpost. A minor interest in something scratched into a tree, because somehow, scribbles in tree bark are more important than finding landmarks. An insistence that they were going the right way. A dog that kept stopping to sniff the air, the plants, the dirt, everything and anything that could slow them down. Great deal of help she was being. "Can''t you get Sunflower to find the Wall?" Dogs were supposed to be good at things like that. Ellie shrugged. Full-on, shoulders to ears, shrugged as if she couldn''t be bothered to check. "She doesn''t know where it is. Do you, Sunflower?" Sunflower stopped in her tracks. One of her ears visibly twitched. "See? She knows something." Marietta followed Sunflower''s gaze. She was staring at a cluster of trees bundled so closely together it was as if they were tied. They were meant to go in that direction, apparently. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. "Good job!" Ellie reached out to hug her. Sunflower threw her arm out in front of Ellie, barring her from taking another step. She shot a warning glare at Marietta, then went back to looking at that same spot. "What''s wrong?" There were trees everywhere. The sun streamed through their leaves, patterning leaf-shaped lights over the shadows. Dirt and grass all over the place, the elevation differing and warning them of a nasty fall if they weren''t mindful. Ellie failed to see what was so disturbing about the trees Sunflower had singled out. She glanced over at Marietta. Marietta''s mouth hung open. ------------- A/N: This is an interactive fantasy serial. Voting takes place on Thursdays through Sundays on the story''s main site. The most up-to-date chapters can also be found there, but uploading will happen in parts on RRL as well. The next post will be Chapter 4.2. Chapter 8 is live on the site now. Voting on the latest chapter will end on Sunday at 11:59 PM EST. Chapter 4.2: Fool Sunflower got down low, one knee to the ground and her other leg stretched out behind her. Her hands were to the dirt, fingers spread out. She kept her eyes on her target. Still not getting an answer, Ellie repeated herself. "What''s wrong?" "When she takes off, we run as fast as we can in the opposite direction." Marietta murmured. "Whatever you do, don''t move until she does." "Why? We can''t just leave her." Marietta couldn''t believe she had to spell it out for her. "There''s a bear." "I don''t see anything." "Just because you don''t see it doesn''t mean it doesn''t exist." It was a wonder Ellie wasn''t dead yet. Cluelessness was a death sentence she''d somehow managed to avoid. Marietta wished she had her luck. "We''re in its territory." "Okay, let''s talk to it and explain we don''t mean any harm." As soon as Ellie lifted her boot, Marietta pulled on the back of her tunic, hard, to keep her in place. "What the hell?" "It''s feral," Marietta hissed between her teeth. Four legged. Covered head to toe in fur. Claws capable of ripping off heads. Powerful jaw ready to swallow them, clothes and all. A brutal, mindless monster whose territory they were encroaching on. Even someone as thick as Ellie had to understand the gravity of the situation they were in. Marietta could smell the drool on its lips. A pig, a dog, and an idiot served up on a platter. Why did I agree to go? She eyed Ellie''s bag. Right, the food. The food that made their trio all the more delectable. "New plan. Get rid of your bag. Drop it." "I can''t," she whispered back. "I can''t let it go." "Do it." "No." This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Sunflower stayed in her stance, ignoring Marietta and Ellie''s back-and-forth arguing. "You better drop it this instant or I''m dropping it for you." "You better not." Ellie clutched the strap. "You selfish fool." What was so important about her damn bag? "You''re the fool!" "Keep your voice down." "Sorry." Marietta told her, "I''m giving you five seconds. Five..." "Don''t." "Four, three..." She damned the rest of the countdown and went for it. Marietta grasped the bag in her hooves, yanking on it to get it off of Ellie. The contents inside clacked together, a loud clap of glass striking glass. That was enough to set off the bear. It roared, spit flying free from its jowls. ------------- A/N: This is an interactive fantasy serial. Voting takes place on Thursdays through Sundays on the story''s main site. The most up-to-date chapters can also be found there, but uploading will happen in parts on RRL as well. The next post will be Chapter 4.3. Chapter 9 is live on the site now. Voting on the latest chapter will end on Sunday at 11:59 PM EST. Chapter 4.3: Fool Sunflower bolted. Ellie screamed. Marietta grabbed her arm to drag her along. They had to get out of there. Sunflower would only be able to hold the bear off for so long. Ellie wrestled her arm away. "I''m not leaving her!" She rummaged through her bag. Her knife wouldn''t do anything against a bear. She settled for the empty wine bottle. "You''re not fighting that thing." The bear made its way around the trees that obscured it. Its brown fur bristled around its neck. Both it and Sunflower stopped to glare at each other once more. "Sunflower needs us." "She''s saving us. Ellie, don''t be stupid." Marietta was tempted to smack the bottle out of Ellie''s hands. "Anyone could''ve heard your scream. We''ve got to go." "No!" Ellie had had her since she was a puppy. "I''m going to help her. You run away if you want to." Going back to Stockbrunn without Ellie... Marietta might as well be dead, too. Maybe she could play a good little pig and talk her way back into her old home, convince them to take her back and that she won''t say a word. A good, obedient mute. Sunflower charged for the bear. ...And disappeared. She disappeared right into the forest floor, having stepped onto a hunter''s trap. What should''ve been a pile of dirt and leaves had given way to a hole. Sunflower yowled. The bear padded its way over to the edge. Ellie reached her arm back and snapped it forward. She hurled the wine bottle at the creature. It shattered over its head and shoulders, a shower of glass and blood. The roar this time was louder than the last. Marietta ran. She didn''t look back at Ellie, the bear, the hole, none of that. She just kept running in her shoes that weren''t meant for running and her clothes that weren''t meant for dying in, no, no, no. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.Today wasn''t supposed to be the day for all this. She was supposed to accompany Ellie to meet her woods dweller friend, and then be treated to a delicious meal. An apple, some jerky, some porridge. That was it. That was all that was supposed to happen. She''d never signed up for a dance with death. Her lungs burned. Sweat drenched her blouse. Another explosion of broken glass. She squealed, hitting a jut in the soil she hadn''t expected. She tumbled head over heels, but didn''t let that deter her. Marietta scrambled to a stand and kept going. Did the glass mean that Ellie was fighting it? Or did it mean that it had gotten her already and she''d thrown the glass with her last breath? Marietta shook her head to rid herself of those thoughts. She needed to get back on the path. A rumbling growl. Marietta turned, and made eye contact with the beast. Everything about its face said that that was the end for her. That was it. Goodbye. No more second try at life. She squeezed her eyes shut, keeping them that way as she heard something make a heavy impact. Metal on flesh. ------------- A/N: This is an interactive fantasy serial. Voting takes place on Thursdays through Sundays on the story''s main site. The most up-to-date chapters can also be found there, but uploading will happen in parts on RRL as well. The next post will be Chapter 4.4. Chapter 9 is live on the site now. Voting on the latest chapter will end on Sunday at 11:59 PM EST. Chapter 4.4: Fool The bear wailed. Another animal snarling. Sounds of struggle. Gnashing of teeth. Paws slashing through the air and not hitting anything. Then, another wet, awful stabbing sound. A low, guttural whine. It took another hit for the whining to subside. Marietta finally opened her eyes. A wolf stood before her, panting from its fight. It said something in her own ugly tongue, then switched into a clumsy Casternian Common. "It''s good that it was hurt already. It was bleeding. Lots of pain. We''re lucky." Its forearms were covered in blood, splashes from when it struggled against the bear. It held a stick with a knife tethered to the end. The makeshift spear had served it well. "If you''re going to use that thing on me next¡ª" "No. I''m friendly." Its blue eyes widened in surprise. Its kind were the furthest thing from friendly. Wolves not being feral didn''t make them any less dangerous. If anything, it made them ten times worse than things like the bear they''d just faced. They were liars. Con artist. Not to be trusted. "Did you see a girl here?" The wolf asked. It undid the string, freeing its knife. "Are you going to threaten to eat me if I don''t tell you?" Marietta crossed her arms. The adrenaline had left her for the most part. "I''m nice. I''m her friend." "Sure you are. I see right through you." "See right through me... So do I. You know her." It said. "I can tell you''ve been with her." "And she''s gone now. You can''t have her. Woe is you, wolf." "She''s somewhere here." It wiped its knife on its pant leg. "I don''t want to kill her. And I don''t want to kill you. I would''ve let her do it if I did." It gestured to the bear, its back riddled with wounds. "Then what''s your angle? What do you want?" It mused on that for a moment. "She has something of mine. I need it back." You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Hearing that was all it took for everything to click in Marietta''s mind. This wolf was the woods dweller that Ellie was trying to see. Fooled by its hat and cape get-up, she''d actually believed that it was human. Marietta had to confirm that for herself. "She doesn''t know what you are, does she?" "No." Was that a hint of fear? Worry? The wolf had more of a stake in its secret than it was letting on. "If you want to keep it that way, you''re going to need my help." Marietta said. ------------- A/N: This is an interactive fantasy serial. Voting takes place on Thursdays through Sundays on the story''s main site. The most up-to-date chapters can also be found there, but uploading will happen in parts on RRL as well. The next post will be Chapter 4.5. Chapter 9 is live on the site now. Voting on the latest chapter will end on TODAY (Sunday) at 11:59 PM EST. There''s also a chance for readers to comment with character suggestions. See Chapter 9, the latest chapter, for more information. Chapter 4.5: Fool "I''d like my gourd." It tried a redirection. Marietta was too smart for that tactic. "Do you want her village to decimate your enclave? If I told them you were messing with her..." "I''m not. I''ll never see her again after this." "You and I both know that''s a lie. If you didn''t want to see her again, you wouldn''t be so concerned about me telling her what you are." Marietta sighed. "If you''re a spy, you''re doing a poor job." That must''ve struck a nerve. The poor creature glanced away. "I''m not a spy." "Then what are you? Just curious about how the oh-so-wonderful human species lives?" Marietta asked. "If that''s what it is, then admit it already." "Yes, curious. A little." It said. "But I''m here for my gourd. After this, I''m gone." "Stay a while, wolf. You''re in my debt." Marietta grinned to herself. "And hurting me is as good as hurting her so don''t try anything." "Debt? No." "Debt? Yes, because if she finds out about you, whatever thing you''re trying to do is over. I don''t know what your actual aim is, wolf, but I''ll figure it out, and, hell, maybe I''ll join you in whatever you''ve got planned." This opportunity was too good to pass up. "I''m not planning anything." A shout called their attention away. "That''s Ellie." The wolf said. The bear hadn''t gotten her after all. "Over here!" It took a couple of more shouts for her to be able to find where they were. Her face, already sweaty and pale from running, turned another shade lighter when she saw the bear. "Whoa... You guys killed it?" Ellie clutched her collar. "It was weak." Marietta explained. "Your friend said it was already bleeding." "Thanks, Shreya. I thought...yeah." She didn''t want to go there, even though she was the same girl that had abandoned Marietta in her time of need. Yeah, Marietta hadn''t failed to notice that. "I thought throwing a jar would distract it. By the time I turned around, you weren''t with me anymore, Marietta." The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Realizing her manners, Ellie glanced from friend to friend. "Oh, and, Marietta, this is Shreya. Shreya, this is Marietta." Shreya nodded at Marietta. Marietta put her hands behind her back. "Where''s the gourd?" Shreya cut to the chase. "I took it off when I was running, sorry." Ellie said. She rubbed her forehead. "I''ll get it for you, really, I will, but we''ve got a problem." "You''re talking about Sunflower?" Marietta asked her. "Yeah. She''s in that hole. We''ve got to get her out." ------------- A/N: This is an interactive fantasy serial. Voting takes place on Thursdays through Sundays on the story''s main site. The most up-to-date chapters can also be found there, but uploading will happen in parts on RRL as well. The next post will be Chapter 5. Still accepting character suggestions on Chapter 9. See the main site for more details. Chapter 5.1: Gift Chapter 5: Gift If it hadn''t been for Shanti, Shreya wouldn''t have been there at all. It was her that took the fall. She came up with a story about Shreya bringing her back to their side of the forest. Shreya, the good, well-behaved sister who wouldn''t have dared traversing the border for anything else but saving Shanti''s life. Shanti said Shreya kept her out of trouble, but that didn''t spare Shreya of anything. Pravaah punctuated her verbal lecture with a round of punishment for both of them. Heavy-handed discipline delivered by force. They weren''t allowed their nightly rations, a consequence that they were all too familiar with during leaner months. Huddled against her for extra warmth, Shanti whispered get-away plans to her: act like it''s an ordinary day. Mosey on out when no one''s looking. It''s not like anyone would be keeping track of her. That''s what Shanti did whenever she wanted to border-hop, and it worked for her pretty much every time. The words "pretty much" hadn''t escaped Shreya''s notice, but she put her faith in Shanti''s plan regardless. And it worked when she tried it the next morning, after her mother had gone hunting. Shreya walked. She made it out into the forest, wearing the same hat as yesterday, back to the old wall where she''d met Ellie. Things would''ve ended differently if they''d been any further away. The pig¡ªMarietta, was it?¡ªwould''ve been eaten and the bear would''ve had Ellie between her jaws. They were all more than fortunate that she''d been a young bear, hurt and frightened out of her wits. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Her back leg had been crushed, as if something had clamped down on it and she''d shimmied herself free of it. The bear couldn''t pivot. Shreya had exploited that disadvantage during their fight, attacking her from behind and staying out of her range. Shreya reached down and shut her eyes for her. In terms of mouths the bear could feed, Shreya hazarded a guess of two families. Her weight would be too significant for her to carry back on her own, though, and there was the greater issue of her having to explain why she''d been in human territory. She wasn''t supposed to be here, let alone hunt here. It was better to leave it, as wasteful as it was. ------------- A/N: This is an interactive fantasy serial. Voting takes place on Thursdays through Sundays on the story''s main site. The most up-to-date chapters can also be found there, but uploading will happen in parts on RRL as well. The next post will be Chapter 5.2. Chapter 10 is out now on the main site. Voting will end Sunday at 11:59 PM EST. Still accepting character suggestions on Chapter 10. See the main site for more details. Chapter 5.2: Gift "One of you will take her." Shreya said. "Yeah, that''s what we''re trying to do." Ellie turned away. She fought against the bile rising in her throat. Her father''s side of the family were hunters, but it had been some time since she''d joined them. The stench reeked something awful. "We''re trying to take Sunflower out of the hole." "Shreya''s talking about that." Marietta toed the bear''s side with her shoe. It impressed Shreya how fast she''d recovered from the squealing mess she''d found her in. "I can break her down for you." "No, don''t. There''s no need." Ellie spoke fast. "Let''s get Sunflower." "Oh, but your friend''s offering. Why pass up on a good offer?" Marietta smirked, enjoying the way Ellie squirmed. "Because Sunflower needs us! Let''s go." Ellie walked ahead. "Yes, friend, let''s go." Marietta followed after her, Shreya doing the same. From what little Shreya knew of Marietta, it seemed like toying with people was a part of her personality. She doubted that her earlier threat had any weight behind it. She''d tried playing the same game that Ellie had the day before¡ªa whole lot of talk about being important. How important could an animal be to a human? Not that Shreya wanted to test her statement, but she was less under the pig''s hoof than Marietta wanted to believe. "Here she is!" Ellie got down on her knees and leaned over the edge of the hole. "Are you okay?" She''d fallen a good six feet down, if not more. Her nails were caked with dirt, from desperate attempts at climbing up the walls. It was her foot that prevented her from getting a hold. The impact had jammed it, making shooting pain jam up her ankle every time she bent it. Sunflower''s whimpers turned into growls as soon as Shreya joined Ellie. "She''s weird with new people, sorry. She''ll warm up to you." A dog. A creature that could trace its ancestry back to weakness and cowardice. They were the ones who turned their backs on their brethren to hitch themselves to humanity. When other animals were starving, they were cozying up to the very people who had once been their enemy. Shreya wasn''t so sure she''d be able to warm up to something so...so traitorous. She''d never seen a dog before but now that she had, it made her stomach turn. "If only the bear had fallen into this..." Marietta whistled. "I know, right? I''ve seen something like this before." Ellie said. "You use it to hold animals and kill them from a distance. It would''ve definitely taken care of the bear." Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. How many others had died in traps like this one? Abandoned. Alone. Unable to defend themselves without so much as a fighting chance. Even an intelligent animal would have trouble making it out. "Good thing this one didn''t have any spikes at the bottom," she continued. "Someone might''ve made it in too much of a hurry to set it up properly." "Or they wanted their kill to be as manual as possible." Marietta said. "That''s nasty. It was probably because they were worried a person would wander into it." "People aren''t supposed to be here." "People are here. People live and survive in the woods." Ellie glanced over at Shreya. Shreya needed this information. "How does the trap work?" Ellie spread out her arms. "They lay a blanket over the hole and cover it with leaves. As soon as someone steps on it, they fall through." That was exactly the kind of intelligence Shreya needed to gather. To come back empty-handed after Shanti sacrificed herself for her would''ve been insulting. This made everything, including all of that nonsense with her gourd, worth it. Ellie was a treasure trove of secrets waiting to be spilled. ------------- A/N: This is an interactive fantasy serial. Voting takes place on Thursdays through Sundays on the story''s main site. The most up-to-date chapters can also be found there, but uploading will happen in parts on RRL as well. The next post will be Chapter 5.3. Chapter 10 is out now on the main site. Voting will end Sunday at 11:59 PM EST. Still accepting character suggestions on Chapter 10. See the main site for more details. Chapter 5.3: Gift "We should find a rope," the human girl said. "We''re in a forest. We''d have to go back to Stockbrunn to get one." Marietta shot her down. Shreya added, "we shouldn''t separate. It''s not smart to do that. Everyone stay together." "Yeah, and I don''t wanna leave Sunflower, so that''s not happening." "Oh, like how you left me?" "I said I was sorry, didn''t I? If I didn''t, I am, I''m real sorry." Ellie said. "I thought I drew the bear away but I didn''t, and I''m sorry. I came looking for you. I never left you." Marietta wasn''t buying it. "Okay." "Anyway, I''ve got a new plan. Since we don''t have a rope, why don''t we be the rope?" Pride for her cleverness lit up Ellie''s features. "We be the rope..." Shreya parsed out the meaning. "How does that work?" "Easy! I''ll hold a branch for Sunflower to grab, you grab me, and then Marietta grabs you. We can reach her like we''re the rope." "There''s a good chance that''s going to lead to all four of us in the hole," Marietta said. "We''re not going to have much leverage." "How strong are you?" Shreya asked, sizing her up. "I''m plenty strong. I''ll have you know I''m the hardest worker you''ll ever meet. Manual labor''s in my blood." When Ellie caught Shreya''s eyes wandering, she grinned. "Are you checking me out?" "Yes. You''re fine." There wasn''t anything outwardly wrong with her. Her cheeks reddened. "Um, thanks! Uh, I''m going to go find the stick, then, yep." She left them to go find one strong enough. Marietta chuckled to herself. Another joke that Shreya didn''t understand. Once Ellie returned, they got into formation. Ellie laid down on her stomach, holding the stick for Sunflower to grab. Her upper half dipped into the hole. Shreya crouched over her, her feet planted near the edge. She kept her arms tight around Ellie''s waist, straining not to drop her. They didn''t need two accidents today. Marietta wrapped an arm around Shreya''s middle, ready to assist in pulling Ellie and Sunflower up with her. Sunflower reached for the stick, her fingers only brushing it. "Lower me a bit more." Ellie called out. "Okay, lowing you." "Lowering," Marietta corrected. It wasn''t the time for grammar lessons. Not when one slip meant Ellie potentially breaking her neck. She felt so fragile in Shreya''s arms, like something that could be crushed with an accidental flex. Soft. Vulnerable. Every ounce of this breakable girl''s trust was in Shreya at that moment. What if she did let go? Using Ellie as a measuring stick, humans weren''t nearly as hardy as wolves. She wouldn''t be able to bounce back from a falll like that. The difference was fascinating. Ellie said something to Sunflower to get her to stop growling. "Good. Sunflower, take." There was a slight pull on the line. "Alright, guys, let''s bring her up!" Marietta took a step backwards, not letting go. Shreya followed suit, one foot following the other for balance. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. If she dropped Ellie...she''d be left in the hole like so many other animals before her. She''d learn how it feels to be hopeless, at the enemy''s mercy as spears endlessly prod at her. The thought didn''t bloom any further. The strain on her arms doubled. Sunflower must''ve been off the ground. Marietta kept backing up, a steady force that helped Shreya from tipping over. "Keep going!" Bit by bit, Shreya dragged Ellie out, getting her back to safety. When the dog got close enough to the surface, she let go of the stick, leapt for the edge, and hauled herself up on her own. Unable to support herself on her bad foot, she sat on the ground. Fury began to pool in her eyes. Ellie held her. Sunflower''s head rested over her shoulder. "Bad." She growled the word, her pronunciation of it so poor that Shreya thought she said something else at first. "She can speak?" "She''s a dog." Ellie rubbed circles into her back. That appeased her enough to keep her from growling, but not enough to remove her death glare. "Dogs can only say so much." Marietta explained. "Let''s say that they''re limited in certain departments." That was what those turncoats got for bowing their heads in subjugation. Domestication ruined them. Shreya almost felt sorry for the poor thing. Its clothes, a one-piece shirt-and-shorts combo, looked like it was stiched together from discarded fabric, leftovers that no one knew what to do with. It didn''t even have shoes, the bottom of its feet crusted with dirt. No shoes, no proper clothing, no language ability. Stockbrunn treated its pigs better than its dogs. And yet, in spite of its treatment, Sunflower''s tail still wagged from being in its master''s grasp. ------------- A/N: This is an interactive fantasy serial. Voting takes place on Thursdays through Sundays on the story''s main site. The most up-to-date chapters can also be found there, but uploading will happen in parts on RRL as well. The next post will be Chapter 5.4. Chapter 10 is out now on the main site. Voting will end Sunday at 11:59 PM EST. Still accepting character suggestions on Chapter 10. See the main site for more details. Chapter 5.4: Gift "What does Sunflower do?" "She''s my companion. We travel together. We protect each other." Ellie squeezed her tighter. "If she''s hurt, does that mean you won''t be coming back here anymore?" Ellie loosened her hold. "You sound a little sad about that. My, my, is someone having a change of heart from the whole just-give-me-my-stuff-back-and-I''ll-go thing?" "Um..." Shreya didn''t know what to say. "Her foot''s red. We should tend to it." Ellie let her go to check on her foot. Sunflower whined as she manipulated it, checking it for the extent of her injury. "She''s going to have trouble walking." "We need to tie her foot with that." Shreya looked over at the big bow on Marietta''s head. "No! Obviously you don''t know quality when you see it." Marietta huffed. "This ribbon''s rare. It doesn''t deserve to get soiled by being wrapped around a dirty paw." "We can use hers." She undid Sunflower''s ribbon, letting her reddish-blonde hair loose. Ellie fluffed it out, causing joy to intermingle with the anger still lingering in Sunflower''s eyes. "Pressure on the wound''ll help, right?" "It keeps it from..." Shreya made a circle with her hands, then expanded it to a larger size. "It keeps it from enlarging, or getting bigger." Marietta said. "Yes, thank you. Enlarging." Shreya said. "And we need something cold. A river." Ellie wrapped the ribbon around Sunflower''s foot and ankle, tying it tight. Sunflower whined when she pulled it. "We should let her rest. I don''t think she''s ready to walk. Why don''t we eat and chat a bit, you know, get to know each other more and stuff?" "Right here? Where a bear almost killed us?" Marietta reminded them. "If there''s anything coming, you''ll let us know." Shreya said. Since she was with them, only the bravest of creatures would come near them. A wolf, a dog, a pig, a human. They were too much of a threat (and an oddity, too) at this point to be worth contending with. Scent-wise, at least. Sight-wise told a different story. "I know how to hide us. We''ll be okay." "Is there anything you don''t know?" Ellie took off her bag. She took out three jars filled with light brown mush, followed by an apple and some wrapped-up, dried-out meat. Muttering something about payment, Marietta grabbed a jar, the fruit, and the meat, and then got right to eating. "Yes. I learn something new every day." Shreya said. "I have to know a lot in my life or I won''t have one anymore." Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Ellie popped the lid off of one of the jars and handed it over to Sunflower. She passed the remaining one to Shreya. "You should keep it." Accepting the jar meant that Ellie wouldn''t have one. "It''s okay. I owe you so much already. Seriously, this is the least I can do, and¡ªand your gourd! Wait here, I know where I dropped it. Sunflower, stay." Ellie hurried off to get it. Knowing that they were in a relatively safe place, Shreya didn''t go after her. Marietta spoke through a mouthful of apple. "Well-played so far, wolf." "What are you referring to?" "You haven''t given yourself away." Marietta said. "I thought Sunflower would ruin everything for you." The look of pure hatred in Sunflower''s eyes only seemed to grow the longer Shreya stayed with them. She scooped out her porridge and spooned it into her mouth, her gaze not leaving Shreya. "Sunflower, Miss Wolf here is our friend for now. Do her a favor and lighten up. She''s not going to hurt Ellie since she knows what''s good for her." Marietta tossed the finished apple core behind her shoulder. "I''m not going to hurt her because I don''t want to." "Or that." Sunflower shook her head. "Bad. Bad, bad, bad, bad." ------------- A/N: This is an interactive fantasy serial. Voting takes place on Thursdays through Sundays on the story''s main site. The most up-to-date chapters can also be found there, but uploading will happen in parts on RRL as well. The next post will be Chapter 5.5. Chapter 10 is out now on the main site. Voting will end Sunday at 11:59 PM EST. Still accepting character suggestions on Chapter 10. See the main site for more details. Chapter 5.5: Gift Ellie showed back up with Shreya''s father''s gourd, ending their little conversation. She shook it. Something sloshed inside, an odd grape-like drink. "I brought you a present. This is something that they give to really important people as a gift. It''s home-made." "Important people like you?" "Yep. It''s a classy and amazing gesture. Consider yourself lucky." "I take it you''re showered in gifts, then, since you''re so important." Shreya said, amused by the thought of it. "Heh, more like my family is." "Ellie''s at the top of the food chain," Marietta clarified. "You can think of her as elite, which makes the two of us elite by extension. Only, Sunflower''s not as elite as me seeing how she''s a dog and all." Elite. Literature had created a different image of the elite for Shreya. Elegant dresses. Ball gowns. Grand displays. Wealth pouring out of pockets. Stunning castles and banquet halls. Poise, and a refined way of speaking and carrying one''s self. Ellie seemed too down-home for that, especially considering who she kept as friends and all of her forest-wandering. Shouldn''t elite people stay in the company of the elite? Maybe this was all a clever ruse, some type of game a farmer girl liked to play. It could be one big joke, a fantasy for them to all play into so they could keep their minds off of the realities of their life. Shreya undid the cork and sniffed the drink. The sweet, fruity aroma hit her. "What''s this called?" "Riesling. It''s a white wine." Ellie said, smiling. "Go ahead and try some. We usually have it with dinner." To her surprise, it was refreshingly light-tasting. She expected more of a grape taste, but it reminded her much more of sweet pear juice. A mild kick followed on the way down. "It''s nice. Thank you." Marietta cleared her throat. She''d finished her jerky and was working on her porridge. Shreya passed the gourd along. She took a gulp of it then passed it back. "Is it okay if she has some?" Shreya asked. "Yeah." Shreya passed Sunflower the gourd. Sunflower accepted it warily, then took a small swallow of it. She gave it back to Shreya, her glare relaxing into neutrality. There was an unspoken respect in that exchange, an agreement that neither of them would harm the other. She tipped her head back, pouring some of the porridge into her mouth. "This is nice, too." Sugar, some kind of spice-blend for added flavor. "What''s in it?" "It''s bulgur wheat porridge. I added cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. Isn''t it great?" It could''ve just been because Shreya hadn''t eaten in some time, but everything tasted wonderful. The Riesling wine bursted with fruity flavor. The porridge had the right amount of sweetness to it to keep it from being bland. "Is this the kind of thing you have for breakfast?" Ellie asked. "No, nothing like this." Shreya said. She took a long drink out of the gourd. "We''re more plain. Most spice is expensive or hard to find." "Yeah, I know what you mean. We''ve got to import it. Do you guys have a trading network or anything like that?" "It''s small. I''m not involved in it so I can''t tell you about it." She handed the gourd over to Marietta. Marietta took another swig of it, and passed it to Ellie. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. "It must be hard living in the woods without a village, huh?" "It''s so-so." Shreya shrugged. "I wouldn''t say I live without a village. It''s a village, yeah..." "Sorry, I wasn''t sure what you''d call it." Ellie took a long sip from the gourd. Sunflower turned down another turn with it, so it went to Shreya next. "Home." "Clever," Ellie said. She looked up at the sky. "We''re going to have to get going soon. Sorry about all that drama with the gourd, by the way. I wanted to get to know you better and I didn''t know how else to guarantee that I''d see you again." She smiled softly. "But now that you''ve got it back, I guess this''ll be some weird thing we can both look back on. You and me, and our tiny adventure." "Don''t forget about us." Marietta said. "Your tiny adventure almost got us killed." "It doesn''t have to be like that. We can see each other again." Shreya said. "It might not be tomorrow but it''ll happen." She capped the gourd. The rest of it would go to Shanti. "Next time, if there ever is a next time, we''re following my directions, instead." Marietta chimed in. Ellie clapped her hands together. "Let''s make it three days from now! Because you know, if we leave without setting a real day it''ll be like we''re never gonna meet again." Ellie helped Sunflower to her feet. She got the stick for her, letting her lean against it for support. "Okay, I''m fine with that." Shreya said. "Three days." "Try not to miss us too much." Ellie laughed. "I won''t. Marietta, can you get them back safely?" "Of course I can. Leave it to me. See you later, friend." "Bye. It was nice meeting you." Shreya waved them goodbye. She watched them go, letting them get a good distance away before she headed in the other direction. Maybe she would miss them, too. Just a little. Maybe. ------------- A/N: This is an interactive fantasy serial. Voting takes place on Thursdays through Sundays on the story''s main site. The most up-to-date chapters can also be found there, but uploading will happen in parts on RRL as well. The next post will be Chapter 6. Chapter 11 is out now on the main site. This week, voting will end Monday at 11:59 PM EST due to special circumstances. Chapter 6.1: Triptych Chapter 6: Triptych She kept the house quiet for her mother''s sake. The children played outside. The twins, Myrtle and Mace. Linden, the tiniest one. They ran around in circles. They pretended to trip dramatically, doing a tumble-roll when they hit the grass. Situated by the window, Ianthe Trotter had the perfect spot from which to watch their backyard games. "Tea, mother?" Zinnia set the tea pot down on the end table beside Ianthe''s chair. Knowing she wouldn''t get an answer, she proceeded to pour it into her mother''s cup. She handed it to her. "It''s spearmint." Ianthe clutched it close to her chest, the steam wafting over her face. "One of the pigs is pregnant." She had to pick her conversation topics carefully. "Father says she''ll yield a decent litter." Ianthe didn''t speak. Zinnia continued, "our livestock''s been improving. You should see it some time." She sipped from her cup, the taste of the lavender-hybrid washing down her throat. Having woken up later than she wanted, she''d missed her morning intake. "I''m considering making some curved shelters for them. Quonsets. I saw them in a magazine." She smiled to herself. "I''m only hesitating because I know every pig and its mother will fight to get into the quonsets. You know how they are. They have to have the best of the best." Zinnia sighed. "I''m not sure the Diallos have enough metal to spare, though. They''ve got their own business to worry about, and it''s not like they''re swimming in wealth." The Diallo family didn''t give discounts. Their prices were their prices, and that was that. There may have been other alternatives in town¡ªthe Montcalms, for instance¡ªbut the drop in price tag came with a drop in quality. Zinnia didn''t want to build the huts with rough, overly-worked steel. The pigs deserved better than that. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. "Theres told me the quonsets were a good idea. Then she said she was sorry her father was being such a grumble goose about the prices." Zinnia said. "I told her it was okay. He only has so much time and steel. It''s not like he has it out for us. We''re not the problem." A shriek rang out across the yard. Zinnia rushed to the window. Ianthe didn''t move. The kids erupted into a fit of giggles at their sister''s face. She turned away from them. "I don''t know what''s gotten into them today. I apologize on their account." Zinnia returned to where she''d been standing. She drank the rest of her tea, sharing her mother''s silence. ------------- A/N: This is an interactive fantasy serial. Voting takes place on Thursdays through Sundays on the story''s main site. The most up-to-date chapters can also be found there, but uploading will happen in parts on RRL as well. The next post will be Chapter 6.2. Chapter 11 is out now on the main site. This week, voting will end Monday at 11:59 PM EST due to special circumstances. Chapter 6.2: Triptych For a brief moment, she allowed herself to picture their situation as normal. Mother and daughter having tea together. Mother and daughter filling each other in about their lives, the mother more of a listener than a talker. Mother and daughter watching the youngest three in their family, the ones too young to fully understand and appreciate the world around them. Blissful ignorance. "I''m going to get ready for school. It''s about time I change out of my gear. Don''t worry, I''ll walk them to theirs and make sure they don''t leave. Farewell." If Zinnia sounded curt, she hadn''t intended to be. They just weren''t normal, and weren''t going to be ever again. They weren''t going to go to the market together and haggle down the cost of a bag of pears. Her mother wasn''t going to help her pick out a dress for her first date. Purple because it matched her skin tone the best? Yellow because it made her look fun? No, Zinnia would never entertain those questions with her mother. They weren''t going to cook meals together or stroll through the town like so many other mothers and daughters do. If Zinnia skipped out on her schooling, her mother wouldn''t care. Her mother wouldn''t show concern, worry, anger, anguish, sadness, all-of-the-above, or insert-anything-into-the-blank because she herself was a blank that''d never be filled. What happened two years ago had taken too many things from them. Her mother''s voice. Their social standing. Zinnia''s respect for this awful, vile town that''d act neighborly one day and turn its back on you the next. And worst of all... Her. The one whose name she was forbidden to say in the house or to anyone else. Her father acted like she''d never existed at all. He''d been the one to throw out all of her things from the bedroom she''d shared with her, not bothering to ask anyone''s permission. Artwork was shredded. Books were burned. Clothes were torn. Her bed was broken down and tossed into a bonfire. Zinnia sat down at her bedroom mirror. She''d kept the other half of the room empty, not knowing what to do with the space that shouldn''t have ever become hers. What look should she go for today? Studious and capable? Cute and dependable? She settled on something between those two looks, something simple with a muted palette. Her hairpin gave her a splash of color that''d remind her to fix her smile every time she saw it. She put on a just-because necklace that Theres had made for her a long time ago. It was supposed to be some beetle known for its tenacity, but it looked more like a dented coin. The necklace made it clear that Theres was a blacksmith''s daughter, not a jeweler''s. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. She rubbed some of the lavender-hybrid solution into her neck, at the pulse point. Her supply was getting woefully low. It was as she was doing this that she took another look at herself in the mirror. They were starting to look alike. Eyes. Nose. Face shape. Everything. Everyone did all they could to drive out Freesia''s spirit, but there she was in the mirror. Zinnia covered it up with a sheet and left to get her siblings. ------------- A/N: This is an interactive fantasy serial. Voting takes place on Thursdays through Sundays on the story''s main site. The most up-to-date chapters can also be found there, but uploading will happen in parts on RRL as well. The next post will be Chapter 6.3. Chapter 12 is out now on the main site. This week, voting will end Sunday at 11:59 PM EST. Chapter 6.3: Triptych ~ * ~ * ~ Gaurin''s class was mostly empty that afternoon. Since it was a drop-in class serving people of all ages, that was to be expected. Sometimes, other obligations prevented people from attending. Ellie had been a no-show for a while, in spite of her not having any obligations of any kind. Zinnia took more diligent notes because of her absence, on the off-chance that Ellie would have a personality transfusion and want to get caught up. The current unit they were working on was the subject that lit the academic fire in her: anthropological studies. Her main interest lied in the study of language development within a cultural context. How did particular ways of speaking come about? What are the morphological differences between languages like Casternian and Erzyan, and what impact did those country''s cultures have on how those languages came to be? Peeking into a world outside of her own enthralled her. It was in the classroom that she could explore far-off places and go on adventures in her mind. Henrik Stenberg sat in front of her, his head down on his desk. She poked her pencil into his back. He jolted upright, his pencil case falling to the floor. Sergi Puig, an older merchant, couldn''t hold in his laughter. "Thank you, Miss Trotter." Gaurin said. "As I was saying, pragmatic competence is your ability to successfully interpret the meaning of someone else''s words. That is, the meaning that they meant you to understand." He turned around, writing his next words on the chalkboard. "Pragmatics are not to be confused with semantics. Mrs. Yida, what are semantics?" Damali Yida flipped through her notebook. "The meaning of words in relation to one another." "Correct. Mr. Muk, what are pragmatics?" The son of a carpenter, Hae-il Muk never failed to show up to class without wood shavings all over his clothes. "The way you change what you''re saying depending on your environment." "Mr. Stenberg, is there anything you''d like to add to that?" "I agree with Hae-il''s answer." He lifted his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "Mr. Puig?" Guarin asked. Sergi scratched his beard in thought.. "Hm... It''s about the interaction of the speakers and the words that they''re using." "I''ll settle for that. I''m afraid that we''re out of time today. We''ll carry on with this lesson tomorrow." He clapped his hands together. A cloud of chalk rose in front of him, making Zinnia cringe. "If you didn''t sign in at the start of class, then please do so before you leave." She shoved her notebook into her bag, and slung it over her shoulder. Henrik kept his in his arms, the pages folded and in disarray. He was two years older than Zinnia, but treated his things as well as someone half his age. "Is Linden coming over today? Agatha wants to show him her tooth." "Shouldn''t a fairy have taken it away by now?" Zinnia asked. The other students filed out of the classroom, some of them breaking off into small groups of their own. Gaurin stayed seated at his desk, reading through a textbook. Henrik shrugged. "She didn''t want to give it up until your brother saw it. And, I''m sorry to break it to you, but..." He cupped his hands around his mouth and whispered, "fairies aren''t real." "Don''t tell my brother that. He''ll have a fit." "So would Agatha. Want to see a face so red it''d put an apple to shame? Make her cry." Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "That''s cruel. I thought you were a helpful sort of person, not a harmful one." Zinnia teased him. "I am helpful! I''m going to be a doctor. That''s one of the most helpful kinds of people you can be." Henrik said. That sounded familiar. "Pulling a Johanna?" "Yeah. From what she tells me, Baekstadt''s a beautiful town. The university there has everything. It''s not just for medical students." He picked up his fallen pencil case. "You should apply for a scholarship. We could go together so it''s not as lonely." Zinnia shook her head. "It''s too soon. Besides, I highly doubt Chieftess Navarrete would like another Stenberg leaving her." "You could take my place. My job''s not too hard, and it pays well." "I''d rather not. I''ve got my hands full enough already." His job was too depressing for her tastes. "I wasn''t being serious. Anyway, I''ve got to go get Agatha and Linden." "Do you have room for Mace and Myrtle? It''ll take a huge load off of my shoulders if you do." Zinnia asked. "A load off of your shoulders for what? Are you doing some night time farming?" He raised an eyebrow. "Something like that. The pigs have been fighting lately and I want to check on them as soon as I can." Zinnia said. "Okay, yeah, I can bring them all over to my house. My parents won''t mind." "Thank you. I''ll see you tomorrow." "See you around, Zinnia." Henrik gave her a smile, then hurried off on his way. The children''s lessons would be ending shortly, and their building was thankfully next door. He''d be able to round the four of them up without any problem. Linden, Mace, and Myrtle loved Henrik like he was the older brother they didn''t have. He deserved better than working for the Navarrete family. It wasn''t fair. Zinnia hesitated for a moment at the doorway. Gaurin''s pencil scritch-scratched across his pages. He didn''t look up. She removed her hairpin, shoved it into her bag, and then left. ------------- A/N: This is an interactive fantasy serial. Voting takes place on Thursdays through Sundays on the story''s main site. The most up-to-date chapters can also be found there, but uploading will happen in parts on RRL as well. The next post will be Chapter 6.4. Chapter 12 (the real Chapter 12) is out now on the main site. This week, voting will end Sunday at 11:59 PM EST. Chapter 6.4: Triptych Zinnia once heard that Arntzen District was a place for people who didn''t know what was good for them. She disagreed. The people who lived in Arntzen District were more than aware that they were living in a cesspool. They just couldn''t get out of it by conventional means. "Work hard and you''re guaranteed to get yours" may have been Zinnia''s favorite lie. People touted that saying as if it was something that fit for everyone. Someone could work hard, and never make it up the mountain because, surprise, they reached an impasse they didn''t have the tools to make it over. They could climb that mountain, and be forced to pay for somebody else''s mistake and slip all the way down because of it. Anything could happen. She walked with her head held high, careful to keep her eyes ahead. The wrong look could look like an invitation if she wasn''t careful. Zinnia wasn''t in the mood to deal with that kind of misinterpretation. Something she''d never understand about Arntzen District was its residents'' ability to shove trash into any space necessary. Sure, life was shit, but why force your surroundings to look that way too? She counted her blessings that her father had too much pride to move them into Arntzen, not that they weren''t a half second from having to move here. They were a bad livestock supply away from being Arntzen''d. Everything felt darker in Arntzen, too, like it even made the sun recoil. Zinnia stopped in front of the house with the red door. The address number was slanted, hanging off of the nail keeping it up. 163 Mafalda Street. She rapped her knuckles on the door. A woman opened it, her mouse-colored hair frazzled. "Oh, it''s Baby Z. Come on in. Pull up a chair." Gracja laughed to herself. She moved aside so she could get in. "I''m not here to chat." Zinnia clenched her jaw. She needed to keep a serious face on. Gracja''s house stunk of incense. Sweet, musky incense. Zinnia recognized that syrupy reek. Gracja shouted over her shoulder. Lucio bumbled down the hallway, a big ol'' grease stain on the front of his shirt. He still had shaving cream on his chin. Zinnia pointed it out to him. "Thanks, girl. What''s up?" Lucio wiped his face. The cream left a streak across his sleeve. "You know what I''m here for." Zinnia crossed her arms. "Is Noemi here?" This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. "She''ll be here soon! Why don''t you relax?" Gracja twirled into the dump she considered a living room. Her couch was missing a leg. The only other chair she had had gotten smashed a week ago. The story behind that hadn''t been coherent enough for Zinnia to understand. Lucio grinned. He was missing a tooth in the front. "I know what she''s looking for. Me and Gracja have got you covered. Gracja, get our favorite lavender runner girl what she wants." "That''s for Noemi to handle." Gracja said. Zinnia reached into her bag. "Nuh uh. We don''t touch the money. Wait for Noemi." Without any other choice, Zinnia sat down on the floor. She wasn''t going anywhere near their questionable couch. Noemi better get here soon, she thought to herself. She only had so much of her sanity to spare. ------------- A/N: This is an interactive fantasy serial. Voting takes place on Thursdays through Sundays on the story''s main site. The most up-to-date chapters can also be found there, but uploading will happen in parts on RRL as well. The next post will be Chapter 7. Chapter 13 is out now on the main site. This week, voting will end Sunday at 11:59 PM EST. Comments on the main site are especially encouraging to the author. Chapter 7.1: Rats End Chapter 7: Rat''s End Zinnia kept her gaze transfixed on a crack in the flooring, willing herself not to engage with the other two people in the room. Distancing herself from them helped her pretend that she wasn''t a half-step away from them. Cultivators. Runners. The mastermind. The real lords who ruled from the shadows. They were all cut from the same mucked-up, gutter-soaked cloth. Lucio whistled through the empty gap in his mouth. "Want something to eat? Got some corn so good it''ll make you cry." "No, thank you. I''m fine." Politeness came to Zinnia automatically, a kneejerk response. Vervain and Ianthe had raised her well. Gracja squinted at her. "You''re turning down the best damn corn this side of the city. Y''sure you wanna make that mistake?" Zinnia folded her hands in her lap, tight, to keep her nerves from showing. "I ate before I got here. Do you know when Noemi''s coming?" "Loosen up! Yer way too focused on Noemi." Lucio squatted down next to her. She braced herself on reflex. "We''re all friends here." "Baby Z''s always forgettin'' that." Gracja stuck a lollipop into her mouth. "Always ready to bounce as soon as the deal''s over. No time to hang out with her real friends, unless their name starts with a big ol'' N. Actin'' like she''s got flies up her nose and shit." She directed her next question directly at Zinnia. "Do we embarrass you?" "It''s not like that." "Tolerate us, then?" Gracja crunched down on the candy. "Hey, can I get one?" Lucio held out his hands. Gracja pulled out another lollipop from her pocket and tossed it over to him. He ripped open the paper wrapper. "I don''t tolerate you." "Ooh, I think that means she has a problem with us." His teeth too fragile, Lucio had to let the lollipop melt on his tongue. "Please don''t twist my words." Zinnia took a deep breath. "I meant that I like you guys. I''m sorry if it seems like I''m racing out the door every time I''m here. You know what it''s like for me at home." "Thing is that we don''t." Gracja said. "Knowin'' ''em is more Noemi''s thing." "I see what you did there." He grinned. Gracja didn''t miss a beat. "And by ''em, I mean you strays. She''s got a mysterious way with you guys. No one likes hanging out with me and Lucio, but they''re all over Lady Noemi. What''s she got that we don''t have?" Another crunch. More candy ground between her teeth. "It''s that lavvie mindlink power." Lucio tapped his hairline. "Pree sure that''s how they met. They have an ear out for each other." "That''s our Pied Piper. Lures ''em right in." "I''m not a child, and I wasn''t lured in, either. I asked her if she needed help." Zinnia explained. She bit her tongue to keep from saying anything further. It was bad enough that she''d let them get under her skin. She didn''t want to give them more satisfaction than she already had. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "And became another one of her pawns running all over Stockbrunn. Nice." Gracja said. "How wonderful." "Do you actually think you''re not one just because you''re a grower? It doesn''t work that way. You''re as much of a pawn as I am." Zinnia couldn''t bite her tongue down hard enough. Gracja and Lucio looked at each other, then back at her. Lucio''s eyes bulged out. Zinnia''s words hung in the musky air. Her throat went dry. Why couldn''t she have shut up? "I''m sorry," she said. She couldn''t look at them and their shocked(?), angry(?) faces. "I can wait for Noemi outside, if you''d prefer. I''ll...I''ll go and do that. Sorry." The housemates burst out laughing. "Shit, Z, no, don''t go anywhere." Gracja grinned, her lollipop stick dangling from her lips. "We were stickin'' you inna bottle." "Oh..." They were just messing with her. A game. It had all just been a playful round of teasing. "Sorry, you''re an easy target." Lucio said. "Gracja, give her a ''pop for being a good sport." Gracja tossed one to her. It hit her chest and fell to her lap. Red. Cherry, maybe strawberry. "Thank you." There was that automatic polite response again. Gracja and Lucio gave her hell, and yet she was still thanking them for a candy she didn''t want to have. There wasn''t an easy way to split it up for three people. No doubt that there''d be an all-out brawl over it. ------------- A/N: This is an interactive fantasy serial. Voting takes place on Thursdays through Sundays on the story''s main site. The most up-to-date chapters can also be found there, but uploading will happen in parts on RRL as well. The next post will be Chapter 7. Chapter 13 is out now on the main site. This week, voting will end Sunday at 11:59 PM EST. Comments on the main site are especially encouraging to the author. Chapter 7.2: Rats End 255 The woman Zinnia''d been waiting for stood at the doorway, a couple of paintings leaned against her leg. The artwork was as depraved as it usually was: lacerated lips dripping with red, a piano linedancing on a pair of smooth, slender legs. Noemi smiled at her when she noticed her staring. "Damn! Hate it when you do that float-in-like-a-ghost thing. Say something when you come in, wouldja?" Gracja said. She and Lucio popped up from where they were sitting to exchange greetings. Kisses on each cheek. Something about the flamboyancy of it made Zinnia look away. "I take it no one bought anything today?" Lucio asked. His words were muffled around his lollipop. "Nah, I made a good 20 off of the flowers. A cat helped me. Gorgeous little thing, that one." Noemi said. She shrugged off her jacket, carelessly dumping it on the floor. Her dress was tight to her body, the corset top more than accentuating her features. "He didn''t do anything but lay there but that was enough to get people''s attention. Cats are king." "''Course it''d be the flowers that sold. You''ve got a good eye for those." Gracja said. "That 20 should be enough for some more oil. Supply''s getting low." "Your little friend stopped by." Noemi placed the paintings in the corner of the room. Just their addition alone seemed to brighten up the place. That taunting up-tick at the end of her sentence was enough for Zinnia to know Noemi was talking to her. "Who?" "The heiress. You should''ve seen her. She was looking at the piano legs so hard I thought she was going to ask for its measurements next." Noemi said. "Kinda like what you just did. Since y''all so hungry, y''all should meet and eat." The joke made Lucio and Gracja explode into a fit of laughter again. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "Great joke." Zinnia clapped slowly. "It was as great as your terrible art no one wants to buy." That got Lucio and Gracja to scream "oooh" in unison. "Don''t mind Z. She''s just hangry after a century of not being touched." "Funny you of all people should say that when we all know you''ve got cobwebs growing down there." Lucio pounded his fist on the floor. Gracja couldn''t hold it together anymore. "I''m sorry, which one of us went out with a girl who gave us a coin on a string and called it a bug necklace?" "It''s a beetle!" Zinnia clutched her necklace. "Mmhm, right. Which of us went out with the supermodel?" "She wasn''t a supermodel just because you painted her. She was a cheesemaker!" "At least she knew the difference between a coin and a bug, like, damn, what the hell is that? Glad you dumped her." Noemi paused for dramatic effect. "Oh, wait a second, you didn''t dump her. She dumped your ass." "It was a mutual decision," Zinnia said, "unlike you and the cheese girl who got tired of all your stuff." "Stuff? Can you not say the word ''shit''? Are you like two years old?" "Two years is longer than any relationship you''ll ever have." "Enough is enough!" Gracja cried. "You''re killing us." "Yeah, let''s take care of things before Lucio spits out another tooth. Gracja and Lucio, mind giving us some space?" Noemi asked them. 255 255 255 255 255 Chapter 7.3: Rats End Noemi shoved the living room couch back, tilting its angle so she could get to what was hidden underneath it. "Don''t look so smug. I went easy on you." She pulled up the loose floorboard and took out a small sack, tied tight at the top. "How''d the last batch go?" "It practically sold itself." Zinnia took the sack of coins out of her bag. "Economy''s gone down the toilet and yet folks still gotta get their fix. All of this fervor for some seed pod paste. Funny, ain''t it?" Noemi traded her sack for Zinnia''s. "There''s less this time. Apparently, something went down during transport. Batch got botched." "We''re not going to get in trouble, are we?" She felt the compact bricks through the bag. "Nope. The whole line knows about it. Whoever-messed-up''s been taken care of, I''m sure." In other words, they''d been killed for their mistake. Zinnia swallowed. "I also need a refill." "Of course, of course. I was thinking you were due soon. Wait here." Noemi put the couch back in place, then left for her room. Zinnia did as she was told, not moving from her spot. They''d met at least a year and a half ago, when Zinnia''s life was at its lowest. Initially, Noemi was a cheaper alternative to the apothecary, someone who wouldn''t price gouge the drug she depended on. She relied on Noemi to maintain her appearance and her psyche. But, then, the two of them got to talking, and Zinnia became one of Noemi''s runners. She leveraged her network of down-on-their-luck farmers and the rest was history. She did what she had to do. The thing that happened left her with no other choice. The Trotters needed money to rebuild. Zinnia needed a cheaper source that wouldn''t be as hard on her family''s income. Noemi helped give her all of that and more. A friend who genuinely listened to her. Someone far removed from the tragedy, who didn''t know her before it happened. Someone who didn''t remind her of it. And in those rare moments of weakness when Zinnia did need to talk to someone about it, Noemi was never the one to brush her off. Uttering her sister''s name was like uttering a curse upon the town. No one wanted to acknowledge her existence or the swirl of things that happened because of her. Noemi came back into the room, holding a bundle of twined-together leaves and a tiny jar of ointment. "Have you ever tried injections?" She handed the drugs over. "A dog would sooner get a syringe than I could. Animals in Seide District get better treatment than the people in Arntzen." Zinnia put it all away in her bag. "It''s wrong. It makes you wonder who''s really the animal." "Hey, cut that out." Noemi scolded her. "In the end, we''re all anthropes. Dividing us into humans and animals is arbitrary bullshit." "These distinctions were established for a reason." Zinnia liked Noemi''s use of arbitrary, even though she disagreed with it. "Someone felt bad about not having special ears and tails and shit, and decided to be a ''human'' when everyone was just fine being one pool of anthropes all together." "You''ve got a vivid imagination." "And so do you, pretending like you were born and raised in Rat''s End. You may know Arntzen, but you don''t know it. At the end of the day, you''ll return to your cozy bed in Seide and be damn glad you''re not sleeping here." "I''m sorry if I implied that," Zinnia said. "You sure did." "Seide''s not as great as you''d think. Everyone there lives in a daze. They have no idea what''s really going on in Stockbrunn." "Stockbrunn or Casterne at large?" "Both." She answered. "They''re missing everything. It''s like they''re asleep." Noemi folded her arms. "What makes you so enlightened, besides your trips over here?" "...I don''t know. You can tell I''m different, can''t you? Isn''t that why you helped me?" The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "I helped you because you looked like you lost everything." Noemi said. "Loss and rebirth come with the territory of being a lavender girl. Excuse me, a lavender woman. Yeah, we understand the destruction/creation cycle better than anyone else." Zinnia mused. "I''m not sure that statement applies to every lavender girl." "But it does to us, because of the shit we''ve gone through. That''s why I helped you. Mutual understanding of shitty circumstances. I could tell that about you as soon as I saw you." She relaxed. "I''m not mad at you, by the way. You do good work. Great work. Never had a reason to complain about you." "I don''t have any complaints about you, either." "Good. You wanna talk about anything? You''ve got this sad girl vibe going and I''d hate to have you leave that way." Where should she begin? The handful hours of sleep she got every night because her mornings, afternoons, and nights had her pulled in three different directions? The fact that sometimes, she really would like to get out of Siede and stay with the three of them? Or how about that no-way-out feeling that seemed to be suffocating her more and more each day? "Maybe tomorrow. I want to see if I can make any sales tonight." "I''ll look the other way if you ever want to have any. It helps with anxiety." "No thank you," Zinnia spat that out faster than she intended to. "I''m okay." "Then don''t say maybe. I''ll see you tomorrow and I''ll be here waiting for you." Noemi helped her off of the floor. "We can talk privately. Everybody knows Gracja and Lucio are like hens, ready to peck up any gossip they can get their greasy beaks on." "I know, right? You''ve got to do something about them." Zinnia hugged her. "I''ll see you." "What kind of hug was that?" Zinnia tried again, this time fully embracing her. "Is that better?" When she let go and stepped back, she felt twice as self-conscious as she usually did, and that was saying something. "Yeah." Noemi read her embarrassment loud and clear. "You better get home in one piece. See you later, Z." "Bye!" Zinnia shot out of the room, out the door, and back onto the streets of Arntzen District. She wiped the goofy smile off of her face with the back of her hand. It was time to get to work. ------------- A/N: This is an interactive fantasy serial. Voting takes place on Thursdays through Sundays on the story''s main site. The most up-to-date chapters can also be found there, but uploading will happen in parts on RRL as well. The next post will be Chapter 8. Chapter 14 is out now on the main site. This week, voting will end Sunday at 11:59 PM EST. Comments on the main site are especially encouraging to the author. Chapter 8.1: Magic Chapter 8: Magic Ellie slammed open the door to Dr. Cuthberht''s Clinic. Her dog, Sunflower of Navarrete, limped in after her. Marietta had already ditched them. There wasn''t an empty chair in the clinic that day. The smaller children were stuck having to sit between their parents'' feet. Men and women fanned themselves with the health brochures they had no doubt read over dozens of times while waiting. The chatter was kept to a low volume, helped by the "keep noise to a minimum" signs tacked up around the lobby. She went straight to the counter. "I need to see a doctor." "Heiress Navarrete." The receptionist''s eyes widened in recognition. She wore a cloth mask that covered her face from nose to chin. "I''m sorry to inform you but you''re going to have to wait in line. Please take a number from the jar and I''ll call you when the next nurse is available." "I''m not taking a number. I''m going back there." Standing around would only prolong Sunflower''s pain. "There''s a line," the receptionist stressed. "If you''re here for your dog, I can book her an appointment with the veterinary surgeon. Unfortunately, the vet doesn''t have any more openings for today. Would tomorrow be alright?" Ellie cringed. Sunflower''s wound had reddened. It was beginning to swell. Waiting for tomorrow wasn''t an option. "No, it wouldn''t. We''re seeing someone today. My dog''s hurt bad and we can''t wait." "I wish there was something I could do for you, Heiress Navarrete, but since you don''t have an appointment you''re going to have to join the walk-in queue." She leaned over the receptionist''s counter. "What''s your name?" "Jaquelin." "Hm, okay, Jaquelin." Ellie said. "I wonder how my mother will react when I tell her how unhelpful you''ve been. She takes our dogs'' health very seriously, and if she heard that you weren''t treating one of our dogs with that same amount of seriousness..." Ellie let Jaquelin''s imagination do the rest of the work. "I''ll check in with the medical staff." Jaquelin got up from her seat. She pushed through the waist-high door attached to the counter. "Perhaps there''s an opening after all." She left down the hall that led to the examination rooms. Throwing her weight around usually did the trick. Not many people were brave enough to stand up to a threat like that. Ellie sighed in relief. She turned to look at the rest of the waiting room. Knitted ''brows. Frustrated looks. Dry coughs muffled into hands. Sweaty faces constantly being wiped with towels. Shoulder-to-shoulder seating. She needed to talk to her mother about the wait times. One man in particular looked especially miserable. A pensive woman sat next to him. They had a stubby kid with them that kept gnawing on wooden blocks. The blocks belonged to the waiting room''s toy chest, an addition to the office that cut down on the amount of antzy children. Having been chewed by many a child before, the cubes were devoid of edges. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. The receptionist came back. "Heiress Navarrete, I''m pleased to tell you that Dr. Cuthberht herself can see you and your dog." The miserable-looking man shot out of his chair. "That''s ridiculous! We''ve been here for hours and she''s going to see the Heiress just like that?" The woman beside him reached for his arm. "Please don''t make a scene, dear. If you know what''s good for you¡ªfor us, you''ll stop talking." Other people in the room looked away. They minded their own business. He struggled, like he was going to say one more thing, and then sat down. Ellie couldn''t find her words for a moment. What was that about? She got a hold of herself. Squared her shoulders. Stood a little taller. Didn''t let her gaze waver as she spoke in confirmation, "yeah, listen to your wife. Let''s go, Sunflower." "It''ll be room 6." The receptionist called as they passed her by. ------------- A/N: This is an interactive fantasy serial. Voting takes place on Thursdays through Sundays on the story''s main site. The most up-to-date chapters can also be found there, but uploading will happen in parts on RRL as well. The next post will be Chapter 8.2. Chapter 15 is out now on the main site. This week, voting will end Monday at 11:59 PM EST. Comments on the main site are especially encouraging to the author. Chapter 8.2: Magic ~ * ~ * ~ Ellie cut into her slice of pheasant with more force than was necessary, her knife clanging against her plate. It was later that night. She sat across the dinner table from her mother, Hilda. Normally, they''d sit at opposite ends, but Hilda had changed her seat so Ellie followed suit. The close distance made her fidget in her chair. "Good evening, Mother," Hilda said. Her bitter tone didn''t go unnoticed. "How was your day?" "It was alright, daughter. I had a ministry meeting and took care of administrative work." Ellie gestured to the uncorked bottle of red wine. "You usually bust out the burgundy when you''ve got a ministry headache." Ellie wondered how long it would take for Hilda to reel her anger onto her. The best thing for Ellie to do was to drag out this ministry subject for as long as possible. She speared some more game bird into her mouth. "There''s a project on the table that they''re at odds about." Hilda winced, reliving the memory of that meeting. "There are disagreements about whether or not it''s a worthy project for us to invest funding into. I estimate that we''ll be deliberating over it for months." "What is it? Is it something top secret I can''t know about?" "It''s revolutionary. You should shadow me at the next meeting to find out what it is," she replied. "Words don''t do it justice." Hilda poured herself some more wine. "There will be meetings like this one in your future." "Frustrating and annoying ones?" "I suppose you could call them that. That''s why it''s best that you learn how to negotiate and navigate these kinds of discussions early on. It''ll help you prepare," Hilda said. "I wasn''t that much older than you when I became Chieftess." Not this again. Ellie used her fork to nudge her potatoes around her plate. "Maybe... But it''s not like you and Dad are dying any time soon. You''ll be Chiefs for a long time." "You could be crowned sooner than that. You need to act like your title. You''re inheriting a legacy." Ellie mumbled, "okay." "I''m aware that you weren''t in the fields this morning. I stopped by Aunt Una''s." Una Maxime, n¨¦e Dietrich, was Hilda''s youngest sibling and only sister. Her husband had died from an infection years ago, leaving her with two small children to raise on her own. Ellie didn''t know how she did it. "I was with Uncle Kier." "Ellie, don''t even go there. Lying is a disgusting habit." Hilda narrowed her eyes. "Your cousins miss you. You should pay Julien and Astrid a visit some time." She swirled the wine in her glass to aerate it. "Don''t you think it''s time you''ve come back?" "I''m here, aren''t I?" Hilda didn''t say anything back for a while. Just kept sloshing around the wine in her glass. "What happened to Sunflower? I noticed the bandages when I went to feed the dogs." "We were playing and she tripped. Hurt her ankle." Ellie stopped to chew on a potato chunk. "Dr. Cuthberht took care of it." They spent the rest of their dinner quietly, the loudest noises being their silverware tapping porcelain. Once they were finished, Ellie gathered the plates, and put them in the sink. She was glad they lived in a piped water zone. Imagining having to journey every day to a well made her cringe. Even with the piping, though, her mother still lectured her on not leaving the tap on, as if an extra few seconds would lose them a river. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. A knock at the door. Ellie busied herself with scrubbing the plates as her mother answered it. From her place in the kitchen, she listened to the door open and the voice of their visitor. Henrik Stenberg, her father''s nighttime attendant, saying something about Dr. Cuthberht having a message for Chieftess Hildegarde. Something he couldn''t be told. Her mother immediately guessed it was about Vicente. Henrik apologized in his usual over-the-top way. He didn''t know. Just that when he went to report in to the doctor, she asked him if Chieftess Hildegarde could come to the clinic and speak to her. Perhaps it could wait until tomorrow. Ellie imagined the look of death Henrik must''ve gotten for suggesting that. Her mother said something back to Henrik, then left out the door. No doubt bewildered, Henrik closed it after her. He came into the kitchen as Ellie was finishing up with the dishes. "Hey, Ellie." He waved. "You look tired." "It''s been a long day, that''s all." Ellie fit the plates on the drying rack. "Did Dr. Cuthberht seem upset?" "She was her usual self." "Okay." Ellie wiped her hands off on the drying rack. "Okay, well, I''m due for bed so I''ll have to talk to you later. Tell Agnes I said hello." "Agatha." "Mmhm. Good night." She excused herself and went upstairs. ------------- A/N: This is an interactive fantasy serial. Voting takes place on Thursdays through Sundays on the story''s main site. The most up-to-date chapters can also be found there, but uploading will happen in parts on RRL as well. The next post will be Chapter 8.3. Chapter 15 is out now on the main site. This week, voting will end Monday at 11:59 PM EST. Comments on the main site are especially encouraging to the author. Chapter 8.3: Magic ~ * ~ * ~ Ellie was in the middle of scooping porridge into jars when her mother came into the kitchen. The sun''s early morning rays streamed through the room. Ellie had forgotten how nice her mother''s hair color looked lit up like that. If she''d been smiling, she would''ve made for a nice photograph in an article about style and power. "Come into the backyard when you''re done." Her stern voice ruined the illusion. She left, the thud of her shoes alerting Ellie that her mother was wearing what she called her trouncing boots. Ellie took her time, which was probably a mistake because as soon as she''d made it to the backyard she nearly got chopped in the neck with her mother''s fighting staff. "Put down your bag and pick up the spare staff over there. I''d like to check on your training." Hadn''t they already established that she''d been slacking off on her training? Ellie shrugged off her bag. Shaking fingers grasped the staff, a long stick of wood carved for the perfect balance of striking force and durability. The dogs were in their doorless shack, their heads peeking out to happily stare at Hildegarde and Ellie. Hilda had put them in a "stay" command they wouldn''t dare break. Sunflower barked, the only dog to vocalize. Ellie admitted that she looked out-of-place crammed in there with the rest of the guard dogs. She was like a fluffy blanket amongst knives. Hilda stood, holding out her staff. Okay, Ellie remembered what to do at this part, at least. She raised her staff to meet hers in the middle so they would start their spar at the proper distance. Hilda took a step back, then used the inner hollow of her foot to kick the staff up into her free hand. She slid into her stance. Ellie had to settle for a much clumsier way of wielding it. "Are you going to call the moves?" Ellie asked hopefully. "No one calls moves in the real world. I''m giving you three seconds." Hilda arced her staff upwards. Ellie''s staff connected with it. Low block. Her mother bounced back, then came back in for the next strike, this time from above. High block, then a battle for dominance as Hilda pushed forward. Their staffs stayed crossed in the block, Ellie''s arms shaking from the effort. Hilda took advantage of that. She lifted her staff away, swung it in a side-arc, and tapped Ellie''s hip before she could react. "You''re dead. Me, 1; you, 0." Hilda said. "Let''s start again." They returned to their starting positions. Ellie decided to go on the offensive this time. She thrust the staff at Hilda, who easily knocked it out of her hands. 2 to 0. During the next reset, Ellie tried to do what her mother had done earlier. She went in low, attempting to use Hilda''s size against her. That didn''t work. Hilda brought her staff down on Ellie''s shoulder, softly. Dead again. She must''ve died dozens of times throughout the next hour. Decapitated. Stabbed through the stomach. Bashed in the hand. Dead on her back, dead on her side. Once, she''d even killed herself in a particularly embarassing manuveur. The staff had gotten stuck in the grass and she''d accidentally vaulted herself. "Again." This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there."C''mon, I can''t do this anymore!" Ellie cried. Her bruises had bruises. "Why are you doing this to me?" "Ellie, fight. Three seconds." Hilda hit Ellie''s staff so hard that it spun out of her hands. She gently shoved her daugher off balance, making her fall. Hilda stood over her. "I''m not picking it up again. I''m done." Ellie moved to stand up. Hilda''s staff, held out over her head, stopped her. She stayed on the ground. "Really? Because I thought you were a proficient fighter." "Why the hell would you think that?" She was too tired to mind her language. "Because you''ve been sneaking off into the woods on your own. Obviously, anyone that ventures into the woods alone is capable of handling themselves in a fight." Hilda said. "Am I wrong?" "I wasn''t alone. I took Sunflower. She was with me. I didn''t do anything wrong." "What if something happened to her again? Another hole?" Dr. Cuthberht must''ve ratted her out. So much for doctor-patient confidentiality. Thankfully, Ellie had cut the story off at Sunflower being stuck in a hole trap. She said, "Marietta was with me too." Hilda didn''t accept that. "You keep gambling with your life, Ellie. You''re beginning to make me wonder if you''re... You''re not trying to hurt yourself, are you?" "No, no... I was looking for flowers. I''ll be more careful." "Careful would be you staying in Stockbrunn, but for whatever reason, you refuse to do that. Why? What keeps compelling you to go there?" "I... It''s because..." Ellie couldn''t say it. And she couldn''t tell her mother that of all times, she was the safest she''d ever been. Shreya had saved her life more than once. "I''m almost ready to assign guards to you, ones that will keep you here." Hilda rubbed the bridge of her nose. "I hope me knocking some sense into you makes it so that I don''t have to do that." "Please don''t." "I won''t if you don''t give me another reason to." She sighed. "I get it, Ellie. You went through a lot and you want to push back against the world. This isn''t the way to do it. You''re better than this. I know you are." "I''m sorry..." Tears pricked at the corner of her eyes. "I shouldn''t have to keep telling you how dangerous the woods are. You know this already." Hilda moved the staff away from her. She tossed it off to the side. "And I know you well enough to know you''re probably going to disregard everything I''ve said. Take a weapon. Know when running is your best option. Remember what your life''s worth. Just...don''t make me lose you, too." Ellie hugged her knees. She kept her head down, her face away from view. She didn''t say another word. She didn''t have to. -------------------- A/N: The latest chapter of Redwood Crossing, Chapter 16, is now up on its main site. Voting on that chapter will end this Monday at 11:59 PM EST. Visit the main site to vote now. Comments on the main site are very appreciated, and help encourage the writer. The next RRL update will be 8.4. Chapter 8.4: Magic ~ * ~ * ~ Zinnia Trotter had to have been dreaming. That was the only way to explain why Ellie was in class that afternoon. Not only that, but it seemed like she was actually focusing on the lesson. She took down notes. She asked Gaurin clarification questions. When Gaurin randomly called on her, she formulated thoughtful responses. She seemed like she cared for once. At the end of class, Zinnia went over to Henrik''s desk. "Is it okay if they come over again today? Agatha''s tooth is Linden''s latest obsession." "Yeah, of course. My mom''s beginning to think of them as her second children." He lowered his voice, "is something up with Ellie? She was weird when I came over last night." "When isn''t she weird?" Zinnia whispered back. She glanced over at Ellie. The heiress was talking to Gaurin, probably trying to get another explanation for one of the concepts she was having trouble with. "I think this is the strangest I''ve seen her, though." "Maybe something happened to her." "No, I wouldn''t think that far." She replied. "I''m certain this is all part of some ulterior motive of hers. She''s crafty." "Is she?" "You don''t know her like I do." Henrik hummed in thought. He dumped his notebook into his bag. "I''ve got to hurry out of here if I wanna catch the kids. I''ll see you later, Zinnia." He left out the door, following the other students who were filing out. She put her notebook away. Zinnia didn''t expect to see Ellie standing in front of her when she looked back up. "Erm...hi?" "Do you wanna hang out?" Ellie smiled. "I can''t, sorry. I''ve got plans." Zinnia waved her off. Had Ellie conveniently forgotten the way she treated her the other day? She practically insinuated that she was as heartless as her father. "How about a rain check?" Ellie leaned into her personal space, a move that would have been intimidating if Zinnia weren''t taller than her. "I don''t wanna be home right now. Can''t you help me with that?" "Like I said, I already have plans. I''m seeing some friends. You''ll have to try someone else." Zinnia took off, leaving the school. Much to her chagrin, Ellie refused to take no for an answer. She stayed right on her heels. "I''ll join you. I''m sure your friends won''t mind." Zinnia whirled around to face her. "It''s a private gathering." "Look, I know Theres hates me but it''s about time she got over that, huh? I know I said some stupid things but she deserved them." "Ellie..." "We might as well make up." She decided to take the out Ellie provided. "Theres isn''t ready for that. She''s never been the forgiving type." "Let''s shake up her life, then." "Ellie, I''m sorry, but I''m going. I''ll bring you up to her and see what she says then." Zinnia said. "Don''t follow me." "Fine." Ellie drew out the word. Ellie could act as surly as she wanted for all Zinnia cared. Zinnia went onwards to Arntzen District, making sure to go a windy way that didn''t make her path so obvious in case somebody was watching her. The streets were a familiar and welcome sight. Dark, dingy, and undesirable. She kicked a trash wad out of her way. The smell, on the other hand, was another story. Mafalda Street stunk of waste. Someone must''ve relieved themself in the alley by Gracja''s house. How pleasant. Two men traded puffs of tobacco back and forth. They hung out on the stoop next door, their eyes shutting blissfully whenever they took a drag. Perhaps there was more than tobacco mixed in their shared pipe. Absent of any sweet notes, it wasn''t a product Zinnia recognized. She knocked on the door, two-knuckle style. Lucio pulled her in and shut the door so fast she almost fell over. "What''s wrong?" "What''s the Heiress doing here?" Lucio brought Zinnia over to the window. Across the street, Ellie Navarrete stood, looking all too clean and vulnerable. She looked straight at them. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Zinnia covered her face with her hands. "This can''t be happening." "Get rid of her before Noemi wakes up." He pushed her back towards the door. "Fast, fast, hurry, hurry, go." Lucio opened it for her. She raced down the steps and went straight over to Ellie. "You have to leave." Zinnia reached out for her arm. Ellie batted her away. "You shouldn''t be here." "I knew you weren''t going to see Theres," Ellie said. "But I never thought you''d be going to some weird house in Arse End. What are you doing here?" "Rat''s End," she corrected. "And it''s none of your business." "Those guys are smoking and I''m pretty sure someone took a dump over there. Why are you here?" Zinnia looked back over at the window. Lucio stared at her, his lips pursed harshly. "I''m visiting someone." "That guy? What the hell? I saw the way he pushed you." "He was freaking out because you''re here! Your presence scares people. He doesn''t want to get in trouble." Zinnia said. "No one wants to get in trouble. You''re scaring everyone here." "Which means they''ve got something to hide." Ellie placed her hand on her hip. "Why would you be visiting these people? Is this your way of acting out? Pushing back against the world?" "W-what?" Ellie shoved Zinnia''s shoulder. "Trying to get yourself killed?" "I''m not. Ellie, you have to get out of here." "I''m not leaving until you tell me what the hell you''re doing here." It had to be magic. The way that Ellie always got what she wanted. That pushy, overly entitled attitude. Zinnia looked back at Lucio. He hadn''t moved, still staring. Still watching and hoping that Zinnia would get rid of Ellie in time. "I''m..." Zinnia breathed in. "You''ll really leave if I tell you?" "Yeah, and you better not lie to me." "I''m buying drugs. They''re cheaper here than at the apothecary." Zinnia settled for telling her that. "You''re what?! You''re a drug addict?" Ellie brought her hand to her mouth. "No...no way. There''s no way you''re a drug addict. A-are you? Is this my fault?" "No! I''m not addicted to drugs." "You''re in Arse End. This is where druggies go. Did I do this to you? Is this because of me...? Zinnia, you have to stop!" "It''s not because of you." "Hey, girls!" Their attention snapped over to the doorway of the house. Noemi waved at them. Lucio wasn''t at the window anymore. "Why don''t you continue your conversation inside? You''re bothering the neighbors." That clinched it. This wasn''t a dream. It was a nightmare. ----------------------------------------------------------- A/N: The latest chapter of Redwood Crossing, Chapter 16, is now up on its main site. Voting on that chapter will end this Monday at 11:59 PM EST. Visit the main site to vote now. Comments on the main site are very appreciated, and help encourage the writer. The next RRL update will be Chapter 9: Escape. Chapter 9.1: Escape Chapter 9: Escape Ellie wouldn''t have wished this house on her enemies. Stained walls, smeared with an unknown substance. Water damage on the ceiling that made her worry about what was going on in the room above this one. Gaps in the wood-panel floor, with the occasional wayward nail jutting out. She sat on said floor, her legs positioned carefully as to not accidentally reveal herself. Sitting to her right, Zinnia had insisted that they avoid the couch. Judging by the way it looked, it was one or two more sits from collapsing all together. The woman that had beckoned them inside sat across from them. The sharpest thing about her face were her eyes, devoid of any fear. Her lips were full, shaped in a way that gave her what looked like a natural pout. In another circumstance, Ellie may have admitted that she was attractive, but that opinion may have been biased by her teasingly low neckline. "Heiress, it''s so good to have you here. My name''s Noemi. The guy over there is Lucio." Noemi tilted her head in his direction. He hung in the doorway, not saying anything, just watching the three of them like he was their chaperone. "I apologize we don''t have a carpet to roll out for you. We''re renovating. Lucio, how about you get the Heiress something to drink?" "We''re running low on our water ration." The hole in Lucio''s mouth was impossible to miss, a big empty spot where there should''ve been a tooth. He was set to lose more. The surrounding teeth were graying. "It''s okay." Ellie said. "Lucio, why don''t you pay Gracja a visit? She''s probably lonely in the basement." Something about Noemi''s tone told Ellie that that wasn''t a question. He gave Ellie one more glance, and then left them alone, his bare feet slapping the floor as he went. Noemi smiled at her. "What brings you into the neighborhood, Heiress? Are you curious about how the other half lives?" Ellie made sure not to smile back. This wasn''t a friendly chat over invisible tea. This was a stern talking to, from future city leader to current city rat. "I''ve known Zinnia for a long time." Hearing her name made Zinnia perk up. "She''s not this kind of person. You''re taking advantage of her, and that''s sick." "Ellie''s got the wrong idea." Zinnia''s words ran over the ends of hers. "You told me you''re on drugs." "Not illegal ones." "It sure looks illegal from here." A run-down house that stank of smoke and sweat. Dark streets full of shady people, each one hiding something more sinister than the last. They were the crusted heel of society, not doing anything to scrape off the dirt and better their conditions. They wallowed in it, reveled in their collective race to the bottom. Zinnia didn''t belong with them. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. "Are you planning on telling on her, Heiress? It''ll be more than her life that''s ruined if you do." Noemi said. Her words lingered as Ellie dug deep within herself for memories of her conduct lessons. Bold voice. Direct eye contact. Never let them see you sweat. "If you promise to never see Zinnia again, then I''ll pretend I was never here." "Stop it, Ellie." It was the crack in her voice that made Ellie look at her. She wished she hadn''t. The desperation on Zinnia''s face was like an echo, a whisper of another person. "Look at what you''re doing to the poor girl," Noemi said. "You''re going to make her cry." "I''m trying to do what''s best for her." Ellie looked away from her, her and all of her trembling. She scooted over to give her a tad more space. "If that were true, then you''d be looking the other way, Heiress. What kind of leader are you if you can''t be discerning? The ripple effect from whatever raid you launch on Arntzen isn''t going to be pretty." Another threat. Ellie couldn''t let it slide this time. "Of course it won''t be. That''s the point! Who the hell do you think you are, anyway? Some kind of drug lord?" "Ellie!" Zinnia clutched her head in shock. Noemi laughed. "That''s one interesting assumption, Heiress, but sorely mistaken. I''ll play along, though. I''ve always wanted to be royalty. Drug lady, not lord." She lowered her voice. "Hey, what do you think would happen if someone caught wind of you being here with a drug lady like me? Folks saw you willingly come in here, you know, and they''re rumor hungry. This could spread wildfire-style. Imagine what the Chieftess would think." "She''d think I was doing my job of protecting Stockbrunn," Ellie said. "Another criminal off of the streets, one that wouldn''t be allowed to prey on girls like Zinnia ever again. I''m not afraid of you, Noemi, and I''d like it if you''d stop trying to scare me." "This is how we talk around here, Heiress. Gruff''s the default. Sorry I forgot my manners." Noemi saluted her. "I''m gonna check on Lucio and Gracja. Give you girls some space." It took about a minute after she left for Ellie to let out a big sigh of relief. "Phew, glad she''s gone. I was scrunching up my ''brows so hard I thought my brain was going to pop." She massaged her forehead. ------------- A/N: The latest chapter of Redwood Crossing, Chapter 16, is still accepting votes on the main site. Voting will end this Monday at 11:59 PM EST. Visit the main site to vote now. Comments on the main site keep the writer fed and happy. Next post on RRL will be 9.2, and that should be the final part to this chapter. Chapter Index Redwood Crossing Inspired by fairytales, Redwood Crossing revolves around two girls from opposing factions and how their relationship progresses over time after a chance meeting. The story is interactive in that it''s poll-driven - readers'' choices and comments can affect where the story goes. Voting on the main site happens Thursday to the end of Sunday. A full blurb can be found on Redwood Crossing''s RoyalRoadL page. Genre: Dark/Low Fantasy, Drama, Slice of Life, Yuri, Reader Interactive, Romance RRL Table of Contents: Chapter 1: Bluff Chapter 2: Heiress Apparent Chapter 3: A Pig and a Dog Chapter 4: Fool Chapter 5: Gift Chapter 6: Triptych Chapter 7: Rat''s End Chapter 8: Magic Chapter 9: Escape Chapter 10: Community Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.Chapter 11: Remember Chapter 12: Kindling Chapter 13: Distance Chapter 14: Exploration Chapter 15: Other Side Chapter 16: Builders Chapter 17: Bolt Chapter 18: Fix What''s Broken Chapter 19: Heart Chapter 20: Flower (To be Added) Chapter 21: VWS (To be Added) Chapter 22: Official (To be Added) Chapter 23: Company (To be Added) Chapter 24: Jolt (To be Added) Chapter 25: Advice (To be Added) Chapter 26: Meaning (To be Added) Chapter 27: Reality (To be Added) Chapter 28: Distraction (To be Added) Chapter 29: Tracking (To be Added) Chapter 30: Halfway (To be Added) Chapter 31: Iota (To be Added) Interlude 1: Hunting Party (To be Added) Interlude 2: Confidence (To be Added) Interlude 3: Fault (To be Added) Bonus 1: Click (To be Added) Bonus 2: At the Base of the Hill (To be Added) I decided to stick this chapter index to the top of the page so it''ll be easier to read through it without losing your place. Chapter 9.2: Escape "You shouldn''t be here. You''re not helping me. You''re just making everything so much worse." Zinnia moved to face her. "I''m saving you from yourself." "I don''t need a hero. I''m fine by myself." "Obviously, you''re not." Did Ellie really need to rattle off a list of reasons Zinnia needed rescuing? The evidence was as clear as day. "Would you listen to someone other than yourself for once in your life?" Zinnia shot at her. "How selfish are you?" "I''m not selfish! I care about you, and it''s because I care that I can''t let you do whatever this is. What would Freesia say if she saw you doing this, huh?" Her name came out of her mouth without thinking. Zinnia became quiet, voice at a whisper. "...So now''s when you want to bring her up? What''s next, you''re going to tell me it''s my fault she''s gone?" "We know whose fault it is." Ellie spoke tersely. "Hers, so how dare you bring her up to me!" "Hers? You''re joking." Her anger must''ve been clouding her judgment. "I''m not joking. You''re the one that jokes around all day," Zinnia said. "Do you think I don''t see you parading around with your dog and that pig like nothing matters to you, like nothing ever happened to all of us?" "Like nothing happened..." Ellie had to chew her words over in disbelief. "What''s wrong with you? Not a day goes by where I don''t think about her. I''m trying to find her while you''re just here, just here doing drugs and acting like nothing''s happened." The outrage on Zinnia''s face only spurred her on to talk more. "Yeah, it''s you that acts like life''s gone back to normal. It''s not normal, it''s not normal at all!" "How can you say that? She''s not out there. If she was, she would''ve come back by now." Zinnia wrapped her arms around herself. "She wouldn''t have left me. It doesn''t make any sense." "I know she''s still out there." "Don''t use her as your excuse for what you''re doing. It''s insulting." Zinnia added, "disgusting, actually." "Is she yours for whatever you''re doing here? Because if anyone''s doing anything disgusting, it''s you." "She devastated our family. What she did made me have to do this, and no, I''m not a drug addict. Get that through your thick skull. I''m doing what I have to do." "And what''s that?" "Dammit, I''m running drugs for these people, so if you''re going to raid them or ruin them or whatever you want to do, you''re going to ruin us too." Zinnia loosened her hold of herself. "And no, I don''t take anything other than what''s prescribed to me. I already told you it''s cheaper here." The room spun. Ellie had to palm the floor to keep from falling. "You''re...what?" Maybe she had heard her wrong. Zinnia, studious front-of-the-class Zinnia, couldn''t be a drug dealer. "You get to escape into the woods and ignore everything that''s going on here at home. That''s great for you, but I don''t have that luxury. No one does aside from you." "I wouldn''t call it an escape," Ellie defended. "But if you want to think of it that way, it''s better than slinking off over here and pretending you''re some tough gutter girl when you''re clearly not. The old you would''ve never done this." "The old me never had to." "You don''t have to! I can help you. I can pay them off, make whatever you''re doing into your last run for them. All you needed to do was ask me for help, Zinnia." "Help me by leaving us alone." Zinnia was on the verge of tears. Ellie''s stomach turned. Flustered, she tried to redirect their conversation. Anything to keep her from bursting out into full-on sobs. "Why don''t you come with me the next time I go to the woods? It''ll help get your mind off of things. Kinda like a mini-vacation. We could all use a break sometimes." This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Zinnia blew out a puff of air at that, a short bitter note. Someone knocked. Ellie looked up, and saw Noemi saunter into the room. "Hope I''m not interrupting anything," she said, definitely aware that she was. "No. We''re going home now. We''re done here." Zinnia got up. Ellie stood up with a little less grace. "Heiress, do you mind if I talk to Z real quick? I don''t wanna hold you guys up or anything." "Go ahead. I''ll wait in the foyer." Noemi grinned. "Heh, if you wanna call our hallway that, then, sure. Wait in the foyer, Heiress dear." Ellie left them alone, going to the front door. She leaned against a wall, not sure what to think of what she''d heard. Zinnia resorting to doing this was so unlike her that it made Ellie''s head hurt. Was this Ellie''s fault too? Did she cause this to happen? Something heavy ached in her chest. Things were bad enough for Zinnia as it was. Ellie couldn''t just rip the bandage off of her problem by alerting her mother to this. If Noemi''s threats were to be believed, a lot of people would be affected. Could she deal with the weight of everything falling? An untreated wound was doomed to fester, and that''s what she''d be doing if she ignored what was going on. Something bad could happen to Zinnia. She could try selling to the wrong people, or someone else could attack this likely opium den for whatever reason and she''d get caught up in a knife fight. How fast would they abandon Zinnia if something bad happened? That guy didn''t have a problem pushing her around earlier. He didn''t seem like he''d lay his life down on the line for her. And Noemi didn''t look like the type of woman who was above using any of them as a meat shield if she had to. This wasn''t safe. They weren''t good people. But if she told... There was more than Zinnia to think about, and even Zinnia herself was practically begging Ellie to keep her mouth shut. What if they went after her family? Who knew what they were capable of? Ellie was snapped out of her thoughts by Zinnia joining her at the door. Zinnia sucked in her bottom lip, her eyes glowering. Ellie asked her, "are you okay?" She was honest with her. "No, I''m not. Let''s go." Zinnia led them out the door. They didn''t talk the rest of the way home. ------------- A/N: The latest chapter of Redwood Crossing, Chapter 17, is out now on the main site. Voting will end this Monday at 11:59 PM EST. Visit the main site to vote now. Comments on the main site keep the writer fed and happy. Next post on RRL will be Chapter 10. Chapter 10.1: Community Chapter 10: Community Dragging the carcass back was harder than Shreya thought it would be. She had to burrow her knife through its muzzle, baring a hole for the stick she wedged into it. It went clean through. After testing its security, Shreya used the stick as her handle for pulling the bear along behind her. By the time she got it into Marjani territory, her palms were pulsing. She brought them up to her face to check the damage. Her arms shook from the effort. The stick had rubbed the uppermost part of her palm raw, her skin a split pink color. She was too caught up in her hands to notice exactly when the hush fell over the nearby wolves. She''d come in through the artisans'' area, where people were working on their various crafts. Her presence paused them. The row of weaving women stared at her, their intricately patterned looms before them. Black diagonal lines intersected squares on white textiles. Pulled taut, the threads stretched from the loom posts to the backstraps the weavers wore, maintaining tension on the loom. The doll makers that sat by them were transfixed on the bear, mouths as wide open as the toys in their grasps. Hands pulling strings through beads hovered in the air. The painter''s brush froze mid-stroke. Someone crawled out from under the crafters'' lean-to. A pup squealed in delight. Her breaking the silence gave everyone else permission to. The weavers clacked their combs together. The doll makers shook jars of beads. Everyone cheered in celebration of the haul. For one brief moment, Shreya felt like a celebrity. A real hero. They were going to eat well tonight. Tadeas, the painter, and Maysa, one of the doll makers, came over to take the bear. Shreya gladly handed it over. The thought of dragging the bear anywhere else made her feel faint. Together, Tadeas and Maysa hoisted it up and carried it off towards the village storehouse. A weaver, Oydis, unhooked herself from her loom, and ran over to Shreya. The rest of the artisans returned to their work with renewed vigor. They chatted animatedly about what the bear would taste like. Tough; fatty. Tender; sweet. A couple of them hadn''t ever had one before, too young to know. That sparked up a debate among the older ones who insisted they were right, and that was enough for their attention to switch off from Shreya. Oydis hugged her, her slight form feeling like bones more than anything. Shreya was careful not to accidentally crush her. "This is such a gift, Shreya. How did you find it?" Oydis held her at arms'' length. "And are you alright? Are you hurt in any way?" "I''m alright." Shreya said, glad to not have to speak in Casternian anymore. Her mother language felt like home to her. "The bear was on its way to death when I got to it. I only put it out of its misery." "It''s been so long since I''ve seen one." The hunters weren''t having much luck. Game was scarce in their territory. Animals weren''t repopulating the area fast enough. For fear of overhunting, the Marjani people had to diversify their food sources. They grew a limited number of crops. Poor soil conditions prevented them from expanding their fields. In the distance, a thick, billowing tower of smoke scraped the sky. A mourning fire. Shreya''s stomach dropped. Mourning fires were growing more frequently as of late. Oydis followed her gaze. "It''s Galo and Kachina. Kachina gave birth this morning." "I''ll pay my respects when their mourning period ends." She wondered if the fire indicated that their children failed to survive, or if they had to make a hard decision. Faced with the current Marjani reality, those kinds of decisions weren''t uncommon. Keeping one or two mouths well-fed was a more attainable prospect than multiples. It put less of a strain on the overall community. Pragmatism didn''t make it any easier of a decision, though. "Thank you. I''m sure they''ll appreciate it." "I''m going to go freshen up a bit. Take care, Oydis." "You, as well." Shreya took her hat off, freeing her ears to the air. She tied the strings around her neck so she wouldn''t lose it. It hung loosely against her back as she walked through the village. As customary, she exchanged warm greetings with every wolf she passed along the way. The afternoon hour meant that everyone was scrambling to finish their daily tasks. A wolf leaned over a stump, carving a figurine under her mentor''s watchful gaze. A second pair were sharpening their knives, the clacks and streaks of metal-on-metal filling the air. They were having a good laugh at another wolf''s struggles to get a fire pit going. The spark refused to happen. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Satchel-carriers headed for the storehouse, their bags full of leafy greans they''d gathered. Barrels of grain balanced on shoulders going the same way. Hefty weights. A small family followed the procession, both fathers proud of the haul. One of their two puppies held a writhing sack. Shreya''s nose told her that there were fish inside, nice ones, too. The other one called out to Shreya, complimenting her deer cape. In another area, tanning took place. Wapasha, an older wolf, brushed dirt from the raw hide. He had it stretched between posts. Cured with a thin salt layer, lean meat jerky dried in the waning sun. The strips were suspended, looped and tied to hang off of tree branches. Wapasha dabbed at his forehead with a balled-up piece of cloth. "Would you like some help?" Shreya walked closer. The other tanners were running wire brushes over their hide skins to soften them. They worked in a vocation that required patience and an eye for detail. "Thank you for the offer, but I''m fine. I just had a little too much sun today." Wapasha blew his black-and-gray fringe out of his eyes. His hair was longer than hers. "Did something happen to you? A little roughhousing gone awry?" She realized he was talking about the blood streak on her pants, from when she wiped her knife off. "I was out hunting." Wapasha grinned. Smile lines crinkled his eyes. "Jumped right into the fray, did you? I did a lot of that when I was your age. Sometimes I miss it, but then I remember that my Elder years are around the corner. I look forward to moving into a resting home more than anything else. Hope I''ll age up wise." "You''re wise. You just have to wait for your age to catch up," Shreya assured him. Well-built with a towering figure, Wapasha was only intimidating when it came to his looks. He hadn''t lost any of his muscle mass from when he used to hunt with Shreya''s mother and the rest of the hunters. "You don''t need to flatter me, Shreya," he said. "What I need from you is for you to talk to Shanti for me. She needs to return The Shaded Grove to the library. It''s the final book in the Bzherkan trilogy. Have you read any of them?" "It sounds familiar. Who''s the writer?" "Ward Marjani Fielaan. The Bzherkan trilogy is a masterpiece." Wapasha closed his eyes as he spoke, as if he were picturing the pages. "It''s a romantic political drama with nods to classic literature. Love blooms in a war cabinet." What was Shanti doing with a book like that? Shanti preferred reading what Shreya liked to call liars'' books, rewritten tales of greatness, of wolves besting humanity. They were page-turners starring genius action hero protagonists. They were smart, strong, and hot to everyone but themselves. That last point was supposed to be their one fatal flaw. Terrible modesty. Those books were absurdly popular with wolves their age¡ªthe more "wolves, hell yeah" moments in the book, the better. "I''ll be sure to tell her." There had to be a good reason why she checked The Shaded Grove out. "I''ll leave you to your tanning. Take care, Wapasha." Wapasha gave her a nod. "You as well." She left him. She passed by more people packing up their things. The nightly gathering would be happening soon. It was a traditional time for Marjani wolves to join together to eat, talk, and discuss what was going on in their lives if they wished to. Sometimes there were even performances...music, storytelling, dance, and so-on-and-so-forth. The most important part of the gathering was the Elders'' announcements. The black mourning cloud made a somber mood hang in the air. Shreya wasn''t sure what the gathering would be like tonight because of it. --------------------- A/N: The next RRL update will be Chapter 10.2, or you can skip the wait and read the rest of the chapter on the main site now. Chapter 17''s vote will be active until Monday at 11:59 PM EST. Want to get involved with the story? Vote on the latest poll and leave comments on the main site! Chapter 10.2: Community Her ear twitched as she listened out for her sister. She could hear her laughing somewhere over there. Drawn by the sound, Shreya made her way to the cr¨¨che, the daycare and playground area for the younger pups. Caretakers watched over them, not interfering with their explorations. One of them reminded her of a little Shanti. She kept smacking a log with a stick, somehow not hitting her brother who jumped up and down on it. A small cluster of children whittled sticks into spears, carving the wood with tiny knives. Learning tools at an early age was important, and their red-faced focus told her they knew that. A mother breastfed her baby, her back to a tree that some children were scrambling up. They urged each other along, yelling out words of encouragement all the way to the top. An adult wolf lounged in the sun. Pups took turn jumping over him, challenging each other to twirl as they did so. From the open doorway of the center, Shreya could hear children being read to in Marjanian and Casternian. Shanti held a child by her arms, and her friend, Danilo, held the same child by her legs. They swung her gently between them, the three of them all laughing, as happy as can be. They looked like a glimpse into the future. Shanti. Danilo. A pup of their own. Shreya off to the side as the single aunt. Shreya wouldn''t be surprised if that future came true. Shanti looked at Danilo like the artisan wolves looked at the bear. "Hi, Shreya!" Danilo greeted her. He and Shanti gently put the pup down. She kicked at the ground. "Not fair!" "We''ll play more tomorrow. I promise." Shanti ruffled her hair. "Now why don''t you go play with your friends? Show them who''s boss." Happy to hear that, the pup bounced off to play with a group of playwrestling pups. "What are you doing in the cr¨¨che?" Shreya didn''t know Shanti was this interested in children. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. "I was paying Danilo a visit and got roped into helping him out," Shanti said. "It''s not a bad gig." "The kids loved having you around," Danilo said. He smiled in a way that made Shreya wonder if the kids weren''t the only ones who loved having Shanti there. "Wapasha asked me to tell you to return The Shaded Grove. He wants to read it." "That''s my fault, sorry." Danilo frowned. "I was already at my two book maximum so I asked Shanti to borrow it for me." "I had a feeling that was the case," Shreya said. There were few things Shanti wouldn''t do if Danilo asked. Her sister saw something special in him. What that was, Shreya had yet to understand. "Did you have fun today? You sure looked like you did." Shanti raised her eyebrows. The blood again. Shreya clapped her hand over it. "I had to put a bear down. We''re going to have it tonight at the gathering." Danilo pumped a fist into the air. "Splendid! I can''t wait!" Shreya''s face burned with secondhand embarrassment. Splendid? Shanti was into someone who had no shame in saying "splendid" without any irony whatsoever. Shanti said, "I''ll have to hear more about that after the gathering." She looked up at the sky. "We''ve got to round up the kids and get all the supplies put away. Save us some good seats, Shreya." "Will do. Take care, you two." --------------- A/N: The latest chapter is still accepting votes until Monday at 11:59 PM EST. Go to the main site now to read and vote. The next RRL update will be Chapter 10.3. Chapter 10.3: Community ~ * ~ * ~ Fire torches bordered the wolves from corner to corner, providing ample light. What was left of the bear hung over a pit. The servers were down to the bones, trying to scrape off what they could for the wolves that hadn''t gotten their plates yet. The queue moved slowly, plates outstretched to get their share of meat, fish, leaves, berries, and grain. Shreya didn''t spot Galo and Kachina in the crowds. Their mourning clothes would have made them stick out. She trusted that someone delivered them their plates. Shanti, Danilo, and her had already got theirs. Their portions were meager. It was difficult keeping stomachs full when everyone was rationed to an age-appropriate serving. Pups and Elders were prioritized. "If you''re not going to eat your taekalb, can I have it?" Shanti shook her arm for attention. Shreya passed it over, more than happy not to eat it. Danilo moved his plate towards her, and asked, "do you want any grain? It''ll make the trade fairer." "I''m okay. I''m not that hungry," Shreya said. Sharing food with Ellie had taken care of most of her hunger pains. The porridge had stuck to her stomach well. Her mind wandered. What was Ellie having for dinner? It had to be something hardier than what they were having. Probably something spiced and flavorful, if that porridge was anything to go by. Had she made it home okay? Her well-being should''ve been Shreya''s first thought. Three days was going to be a long time to go without knowing how she was doing. ...Not that worrying about someone she hardly knew was any of her business. Ellie had that dog and that pig with her. They''d make sure she got back safely. "Shreya, this bear is divine." Danilo sighed happily. "The taste will stay with me for days. No, weeks. Years." He''d only gotten a sliver¡ªas much as Shreya and Shanti¡ªbut it was enough to say that and mean it. "Eh...it didn''t taste like anything to me." Shanti shrugged. "That''s because you didn''t chew it," Danilo said. "I''ll savor it more next time, then," she said. "There''ll be more bears." The wolves sat in a wide circle around the stage where the performances took place. Shreya had managed to get the three of them seats close to the front. Plates in laps, all of the wolves eagerly looked forward to what would happen. The schedule was kept a mystery. Two wolves stood up from the circle and got onto the stage. They were dressed in loose, vibrantly-colored clothing. They raised their hands together, a signal for everyone to stop talking and pay attention. Shreya leaned forward to get a better view. A wolf she couldn''t see laid down a drum beat for them to dance to. At first, the dance was chaste. Simple twirling, no real touching other than the occasional brushing of fingers. But then the beat grew faster and the male dancer grabbed the female dancer''s waist and Shreya had to tear her eyes away at that, too embarrassed at whatever was going to happen next in the dance. She played it off, whispering to her sister. "You and Danilo should go up there next." "No thanks!" Shanti said it louder than she meant to. A wolf sitting behind them growled. "Sorry." "Yeah, I don''t think that''s a good idea." Danilo laughed nervously. Once the performance was finally over (and Shreya''s face felt like fire to the touch), one of the Marjani Elders took the stage. Ilkay Marjani Gavi. Her eyes pierced through the crowds, daring anyone to speak. At least three minutes had to have gone by before she starte her speech. "Thank you, everyone, for attending, and for maintaining your spirits in these hard times," Elder Ilkay said. Shreya wanted to gag. Elder Ilkay relied on buzz words for her speeches. There wasn''t much substance to them, but she said things that everyone wanted to hear so no one ever complained. Plus, she was an Elder. An Elder could burn down a building, call it art, and everyone would still celebrate them. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Elder Ilkay continued, "this is a testament to what makes wolves wolves. Resiliency. Strength. Determination. A trust and pride in our abilities." She lifted her arms. "I send praise to your reliance upon one another. I implore you to never forget your bonds and connections to each other as Marjani wolves." A typical, wooden plug-and-play speech. Shreya glanced around. The wolf she sat next to had tears in her eyes. Give me a break. Elder Ilkay bowed. "If anyone has an announcement to make, please do so. After the announcements, we will hear three songs from the talented Hasna Marjani Taruh." Someone pipsqueak-voiced got onto the stage and started talking. Their big, grand announcement that everyone had to hear was that they were putting the finishing touches on their kite project. They had stitched together a kite so large that it required four people to hold it. The crowd cheered louder for the kite project than they did for the dancers. "I saw that kite. It looks like crap," Shanti whispered. "It looks like a stuffed worm." "It''s not that bad. It has its charm," Danilo said with a smile. "Sure, if you like google-eyed paper creatures." Hasna''s songs were exactly what Shreya expected them to be¡ªsongs praising the glory that was being a wolf. It was the nationalistic subject matter that got people excited, not her voice. Shreya was over it before she''d sung the first note of her second song. Someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around to come face-to-face with her mother, crouched down so they would be at eye-level. Pravaah''s bad eye was hidden under a black eyepatch. She wore the emblem that represented Shreya''s father, a symbol of strength and loyalty. Shreya''s tail lowered on instinct. "Mama," Shanti greeted her with a toothy grin. Pravaah didn''t return it. She barely acknowledged her. Danilo was smart enough to look away, to give them their privacy. "Shreya. Shanti. How did you get the bear? Did you pass over the wall again?" Pravaah''s tone was as cold as the look on her face. "Shanti wasn''t with me this time." Shreya came clean. It would have been wrong not to. "I went by myself. The bear was almost dead when I found it. I finished it off and brought it here because I thought it was the best thing to do." Wasn''t it? "Come to the Elders'' Hall when this is over." Apparently, it wasn''t. Pravaah got up and left them. When Pravaah was out of earshot, Shanti nudged Shreya. "You are so in for it." "Did you really go over the wall by yourself? That''s...that was so bad of you to do. You know it''s against the Elders'' rules." Danilo shook his head. The way he talked meant that he didn''t know anything about Shanti''s own adventures over the wall. That cinched it. Danilo was too clean and too innocent for her. "A bear''s not worth your life." "Good luck at the Elder''s Hall." Shanti patted Shreya on the shoulder. -------------- A/N: Voting for the latest chapter of Redwood Crossing is happening now on its main site until Monday at 11:59 PM EST. Don''t miss out on a chance to affect the story! The next RRL chapter update will be Chapter 10.4, the last one for this chapter. Chapter 10.4: Community ~ * ~ * ~ Shreya needed all the luck she could get. She kneeled down before the half-circle of Elder wolves. They were dressed in their ceremonial robes, their hoods pulled up over their heads. The hoods were cut in a way that let their ears poke through. Pravaah stood among them, with the worst glare of any of them. The disappointment coming off of her made Shreya''s ears flatten to her head. She wanted to run far, far away. She''d never gone before the Elders before. "Your disobedience can not go unpunished," Elder Ilkay said. "Shreya Marjani Azima, you have made an egregious error in judgment by doing what you did. Our rules are set in place for a reason. It''s not only your life that you put at risk, but the lives of all wolves here." Pravaah spoke next. "The requirements of the treaty we have with the humans dictates that we don''t cross into their territory without a proper and agreed upon reason. You had neither. Stealing food from them is an outrageous offense." She tilted her head. "I''m granting you permission to speak, Shreya. Explain yourself." Shreya''s throat went dry. "The bear would''ve been rancid by the time any human came for it. Someone had to eat it. I couldn''t...I couldn''t just leave it, not when we need it." "We only hunt and scavenge on our own lands," Elder Ilkay said. Elder Haneul cleared his throat. "Shreya has a point. We do need it. Being wasteful in this instance would have been regretful," he said. "Shreya was putting the needs of the Marjani people before her own. She could''ve left the bear and not gotten caught, but she brought it here to help us." The newest addition to the council, Elder Calanthe, grunted at that. "Just because the crime was selfless doesn''t make it any less of a crime that she was in their territory in the first place. If a thief breaks into a house with the intent to steal but ends up saving a choking child, do you just not punish the thief?" A few of the other Elders murmured in agreement. Elder Haneul spoke again, "I propose that we have Shreya take responsibility and choose her punishment. We''ll give her options that fit this crime while still keeping in mind the good that she did. I for one don''t want to see her unnecessarily suffer for this." This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Elder Ilkay considered that. "Pravaah, what do you think?" "It feels appropriate to me, but it''s ultimately your decision as Elders on what to allow," Pravaah said. "Shreya may choose from these two options," Elder Ilkay said. "One day of exile or three days of silence. If any of you have issues with this proposal, then please say so." Silence. All of the Elders were in agreement. "Shreya, the decision is yours." An entire day of solitary... Shreya wasn''t sure how she could handle that. The things she had heard about the exile punishment weren''t pleasant. She''d be taken somewhere and be forced to stay there alone, to get a taste of what it''d be like without her community. Three days of silence would overlap with the day she agreed to meet with Ellie. Assuming she''d even be able to sneak out again, that could pose a problem. It was better than being alone but not being able to talk to or interact with the other wolves would be its own kind of pain. Shreya bowed her head. Which punishment did she deserve? "I choose..." -------------- A/N: Voting for the latest chapter of Redwood Crossing is happening now on its main site until Monday at 11:59 PM EST. Don''t miss out on a chance to affect the story! The next RRL chapter update will be Chapter 11. Chapter 11.1: Remember Chapter 11: Remember The simple, comfortable fabric of her night clothes. The welcome roughness of the flooring and the weaving consisting of their bedding. The walls that surrounded them. Shreya willed her surroundings into her memory, burning their images so she could recall them later when she''d need them. Pravaah hadn''t come home yet, likely too busy making arrangements with the Elders as to the details of her punishment. "You missed out on Loupe freakin'' out," Shanti spoke to her in the darkness. Lying on their sides, they faced one another in their shared sleeping corner. "He was rantin'' and ravin'' about the full moon happening tomorrow night." "What did he want?" Shreya leaned up on her arm. Loupe was a subject she didn''t want to miss out on. Shanti pounded her fist in her palm. "He demanded we tie him up so he wouldn''t sneak off and return to his real people when he changes. He really said that! Eyes poppin'' outta his head. A lake''s worth of sweat pouring down his face. Loupe was that scared of what''d happen when he changed back in the morning." "If they were his real people, he wouldn''t have anything to be afraid of," Shreya said, amused. "They''d leave him alone. So much for real people." "They''re the ones that would be afraid. We''re wolves, remember? We''re something to fear," Shanti said. "And he''s an idiot. There''s no such thing as were-humans, and if there were, he wouldn''t be one." "Why''s that?" "Because he''s got human fever. Miracles don''t happen to people who want to mingle with humans that much. They just don''t. Hanging out with humans too much makes you cursed." "You know that''s a myth." Human contact hadn''t ''cursed'' Loupe. His own twisting thinking had done that. "Name any good things that have happened because of humans and wolves intermingling." When her sister didn''t say anything, Shanti took that as a victory. "Thought so! Loupe''s so obsessed with them that he thinks he''s one of them. It''s disgusting. I don''t get it." Shanti shuddered. "Their ears are on the sides of their heads. That''s gross!" "It''s not gross on all of them." While Shreya preferred not to see their ears, she didn''t mind them. "Some of them make it work." "Like that girl who stole Papa''s gourd?" Laughter played at the edge of her words. "How''d that go? How''da bear get jumbled all up in that?" Shreya avoided the baiting question, the first one that was sure to set Shanti off on a teasing gigglefest if Shreya went anywhere near it. "I saved her from the bear. She had some friends with her and they needed my help." She kept the details close to her chest. Shanti didn''t need to know that Ellie kept animals in her company. What had she called her dog? Something ridiculous like a companion. What the pig was to Ellie, Shreya wasn''t sure, but calling them both her friends was the easiest explanation. Stolen novel; please report. "You should''ve let the bear get ''em. Imagine the haul you would''ve gotten." Shanti grinned. "That''s a lotta meat." "No. The bear was more than enough," Shreya said. Her stomach turned at the thought. "You''ve always been a bleeding heart when it comes to these things." "That''s not why. Letting her die would''ve defeated the purpose in talking to her," Shreya deflected. "She''s my information." "Oh, yeah? What information did you get?" Shreya drew out a square in the air. "Humans use traps that look like this. They dig out a hole, cover it with a tarp, and when an animal steps on it, they fall right in. There''s spikes at the bottom so once they''re trapped in the hole, they bleed out and can''t fight back." Shanti gasped. It was exaggerated, but there was some genuine shock in there. "Only they''d come up with something that... Ugh, I don''t even have a word for it." She slapped the floor. "Good work, sis." Shreya had to admit that there was something clever about that idea. Traps would make it easier for them to get food. The problem was that something like that went against their culture. The underhandedness was too disrespectful. Shanti reached over and squeezed her hand. Her voice got heavier. "Hey, if you get scared tomorrow¡ª" "I''ll be okay." Shreya wiggled her fingers free. "I''m being serious for once!" Shanti tried again, "if you get scared, just think of me. It worked when we were pups. It''ll work now, too." "You think highly of yourself, don''t you?" Shreya teased. "Yep. Just wait and see. When you need a little mental boost, think Shanti. I''ll be thinking of you, too, and keeping you safe." They wouldn''t let her bring along any clay dolls to her punishment. The Elders didn''t allow any helpful objects, not even spiritual ones. Shreya would have to call on her sister''s qualities to give her strength. Her humor. Her steadfastness. Shreya drifted off to sleep some time after that. She woke up at the sound of Pravaah and a few other wolves entering the room. They were members of the hunting party, strong and broad-shouldered. It was time to go. Shreya glanced over at Shanti one last time. She''d turned in her sleep, her back to her and her face turned away. ------------------ A/N: To read the latest chapter, visit the main site. Voting''s still happening on that chapter until Monday at 11:59 PM EST. There''s also a survey you can take. There are two possible prizes, so be sure to take those surveys! Chapter 11.2: Remember She thought of her sister as she was led out of her home, still wearing her nightwear. They hadn''t let her grab her shoes. The sun peeked over the horizon, its rays painting the sky a burnt orange. It''d be some time before the morning communal meal, one that Shreya wouldn''t take part in. Exile being her punishment meant that she couldn''t partake in their daily and nightly food. Pravaah bagged her head. The burlap stung her eyes. She squeezed them shut. The hunters marched her forward. Her mother gripped her arm to steer her along, something that she didn''t have to do. Shreya wasn''t going to break away and run. She couldn''t. They''d prepare a worse punishment for her if she did. She''d chosen this and she was going to deal with it. The walk went on so long that she lost track of time. No one said a word. Blinded, she had to settle for listening to birdsong and the wind whipping against leaves. One of the wolves with them had a limp that caused him to shift his foot along the ground. That had to be a test, to see if she''d resist tracking her way back based on his drag marks in the dirt. She counted her breaths, each one deliberate. In and out through the nose, nice and easy. The hot air within the sack dizzied her. It was her mother''s hand on her arm that kept her from stumbling. Finally, they stop. Pravaah pulled the bag off of her head. Free, Shreya took a gulp of welcome air. "Clothes," her mother said. Shreya slipped them off and over her head. She handed them over. Her cheeks burned, not from the shame of being seen, but from the realization that she had nothing to protect herself with. No shoes. No clothes. No knife or gourd. "We''ll come from you at the next sunrise," Pravaah announced. Shreya listened to the rules that weren''t spoken, as well. Attempts at getting home wouldn''t be tolerated. Even if the sun had set a second time, she was not to try to get back to the community. Whether or not to pick her up was their decision. Shreya''s choice had only been a suggestion, after all. "Turn around." She turned on her heel to look at a tree. Shreya stared so hard at it that her vision blurred. She didn''t turn around until Pravaah and the other hunters were out of earshot. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Shreya slapped her hand over her arm, crushing a bug dead. She hoped that wouldn''t be a common occurence. If she didn''t get herself a shelter, they''d chew her up. Protection from them and other creatures had to be her first priority. Warmth in the night would be a struggle. The cold season was creeping in. Stripped of clothing, she was at the risk of the elements. She had to do something about that, too. Material for a fire. A proper shelter. ...Which first? She took a step and jumped onto the other foot as soon as she did. Something stuck her right in the heel, bad enough to make her bleed. Shreya twisted the barb out of her foot. It belonged to one of the plants that hung off of the tree. That was another thing for her long list of things to take care of: shoes. And more importantly, she needed to find a water source. But not having a gourd would make carrying water a problem. A day without food... She could live through that. Not having a knife meant that she couldn''t make a spear for herself. The best she could do was arm herself with a heavy stick. It''d work as a crude club weapon. She''d be able to bash an animal to death if she needed to, although the odds of that were unlikely. It seemed like they''d taken her to a part of their woods that was devoid of life. It wasn''t like this sort of area was rare in their territory. Even the plants were losing their luster. The treaty they made with the humans meant that they were stuck with empty places like this one, where not even insects sang. The humans took the best parts of the land and left the wolves with a pathetic bit. It wasn''t like the wolves didn''t deserve it, though. They earned their place at the bottom. ------------------- A/N: Chapter 20 is out now on the main site. Voting for Chapter 20 will end on Tuesday at 11:59 PM EST. The next update to RRL will be Chapter 11.3. Chapter 11.3: Remember She checked the quality of the nearby bush leaves. They bent in her hands, cracking off in the middle. They''d be too weak on their own. Thatching them together would require doubling up. Not wanting to agitate her wounded heel further, she tip-toed around to find shelter-worthy sticks. As long as she could find something suitable to secure it with, she could create a lean-to for herself. Shreya got to work. Gathering what she needed turned out to be more difficult than she expected. Too many of the sticks she found were either too thin or too short to support one another. It kept falling, the sticks sliding out of formation. On the third time the structure crashed, Shreya switched to interweaving leaves for the rooftop. Breathing in, she caught the scent of running water. She tasted its dirty, murky smell on her tongue and regretted it. River water was lousy with sickness. Shreya had learned that the hard way when she was younger. Desperation had driven her to drink from a lake that stole her strength away. Too weak to fend for herself, she had to have her food brought to her. It wasn''t an experience she wanted to relive, especially here when she didn''t have anyone to help her. Heat would take care of the water''s toxins. Boiling it over a fire was a solution that came with more problems. Shreya didn''t have anything that could function as a pot. No gourd meant that she couldn''t store any of the water she made. She''d just have to ignore the dryness building up in her throat. Shreya sat down against a tree to take another look at her foot. Tender to the touch, it pulsed with pain. How could one little barb do so much damage? She swatted at her arm. Another bug bite. The old one had turned into a bright red splotch that stood out on her medium-brown skin. She itched at it. Her shelter was only half-built. There was so much more work left to be done, and yet she still hadn''t gotten started on the fire. The flames would have the dual job of keeping her warm and keeping the bugs away. The sun''s placement in the sky told her that the communal morning meal was behind the wolves. They''d be doing their daily work and contributing to the good of the Marjani community. The hunters would hunt. The weavers would weave. Danilo and Shanti would be at the cr¨¨che. Shanti...she should be glad that their mother didn''t say anything about her to the Elders. Shanti always seemed to get a pass. She''d been wandering in and out of Stockbrunn''s territory for a long while now. Shanti was good at not getting caught, but on the few occassions when she had been, their mother had only beat her or forbid her from eating. The Elders had never gotten involved. "But they did for me. Bullshit." Shreya spat into the dirt. She would''ve gotten her face cuffed for saying that in the village. Without anyone around to hear it, Shreya could let her blasphemy fly free. That may have been the only upside to her situation. The roughness of the bark behind her back got to her. She leaned away from it, and then slapped her other arm. Something felt like it was creeping along her skin, but it turned out to be her imagination. Being this bare for so long wasn''t something she was used to. The sun exposure worried her. Led by the river''s scent, she headed for it. By the time she made it there on her limping foot, the sun had reached its highest point. Without the shade of trees, it glared down at her in full-force. Crouching at the river''s edge, she scooped up mud and painted it all over her body. Down her arms and legs, all over her torso, what she could reach of her back, and more. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Shreya gave into the river''s temptations and opted to stay there for a bit, basking in the cool air it gave off. She peered into the water. Her reflection stared back at her. Adolescence had narrowed out her face and given her an effortless scowl. Her ears, the same color as her hair, came to rounded points. Thick, neck-length hair framed her face. She''d shed the baby weight she once had as a puppy. She''d been the smallest of her litter mates. Big, blue eyes. A natural pouty expression. She looked like something that needed to be protected, a tiny, easily-crushed thing. No one had marked her down as a survivor. Those predictions had gone to the ones they''d lost: Sharmila, Sher, and Sheela. Not Shanti, the unfocused one, and especially not Shreya, the fragile one. The one who never ran as fast as the others. The one whose arms got tired at the lightest of loads. The one who never got the cr¨¨che lessons on the first try. But, somehow, they both survived. Shreya had lived while the others had succumbed to illness. First, had been Sher. His body gave up on him months after their Papa passed. It rejected all of the food he tried to eat. Nothing stayed down. That was during a particularly hard time in their community. He hadn''t been the only one to struggle that way, but it was his face that she''d never forget. The gaunt tone to his cheeks. The nothingness in his eyes. Sheela''s death, she hadn''t been there for. According to her sister''s friends, she''d collapsed and never woke up. That''d been a couple years after Sher''s death. And then a couple months later, a coughing sickness struck the community. It squeezed its victims of air and forced blood from them. Shreya and Pravaah had been spared. Sharmila and Shanti hadn''t been so lucky. The former perished, and the latter recovered. Later, Shanti told Shreya that she''d survived because she kept telling herself that there was no way she''d let Shreya live longer than her. So, that was how the least likely to survive lived beyond the rest. Luck and stubbornness. ------------------- A/N: Chapter 20 is out now on the main site. Voting for Chapter 20 will end on Tuesday at 11:59 PM EST. The next update to RRL will be Chapter 11.4 - the last part of Chapter 11. Chapter 11.4: Remember Back in her childhood years, Shreya''s innocent look had been useful to her parents. They exploited it. Those had been the days before they had their community meals, when food was so hard to come by that it was every wolf for themself. Not having a treaty meant that they could hunt wherever and whatever they wanted. All through her puppyhood and her early adolescence, the Elders turned a blind eye to what their community members did. They kept their blind eyes even now. Telling stories of pride and resilience, they reworked their history in their favor. Sometimes, she wondered if she could even trust her memories of the past¡ªthat was how strong their propaganda spinning was. Hammering them into the public over and over again, they structured new truths out of their lies. Shreya was a child of the Starvation Era, born into a time when their conditions were much worse than now. It was a time when bringing back a bear would''ve earned her a clay doll of herself. A few years into her life, the Elders signed a treaty with Stockbrunn, much like the one they were currently under, that ensured the wolves and humans would be at peace with one another. It was easier to believe that the humans had done something to break the treaty, that they had been the ones to start attacking first. That''s right. The humans were the ones in the wrong. They drove the wolves out of what was once their territory. They reduced the supplies they were giving them to a share so pathetic that the wolves didn''t have a choice but to do what they did. The Elders emphasized that the wolves struck second, because they had to. Their actions had been in response to the unfair conditions imposed on them. That wasn''t quite the way Shreya and so many others remembered it. Movement behind her pulled her out of her thoughts. Shreya reached for her knife. Or rather, she patted the spot where it would''ve been. She stayed frozen, listening out for anything watching her. Nothing. No more movement. Shreya relaxed. She heaved a sigh, then left the riverside for her shelter. The sticks had fallen down yet again. Security issue. Better it fall now than later when she was sleeping under it, she supposed. Shreya tried assembling the sticks another way, making them lean together in an A-like formation. She retied the long grass she used for twine. The knots weren''t holding. Time was going by faster than she realized. How was the fire plan going? It wasn''t. The shelter? Getting better. Shreya crouched down as she worked. She leaned her weight off of her bad foot. It was smarting. Every little movement made her cringe. Another noise drew her focus away. As soon as her head turned, parts of her shelter slid away. The foundation too shakey, it tumbled down once more. No more shelter. Shreya scrunched her hair in her hands. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "Why is this so hard? This shouldn''t be so hard." Shreya whined. She fell over onto her side. She needed a break. Her eyes closed, her mind taking her somewhere else, back to a time in another part of the woods and back to a face. A young girl''s laughter. Red hair. Green eyes. Shreya had gotten the laughter out of her with a joke that didn''t make sense. Something about the shape of a leaf. Shreya had always been the talker of their group. Cute face and a soft voice, the role fit her the best. Talking hadn''t been a job that any of the others were suited for, especially not Shanti. Shanti always made it too obvious that their family was waiting in the wings, listening out for the best time to get their prey. She''d followed the script she was given. Acted like she was lost, like she didn''t know where her home was. Wore a scarf to hide her ears from view. Shreya got the girl to let her guard down. She made her lay down her weapons, by acting like her bow and arrow made her nervous. The girl had been smart to take that with her, but she''d put her trust in the wrong child. And then... Her mother took care of the rest, while her father led her away and back to where her four other siblings were hiding. Their family slept with full stomachs that night. She snapped out of the memory, awoken by the sound of wood hitting wood. Shreya rubbed her eyes. Someone must''ve had it out for her. She got back to work on fixing it. ------------------- A/N: Chapter 20 is out now on the main site. Voting for Chapter 20 will end on Tuesday at 11:59 PM EST. The next update to RRL will be Chapter 12: Kindling. Chapter 12.1: Kindling Chapter 12: Kindling By the time Shreya stabilized her shelter, night had fallen. Cicada music droned on in the background, a loud undulating buzz. Crickets chirped in the distance. Whatever bugs that had been biting her had come back in full force, the mud no longer enough to keep them off of her. She shivered, the stick she was working with slipping out of her hand. She''d lost a layer of skin trying to work up enough friction to light a fire. Dried mosses acted as tinder, ready to ignite over the sticks they were draped over. Off to the side sat more sticks for the kindling. Shreya spun the stick against the notch in her fireboard, a thick piece of bark from a dying tree. If the Elders had wanted her to realize that being a lone wolf sucked, she more than understood that at this point. Even in the best of circumstances, there still wasn''t enough time to cover everything that she needed to. Water had become a lost cause. Food hadn''t been on the agenda in the first place¡ªthe impossibility of that had been clear from the start. Dealing with the shelter had taken up all the daylight. Shreya let go of the stick. Giving up would be simple. All she''d have to do would be to go back to sleep. She could curl up under her lean-to, shut her eyes, and wake up in time for her mother and the others to pick her up. She''d leave exile with her edges worn down and a newfound appreciation for her wolfishness. And the Elders¡ªElder Ilkay, Elder Haneul, Elder Calanthe and all the rest¡ªwould be so smug about it. They''d look at her, knowing that they were able to bring her back down to her knees. Another wolf back in line with the crowd. She couldn''t give them that satisfaction. Shreya picked the stick back up and got back to work on spinning it. She wished that her streak of determination would''ve coincided with a spark of convenient fire, but that wasn''t the case. It took at least another hour of scraping her skin open for the fire to bloom. Shreya didn''t waste time. She tossed in the kindling, breaking the sticks up into smaller pieces. Happy to be fed, the flames continued to grow. Its bright colors danced before her, the heat welcome near her cold form. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Something else came with the fire: a memory from her younger years, when she was sitting near a fire like this one. She remembered the crackling flesh over flame. The chopped up parts. The skin peeled off of bones. The butchering, and then the realization that what they were eating had been a person only hours before. Her shift in thinking built up over time. She''d just been too young to realize her part in what they were doing until she was older, older and smart enough to reflect on the fact that the man, the woman, the whoever they were sharing pieces of had been someone she had a hand in killing. The tipping point had been¡ª Shreya tore herself away from the fire, but still stayed close enough to bask in its warmth. Sometimes, she thought to herself that she should''ve stayed ignorant. She could''ve cloaked herself in that ignorance, warm and cozy while she acted like any other wolf. Shreya could''ve been dancing by the roasting fires, celebrating all of the triumphs the wolves had rewritten themselves to have earned. But the thing was that she couldn''t be that way. It was too late for her. She dug her fingers through the dirt, the soil rough on her skin. What if she disappeared? What if she ran off into the night and left them before her misgivings consumed her? Her Otherness was doomed to get worse, wasn''t it? If this kept eating away at her, she was at risk of going the way of Loupe: messed up, demented, and in denial of reality. That was the type of thinking that gave birth to curses. Shreya had told Shanti that curses were myths, but she knew there''d been hesitation in her voice when she''d said that. Bad things happened to the outliers. Shreya couldn''t sleep after that. She stayed awake, tending to the fire all the way into the morning. ~ * ~ * ~ ------------ A/N: Voting for the latest chapter (Chapter 21) will end on Wednesday at 11:59 PM EST on the main site. There is also a new Interlude chapter posted there. The next RRL update will be Chapter 12.2. Chapter 12.2: Kindling ~ * ~ * ~ Shanti took a seat on the grass next to Danilo. The morning communal meal was a more casual affair than the nightly one. One of the Elders gave an announcement at the start of it, but other than that, things were calm. The performances were saved for the evening hours. Strength had to be reserved for the chores up ahead. "Think you''ll need help at the cr¨¨che again?" Shanti nudged Danilo. "Don''t the hunters need you?" "Nah, they''re good. It''s more of a drop-in thing, and yeah, they prolly think I''m skill-building." "Minding the children is skill-building?" Danilo smiled. "I suppose it is... Having more helping hands is always a good thing." He scooped a pile of greens off of his plate and into his mouth. "Yep. My Mama''s cool with it, too. I dunno, I might make a switch," Shanti said. "This is when we''re supposed to be trying out new stuff and figuring ourselves out, anyway. New stuff''s good." Danilo nodded in agreement. "D''you think you''ll wanna try hunting? It''s boring. Boring things are fun with you, so... I mean, you''d make it less boring." Shanti tripped over her words. She winced. Fortunately, he didn''t point out her blunder. His attention was focused on something or someone else. Shanti followed his gaze to find Shreya, sitting off by herself or as by herself she could be among a crowd of wolves. Shreya''s eyes were downcast, her shoulders drawn down. Her hair was wet, still drying from what may have been a river dip. "Is something wrong with her?" Danilo asked. "Hold up," Shanti got up. She made her way around everyone in her path, careful not to step on any tails or hands. Shreya didn''t look up when she reached her. Shanti sat by her and snapped her fingers in her face. She made a small noise in acknowledgement, something so low that Shanti wouldn''t have heard it if she didn''t see her lips move. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. "What''s going on with you?" "We need to talk." Shreya brushed her hair back. That wasn''t a proper answer, but okay. It was better than Shreya not saying anything at all. Shanti said, "we can talk at the cr¨¨che." "No," Shreya shook her head. "We need to talk alone." "Okay?" Exile must''ve done something to her sister''s head. "How about when we''re done eating?" "Meet me at home." Shreya said. She went back to eating, signalling the end of their conversation. Shanti didn''t know what to do with that. She just walked away, and joined up with Danilo and her half-finished plate. "Is she alright?" Danilo asked. "She''s being weird." "As weird as anyone coming back from exile?" "She was only away from one day." Shanti sighed. "One day! But she''s acting like she just came back from a week-long exile and a thousand mile journey. Ridiculous." "I hope she''ll be okay..." "She''ll be fine," she said. Danilo''s heart was too soft for his own good. "I''ll be late to the cr¨¨che. I''ve gotta talk to her." "Take as much time as you need." ~ * ~ * ~ ----------- A/N: The latest chapter (Chapter 23) of Redwood Crossing is out now on the main site. Voting for the latest chapter will end Tuesday at 11:59 PM EST. The next RRL chapter will be Chapter 12.3, and that will be the last part of Chapter 12. Chapter 12.3: Kindling ~ * ~ * ~ Shanti found Shreya in their bedroom, sitting on their shared cot. She was looking all...upset and down on herself and had that usual Shreya woe-is-me look on her face. "Are you okay?" Shanti spoke slowly. "Yeah..." "Then I''m gonna go." She ventured towards the door. When Shreya didn''t say anything, she stopped and turned back around. "Nevermind, I''m not gonna go. But you''ve gotta start talking." "If you want to go back to Danilo, you can." "C''mon, don''t tell me to come here and then brush me off. Talk." Shanti sat down beside her. Shreya picked at the cot. "Exile sucks." "Yeah, and...? Do you wanna talk about that?" "It made me think about a lot of things," Shreya went on. "Do you ever think about any of the things that happened when we were younger?" Shanti sucked in her bottom lip. "Like what? Be specific." "When we were hunting with Mama and Papa. Those things." Shreya scooted backwards, and put her back against the wall. "What about those things?" Shanti laughed nervously. "I..." "Say it." "I think they used me. I know that sounds weird, but it''s all I could think about during the exile." "You were part of the hunt, so what?" Shanti shrugged. "I don''t see what''s so wrong about that. You use the resources that you''ve got." "Is that what you think?" Oops. Maybe she should have phrased that differently. "We needed food and they knew how to get it. I could''ve helped out but you know that I sucked at that. You were the one who was good at talking to them, ''cause you had that thing about you." "And you think that was okay?" "It''s something that we had to do! Why are you getting all offended?" "Because it wasn''t fair," Shreya glared at her. "It wasn''t right." "Oh no, not this ''it wasn''t right'' bullshit all over again." "We tricked them." Shanti groaned. "You think we would''ve eaten if we came out and told them that, hey, we''re gonna kill you? No, hunting doesn''t work that way." "How can you call it hunting?" "It''s predator and prey stuff. Why are you acting like this? If this is what exile does to a wolf, remind me to never be exiled," Shanti said. "You''re...wow, I don''t even know what to say. You''re actually upset that we''re alive?" Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. "I don''t mean it like¡ª" "That''s what it sounds like! You''re crying about old shit from years ago, shit that we had to do to survive. Is that what''s pissing you off, that we''re here and they''re not?" "Let me explain¡ª" "That''s the way that it would''ve been if we didn''t do what we did," Shanti finished for her. "It was either us or them. You know what those days were like. You were there." "No one acts like they were there," Shreya said. "Everyone pretends like things happened differently. We''re not as great as everyone thinks." Shanti flinched. "Am I dreaming? I can''t really be hearing this right now..." Shreya said, "I can''t be the only one who thinks this way. Everyone''s burying their heads in the sand." "Look, I don''t know if it was the exile that messed you up or if this was a conversation a long time coming," Shanti said, "but what you''re saying is too much for me. What am I supposed to do about this?" "I don''t know." "We can''t go back in time. Hell, if we could, I wouldn''t want to. There''s nothing immoral about survival. All of those prey...they''re just prey, Shreya." "Humans aren''t our prey." "Are you talking like this because of your spy shit? You''ve hung out with that girl twice and already you''re pulling this ''leave them alone'' shit?" Shanti growled. "That''s not what I meant, either. You keep jumping to conclusions." "I''m getting involved." "What?" "I''m going to go with you next time. Something has to be going on," Shanti threw up her hands. "I''ve got to see what''s so special about her that she''s messing with your head." "Don''t." Shreya was a little too quick with that defense. "Protective, huh?" "I''ve got it handled." "We''ll see about that." ---------------- A/N: That''s it for Chapter 12! Next update on RRL will be Chapter 13.1. The latest chapter (Chapter 24) is out now on Redwood Crossing''s main website. Voting for that chapter will end on Tuesday, July 5th at 11:59 PM EST. Chapter 13: Distance Chapter 13: Distance When Zinnia Trotter answered her door, Ellie Navarrete was the last person she expected to see on the other side. Ellie lowered her hand, mid-knock. "Can we talk?" Zinnia checked over her shoulder. "I''m sorry, I''m supposed to be with my mother right now." "Please? It won''t take long." She chewed her bottom lip. Another glance behind her. "Okay. Go straight upstairs and don''t say anything." The last time Ellie had interacted with Ianthe Trotter hadn''t been pleasant. Screaming. Tears. Rage and sorrow rolled into guttural wails. Not knowing what to do or say, Ellie had just stood there, letting the older woman howl. It wasn''t an experience she wanted to relive, so when Zinnia gave her instructions, she followed them to the letter. As soon as they were in the Trotter sisters'' shared room, Zinnia shut the door. Ellie stepped onto the side of the room where Freesia''s things had once been. Streaks on the floor indicated that her bed had been dragged out. Freesia had kept her bed a perpetual mess of patterned pillows that clashed with the duvet cover. Sometimes, Ellie wondered if Freesia had more clothes on her floor than in her closet. Freesia couldn''t just pick out an outfit for the day. She had to try on everything she owned, parading herself around her mirror to see which combination looked best from all angles. Ellie remembered sitting on her bed, her legs swinging as she leafed through a magazine. Freesia held out yet another skirt for an opinion. Too short? Too long? How about the way it moved, was it the right amount of flouncy? Not looking up from her page, Ellie murmured a sure. And once Freesia caught on that Ellie wasn''t listening, she took the magazine out of her hands and playfully bopped her on the head with it. Outside of the memory, Ellie looked over at Zinnia. "Are you storing her stuff somewhere?" Zinnia''s half of the room hadn''t grown any. She''d maintained the fair split they had. "My father burned it all. Everything he could get his hands on," Zinnia said. "I couldn''t talk him out of it." "That''s alright... There''s plenty of room at my house for her," Ellie replied. "Freesia can stay with us." Zinnia smoothed out her bedsheet before sitting on it. "You never told me what you wanted to talk to me about," she said. "I''m worried about you." Ellie fidgeted, not knowing where to sit. Zinnia either ignored her or didn''t notice. "You weren''t in class yesterday and nobody said they''d seen you." "I stayed home." "Not ''cause of what happened the other day, right? I know it was awkward but...it''d be too easy for us to stop talking because of that." Ellie took her bag and put it on the floor, glad to be relieved of the weight. "Let''s not take the easy way out." "Wouldn''t that be be better, though? Freesia''s not here anymore. We don''t need to be friends." "We''re friends because we want to be, not because we need to be," Ellie corrected her. "We can''t not be friends, Zinnia. Avoiding me isn''t going to change that." Zinnia leaned forward. "It''ll change something. It''ll make it hurt less when you tell the Chieftess about Noemi. You''re going to make good on your threat, won''t you?" A flurry of emotions sprung up in Ellie''s chest. She latched on to the closest within reach, her muscles tensing. "Is that what she pulled you aside about? She told you not to talk to me anymore?" Her face heated up. "No, she cut me off. I''m out of things for the time being." That took some of the edge off, but not by much. At least that part was taken care of. "Is she going to stop giving you your medicine?" "Noemi''s not that cruel. I''ve got enough to last me for a bit, anyway," Zinnia said. Her tone softened as she talked. "Who cares about me? What''s going to happen to everyone else? The pigs have to be fed. Their shelters have to be maintained. We have to eat. That money went a long way." "I''ll pay for it." Ellie didn''t hesitate. She laid her hand, the palm wrapped in bandages, over her heart. "I''ll pay for all of it." "With what? That''d be an inappropriate use of Stockbrunn''s treasury...bail-out money for our family of all families. Your mother would never approve of that." "Your family''s owed for damages." "Those ''damages'' go both ways." Zinnia looked at the floor, took a second to gather herself, then looked back up at Ellie. "I''m not in the mood to point any fingers. Let''s drop it." Ellie reached down for her bag. She pulled out her notebook and passed it over to Zinnia. "I dog-eared the page. It''s what you missed in class yesterday." Zinnia had to know if it was real, if Ellie the notorious no-notetaker had actually taken notes. She opened the book, her eyes widening as she took in the detailed words. "Thank you..." This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. "You let me copy you all the time, so I figured I should finally return the favor." "What happened to your hand?" She pointed at the injury. Ellie cradled her bad hand in her good one. "I was weeding some plants and I missed with the sickle. Hurts like nobody''s business." She winced, reliving the moment. "Luckily, Aunt Una knew what to do. She said the same thing happened to my mom when they were our age. I think she only said that to cheer me up, though..." Hildegarde would never be that careless. "You''re farming? Why? Are you doing it because you think it''ll get me to forgive you?" One day of hardship wouldn''t be enough to change Zinnia''s opinion of her. "It doesn''t have anything to do with you," Ellie said. "It''s something I worked out with my mom. If I help out my aunt or uncles with their farm work, I get to skip out on school." So that was it. "You''re going to the woods, aren''t you?" "Yep," Ellie said. She toed her bag. "I''ve got food, water, a hatchet, and some lockpicking stuff in there." "Are you bringing Sunflower?" She didn''t remember seeing her dog when she opened the door for her. "She''s resting. The last time we went out she hurt her foot." Ellie kept it at that. "How about Marietta?" Zinnia cringed as she said her name. "I saw you guys when you came back the other day." "Why''s that matter? It''s not like you''re going." Ellie wanted to avoid hearing a Marietta-focused rant. Zinnia''s issues concerning her ran deep. "I''d go if she doesn''t." "What? Really?" Ellie''s face broke out into a smile. "Yes, as long as I don''t have to see her." "Why do you hate her so much? She was a Trotter pig." It''s not like she belonged to a competitor''s family. Zinnia bunched up her blanket. "You''re wrong. She was never ours. She was Freesia''s." And Freesia was a Trotter, so what was Zinnia trying to say? Ellie left it alone. She had something more important to tackle, namely Zinnia''s sudden interest in coming along with her. Was it a decision made on a whim? Curiousity getting the best of her? Whatever the reason behind it was, Ellie didn''t want to lose it. "Okay," Ellie said. "We won''t even have to visit her. I''ll save her food for later." They were already one animal down. Marietta would make two, but...this time she had a hatchet. They''d be okay as long as they did a better job of sticking to the path. "Thank you," Zinnia said. She got off of the bed and went to her closet. When she threw the doors open, Ellie saw that Freesia''s clothes were gone. Every last piece. Even the ones they''d bought together, even the dress that made her glow like she''d just walked out of a painting. They were all gone, and no one had given her a chance to save them. Ellie turned to face the wall, to give Zinnia privacy as she changed into something more suitable for woodswalking. "How far do you usually go?" Zinnia asked. Ellie heard the shifting of fabric as she tried things on. "Not too far," she lied. Then again, ''too far'' was subjective, and to her, Ianes'' Wall wasn''t too long of a distance away from Stockbrunn. Ellie had to admit, though, that she was probably alone in her opinion. "Is it within screaming distance?" "Is that supposed to be a joke?" "It''s not..." Zinnia said. The brightness of her tone made it hard for Ellie to tell if she was being truthful. "Does anyone else know you''re going?" "My mom does. She''s the reason why I''ve got this hatchet." That wasn''t a total lie. Zinnia fell for it. "Good. Do I need to bring anything?" She went over to her mirror to fix up her hair. "You can turn around. I''m done changing." "No, I''ve got enough food and water for us. We''re just going to walk, talk, and then go home." "Alright," she said. Zinnia combed her hair as they talked. "We have to be quiet when we leave. I don''t want to startle my mother." Ianthe could manage without her. It was likely she wouldn''t even notice her being gone. "What about Mace, Linden, and Myrtle?" "They''re with my father back on the farm. He kept them longer to teach them some things. I left so I could check on my mother," Zinnia answered. Finished, she set her comb down. "We can''t exactly afford to have people come in and watch her, so..." Ellie had to actively stop herself from offering monetary help. If Zinnia wasn''t going to accept her money for anything else, she definitely wouldn''t for that. "We should get going. I''d like us to have as much sunlight as possible." "Right. Remember to be quiet." The heiress picked up her bag, and the pair set off to leave. -------------------------------------- A/N: This is it for Chapter 13! I was originally going to post it up in parts here, but I decided against it. The next post on RRL will be Chapter 14.1. Chapter 14.1: Exploration Chapter 14: Exploration Unable to live with their stepmother who didn¡¯t want them around, a brother and sister ventured into the woods to make a new life for themselves. They set off towards one of the neighboring towns. Somewhere along the way, however, they got lost. In their joy, they¡¯d become careless. Thrown off of the path, they tried to make their way back via the crumbs that had fallen from their bread,, but it was to no avail. Birds had pecked the crumbs away. The brother and sister had no way nor hope of reaching their destination. Unprepared for the night, they huddled together, their teeth chattering from the cold and fear. Their prayers were answered when a woman stepped before them, wearing a shawl and fur clothing. She explained that she had a house not too far from where they were. It was a house much too big for her. They could stay there for the night. Although the siblings were apprehensive at first, they realized they couldn¡¯t deny a warm and safe place to sleep, especially not from a woman so kind-seeming. On the way there, she offered them hard candy. Having already eaten through their rations, the siblings were too hungry to resist the stranger¡¯s gift. They never made it to the woman¡¯s house. Laced with a valerian off-shoot, the candy acted as a sedative powerful enough to make them lose consciousness. It may have been for the best that the drug had more of an effect on the sister than it did her brother. She missed the worst parts of his torture, only catching the end of his life through a half-awake haze. Chained up and surrounded by a circle of woods dwellers, she watched them spit roast her brother¡¯s limbs over a fire. Wild-eyed, they leered at her. The woman from earlier directed the whole affair, telling her compatriots when to turn the charring flesh for optimal taste. The woods dwellers had a worse fate in store for the sister. She became their slave, to be used however they wished. Pulled deeper into the woods, the only possible rescue she had was death, and they made sure she wouldn¡¯t have it. She was much too useful for them to discard her like that. That was the story that swirled around in Zinnia Trotter¡¯s mind as she followed closely behind her friend. Ellie¡¯s adherence to the dirt path had kept Zinnia from voicing her concerns¡ªshe was actually surprised at Ellie wasn¡¯t wandering all over the place¡ªbut the leeway she¡¯d been given her had worn out. ¡°What is it that you do here exactly?¡± Zinnia asked her. Ellie stopped and turned around, hatchet in hand and a smile on her face. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Wander, look for stuff?¡± ¡°...Why are you saying that like you¡¯re not sure?¡± ¡°What I do changes every time I¡¯m here,¡± Ellie said, ¡°but basically I like looking for flowers and plants I can¡¯t find in Stockbrunn. It¡¯s fun.¡± ¡°You look for plants with a hatchet and lockpicking supplies?¡± Ellie lifted the hatchet. ¡°Yeah! I might need to chop something or defend us. Um, not that we¡¯re going anywhere dangerous. You just never know,¡± she said. ¡°And about the lockpicking stuff...well, you¡¯re smart, you can figure out why.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not helping you break into someone¡¯s house. We can turn around right now if that¡¯s what you¡¯re planning on doing.¡± ¡°What? I wouldn¡¯t mess with any places that aren¡¯t abandoned.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t mess with any places at all,¡± Zinnia said. ¡°You don¡¯t know who they belong to.¡± ¡°They don¡¯t belong to anybody. They¡¯re old houses nobody lives in anymore.¡± ¡°What happens if someone is? Something bad could happen to you¡­¡± She couldn¡¯t stomach the thought. The possible tragedies were endless. ¡°Is this what you¡¯ve been doing whenever you sneak off here?¡± Ellie rolled her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re getting way too caught up on my gear. All I do is walk around and look for things.¡± Zinnia couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that there was something Ellie was hiding from her, but that wasn¡¯t new. Ellie was more tight-lipped than she let on. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious! I¡¯ve got this botany guidebook. You¡¯ve heard of leven-tinte flowers, right?¡± Even though flowers weren¡¯t her thing, she decided to play along. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°They grow around where Ianes¡¯ Wall is. They¡¯re special because the direction they face can point you towards a rarer kind of flower, one that¡¯s even harder to find than leven-tinte flowers.¡± Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Is that where we¡¯re going?¡± Zinnia narrowed her eyes. Ianes¡¯ Wall marked the border between human and wolven territory. ¡°Yep! We don¡¯t have too much longer to go until we get there, so let¡¯s get to stepping.¡± ¡°Are you out of your mind?¡± ¡°You¡¯re full of questions today,¡± Ellie said with a soft sigh. ¡°You want to go to Ianes¡¯ Wall to look at flowers. Sorry if I¡¯m confused.¡± ¡°Why¡¯d you come in the first place if you¡¯re just going to fight me on everything I want to do?¡± ¡°I came because I wanted a break from Stockbrunn,¡± Zinnia said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for assuming that all we were going to do was walk and talk. I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d want to do something like go to Ianes¡¯ Wall.¡± ¡°We can walk and talk in town. We should do something different, like¡ª¡± ¡°Put our lives at risk?¡± ¡°You put your life at risk all the time with that Arse End stuff.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Arntzen. Stop calling it that. And I¡¯m not putting my life at risk. I¡¯m in control of what¡¯s going on with that. You don¡¯t have any control over what happens here.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t control people,¡± Ellie argued. ¡°Anyone could snap and do something to you. Imagine if they didn¡¯t like your prices and decided to hurt you and take all of your stuff. That¡¯s something that could happen!¡± ¡°You act like I¡¯m dealing with madmen. They¡¯re normal people. You, on the other hand, are gambling with your life,¡± Zinnia said. ¡°Your scenario you made up for me can happen to you, too. No one you meet in the woods will care that you¡¯re Stockbrunn¡¯s heiress. Your title won¡¯t save you here.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to. I can save myself just fine without it,¡± she snapped. ¡°I killed a bear the last time I was here. I know how to handle myself.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it counts if you killed one with your family.¡± The Navarretes, Ellie¡¯s paternal family, were known for their hunting prowess. It didn¡¯t surprise Zinnia in the least bit that Ellie may have assisted them in taking down a bear. ¡°It wasn¡¯t with my family. I was with Marietta and Sunflower. You want to know the real reason why Sunflower¡¯s foot was messed up? She fell in a hole,¡± Ellie said. On a roll, she continued, ¡°and you know what? Marietta¡¯s not bad. She helped us and didn¡¯t abandon us, so you can stop thinking the worst of her.¡± Zinnia should¡¯ve seen it coming. This was a classic Ellie move. Whenever she got cornered, she¡¯d spout lie after lie. ¡°Alright, you killed a bear.¡± ¡°Yeah, I did. It was huge.¡± ¡°It must¡¯ve been,¡± Zinnia said. Ellie¡¯s imagination wouldn¡¯t let the bear be anything but monstrous. ¡°So you¡¯ll shut up and come to Ianes¡¯ Wall with me?¡± ¡°Ellie¡­¡± ¡°This is your chance to see something you¡¯ve never seen before. Haven¡¯t you always wondered about it? It¡¯s not the same as reading about it or looking at paintings of it. You have to see it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a wall,¡± Zinnia said. Of all things Ellie could entice her with... ¡°An actual wall, one that¡¯s different from the ones that are keeping us in Stockbrunn. The way I see it, you and me are in the same boat. We¡¯ve got all sorts of people making us stuck in Stockbrunn. Your parents. Mine. So why are we forcing ourselves to stay, too? Aren¡¯t we owed a little escape time? And it¡¯s a tiny escape, a really small one, just a little sightseeing in the woods. This is as much of the outside world as we¡¯re allowed to see, Zinnia. A small glimpse. I think you¡¯re doing yourself a huge disservice by refusing to go.¡± ¡°I get what you¡¯re saying, really I do, but I¡¯m saying no because I don¡¯t want us to get killed.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve come this far. What¡¯s a little bit longer?¡± Zinnia had to admit that the offer was compelling. They didn¡¯t have to linger at the wall or anything like that. They could walk over, check it out, and then they could go right home. The adventure was limited to checking out the landmark. When she phrased it like that, it sounded so simple and easy. It had been a long while since Zinnia had done something that she didn¡¯t have to do, besides her secondary studies. Even though she knew the potential risk involved, she agreed to it. She said, ¡°okay.¡± ------------------------- A/N: Voting is still happening for the latest chapter (Chapter 25) on the main website. Voting for that chapter will end Tuesday at 11:59 PM EST. The next update on RRL will be Chapter 14.2. Chapter 14.2: Exploration Zinnia regretted everything, all the way back to her childhood when she and her sister first met little Elspeth Navarrete. She should¡¯ve kicked her in the shin and ran away, ruining any shot they had of befriending her. If shin kicking hadn¡¯t been enough, Zinnia would¡¯ve cut off her ponytail. Anything to ensure they¡¯d never know each other, and never reach this point in their lives. ¡°Walk away slowly,¡± she whispered. Zinnia put a hand on Ellie¡¯s arm to help guide her in walking backwards. The woods dweller up ahead, the one standing near Ianes¡¯ Wall, hadn¡¯t noticed them yet. As long as they stayed quiet, they could make it out of this intact. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Ellie moved out of her grasp. ¡°I know her. We¡¯re friends.¡± ¡°Shhh,¡± Zinnia shushed her. ¡°Whisper.¡± ¡°Her name¡¯s Shreya. She lives in the woods.¡± ¡°She¡¯s a woods dweller?¡± Zinnia grabbed Ellie¡¯s arm more forcefully. ¡°We¡¯re going. I am not reenacting Hansel and Gretel with you.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°You never heard of¡ªnevermind, we have to go.¡± Too late. The woods dweller stared straight at her, eyebrows slanted downwards. She wore a long-eared cap on her head, pulled down tight and a fur cape over a weave-patterned top. Her pants were loose, made with an inexpensive-looking fabric. Simple shoes, a sheathed blade on her right hip, and a plain gourd on her left hip completed her look. She strode towards them. ¡°We¡¯re dead,¡± Zinnia mumbled. Ellie laughed at her misery. ¡°I met her when I was looking for flowers here. She¡¯s a good person.¡± ¡°You knew she¡¯d be here¡­¡± Zinnia said. She let her go. ¡°That¡¯s why you wanted to come here so badly.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d come if you knew the whole truth. Woods dwellers can be good people.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t think my friends can be good people, but you think woods dwellers can be?¡± Zinnia couldn¡¯t believe it. Ellie extended more courtesy to a random woods dweller than she did to Noemi, Lucio, Gracja, and everyone in Arntzen that was like them. A woods dweller who, like so many of the others, had probably renounced her humanity and became something worse than an animal. Animals were predictable, at least. Woods dwellers were something else. Their conversation abruptly ended there, the woods dweller having reached them. Expression relaxed but with a tone as stiff as a board, the strange girl greeted, ¡°hello. It¡¯s nice to see you. This a new friend?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call her a new friend. We go way back,¡± Ellie said. ¡°Meaning?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve known each other for years,¡± Zinnia explained. ¡°What¡¯s your name and where are you from?¡± ¡°My name is Shreya. I¡¯m from the woods,¡± she replied, lifting her arms to gesture around them. ¡°Are you from Stockbrunn?¡± ¡°How do you know about Stockbrunn?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the most near town. Ellie¡¯s from it.¡± ¡°Ah, she told you where she¡¯s from,¡± Zinnia looked at her disapprovingly. ¡°What else do you know about her?¡± ¡°Hey, what¡¯s with the interrogation?¡± Ellie asked. ¡°This is, like, the third time we¡¯ve met. She¡¯s not going to be an expert on all things me.¡± ¡°It is okay. I have an answer. Ellie is an interesting person who I am learning about,¡± Shreya said. ¡°I will never hurt her.¡± ¡°She gave me water and helped me get home the first time we met. Then the second time was that whole bear thing. She saved me twice when she didn¡¯t have to.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t make the bear up?¡± Zinnia asked. For someone who almost got mauled by a bear, Ellie sure seemed to have taken the entire incident in stride. ¡°No way! It happened. Tell her, Shreya.¡± ¡°The bear was young and very hurt. We would not have survived a healthy adult bear,¡± she said. ¡°We were fortunate...lucky?¡± ¡°Both of those words work,¡± Zinnia said. It was a wonder to her that a woods dweller could speak Casternian. She thought that their barbarism meant they had no interest in the common language. ¡°Thank you. I am usually better at this, but my yesterdays were difficult.¡± ¡°Did you get in trouble with your Mom again? That¡¯s what happened to me.¡± Ellie rolled up her sleeve, revealing a nicely-sized bruise on her arm. Zinnia peered at it. The mark was about two fingers wide. ¡°Your mother beats you?¡± ¡°Nah, this just happened when we were sparring. She got all blegh about me being out here, so we did some staff fighting,¡± Ellie said. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know I landed a couple of hits on her.¡± ¡°Sure you did,¡± Zinnia said, sarcasm evident in her voice. ¡°I did! But she doesn¡¯t know anything about the bear or about Shreya. Those are all secrets.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a secret to everyone but my sister. She doesn¡¯t know details,¡± Shreya said. ¡°She wanted to come but I didn¡¯t let her.¡± ¡°Your twin! You should¡¯ve let her come,¡± Ellie said. She nudged Zinnia with her elbow. ¡°Zinnia¡¯s little brother and sister are twins, so you have a twin connection right there. You can talk about twin stuff.¡± The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°I don¡¯t think that counts as a twin connection,¡± Zinnia said. Shreya tilted her head. ¡°I would like it very much if you never meet my sister. She¡¯s dangerous.¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t tell Ellie that. She loves danger.¡± ¡°Is that true?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say I love danger, but I guess some people might call me a thrill-seeker.¡± Ellie grinned. ¡°Thrill-seeking and danger-loving are basically the same thing,¡± Zinnia pointed out. ¡°It¡¯s bad to take risks that you don¡¯t need to take,¡± Shreya said. Like heading into the woods, getting lost, fighting a bear, and hanging out with a woods dweller, Zinnia thought to herself. ¡°I¡¯m lessening my risks. Look, I¡¯ve got a weapon this time.¡± Ellie waved the hatchet. ¡°Do you not have a knife?¡± Shreya asked. ¡°I don¡¯t have one,¡± Zinnia said. ¡°Could I borrow yours? I¡¯d be more relaxed if I had one.¡± Ellie tsked at her. ¡°You should¡¯ve packed your own.¡± ¡°You told me I didn¡¯t have to bring anything.¡± ¡°Did I? Oops¡­¡± Shreya loosened her belt and pulled the sheath free from its tie. She held it out to Zinnia. ¡°Here. I will need it back. Do not be like Ellie and run away with it.¡± ¡°Hey! I didn¡¯t run away with your water jug thing. Come to think of it, what happened to the cool designs on it?¡± ¡°That gourd belonged to my Papa.¡± She smiled at Zinnia, noticing her hesitation. ¡°I will be okay without it. I¡¯m more familiar with the woods than you are. I will keep all of you safe.¡± Zinnia took the scabbard, then fed its strings through her belt loops. She tied it tight against her hip, her fingers shaking the whole time. Either Shreya was genuinely to be trusted, or she was strong enough to overpower them even without her blade. ¡°Do you have any candy with you?¡± Zinnia asked her. ¡°Sweet treats?¡± ¡°I do not.¡± Her eyebrows scrunched in confusion. ¡°Do woods dwellers know what candy is?¡± Ellie mused out loud. ¡°Ooh, I can bring you some the next time we see each other.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure some woods dwellers do know what candy is,¡± Zinnia said. Ellie shrugged. ¡°So what? She doesn¡¯t. What, is there some secret woods dweller candy collective out there?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like she would tell us if there was one. Either way, I¡¯m not interested in it. I just wanted to check what she brought.¡± Shreya brightened up, seeming to understand part of what Zinnia was saying. ¡°I brought my knife and my water.¡± ¡°And I brought food, water, the hatchet, and my lockpicking stuff. Zinnia brought nothing. Whew, glad we established that. I was scared we¡¯d forget,¡± Ellie said jokingly. ¡°What is lockpicking?¡± Back in the world of confusion, Shreya¡¯s eyes scrunched up again. ¡°Lockpicking is when you manipulate a lock in order to open it. Ellie can explain it better, but you use tools to make something that¡¯s locked not locked anymore,¡± Zinnia said. ¡°You break it open.¡± ¡°Ideally, you don¡¯t break the lock,¡± Ellie said. ¡°Sometimes you can¡¯t avoid it, though.¡± ¡°Oh...okay.¡± Since Shreya wasn¡¯t going to ask, Zinnia decided to fill in the blanks for her. ¡°Ellie¡¯s thinking of breaking into some houses, and she wants us to help her.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say it like that. All I¡¯m doing is exploring the woods a little with you guys. I brought my gear just in case we come across something we don¡¯t have easy access to.¡± Ellie frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t have my whole set so if there¡¯s a lock I can¡¯t crack with these tools we¡¯ll have to try again tomorrow.¡± ¡°Why are you exploring the woods?¡± Shreya asked. ¡°Because she likes to ¡®wander, look for stuff?¡¯¡± Zinnia answered, mimicking Ellie¡¯s ditzy inflection. ¡°It¡¯s more fun than us sitting around and chatting. It¡¯s less awkward,¡± Ellie said. ¡°I think the best way to form friendships is by doing an activity together, and I think you guys might make interesting friends, so let¡¯s get active. Yeah!¡± ¡°Okay. Do you know where you want to go?¡± Shreya asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Do you know any cool spots?¡± Zinnia interjected, ¡°let¡¯s go that way.¡± She wasn¡¯t going to let Shreya lead the trip, even with their interactions being mostly positive so far. ¡°Ellie, you go first. You¡¯re the one that brought us together. Shreya, you can be second because you know the woods the best. I¡¯ll be last.¡± Shreya didn¡¯t protest. She got in line. ¡°I like your energy.¡± Ellie saluted Zinnia. ¡°EZS Crew, roll out.¡± --------------- A/N: That''s it for Chapter 14! The next update on RRL will be Chapter 15. Voting is still happening for Chapter 25 on the main site. Chapter 15.1: Other Side Chapter 15: Other Side They didn''t know how good they had it. Plentiful food. Better resources. Tall, healthy trees made strong by their connection to far-off streams. The vibrant greens of the leaves and grass. Those colors alone painted the picture of lively difference. The human''s part of the woods had a vigor to it, a whole buzz of life and possibility that the wolves'' side didn''t have. None of this went shared. Stockbrunn owned it. How they decided that, she didn''t know. If Ellie and Zinnia were any indication, then their average citizen knew nothing about their claimed land. The people of Stockbrunn were tourists. Disrespectful tourists who killed animals in pathetic, sneaky ways. No honor; no justice. They took what they wanted and made sure there''d be no sharing. What''s theirs is theirs even if what they own is something they only want to take advantage of. Unable to live among nature, they put up their walls and made sure to block it out as much as possible. If Stockbrunn had cared about their land, they wouldn''t have people like Ellie and her friend. Zinnia hadn''t come with any supplies. Ellie never struck her as particularly nature-wise, and this third meeting hadn''t changed her impression of her on that front. She may have brought a weapon with her this time, but there was nothing about the way she held it that hinted she knew how to use it. "Shreya, do you live far from here?" The question came from Ellie''s friend. "It''s far," she said without turning around. They kept walking forward, Ellie setting their pace. "The distance is so great that I promise we won''t run into anyone from there. We''re not supposed to leave home." "What''s home like for you? It''s not every day that I get to talk to a woods dweller, so I''m sorry in advance if I''m being overly intrusive." "My home is the woods, an actual part of the woods," Shreya said, unsure if she was using the right words. "The best way to explain it is that we walk with the woods, not through the woods. That belief is in everything we do. It is how we live." "Do you live with a lot of people?" Zinnia asked. "Yes, there''s many of us, but we keep to ourselves." "Is your sister the only dangerous one, or...?" Shreya hesitated. "...She is. There are more like her, yes. Anyone can be dangerous, but we''re not the kind of people who would seek to do harm. We keep to ourselves. We''re very strict about staying in our own place." "If they''re so strict, then what are you doing so far away from home? What''s stopping other people from doing the same thing?" "Can I say the same thing about you?" Shreya asked. It wasn''t like Stockbrunn liked its people wandering around, either. "Yeah!" Ellie piped up. "We do what we want because we''re rebels. Tell us what to do and we say screw that." Ellie stopped the group. Before them stood a house mid-engulfed in green. The grass was so overgrown that it reached the edges of its first floor windows. Although the glass was smashed, iron bars kept out intruders. Some meager scrapes on the bars showed there''d been some break-in attempts, but whoever had tried hadn''t gotten very far. "Looks like a prime target for an investigation, huh?" Ellie asked over her shoulder. "We shouldn''t go anywhere near it. What if someone''s in there?" Zinnia replied. "No one is in there," Shreya said, maybe a little too fast and self-assured for someone that wasn''t supposed to have heightened senses. "Do you see any signs of life? Look at the grass. It is not laying down. Look at this dirt. Smooth. No tracks." She stepped forward and turned around to face them both. "The grass is the most telling, but I can go in first if you want. Someone skilled at hiding their tracks would know to stand the grass up so I can look first for you." This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. "We''ll look together. There''s some gaps in the bars where we can peek through," Ellie suggested. "And get caught?" Zinnia shook her head. "No, what we should do is throw a rock at the house. If there''s someone in there, they might come to the window to investigate or even open the door. We''ll leave if anyone''s there." "Let''s just go with what Shreya said. There''s nobody here because of the grass." "But she said you can''t always trust that." "Go find a rock, then. I''m gonna check the door." Ellie went up to it, Shreya making sure to stay by her on the off-chance something bad happened. She turned the handle. Nothing happened when she pushed or pulled. Eyes lit up with excitement, she tapped her finger against the hole beneath the handle. The hole looked like a funny person with a big head and a slim body. "Ellie... Even if there isn''t anyone inside, this could still be a trap," Zinnia warned. "Mind holding this?" She passed her hatchet to Zinnia, then rummaged through her bag. "Why lock a door if you''re going to put a trap on the other side? You''d want anyone to walk in and get taken care of by it." She took out a couple of metal pieces, one of them with a curved hook at the end. "We can break it open with that," Shreya said. A few well-placed strikes with the hatchet would do the trick. "That''d be too easy," Ellie said. "Ellie doesn''t want to pass up a chance to show-off," Zinnia mumbled. "Hush you. I need to concentrate." Ellie pressed her ear to the door as if it could whisper to her. She then pulled back, and got to work on the lock. Not being able to see through her, Shreya was blocked from seeing exactly what she was doing. A lot of trial and error to find the proper combination of metals to unlock it. Muttering under her breath. Some angry sounds, and then a triumphant cheer of "got it! "Luckily it was only a warded lock. Nothing too bad," Ellie said after dropping her tools back into her bag. She hovered her over the door handle. "Open it slowly. Test it for any odd weight on the other side," Zinnia said. "What do you think will happen? Can there be a trap?" Shreya asked her. "There could be one," Zinnia answered. "We shouldn''t be so trusting." "I will go first. I will make sure it''s safe. Please move to the side." Shreya held out her hand for the hatchet Zinnia held. "Would this be okay for me to throw or should I find a rock?" "Throw it. It won''t break," Ellie said. "I''ll do it." Zinnia kept the weapon away from her. Shreya opened the door inch by inch. When there was enough of a gap, she got out of the way for Zinnia to throw the hatchet inside. Something reminiscent of glass crashed to the floor. If there''d been a trap, the hatchet must''ve set it off. Not finding any resistance, Shreya pushed the door open the rest of the way. ------------------------- A/N: The next RRL update will be Chapter 15.2. Voting is open now on the main site for the latest chapter (Chapter 26). Chapter 15.2: Other Side The first thing she saw was a squat metal box on legs. It had a gated door for a face, burnt coals sitting inside of it. She assumed that that had been some kind of fire cradle for whoever had once lived there. Broken plates littered the wood floors. The hatchet lay in a pile of them. Zinnia retrieved it. According to the fine dust coating over everything, no one had visited this house for some time. Ellie checked through the cabinets. It''d been ransacked already. Nothing of value had been left. All that stood in the room was a table and some half-rotted chairs. "It''s like they left in a hurry," Zinnia said. She streaked her finger along the dusty tabletop. "They may have locked the door out of habit." "What do you mean by that?" Shreya asked for clarification. "There could''ve been an emergency that forced them out of their home." Ellie said, "that''s strange. What''s with the plates everywhere? Why does it look like someone smashed things up?" "It could''ve been an accident or...they were breaking their things down for materials to sell," Zinnia guessed. "Ooh, or they could''ve messed this place up because they were hiding something! You don''t lock a door that you never want to return to." "People lock doors to keep people out," Zinnia explained. "Yeah, yeah," Ellie said. "So there has to be something valuable here. I''m gonna check upstairs. You guys keep looking around the first floor. Give me the hatchet." Zinnia passed it to her. "Be careful when you go up those steps. Check each step for weakness before you put your foot down." Ellie left them alone. Shreya pretended to help. She paced around, not sure what they were supposed to be looking for. Zinnia''s search seemed to be just as half-hearted. She crouched down to check under the table. When she came up empty of anything interesting, she started talking to Shreya. "I''m glad this house is tiny. You never know when it comes to houses outside Stockbrunn''s limits." She traced her hand over a square on the wall a paler color than the rest of it. "Not having to answer to any Intendants means that anything goes when it comes to construction. The caveat to that is that you''re on your own when it comes to supplies, plus you''re living in the woods." "Is it common for people from Stockbrunn to live here like this?" Shreya tested one of the chairs, giving it a firm shake. The leg nearly gave way. "It was more common 10, 15 years ago, maybe further back than that. People stopped after they realized how much safer they were within Stockbrunn''s walls." "They weren''t afraid back then? What changed?" "The wolves broke the treaty. That was the most major change," Zinnia said, "but I think the pivotal moment was when a girl named Rowan¡ª" "Hey, guys! Come up here." Ellie called from upstairs. Floorboards squeaking under their feet, Shreya and Zinnia went up to join her. The second floor was as stifling as the first, if not moreso. Having only one room on each floor didn''t offer much space for decoration. The upstairs'' windows were barred like the ones below. Although it was free of broken dinnerware, it was still oddly dirty. The beds were unmade. Dried mud streaked the floor. Ellie stood by the family portrait leaning against the southernmost wall. Too big to be carried, the former homeowners had left it behind. Mother, father, and two young children in high collars. The paint was fading around the edges. "Check out what they were wearing. This house has to be way old," Ellie said. "Do you think this is worth anything?" "No one wants a random painting of someone else''s family," Zinnia said. Shreya moved closer to it. What drove these people out of the woods? Had they wisened up? Did they make it back to Stockbrunn or gone for some other town? Their faces didn''t give any clues away. "I was kidding. I''m not hauling this home," Ellie said. "It''s cool, though." "I don''t mean this in a bad way, but I''m a little creeped out by it," Zinnia admitted. "His eyes follow you wherever you go." "Let''s go back downstairs. We can have the porridge I made. Shreya, I added some more cinnamon this time because you seemed to like it so much." "Yeah, I did like it. Thank you," Shreya said. They set their things out on the table downstairs. Fortunately, three of the chairs were in good enough shape for them to sit in. Ellie took out four jars of wheat porridge. She gave out spoons, happy to add that she remembered them this time. Zinnia spooned some of her share into her mouth and nearly choked. "...I think your wheat to milk ratio was off when you made this, Ellie." "It''s the way I like it!" "Runny and gooey?" Zinnia held her spoon over the jar to demonstrate. "Yes." Zinnia muttered, "I think you should stick to cooking for animals. Sorry you have to eat this, Shreya." "Hey! It''s not that bad!" Ellie frowned. "I like it," Shreya said between bites. "Well, I''m glad someone appreciates my hard work and labor." "You made porridge," Zinnia said. "It''s not the most elaborate of meals." "We don''t get to eat things like this at home. I feel lucky to have this experience," Shreya said. "What do you usually eat?" Zinnia asked, ready with another round of questions. "I eat twice a day. There''s the morning meal and the night meal. Food is collected and then spread out among community members at that time. Redistributed," she tried to clarify. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "Does everyone eat the same thing? That sounds like it''d be a mess... Gathering everyone up. Forcing everyone to eat next to each other." Ellie grimaced. "You''d need a gigantic banquet hall to pull that off. How''s there enough food?" "Sometimes there is not, but you can get something. We put the oldest and youngest first," Shreya said. "Do you do this in Stockbrunn? Gather food and give it out to everyone to eat? If you have someone in charge of food, then it''s not a problem." "I''ve got an uncle who''s the Intendant of Agriculture. I guess food would be his jurisdiction. We don''t do it that way, though," Ellie said. "Basically, food is gathered and then put into markets where it''s sold. Kill a bear, get it to a butcher willing to pay a nice price for it, and then the butcher sells it to everybody else. We''ve got hunters affiliated with certain shops because of that." "We don''t sell anything. We give it out," Shreya said. "Is that the only thing that''s free for you guys? Do you pay for anything?" "I have never paid for anything." Zinnia said, "woods dwellers don''t exactly have a society. I''m not surprised they don''t have a commerce system." "It''s not true that they don''t have a society," Ellie said, her eyebrows wrinkling. "If they didn''t, how could Shreya talk to us and everything else? They''ve got a society. It''s just different than ours." "I''m sorry for misspeaking. I meant to say something else. I hope I didn''t insult you in any way, shape, or form, Shreya." "It is okay. Ellie is right. We are different." Shreya took another look at Ellie''s hand, the bandaged one. She realized that she hadn''t said anything about it this whole time. "What happened to you?" "Oh, this? I got hurt working on my aunt''s farm." "Does it hurt?" "It was worse earlier but I''m good now. I bounce back fast!" "I got hurt the other day, too... I was not paying attention and stepped on a piercing plant without my shoes," Shreya said. "It was embarassing." "It really is," Ellie said. "I am happy no one saw my mistake. It would have been worse." "I wish I''d been that lucky! My aunt saw the whole thing. Ugh, it was the worst." Ellie slid her hands over her face. "The worst... It might''ve bought me some time off the farm. That''s the only good part. I''ve probably gotta help out with something else. Hunting?" Shreya perked up at her last word. She remembered Ellie telling her that hunting was in her blood. "I hunt. Did I tell you that? We can learn from each other." Zinnia laughed. "Um, Ellie, when was the last time you hunted?" "That doesn''t matter," Ellie said, waving her off. "What''s more important is how good I am at it. I''m good. But...I''ll take you up on that offer, Shreya." "Offer? What do you mean?" "We can learn stuff from each other. You can start teaching me how to fight and defend myself and like, the ways of the woods. All of that." "Can you say that in a different way and more slow, please?" "I want to be a better fighter and more foresty," Ellie said. She drew out her words. "I have to be one with nature and more like you. I''m going to be here more often and I want to be more prepared in case anything like that bear happens again." "I don''t mean to interrupt but this doesn''t sound like a good idea. You''re planning something aren''t you, Ellie? You never do anything without a longterm strategy in mind," Zinnia said. "You come off like you''re whimsical but I know you''re not like that deep down. So, what are you planning here?" "I''m not planning anything." Ellie drummed her fingers against the table. "I just think it''d be a good idea." "I thought you had private fighting lessons or something like that. I vaguely remember you complaining about that before." "Those lessons aren''t good enough. I have to know the forest. I have to ''walk with the woods, not through the woods,'' like one of Shreya''s people," Ellie said. "But yeah, I don''t want to push Shreya into agreeing to do something she doesn''t want to do. We can still hang out without the training part." Training her? Something about that felt like it''d be taking things a step too far. It could be the beginning of a slippery slope. Bringing her out of the "darkness" she was in when it came to the woods could present a new set of problems. And she''d be helping her more directly. Training her was different from simply protecting her. Ellie would expect Shreya to be an expert about this side of the woods, wouldn''t she? She''d be at some risk of losing her cover. She''d been doing a good job of pretending she was from these woods so far, but it was bound to get more difficult from here on out. But then again...the offer went both ways. Instead of gleaning information about Stockbrunn from Ellie, she could actively get it. That could be her payment for the training. And maybe Ellie had more useful information to give her, something besides those terrible hunting traps. -------------- A/N: This chapter ends a little strangely because - like all chapters that end - it ended with a vote. Voting takes place on the main site. Voting is open now for the latest chapter, Chapter 27, and will be open until Wednesday at 11:59 PM EST. Next RRL update will be Chapter 16.1. Chapter 16: Builders Chapter 16: Builders "So, what''ll it be? Yes or no?" Ellie propped her elbows up on the table. Not standing up meant that she had less range to intimidate Shreya with¡ªnot that she was trying to force her answer to be one thing or another. Intimidation wasn''t her game. She was just trying to influence her to pick the right answer. "What is it that you want? Describe more." These endless clarification questions must''ve been Shreya''s idea of a stall tactic. Too bad for her that Ellie was more than familiar with that technique. "Teach me what you know. I want to become the sort of person that wouldn''t be out-of-place here." When Shreya''s blank look didn''t change, Ellie added, "basically, make me into someone you wouldn''t have to worry about." "That could take years," Zinnia said. "Why don''t you ask your family to do this? You''re putting her on the spot." "Who cares? I''ve got years ahead of me. Yeah, there''s people in Stockbrunn that might be able to teach me a thing or two but that''s different from someone who actually lives here," Ellie said. She shot her a glare. "Nobody asked you, anyway. She can speak for herself." "I am not a teacher, but I can do it," Shreya said, choosing the right answer. Ellie had to stop herself from hugging her. They weren''t at that level yet. They barely knew each other. "Is there anything you want in return?" She seemed to like the Riesling. Ellie could probably steal some more from the cellar for her. "A book." "Huh?" "Is that not the word? It is something with text and pages." "No, I heard what you said. It''s just...I didn''t think you''d ask for something like that," Ellie said. She made sure to smile so her words wouldn''t be taken the wrong way. Nature girl Shreya with a book in her hands was a funny image. Zinnia sounded just as surprised. "You''re interested in education? Are you an academic? A scholar? A student?" It wasn''t until the last word she tried that Shreya''s eyes flashed with recognition. "I don''t think I am any of those things. I am not searching for a learner''s book," Shreya replied. "It can be a classic Stockbrunn book. Creative." "I''m not the most well-read, so..." In a rare showing of weakness, Ellie passed the question off to Zinnia. "What types of books do you like?" Zinnia asked. "We should figure out something that''s a worthy payment so you can get something good out of this." "Most?" Shreya scrunched her eyebrows in thought. "Fantasy. Scary. Romance. Anything. I like the ''proud'' or ''pride'' themed books the least." She gave Ellie the perfect opening. A mischevious grin on her face, Ellie couldn''t resist asking, "how about two-girl romance? How open are you to that, Shreya, because me and Zinnia are very open to it?" "It depends on the writer," Shreya said. The insinuation flew over her head, completely and utterly. No blushing moment. No awkward giggling. Not even a hint of embarrassment, or something shot back at her. Ellie would have to work harder to throw her off-balance next time. Zinnia hadn''t missed it, and she made Ellie know it by smirking at her. Ellie''d make her pay for that look later. "Why don''t you bring her Cavalier? It''s a story about the consequences of dismissive attitudes. In Cavalier, ignorance is not bliss. It''s the thing that ruins everything and everyone," she said. "Isn''t there a term for that? It''s the Something Effect. Gaurin taught us about it." Ellie snapped her fingers, the phrase out of her reach. "It has to do with realizing how good something is after it''s already gone." "I don''t recall." "Do you have school where you live, Shreya?" "School..." Shreya drew the word out longer than necessary. "We build ourselves, our skills, throughout our lives. Our school is that." "No four walls? No teacher at a desk?" Ellie rattled off. "No note taking?" "We do not have those things." "School''s more than that," Zinnia said. "To you, maybe. But for the rest of us? If Shreya and her people do whatever they want, we should do the same. Look what not-school did for Shreya." Zinnia reminded her, "only primary school''s compulsory." "Not for me. Secondary''s required." Ellie got out of her chair. She picked up the hatchet, and tested its weight in her hands. She went over to the hanging cabinets. "What will you do with that?" Shreya looked ready to jump out of her chair. "This!" She split the cabinet door open with one mighty swing. Okay, that may have been overselling it. Ellie made a semi-decent crack in it, that''s all. "What are you doing?" Zinnia stood up before Shreya did. "I''m making this our place where we can, like, get outside of ourselves. We don''t have to deal with any requirements or any other stuff we have to do. There''s no have-to here." Shreya tilted her head. "Why? Why break it?" "Because we can''t break things anywhere else. C''mon, Zinnia, you came here for a reason. You wanted get outside of yourself. So, take the hatchet and do some breaking." "This isn''t our house," Zinnia reasoned. "It''s nobody''s house. The owners left a million years ago." "And now we''re going to break perfectly good cabinets." "The wood''s practically rotting. Look at those chairs." Ellie wobbled one for effect. "No one''s coming back for this house. Take the hatchet and go to town." She held it out to her. "Alright," Zinnia snatched it from her grasp. "I''ll do it if it''ll make you stop." She pressed the blade against the line Ellie had made in the door, brought the hatchet over her shoulder, and then smashed it forward. Wood splintered from the hit. Ellie jumped backward to dodge it. "Is that enough for you?" Ellie grinned. "That was decent. Shreya, do you want a turn?" "Ignore me," Shreya said. "Okay, so we dealt with the first step. We''re breaking things, and that''s something we can''t do anywhere else. How about having a heart-to-heart? No one''s around so we might as well get some things off of our chests." "I don''t think this is the time or place, Ellie," Zinnia said. She held the hatchet closely. "Did you forget that this is the first time Shreya and I have met? Sorry, but that''s too soon for me to get personal." "It''s not like she''s going to tell anyone about anything she hears here. Your secrets are safe with us," Ellie replied, "but...I can''t make you do anything you don''t want to do. I''m just trying to say that this is our zone where we can say things that we wouldn''t anyone else to know." "We break wood and share secrets," Shreya said, working through what Ellie was saying. "No one else is frustrated with their lot in life? Give me the hatchet back, or don''t, since you''re holding on to it so tightly, damn. I''ll start, then. I''m frustrated and you want to know why?" "I have the feeling that even if we didn''t want to know, you''d tell us, anyway. You''re in one of your bullish moods." "Bullish mood?" Shreya repeated. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. "She''s being stubborn," Zinnia explained. "I''m not stubborn. I''m frustrated, because you, you, and me, we''re not the builders." "Do you want to build?" Shreya asked her. "Not in the wood and construction sense. I mean building our own lives for ourselves. We''re not the ones that they''re going to write about," Ellie went on. "My mom says I''m inheriting a legacy but what I''m really inheriting is bullshit. It''s something I can''t forfeit. What am I supposed to do with something I don''t want to have? It''s something somebody else built for me." Zinnia sighed. "You can do something special with that legacy. You''re not the one who isn''t going to be written about. It''s us. A woods dweller from nowhere and the girl with the sullied last name." She grimaced. "What is it that they call it? Trotter''s Slaughter?" "They will write about us, just not in the way we want," Ellie said. "I''ll become the next Chieftess, sure. A leader. Another horrible and terrible leader in a line of them, because that''s what it takes to be the Chieftess. It doesn''t matter who you hurt as long as you carry out your duty." Shreya''s head whipped back and forth from person to person as they talked. "We are not builders." "We''re not. You''re right," Ellie replied. "We are not builders because someone else does the building," Shreya continued. "They build for us." Zinnia nodded. "To my understanding, that''s what Ellie is trying to say. She''s using a metaphor." "We are not builders because that role is reserved for others. It is all done by someone else''s determination," Shreya continued. "We are not builders. It sounds sad. What do we do?" "I want to go to Baekstadt," Zinnia blurted out. "It''s beyond Stockbrunn in so many ways. The research happening there alone... Their technological breakthroughs, the special projects they have going on.... The universities. There''s more people like me there. No offense to Stockbrunn, but I''m not like any of you." "I want something better for my people." Shreya looked off into the distance. All she needed to do was stand on a rock and she would''ve looked like an inspirational photo. "Ellie, what do you want?" "I want to be something other than an heiress, farmer, or hunter. I want to be more than that," Ellie said. "I wish my aspirations were as high and beyond as Zinnia''s, or like, more nobly-centered like yours, Shreya''s. It''s just that... It''s hard to be like that for me. I can''t do it now." "We are not builders, yes, and we can not change who we are," Shreya said. "What do we do? We make it better. We become balanced with it¡ªthe good and the bad parts. It is difficult. I have cried many times trying." "Crying''s part of the process. It''s not something to be ashamed of. I think of it as peeling off the bandage," Zinnia said, "and facing the reality that there''s nothing you can do except for making peace with what you have." She set the hatchet down on the table. Ellie picked it up. "So we lay down and give in? I can''t do that." "Do not break more of this place," Shreya requested. "Do you want this place to be special? You said it was ours. You need to treat it better." "I hate to stretch the building metaphor any further than it''s already been stretched, but why don''t we rebuild something here? We can fix this place up and let it be our second home," Zinnia said. "I can do it." "You''d want to?" Ellie asked. "Yeah," Zinnia glanced around the room. "It can''t be any harder than making pig shelters. I can make this a nice place for us...what did you call us? Rebels?" She wondered if they were the only ones doing things like this: taking over abandoned homes, and reclaiming them as something else. Those empty houses were like nets for wayward folks, catching everyone lost and alone. What if they knocked on all of those doors and collected all of those people up? They couldn''t be the only rebels around. "Can you re-lock the door? This is all moot if you can''t," Zinnia said. Ellie had to pause to think about it. "I guess I could. It''d be like working in reverse. Kinda weird, but doable. Shreya, can you use your forest magic and make it look like no one''s been here?" "It''s not magic. It is tracking in reverse." Shreya smiled. "You do that." Zinnia peered out the window. "We should start heading back soon. I don''t want to be out here when the sun goes down." "Already?" Ellie groaned. "We just got here!" "Do you want to be out here at night among the wolves and what-have-you? You can take your chances, but I won''t." "I don''t have to take my chances. I''ve got Shreya." "I have to go home, too," Shreya said. No point in fighting. "Fine, Mom, I''ll pack up." She went to the table and capped all of the jars. "When do you want to do this again? We can do more exploring. We don''t have to only come back here." "I''d rather not make a habit out of ditching class." "A one week vacation won''t hurt anything." "Don''t push your luck so hard." Ellie finished packing up. She whistled at the damage they''d done to the cabinet. "You can patch that up too, can''t you? Fill the hole and all?" "You can''t just patch up wood. Shreya, you have your work cut out for you when it comes to teaching this girl some common sense." "I mean...you know what I meant by that." Ellie pouted. "Heh, I know." Zinnia opened the door for them. Shreya left first. The woods dweller turned, as if remembering something suddenly. "May I have my knife back?" "Oh yeah, I almost forgot." Zinnia undid the strings that kept it against her belt. She passed it over. "Aww, I was hoping you''d forget it. That was going to be my insurance we''d see each other again, just like with your gourd." "You do not need to do that. I will go and meet you," Shreya said. Ellie passed her hatchet to Zinnia, then got to work on re-locking the door. She muttered the steps under her breath as she did, making sure she wouldn''t do anything wrong. Thankfully, Zinnia and Shreya stayed silent as she took care of it. Ward locks were strange beasts. "There we go. That should hold." Ellie tested the doorknob. "Yeah, that does it. How about tomorrow? Would tomorrow at the same time as today work? We''ll meet at Ianes'' Wall." "Yes, that is fine." "I''ll bring the book with me and we can get started on our training and stuff. It''ll be awesome. Are you coming again too, Zinnia?" "I might. I don''t want to make any promises." "That''s better than an all-out no...so I''ll take it!" ----------------- A/N: I know in the last post I wrote that this would only be Chapter 16.1, but I decided to post up the whole thing instead. Voting is still happening for Chapter 27 on the main site. Voting will end on Wednesday, July 27th at 11:59 PM EST. Chapter 28 will be released on August 3rd on the main website. The next post on RRL will be Chapter 17.1. Chapter 17.1: Bolt Chapter 17: Bolt No longer working for Noemi meant that when Zinnia returned home from her time in the woods, she stayed there. Normally, she''d make everyone dinner, put the children and her mother to bed, and then quietly leave to make her sales. She and her father would never cross paths. Zinnia figured that he''d come home some time while she was working. She just never knew how late. With the practiced way he walked into the house¡ªso careful, so tip-toed much like she did when she was trying not to get caught¡ªshe knew this had to be a common occurence. Vervain stood in the doorway, watching his daughter rock to and fro in his wife''s rocking chair. "Aren''t you supposed to be in bed?" Zinnia lifted her teacup to her lips. "I couldn''t sleep." "Get out of that chair." She did as she was told, careful to balance her cup on its plate. "I''m sorry." He left the room. Zinnia didn''t move, didn''t even dare to take another sip until he came back. Vervain wore a bag over his broad shoulder. She couldn''t tell what it was filled with. "Are you leaving, Father?" Farming this late at night wasn''t a productive endeavor. The limited light ensured that. "I have things to take care of," Vervain said, his jaw set. "You better not sit back in that chair while I''m gone." "I won''t." He was out the door before she finished speaking. Zinnia looked back out the window, drinking more of her chrysanthemum tea. She''d had her suspicions. His distant attitude. Him giving excuses as to why he needed to stay on the farm for longer than necessary. When was the last time he joined them for dinner? It wasn''t Zinnia''s place to voice any of this. It''d break what was left of her mother''s heart to hear it. Zinnia focused on a tree outside, and the way its branches gnarled downwards. What was it that her mother always looked at? That tree or something else further off into the horizon? Ianthe saw something no one else could, while missing out on everything else. ~ * ~ * ~ Ellie came home to her father''s screams. She ran straight up the stairs, her heart pounding as hard as her boots against the floor. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! "What''s happening?!" She ran into his bedroom. Her mother cradled Vicente against her chest. She laid in bed with him, still dressed in her day clothes. Tears streamed down his face, his mouth opened in a long wail. Bodil held a tube in her hands. It led to a bag resting on top of a long pole on wheels, the bag filled with a tan-colored liquid. Henrik stood off to the side, spluttering some nonsensical syllables. Something about how sorry he was for messing up. "Mom...?" "Shhhh," Hilda spoke into the top of Vicente''s head. "It''s okay. It''s going to be okay." His sobs subsided into pitiful hiccups. "We were trying to administer a tube feeding," Bodil explained. "Your father didn''t take it well." She cleared her throat for Henrik''s attention. He nearly jumped. "Take the line." "Ellie''s here, Vicente," her mother gently said. "Do you want to see Ellie?" "Ellie!" He struggled to hold himself up. His arms shook from the effort. Hilda helped prop him up. Vicente smiled at her, his mouth slanted and uneven as he did. "Hi, Dad." She couldn''t do this. Not in front of everyone. Not while they were all watching her and hoping that she''d be the trick in getting him to take whatever that feeding tube was. "How was your day? Did you have fun with your friends?" His words came out slow and clumsy. "Yes, yes, I did," Ellie said. She took a step backwards. Catching onto her escape, Hilda warned, "Ellie." "I love you, Ellie." Vicente wiggled in Hilda''s arms. Bodil picked up the end of the line that was meant for Vicente''s...mouth? Nose? Ellie wasn''t sure how the whole thing worked. "I-I love you, too, Dad," she said. "I, um, I forgot to drop off some food for my friend. She realy needs it. So... I will be back." "Ellie," her mother said again. "I''ll be back!" Ellie rushed out the door. She hurried down the steps, her heart thumping too loudly for her to hear if any of them called after her. Her bag slapped against her back as she ran. ---------- A/N: Next update on RRL will be Chapter 17.2. Voting is now happening on the main site for Chapter 28, and will end Saturday, August 6th. Chapter 17.2: Bolt ~ * ~ * ~ The next morning, she was in the middle of rinsing her and her mother''s breakfast dishes when her Aunt Catalina came for a visit. The two women chatted in the adjacent room, their conversation too heated for them to keep their voices down. Aunt Catalina was her father''s sister, and Stockbrunn''s Intendant of Internal Affairs. She handled crime and other legal matters concerning the city. They weren''t talking about anything to do with that, though. It sounded more like they were talking about Vicente''s treatment. "How can you stand to let them do this to him? He''s not a toy for them to play around with," Catalina shouted. "Why wouldn''t you talk to me about this first? Why did I have to hear about this secondhand from the doctor?!" "He''s in my care. What happens to him is my decision." "Hilda, this isn''t right!" "Dr. Cuthberht said this was the best thing to do for him." "I''m not talking about... No. Do you think keeping him like this is the best thing for him? It''s been ten years. He''s not coming back, Hilda." Catalina''s voice lowered. Ellie halted her dishwashing to hear better. "It''s possible. It''s happened. I''ve read studies. Ask Dr. Cuthberht for them. She knows about these experimental treatments where¡ª" Henrik came into the kitchen. His presence pulled Ellie out of her mother and aunt''s conversation. She went back to scrubbing an already clean plate, just to make herself look too busy to bother with him. But since he was the type to never get a hint, Ellie asked him in an annoyed tone, "you''re still here?" She glanced at him over her shoulder, then refocused her attention back on the plate she held. "It''s past the end of your shift, isn''t it?" "I wanted to stay longer," he said. "I''m only going home now because Bodil''s forcing me to get some sleep." "Yes, you should do that." Ellie fit the plate on the dish rack. "Have you seen Zinnia? Is she okay? She''s missed school a couple days in a row now... It isn''t like her." Ellie whirled around. "If you care so damn much, why don''t you ask her yourself?" Henrik didn''t look taken aback. "I know what you''re going through must be stressful," he said. He used the same tone he used with her father: light and delicate, like she could break from his words. "You know, with Chief Vicente and everything else... You should talk to someone. The clinic has nurses trained in talk therapy." Nurses trained in talk therapy who would no doubt take whatever she''d tell them and reveal it all to her mother. Ultimately, they were all extra ears for the Chieftess. Information gatherers, pretending like they cared. No, there was no way Ellie would tell them a single thing about what was going on in her head. There was no trust there to be found. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. "Go home, Henrik." "I''m sorry." "I don''t want to hear it." "Excuse me," Henrik said. He bowed his head, then left the room. Ellie let out a big breath in relief. The other women had gone quiet. Whatever conversation Hildegarde and Catalina had been having seemed to have finished. Ellie sat down at the kitchen table, trying to do her best not to let any of the cracks in the wood remind her of the feeding tube. She squeezed her eyes shut. Boots padded into the room. Catalina and Hildegarde. Ellie kept her head down on the table, not looking at them. "Taking a nap?" Catalina teased. Ellie peeked through one eye at her. Her mid-brown skin had a golden tan to it. She had long hair in loose curls spilling over her backs and shoulders, something that Ellie would''ve killed to have inherited from Vicente''s side of the family. "Something like that," Ellie mumbled. She didn''t bother with any formalities when it came to her aunt. Aunt Catalina was too cool for that. "Wake up," Hilda said, sounding as bossy as ever. "You''re going to be spending the day with Aunt Catalina hunting." Ellie sat up in her chair. "What about this?" She pointed to her bandaged hand. "I can''t hunt like this." Catalina tsked at her. "What is that, a papercut? I''ve hunted with much worse." "It was a sickle. Aunt Una said it was bad." "Una overreacts," Hilda said without so much of a smidgen of sympathy. "Go upstairs and change into something better for hiking through the woods." "I''m supposed to be with Zinnia today, though," Ellie tried. "We''ve got school work to catch up on together." "You''re going, Ellie. This is important for you to learn." Ellie bit her bottom lip. All of her plans, everything that she''d been looking forward to...gone in the blink of the eye. "That look''s not going to work on me," Hilda said. "You can let Zinnia know you can''t hang out with her today before you leave, so she knows that you didn''t abandon her." Ellie wished she could do the same for Shreya. Being friends with a woods dweller made simple things like that difficult. ----------------------- A/N: Next update on RRL will be Chapter 17.3: Bolt. Chapter 17.3: Bolt ~ * ~ * ~ Ellie followed her aunt along, her crossbow weighing heavy in her arms. Catalina had a backpack on full of gear, a bunch of bolts strapped to the back of it. To her surprise, it was only her and her aunt on this hunting trip. No one else had joined them, which could only mean one thing: they were going to talk, and this trip was going to be extra miserable. Okay, that was two things, actually, but those two things stacked on each other. "Elspeth, you shouldn''t panic so much," Catalina said. Ellie cringed at hearing her full name. "Panicking is what gets people hurt. What if you''d hit me by accident? Tell me." "I''d be in big trouble?" Ellie guessed. "No, I''d be the one in big trouble, because you don''t know shit about first aid," Catalina said. Away from Hildegarde, she was free to swear as much as she wanted. That was one of the things that made her particularly cool in Ellie''s eyes. She was real. There was nothing fake about her. "So do me a favor, Elspeth, and don''t walk around with your finger on the trigger, okay?" "Can you stop calling me Elspeth?" "I''m doing it to make the lesson stick," Catalina said. She set her crossbow down. "Here, I''ll load a new bolt for you. Did you see where the one you fired went?" "I don''t know. Off into a tree somewhere?" Ellie had gotten startled by a bird and shot it by accident. "Next time you screw up, watch where the bolt goes. We''ve got a limited supply with us," Catalina took Ellie''s crossbow out of her hand. She set it down, stepping onto the stirrup-looking part of it. She tugged the string back, and snapped the bolt into its proper placement. Once the loading was done, Catalina handed it back to Ellie. They started walking again. "Isn''t this trip taking away from council business?" Ellie asked. "I''ve got my subordinates to handle things for today. That''s what they''re hired for," Catalina said. "Besides, this trip is practically official duty. Your mother wanted me to show you some things." Ellie groaned. "If this trip is for showing me that the woods are dangerous, then let''s end it now. I''ve gotten that message like a hundred times now. I''ve got nothing new to learn about that, trust me." Catalina raised her eyebrows. "Who''d you hear that from? Your mother?" "Yep," Ellie said, popping the ''p.'' "My mom. My friends. That bird I was trying to hit. Everybody." Catalina laughed. "Hell no. I''m not telling you that. Right now, we''re the scariest and most dangerous things in the forest. We''re the dominant forces here. Do you see our weapons?" She held hers up. "We''ve got things the likes of which these animals have never seen." "Don''t animals have weapons, too? The non-feral ones?" "Not with this level of engineering, no. They''re nothing to be afraid of. We''re the ones to be feared." "I don''t feel that way," Ellie said, frowning. "There''s so much I don''t know how to do. Tracking. Loading a crossbow like you can. Hunting animals." "Ferals are easy to hunt. Anthropes are harder," Catalina explained, "but nearly all of them are smart enough to stay out of our way." "Nearly all?" Ellie repeated. "The wolves have their own part of the forest, that-a-ways. They''re the ones we have the most problems with," she replied. Catalina didn''t have to tell Ellie that, though. "They couldn''t stand sharing, because they thought they were at the top of the food chain, and we thought the same. You can''t have two groups thinking that way living together." Ellie looked in the direction her aunt gestured towards. As far as she knew, they lived somewhere beyond the other side of Ianes'' Wall. "Why let them have any space at all? They''ve gone back on their word before." "You don''t trust them?" They kept walking as they talked, towards what, Ellie didn''t know. "It''s only a matter of time, isn''t it?" "It''s funny... Your mother pushed for the non-aggression pact thirteen years ago, and pushed for this latest one, as well...but her thinking''s more in line with yours, despite all of those agreements she''s worked out." "She''s two-faced, that''s why," Ellie said without thinking. "Don''t be disrespectful. She''s cautious, for good reason." "If we''re such dominant forces like you say, then why don''t we crush them?" Ellie asked. "What are we keeping them around for?" "Maybe we should''ve let you keep napping. It sounds like you woke up on the wrong side of the kitchen table." Her mouth ran faster than her brain. "I''m just tired of no one wanting to take care of their problems." Catalina''s words took on a more serious tone. "I think this one will be more than taken care of. You should''ve seen your mother at the council meeting we had the other day. She''s not calling for war, but she''s trying to funnel the city budget towards a project that''s doomed to lead to that." This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. "What is it?" Ellie thought back to one of their more recent dinner conversations, the one they had over wine and pheasant. She''d mentioned an argument about something revolutionary that she wanted to happen. "You''ll have to talk to her about it," Catalina said. "And I hope I don''t need to say this, but don''t mouth off about any of this to any of your friends. You''re only privy to this information because you''re the heiress." "Understood." As they walked, Catalina pointed out various plants to her. She talked about leaf patterns and color combinations that were too much of a risk to go near. Everything she was saying felt like it went through one ear and out the other. This was supposed to be a hunting trip. Ellie could get that information out of a textbook. That stuff was, like, primary school level. She needed to know more important stuff, like everything that Shreya was going to help her with. Shreya... Hopefully they wouldn''t come across her. Catalina couldn''t know about her, their friendship, or anything that even hinted that Ellie was a frequent woods visitor. If they happened to see each other, they couldn''t act like they were friends. Whatever happened, Ellie hoped that Shreya wouldn''t approach them. They were holding crossbows, that should be enough of a signal for her to stay away. "Have you ever been to Ianes'' Wall?" Ellie schooled her face into a neutral expression. "The border? I can''t say I''ve ever been there. It''s dangerous, you know?" "Did you forget that we''re the ones in power, Elspeth?" Catalina grinned. "Have you ever wondered what it''s like to step on their side of the line? We can do that if we''re feeling daring enough. We could wander right into their territory and see what happens." "What about the treaty?" "Good, you passed the test. I wanted to see how daring you actually were." Catalina''s grin widened. "Because what makes us powerful is being smart. Every move we make is calculated." She pointed at a cluster of six-leafed plants on the ground. "Do you see those? If they look like that and have veins underneath, then don''t eat them. This knowledge may be rudimentary but it''s something you should brush up on. Hunting can take a long time... When I was your age, we''d be out for hunts for weeks on end. We''d have to gather plants to eat when we ran out of provisions," she said. "Me, Vicente, our older brother Federico, our parents, and the other hunting families... It felt like an adventure. Sometimes, I miss it. I miss a lot of things." Ellie wondered if she should bring up what she overheard her mother and aunt talking about. That sounded like a good opening for a discussion about her father''s care. Maybe, she''d take Henrik''s advice after all... If there was anyone she could trust with her personal life, it was her aunt. "Aunt Catalina, when I was in the kitchen, I heard¡ª" "Wait," Catalina silenced her. "See that girl coming our way? I want you to be on guard." "Girl coming our way?" Ellie''s mouth ran dry. It couldn''t be... It was. She could tell it was her by the way she walked, that same hat pulled down over her head. Ellie clutched her crossbow tighter, her hands tensing up. She glanced at her Aunt Catalina. Would she catch on? Would she spot the familiarity in their eyes? "We should turn back," Ellie urged her aunt. "This isn''t safe." "This isn''t the time to panic," Catalina said. "She''d be foolish to try anything against us, even if she is a thief. We''re too risky of targets." Ellie widened her eyes, hoping that Shreya would understand the look on her face as no, no, no, turn around, not a good time, go away. She shook, her grip tightening and her palms sweating against the crossbow handle. Shreya kept heading for them. She smiled. She actually smiled, and Ellie felt sicker than she''d ever felt. If Catalina knew about them...she''d make sure Ellie''d never leave Stockbrunn ever again. Bad things could happen to her. Bad things could happen to Shreya. What if Catalina locked her up? What if she forced her back to Stockbrunn? What would happen then? Ellie had to stop her. She had to make sure Shreya stayed away. Ellie lifted her crossbow, shaking too much to properly see through her sights. Just close enough for conversation, but still a decent bit away, Shreya started to say, "oh, hello! Is this a new¡ª" FWIP! The bolt flew from Ellie''s crossbow. A warning shot. One that would be enough to drive Shreya away. One that hopefully wouldn''t hurt her if it did accidentally hit her. Hopefully... All three of them froze. ----------------- A/N: That''s it for Chapter 17. Next update on RRL will be Chapter 18.1: Fix What''s Broken. Chapter 18.1: Fix Whats Broken Chapter 18: Fix What''s Broken In that moment, the forest went still. Ellie traced the path the bolt took with her eyes. She could see the woods through the hole it bore through Shreya''s cape. That was an easier spot for her to focus on than the blood running down Shreya''s arm, or the look on her face. "O-oh," Ellie stammered. She lost her grip on the crossbow. As soon as it dropped, Shreya was off, running faster than she''d ever seen anyone run before. "Wait!" Ellie screamed after her. Before she could move, her aunt grabbed her. "Don''t go." "Why? She''s hurt!" Ellie struggled to break free. Catalina didn''t let her go until Shreya''s strides were well out of earshot. She''d never be able to catch up to her. "We''re going home," Catalina said. "You need to go back to the basics: aiming, firing, loading. You''re nowhere close to being fit enough for hunting. It''s like you went backwards." Ellie couldn''t focus on what she was saying, not over the crushing feeling coming down over her head. It was like a ceiling crashing down on her over and over again. That feeling drained the strength out of her. Robbed of her voice, she could only numbly nod at what her aunt was saying. "¡ªyou''re a walking hazard," Catalina went on. "You could''ve killed that girl. Thank the stars that you''re a horrible shot." She picked up the fallen crossbow. "You better thank every star in the night sky for that." ~ * ~ * ~ "I shot Shreya." They stood across from one another in a tight alleyway, each girl with her back to the wall. Ellie had waited for Zinnia outside of Gaurin''s class, and pulled her away for conversation without giving her room to argue. She hadn''t bothered saying anything to Henrik. He didn''t deserve anything more than a polite nod after what he''d said to her that morning. "When did you have the chance to do that?" Mindful that they were still in semi-public, Zinnia spoke at a whisper. She gripped the shoulder strap of her bag. "I went hunting with my aunt Catalina today. I saw Shreya and I...panicked," Ellie said, trying to be as direct and forward with her words as she possibly could. Dressing the situation up wouldn''t help anything. Zinnia just needed the plain facts behind the situation. "I fired a warning shot to make her go away and I messed up. She''s not dead or badly hurt or anything... I didn''t want my aunt to know I know her, so I shot at her. Can you imagine how bad my aunt knowing about her would be?" "Would it have been worse than you shooting her?" "We would''ve never been able to see each other again." Ellie closed her eyes, picturing it all: her aunt capturing Shreya for questioning, her mother going ahead and assigning a guard to her, something bad happening to Shreya during said questioning. They''d want to know about everything Ellie ever told her, and they weren''t above using dubious means to get the information they wanted. They would''ve ruined Shreya over nothing. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. It was possible that no one would''ve seen Shreya again, not even just Ellie. Ellie kept talking, "a lot of bad things could''ve happened, and they all rushed into my head at once and I pulled the trigger. She ran away after that." "Where did you hit her?" Zinnia asked. "Are we talking about an arrow or something else?" "A crossbow bolt. Right here." Ellie streaked her finger across where the bolt had scraped Shreya. "It grazed her, but there was a lot of blood. It wasn''t terribly bad, but it wasn''t good, either." "And you''re hoping you can get past all of this? You''ve got your work cut out for you." "We have to get past this. We have to. We can''t end before we start." What they were starting, Ellie couldn''t articulate. She made an attempt. "Have you ever met someone that makes you want to keep meeting them again? Someone who you have a conversation with that you''re like...I wish this wasn''t our last? That''s how it is with me and Shreya. I have to fix it, and I don''t care if it''s selfish of me to want to do that. I need to keep seeing her." Zinnia pulled her bag''s strap higher on her shoulder, fixing its placement. She stopped leaning against the wall. "You won''t be able to if Intendant Navarrete tells the Chieftess about this. You won''t have a chance to fix anything." She hadn''t considered that possibility. "I''ll have to do something fast, then. I''ll comb the whole damn forest to find Shreya if I have to. I''m going to set this right." That look on Shreya''s face after she''d shot at her...Ellie couldn''t let that be her final expression towards her. There was something beyond physical pain in that look. "Your dedication''s admirable," Zinnia said. "It almost reminds me of the old you." "Shove it," Ellie replied with a small smile. It turned back into a frown as she asked her, "what the hell do you think I should do? You''re smart. You''re good with people. You should know." "First of all, you shouldn''t go wandering through the woods for her. That''s not going to work. I think Shreya''s the kind of girl who, if she doesn''t want to be found, won''t be found. You''re going to have to wait for her to come to you." "You think she''d show up here?" Zinnia laughed. "She''s not coming to Stockbrunn. She''s too smart for that. What you need to do is leave a message for her, and then wait. Let everything happen on her terms," she said. "You can''t force her to accept your apology. If she doesn''t want to see you after this, then you''ll have to come to grips with that. Sometimes when people are gone, they''re just gone, no matter how badly you want to see them. We move on with our lives." Ellie put her hands behind her, against the wall, to keep herself steady. She felt like she''d lose her footing if it weren''t for the wall being there. "Do you know where I can find that Cavalier book?" -------------- A/N: Next post on RRL will be Chapter 18.2. Voting is currently happening on the main site for Chapter 29 until 11:59 PM EST on 8/19/2016. Chapter 18.2: Fix Whats Broken Ellie and Zinnia stood in the middle of a maze of book shelves. Rows and rows of shelves surrounded them. Ellie''s eyes glazed over. Whose idea was it to organize the library this way? How was anyone supposed to find anything without begging the librarians for help? She followed Zinnia along like a lost child, putting her faith in Zinnia''s seek-and-find skills. "Do they shelf books by the author or the title?" Ellie asked. "I think the CAV section was that way...or was it that way?" "They file the books by genre and the first three letters of the author''s last name. Is this your first time you''ve been to a library?" "Um, of course not," Ellie lied. Libraries annoyed her. The strict silence rule got on her nerves. What were they worried about, someone startling someone into accidentally ripping out a book page? A little noise wasn''t going to end the world. Ellie peeked around the corner, trying to find some more letters to orient herself by. She saw two familiar girls and a red haired guy sitting together at a table. Theres Diallo, a blacksmith''s daughter, and one of Ellie''s biggest non-fans; and Inger Agnitse, a baker''s daughter, and another former friend of hers who hated her guts a smidgen less than Theres did. "There''s Theres," Ellie whispered to Zinnia. Zinnia pulled her backwards, further into the aisle and away from the trio''s view. "What? Aren''t you talking to her?" "Yeah, we''re friends," Zinnia said. She scuffed her shoe into the flat carpet. "I don''t want to meet him." Ellie scanned her over. "Is she going out with that guy?" "If the way they''re sitting is any indication, sure. I''m not going to ask," Zinnia said. "I''m not in the mood to deal with that or with refereeing a fight between you two today. Let''s deal with you and Shreya, okay?" "Are you sure? I can beat him up for you." Ellie sucked in her lip to keep from laughing and giving them away. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. "No. The book''s this way." She grabbed Ellie''s wrist to keep her away from them. ~ * ~ * ~ Book in hand, Ellie stood with Zinnia outside of the library. They were lucky to have found it. It was the last copy that they had in stock. "Good luck," Zinnia said. "If anyone could convince someone who they shot to talk to them again, I think it''d be you." "Wait, you''re leaving me? Aren''t we going to write this apology thing together?" "You know what you need to say. Take everything you told me before and put it onto the page." Ellie scratched the back of her neck. "Can you remind me what I said? I forgot." Zinnia sighed. "Just be honest and straightforward. As long as you do that, you can''t go wrong with your apology." "Yeah...I guess I can do that." Maybe. "I''ll help you deliver it in the morning," Zinnia said. "Ianes'' Wall will be the best place to put it. It''s sort of like your meeting point, isn''t it?" Ellie nodded. "I''ll bring Sunflower with us, for added safety. She should be okay by tomorrow," she said. "Seriously, though, thank you. I was worried you didn''t like Shreya. You seemed kind of on edge with her at first." "I suppose she grew on me. She''s not bad," Zinnia said. "Make sure you don''t mess up on that letter." "I''ll try not to! See you tomorrow." "See you." Ellie headed home, her mind brimming with things to write. ------------- A/N: Voting for Chapter 30 is happening on the main site until Tuesday, August 30th at 11:59 PM EST. Chapter 31 will be released on the main site on Tuesday, September 6th. The next RRL update will be Chapter 19.1. Chapter 19.1: Heart Chapter 19: Heart "You''re lucky that I didn''t go to the cr¨¨che today," Shanti said. She coaxed the bindings around her sister''s arm, shushing her as she hissed in pain. "You messed yourself up pretty good, didn''t you?" They sat together in their room, a fabric bundle and a wooden pail to their right. Her pain had dyed the water an off-red. Cleaning her arm wound had been an ordeal, one powerful enough to have Shreya biting on a stick to keep from screaming. Shanti finished the bandages off with a knot. "That must''ve been one hell of a tree." Shreya let the stick drop from her mouth. The teeth marks were apparent. "I was careless." "Sounds like they''ve got deadlier trees than we do," her sister said. She took a spare cloth and scrubbed at her hands. "Did you fall face-first or back-first?" "Does it matter?" "I''d like to be able to picture it better, that''s all. You, falling so miraculously out of a tree." Shanti grinned. "It''s hilarious." "If it''s so hilarious, you should give it a try," Shreya said. She looked over at her torn cape. Getting a new one wouldn''t do. Other than the hole, it had kept its integrity. She''d have to patch it up with something else, some other animal''s fur. The patch would serve as a constant reminder of what happened that morning. At first, she hadn''t known what happened. Ellie and another woman had been standing there, both holding the same T-shaped objects. Intricate-looking things, crafted out of wood and metal. Ellie leveled hers at her. Took aim. Something shifted on the object. And then, there''d been a noise akin to an arrow cleaving the air. She couldn''t get that sound out of her head. "I''d do it if it weren''t for that little deal of ours. Without that, I''d be all over their territory," Shanti said. "What''s going to happen next, a head wound?" "Nothing''s going to happen to my head." "Your arm''s awful. Y''said the branch impaled you? It went through your cape and all? Any closer, and you would be dead," she observed. "I''ve lived through worse," Shreya replied. "When? You''ve only started getting messed up ever since you went over the wall." Shanti counted off the instances on her fingers. "Exile. Tree. These things come in threes, you know. Something worse is yet to come!" "This could''ve happened in our part of the forest just as easily. Don''t blame this on her." "Huh? Who said anything about a her?" "I meant it. Don''t blame it on the forest." "Oh no, I don''t think so," Shanti said. "That girl''s got you falling out of trees now? What the hell, Shreya?" "It was an accident. I wanted to impress her, and I fell." Shreya came up with the best lie she could. Something compelled her to cover it all up. Embarassment that she''d allowed herself to get tricked, perhaps. The shame at herself for believing that all of the Marjani texts had been wrong. How long had Ellie wanted to kill her? She''d gotten too comfortable with her, and let her guard drop. The plan must''ve been set in motion when they found that house together. She''d brought her friend along to confirm her suspicions, to make sure she wasn''t about to kill a fellow human. Whatever she and Ellie had been building together had come tumbling down. It''d been a lie all along. "You''re not made out of stone," Shanti said. "You couldn''t have come up with something better than that?" "I thought it''d help me win her over." "Did it work? Was it worth the trouble?" Shreya held her hand over her bad arm, making sure not to press down. She didn''t give her an answer. ~ * ~ * ~ It had been Shreya''s fault when Loupe''s bucket fell from his head. Lost in her thoughts, she''d walked straight into his back. Shreya jumped out of the bucket''s path, green herbs bouncing out of it as it met the dirt. "Sorry!" Shreya bent down to pick them up. Forgetting her two day old injury, she grimaced as she moved her arm the wrong way. She made a pile of greens and placed them back into the bucket. "It''s okay." Loupe got down to her level. He smiled, his eyes wrinkling at the corners. "We should put the bigger ones on the bottom first." He undid all the help she''d done so far. For someone who considered himself a...were-human, Loupe looked like any other wolf to her. His ears were the same jet black as his hair. He wore a loose shirt, stained with dirt from a recent trip to the fields. Facial hair shadowed the lower half of his face. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Shreya mumbled another "sorry" towards him, knowing full-well her attitude wouldn''t be acceptable with any other older wolf. Was it more polite to treat him like he was a human? Drop all of the cultural niceties around him? Shreya didn''t know what to do with him, and she wasn''t the only one in their community who felt that way. She was actually surprised that someone let him help out with the herb garden today. "I said it was okay," Loupe said, keeping his good-natured smile. He put the last plant back inside the bucket. "Take care." "Please wait," Shreya requested. He stayed at the ground with her, one of his ears tilted in confusion. "Why did you say that?" "You made an honest mistake. I''m not going to hold it over you." "No, I meant ''take care.'' Humans don''t say that. We do." ''Take care'' was a special send-off in their language, a sign of utmost love and respect. The Casternian Common translation of it didn''t hold the same amount of weight. She switched to the Common language, "they say goodbye and see you later." Loupe kept up with her, no longer using their native tongue. "I''m human and a wolf." "How do you know that? You are human, how?" Speaking Casternian to someone other than Ellie or her friends felt strange to her. The strain and mental acrobatics of talking to her had been worth the effort. "You know it. You can feel it. Humans are different." Shreya narrowed her eyes. "Yes. Yes, they are different. How? What is it like not being a whole wolf? Incomplete wolf?" "I think differently from the rest of you," Loupe said, having no trouble at all with his speech. "I don''t see things the same way. When everyone goes left, I go right." He dropped his voice to a whisper. "The Elders aren''t right about everything. There are inconsistencies in our historical books." "You noticed?" Shreya''s heart jumped. "So many wolves have pride in non-truths. I''m awake. I know what''s real," Loupe said. "They try to make it seem like humans aren''t smart, but they are. They''ve got logic. They''ve got smarts. They''ve got intelligence." She wondered if he realized he said the same thing three different ways. "Did you know that our metal blades were repurposed from theirs? The Elders don''t want us to know that. Humans are at the pinnacle." "What?" The last part was too far-fetched for her to believe, nevermind the rest of what he was saying. "Above all else, humans are good people. We''re the traitors. It''s our fault things have never worked out. It''s all hidden in the books." "They are as bad as we are. They will turn on you as fast as we would," Shreya said. "And logic? What logic is there in betrayal?" "Humans are too pure and kind-hearted to do a thing like that," he replied. Loupe shook his head dismissively. She went back to speaking her mother tongue, tired of the Common language''s ugly sounds. "You''re wrong. They''ll do whatever they need to do to put themselves ahead. If they see something to gain, then they''ll do it." What did Ellie have to gain in shooting her? Killing Shreya wouldn''t accomplish anything. She was just another wolf in the community. She had no reason for it. "That goes against human nature!" "I have to go," Shreya said, getting up. She couldn''t take another minute with Loupe. "I''m expected at the cr¨¨che. Take care." "Goodbye." Talking to him had done nothing to answer any of the questions that had been haunting her since the last time she saw Ellie. Loupe insisted humans were built out of some combination of high intelligence and kindness, that there was a logical goodness to them. Where had that been when Ellie shot her? Right before Ellie did that, she''d looked like she''d seen her worst nightmare. She''d gone from all smiles and jokes and casual conversations, to a look of all-out fear. Shreya had seen looks like that before, in those starving days when her family had used her as a pawn...but this time, the fearful girl could fight back. The fearful girl could kill. What changed overnight? --------------------- A/N: Next post on RRL will be Chapter 19.2. A new chapter on the main site (Chapter 31) came out the other day. Voting for Chapter 31 will end on Saturday night. Visit the main site to read it (and to finish Chapter 19) today. Chapter 19.2: Heart It was on the third day after the shooting that her resistance crumbled. She went to the woods, to the place where she''d first met Ellie. What had once been a seperation point meant so much more now. This was their meeting place. Not now, she thought to herself. Shreya pulled her hat down, making sure it was snug to her head. Now this is a memory. In time, she''d forget all about Ellie, and move on. She had too much going on back at home to keep coming back here. Shreya needed to stop pretending she was something more than another wolf. Thoughts like those would lead her down the path of destruction, to a fate like Loupe''s. She needed to act more like her mother''s daughter: a dogmatic, hateful wolf. That was what the exile was supposed to teach her, wasn''t it? There was no turning back from her people. She was ready to toss off her hat and leave it behind as a final farewell when she spotted a book. It laid against a brick pile, its cover written in silver swirly letters. Cavalier. Shreya picked it up. Noticing a piece of paper sticking out of it, she opened it and started to read... Dear S, This is difficult for me to write. I''ve tried so many times. Nothing sounds right. It''s as if this paper and all of these letters are conspiring against me. But I digress! "Sorry" isn''t a strong enough word for what I did. You deserve more than a "sorry." I never intended to hurt you. I was scared of what may have happened if you met the woman I was with. I acted on impulse, and for that, I genuinely apologize. Forgive me for the assumption, but I feel that you would''ve done the same to keep me from meeting your sister. The woman I was with is similarly dangerous. Regardless, that doesn''t excuse what I did. I wasn''t thinking clearly in that moment. I feared for your life, and it was that fearful feeling that overwhelmed me. The shot was to keep you away. I was trying to protect you, but I went the wrong way about it. I''m paying the price for that now. I understand if you think of me as strange for writing this letter. Why try at all? Why not walk away from this blunder? I suppose this is my stubborn way of trying to hold on to you. I''ve failed to do that in the past with someone important to me, and I refuse to let history repeat itself here. I don''t want to have to miss you too, or imagine what could have been. I''m fighting hard for this. I''m doing everything I can, short of finding you myself. I''m not letting you go so easily. I plan on coming to the wall every day for a week. If you don''t want to see me, we can communicate through paper. There''s room on the back of this for you to write. If you don''t want to see me or write to me, then... Just know that I''m sorry, and that, should we meet, I swear I will never hurt you again. I hate myself for hurting you. Isn''t it terrible how we tend to harm the very people we''re trying to protect from harm? Life is cruel in that respect. I''d say more but I''m running out of space. Please know that the brief time we have shared has meant a lot to me. I''d like to continue that. Please give me a chance to make this all up to you. If the week ends without any contact then I''ll stay out of your life. I hope you find it in your heart to forgive me. Very respectfully, E ~ * ~ * ~ It took the sixth day for her to catch her alone. On the fourth and fifth days, she''d been with her Zinnia friend and her Sunflower dog. Shreya''d watched them from on high, up in a tree. Fortunately for her, they''d never thought to look up. In her watching, she figured out their pattern. They showed up at the same time every morning, looking all glum and disappointed. Ellie''d check the book, thumbing rapidly through all the pages. Zinnia''d give her some words of encouragement. The dog would stand there, barely able to comprehend what was happening. Then, they''d all leave. They broke that pattern the third time she saw Ellie. She came alone. No dog. No friend to talk to. Ellie leafed through Cavalier, reread her message, and started to walk away, shoulders humbled. Shreya shimmied down the tree she was hiding in, making sure to keep quiet. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Ellie kept walking, oblivious to the girl stalking behind her. Shreya unhooked her knife from her belt. Ellie stopped. Shreya stopped, too. Ellie looked in every direction except behind her. Seemingly safe, she decided to continue going forward. Shreya timed her steps with hers, taking full advantage of the clumsy, clunky way the human girl walked. She closed the distance on her. Shreya reached out, one arm snaking around her waist and the other around her shoulder to smother the scream that threatened to spill from her mouth. Ellie bent forward, trying to throw her off of her until she felt the knife against her stomach. "Tell me why you''re not dead," Shreya said. She pulled Ellie back up straight, the tension in the other girl''s body loosening. Ellie spoke against Shreya''s hand, her words muffled into gibberish. Shreya removed it. "Because you won''t hurt me. Because that knife''s still in its holster," Ellie said. Shreya felt her take a deep breath. "A-and because we''re friends." Shreya released her. She shoved her, hard enough to make her stumble. Ellie turned to face her, her face reddened. "So why did you hurt me?! "I should hurt you for what you did to me! You think I have not thought about it?" Shreya gripped the knife, her hand tightening around the leather sheath. "You are intelligent. You are logical. You are pure-hearted." She echoed all of Loupe''s words. "Are you not all of those things? You should be afraid of me, but here you are, all alone like you want me to kill you. What are you doing?" "I saw you the other day," Ellie said. Her voice was the weakest Shreya had ever heard it. "I guessed you wouldn''t come down from that tree unless I was alone, so I took a risk. What was I supposed to do?" "Didn''t we talk about you never coming here alone?" "I''m not alone. You''re here." She tried to smile, as if desperately grasping for something to appease her with. "I shouldn''t be," Shreya said. Why was she here in the first place? "A letter and a book...they are not good enough. They need to be better. You need more." "Why did you show up, then? If you weren''t going to accept my apology, then why did you get my hopes up?" Ellie took in another deep, shuddering breath. "What the hell? What the hell?" She looked down. "You don''t do that to people." Shreya gripped the scabbard harder, to remind herself not to break. She had to remain the strongest one in this. She wasn''t going to let Ellie''s imminent crying get to her. Following Ellie''s lead, she also looked down and away from her. It made talking easier. "You''re making a mistake. Walking away from this...it''s a mistake," Ellie said, her words partially seethed. "You...jerked me around, made me think you wanted to make up and now you''re just...doing this to me. O-okay..." Shreya struggled to understand her. She charged on ahead, anyway, not wanting to lose her momentum. "I am not saying this is the end. I am saying you will earn my apology. Work for it." "Of course! Of course, I''ll do that. I''ll do anything. I meant every word in my letter." From the sound of her voice, she''d stepped closer. Shreya kept her gaze on her shoes, not daring to look at her. "I swear I''ll never hurt you again. I screwed up so, so bad, Shreya. I''ll never forgive myself," Ellie said. "...Please look at me. Please?" "Sorry, I can not," Shreya said. "You are ready to cry. If I see you cry, I will cry." "I''m trying not to," she laughed breathily. "It''s just hard to come so close to winning and then lose. I know this is forward of me, and I know it''s weird to miss someone you barely know, but I missed you. I don''t know. Is that weird? You can tell me if it''s weird." "Missed? Is that thinking of me? The word is close." "Yeah." "It was the same with me. I thought a lot. I thought of everything to say to you but now that you are here, it is like my words have flown away," Shreya said. Her anger. Her frustration. It was like all of her resolve melted away. "We should talk at our house. I brought food," Ellie said. She stepped away. "If you don''t mind, that is. If you''d rather go home, that''s okay. I understand." "No, you are right. Let''s go." Shreya was glad that when she finally looked back up, Ellie was already walking ahead. ------------------------------------------------- A/N: Next update will be Chapter 20.1. Voting is still happening on the main site for Chapter 31 until Saturday, the 10th at 11:59 PM EST. Chapter 20: Flower "Have you ever heard of it? It''s a flower that can bring people back to life." She slid the book over to her. "Isn''t it pretty?" Ellie traced the lines of its petals, its dark and light colors intertwining. If she hadn''t been touching the illustration, she would''ve confused it for reality. Both of them thirteen years old, she and Freesia sat together on a walking bridge crested above Kadlec Road, overlooking the commercial district. Carts wobbled across the cobblestones below, dragged along by sunhat-wearing merchants. Buyers raced after them. The best goods went to those who showed up first. Or maybe they just went to the people who shouted the loudest. The level of passion some people showed during chicken auctions astounded her. "We should go and find it!" Freesia called her attention back over to her. "Things like that aren''t real, silly," Ellie said. Freesia put her hand on the book to keep her from shutting it. "You have to see through the folklore aspect of it. That''s their way of saying it can heal people." "Whoever came up with that crap should stick to drawing." "Don''t you think it''d be fun, though? The two of us going off on an adventure to find it?" Freesia leaned her head against Ellie''s shoulder. "Adventures are where real magic happens." "Oh, really? Because I think real magic is happening here." She put her arm around her, her internal Ellie punching her fists in the air for having pulled off a line that smooth. Finally being in a relationship didn''t make saying things like that any easier. Freesia giggled, squeezing in a little closer. "Nice one." Ellie''s eyes flickered down to the ribbon tied around her wrist. "Is that for Marietta?" "Yeah, you know she can''t get enough of them," Freesia said. "I think the polkadots are gonna look nice on her." Ellie nodded, keeping quiet about the issue. Fraternizing with animals as much as Freesia did wasn''t normal, but it was a quirk of hers she was learning to accept...with some apprehension. She looked up to watch a small group of people pass them by, baskets of produce in their hands. "Have a nice day!" She greeted them, remembering how important simple things like that were. According to her mother, it all stacked up. Every smile. Every hello. Every correct memory about a townsperson''s life. Doing things like that would set her up for a better future as Stockbrunn''s next Chieftess. Freesia didn''t slack, either. "Good luck in the market today!" All of this would be hers too, some day. ~ * ~ * ~ "You''ve never had one before?" Ellie mused. She''d pegged Shreya an expert on all things woodsy, but apparently, there were things even she didn''t know. The other girl stared upwards at the trees'' hanging leaves. They were peppered with black, triangular-shaped fruit. "These are farlila berries. They''re not poisonous or anything." She jumped up, caught a cluster of leaves, and brought the branch down to eye-level. With her free hand, she picked off a berry for Shreya to try. "Here," Ellie said. "They''re sweet, kind of like candy." Before Ellie could warn her, Shreya rolled the berry around in her palm. It left a purple stain on her hand. "I broke it?" "They''re delicate." Ellie grinned. Farlila berries were sometimes used as an ink ingredient. "Quick, eat it. I''ll get you more." She watched her face intently, pleased to see the corner of her mouth lift in appreciation. Ellie handed her more of them, Shreya''s smile growing with every berry she had. By the time she''d given her all the berries within her reach, she realized two things. One, she hadn''t thought to feed herself, and two, she''d dyed her bandages. Oh, and one more thing. "You''ve got purple on you." Ellie scratched her cheek where the smear on Shreya''s face was. It got worse when Shreya wiped at it. It looked like she''d ran a paintbrush down the side of her face, like she was one of those weird bodypainters who sometimes walked the streets begging for money. Ellie didn''t know what was funnier: picturing Shreya like that, or the deep frown she was currently sporting. She clutched her stomach, laughing so hard her face turned red. "No, I think it is you who has purple on her face," Shreya said. "Nuh uh." Ellie knew enough to keep her hands away from her face. This wasn''t her first dance with those darling farlila berries. "You''re the¡ª" Shreya cupped her cheek in her hand. Whatever Ellie was saying left her in a pitiful squeak. The dark haired girl smirked, leaning in. "Guess what?" "W-what?" Ellie asked her, all too aware of how close they were. "Now you do." Shreya let go, her smirk becoming a full grin. She gave her a gentle push on the shoulder, snapping her out of the daze she''d inadvertently put her in. "Purple is a nice color on you." Ellie fanned her face. Where had all the air in the forest gone all of a sudden? "Okay, whew. Yeah, purple. You''re so right, Shreya! That''s me. So, so purple," she said. Ellie clapped her hands together. "Cool, okay, let''s get moving, huh? Can''t let the food get cold, nope!" She ran off before she could make a fool of herself. ~ * ~ * ~ It happened to her later, the whole making-a-fool-of-herself thing. Everything had gone well at first. She unlocked the door, pulled out a chair for Shreya (which she had to explain to her, but that''s a minor detail), set out the oatmeal jars, and laid out the spoons on the table. Food. Girl. Chance to take the next step in fixing everything she messed up. Suave line she''d been rehearsing for days ready to be put to use. Ellie had it all lined up. And then she had to go and sit down without making sure she had a chair behind her. That suave line disappeared along with her pride in that moment. Once she finally got herself situated, Ellie received another blow to her pride, courtesy of the girl she sat across from. "Do you know how to make other things?" Shreya asked her. She popped the lid off the jar. "Why, you don''t appreciate my cooking?" "It is good." Shreya dipped her spoon into it. "I ask because I want to know more about your town''s cuisines. We have a limited diet." "Oh, of course I can make way more things than this," Ellie said. "Oatmeal travels the best, that''s all. You should see what I can do with a pheasant." Hopefully, Shreya never would. Her forays into the world of cooking had never turned out well. "Too bad that stove over there is broken, because I''d totally show you my skills. You wouldn''t be able to eat anything other than my cooking." "We could cook together over a fire," Shreya said. "It has been some time since I helped the community firepit. It would be fun to do that with you...like our own community." The last part of Shreya''s sentence took Ellie back for a moment, to a time when Freesia had called Stockbrunn that¡ªour own community. A town they could craft into a new direction. They were going to work together to make Stockbrunn better than it had ever been. Back then, Ellie had believed Freesia''s ideas to be possible. But now, after being left behind by her... "Did you write this letter without help?" Shreya freed it from Cavalier''s pages. Ellie wasn''t sure when Shreya had brought the book out. She''d been too lost in her thoughts. "Yes, I wrote everything myself. I used to be tutored in penmanship. I admit that my hand''s shakier than it used to be, and that I messed up on some of the formalities, but it was all me." "We should write together," she replied. "I thought about writing a response." "But hanging out in a tree was more fun?" "I was angry. Sorry. You confused me." Shreya sighed. "Thank you for the letter. It took me from...what is the word? The words escape me, but I went from ''high anger'' to ''low anger.''" Ellie opened her jar. She brought it to her nose, taking in its cinnamon scent. "Glad I could do that." Shreya pushed the letter closer to her, and pointed at a line. "What is the meaning behind this line? I''ve failed to do that in the past with someone important to me, and I refuse to let history repeat itself here." The heiress set her untouched food aside. "Are you asking for a translation, or...?" "Not a translation. An explanation. Did you lose someone?" "Yes," Ellie said, finding it easier to admit than she''d expected. She didn''t particularly have a reason to hide this part of her past from Shreya, other than her own discomfort at picking at this old wound. "Her name is Freesia. She''s been gone for, ah...two years now, I think." She didn''t think. She knew. The day of Freesia''s imprisonment hadn''t left her. Ellie''d been reliving it all this time. No one had given Freesia the benefit of the doubt. They didn''t care about her side of the story, or why she''d done what she''d done. These were the same people who scrutinized Ellie and Freesia''s relationship from the get-go, so of course they wouldn''t listen. On the Chieftess'' executive orders, they shoved Freesia inside of a cage and locked the key. They were deliberating about what to do with her when she disappeared. "Freesia''s Zinnia''s sister," Ellie explained, "and she''s someone very special to me. She caused something terrible...and my mother had her locked up for it. I tried to get her out, but I couldn''t. And when I came back later, she was gone. She escaped somehow. They blamed me for it at first, until I explained to them that if I''d done it, I would''ve gone with her. "You know what the worst part is? Everyone in Stockbrunn acts like I''m in the wrong, like me acting the way I do is the wrong way to go about things but...they don''t know what it''s like to lose someone like that, to be left behind like that. It hurts." You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. "Do you feel like she is alive?" Shreya asked, her tone soft. "If anyone could be, it''d be her. Freesia was everything. You called me pure-hearted, but I''m not. She is. She''s so loving of everyone and everything," Ellie said. She took great lengths not to give in to the way her voice was breaking. "I think she ran off without me because she was trying to protect me. I wouldn''t have been able to survive these woods back then. Hell, I can barely survive these days. You moved like a shadow and had a knife to my stomach that easily. Anyone could''ve killed me." "We can work on that in our training. I will teach you to be more aware." "Thank you. I need to be. I have to find her. Zinnia won''t help me." Zinnia had written her sister off a long time ago. "I can only travel so far with Sunflower before she gets too nervous. And Marietta? Heh, there''s no way she''ll ever set a foot in here again. No one else in town wants to hear Freesia''s name. It''s like they passed a law about it when I wasn''t looking." Shreya reached across the table for her hand. "If you think she is out there, I will help you." Had it not been for the purple streak across Shreya''s face, Ellie may have cried. Good people come into your life for a reason, don''t they? Ellie asked, "have you ever seen a girl who looks like Zinnia wandering in the woods before? At any point?" She shook her head. "No, not that I can remember." "Thank you, anyway, for wanting to help. No one else believes me. Everyone expects me to have moved on by now, but I can''t. If it was the other way around, I know Freesia would be out there every day looking for me." "Would she not have been afraid of people like me?" Shreya smoothed her thumb over Ellie''s knuckles, soothing away any tears that threatened to surface. "Freesia was everyone''s friend. Not everyone returned those feelings, but she was trusting of everyone," Ellie said. "I''ve always thought she''d be out there looking for a certain flower... It''s the only clue I have about where she might be hiding. If anyone else from Stockbrunn finds her, I know they''ll kill her." She winced. "My aunt, for instance, she isn''t one to be messed with, and she sets the tone for our legal system. Had she known about you and me, you may have been tortured for information. Something worse than the bolt would''ve happened. Are you okay, by the way?" Ellie moved her hand away from Shreya''s. "It was the confusion that hurt the most. I thought you wanted to kill me." "Never," she said. "I''ll never hurt you again. The worst I''ll ever come to hurting you is if we''re sparring or playing Slaps or something." "What''s that? What''s Slaps?" "You''ve never heard of Slaps?!" Ellie leapt up from her seat. "Everyone''s played it! It''s where you hold out your hands over someone else''s. Your palms are down and theirs are up. The person whose hands are on bottom tries to slap yours. They come up real quick, like this motion." She made the motion. "You lose if you get hit. They lose if they don''t hit you. Have you really never heard of Slaps?" Shreya toyed with one of the strings hanging off of her hat. "No...I have not. Is it fun?" "Yes! Come over here. Put your hands over mine," Ellie instructed. Shreya went over to her, following the order. "Your job is to try not to get hit. I''m going to come up from the bottom and hit the top of your hand, okay?" "I do not see how this is fun." "The winner gets to ask the other person a question. I''ll count off. Three, two, one..." Ellie slapped her hands. It was an easy feat, since Shreya hadn''t moved at all. "You were supposed to try to get out of the way." "Oh..." "We''ll pretend that was a practice round." Ellie rolled her eyes. "I''ll be fair and let you ask me a question. Anything you want to know." "Can you tell me more about your family?" "I''ve got uncles, aunts, cousins. Some of them are farmers, some of them are hunters, and a couple of them are, like, high-ranking officials in the town. My mother and father are the big shots. Chief and Chieftess," Ellie answered, sparing her most of the details. "I already told you I''m an only child, right? It''s not like they wanted it that way. My mom tried to have three before me but they didn''t make it. I''m her miracle baby, and the heiress-by-default. I''m expected to rule Stockbrunn alongside my own Chieftess, and then we''ll have heirs, and this whole stupid cycle will continue." "How do you have heirs if there are two Chieftesses?" Ellie, understandably, had been thinking about that question for a long time. "It''s happened before. There''s been two Chiefs together, too. You have to select a third party to be your, um, helper, and then that it''s it. The third party doesn''t get any claim to the royal line whatsoever, and the heir doesn''t belong to them in any way, but they''re basically treated like family. It''s a huge honor." Realizing she may have been blabbing on for too long, she asked, "what''s it like in your community again, with authority and stuff?" "It might not be the same for all communities, but authority in our tribe is determined by age," Shreya said. "They''re the ones with decision-making power. We can make suggestions to them and let them know what''s going on but they''re the ones who decide." "What about your family? Is there anyone else beside your sister I should run the other way if I ever see, like an aunt I don''t know about?" "You have to win the game to get that answer," she said, dodging the question. Ellie wasn''t going to let her get away with that. "I gave you two free questions. It''s only fair I get some free ones, too." "Fine..." Shreya looked at the ceiling, gathered her thoughts, and then resumed eye contact with Ellie. "Only my Mama and sister are alive. Papa was killed." "I''m sorry." Ellie''s eyes widened. "We don''t have to talk about this." "He deserved it," Shreya continued. "I had a brother and two sisters who died, too. They became sick or their bodies gave up. One of those two." "Really, we don''t have to talk about this anymore if it''s a bad subject for you." "Death is something that we are used to in my culture. Many die young," she said. "Many births do not thrive. Seeing pillars of mourning smoke is a sadly common sight. We just all do the best that we can with the little resources we have." "We should try working something out! Your community and Stockbrunn, I mean. We can set up a trading route." "The Elders want us to be content with how everything is at the moment. We cannot sacrifice our pride to get more than what we have now." "What about better tools? We could teach you better ways of hunting and things like that," Ellie tried. "You do not have the authority to make agreements like that. Neither of us do. My community is not one that wants to talk to yours. We have to stay separate," Shreya explained. "I remind you that they exiled me for a day after I brought them that bear. They have worse punishments than that. And how about you? Your Mama and your aunt? No one would be okay with either of us proposing a trade route idea." If either of them did, they''d want to pry into the motivation behind such an idea. It''s not something anyone would come up with out-of-the-blue, especially since Shreya''s people were so hidden-in-the-woods mysterious. "I guess you''re right..." "Do not worry about me or my community so much. We know how to live. We have been living this way for a long time. My siblings...I still mourn and miss them sometimes, yes," Shreya said. "Their deaths, and all the others'' deaths, too, have taught me to hold onto people while you still have them. It''s why our community is the way it is with taking care of one another. And that''s why I didn''t hesitate to assist you in finding your friend. If she''s out there, I would like to help you." "Wow...I had no idea. Thank you for sharing that with me," Ellie said. "And thank you again for being so willing to help me. It means a lot to me." "Is there anything else you want to know? You have one more question." Shreya smiled to lift the mood. "What''s your type? Um...like what kind of person are you interested in?" Shreya tilted her head in thought. "Humble. Talented. Passionate. Determined. Fun. Unique." "How about girls who may or may not be some of those things?" "You are out of questions. You have to win Slaps to find out." Ellie growled. "Alright! Best two out of three, then. What do you want if you win?" She gave the question as much consideration as she did her type. "A history book." "That''s it? That''s so easy! What else?" Shreya looked away. "What is your type?" Ellie looked off towards where she was looking. A wall. Easy place to hide embarassment. "Well! Since you get two questions, I should, too. If I win, you have to tell me what you think of me so far, like, the whole honest truth of what you think of me. Heh...and if you win, you get to hear what my type is and I''ll bring you a history book later. Deal? Do you agree?" "Yes, I agree." Shreya put her hands out. --------------------------------------------------------------- A/N: Voting is happening for Chapter 32 until September 30th, 2016 at 11:59 PM EST on the main site. Next update will be Chapter 21. Chapter 21: VWS The first round went to Ellie. It was a calculated move on Shreya¡¯s part. By letting her win, she figured out how strong her flinch reaction was, and how fast she was when she tried. And Ellie really did try, her eyes burning with determination. Shreya wasn¡¯t sure if it was part of the game or an accident, but she was sure she felt Ellie¡¯s hands brush over hers when they switched positions. That sly accident-or-not-accident wasn¡¯t enough to deter Shreya from taking the point in round 2. ¡°We¡¯re tied, 1 to 1,¡± Ellie announced. ¡°I¡¯d hate to make you lose that smile of yours, but I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ve got to do it. You¡¯re going to lose.¡± ¡°What makes you so certain?¡± Shreya asked. Ellie¡¯s unwavering confidence was something to envy. ¡°I¡¯m the Slaps champion of my neighborhood. I¡¯m going to beat you so bad you¡¯re going to regret ever challenging me.¡± ¡°You are the one who challenged me,¡± Shreya reminded her, ¡°and you are the one who will lose.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see about that. You¡¯d better prepare some good answers, because I¡¯m not accepting anything short.¡± They readied their hands. ¡°Three, two, one¡ª¡± Smack! Ellie yelped from the hit, drawing her body back. Shreya stood, her mind in a tug-of-war between reaching out to her and leaving her alone. She didn¡¯t mean to hit her that hard. Before Shreya could apologize, though, Ellie groaned in frustration, revealing the yelp to be nothing more than a loser¡¯s cry. ¡°I told you I would win,¡± Shreya said. She deliberately picked at Ellie¡¯s fresh wound. ¡°How does it feel?¡± ¡°If I answer that, then you¡¯re going to owe me another free question,¡± Ellie said, refusing to be frazzled. ¡°And you can count on me making it a good one.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± No extraneous questions. Shreya could deal with that. She sat back down at the table, Ellie following her lead and sitting across from her. ¡°Guess this means I¡¯m getting you a history book. I¡¯ll try to find you one that isn¡¯t too dry,¡± Ellie replied. Catching the confusion on Shreya¡¯s face, she added, ¡°dry as in boring. I¡¯ll find an exciting one. Small disclaimer: I can¡¯t answer for anything weird my ancestors did in the past. Morals change with the times, okay?¡± Her bloodline wasn¡¯t what she was most interested in reading about, but then again, their decisions would¡¯ve been the ones affecting her people. Knowing why they chose to do what they did would be illuminating in its own right. What weighed more heavily: internal or external factors? Who were the ones in the wrong? ¡°I assume your historical texts are mostly celebratory,¡± Shreya said, trying her best to ask her question without it being a question. ¡°I don¡¯t know. They might be. I¡¯ve never had much interest in this stuff. It¡¯s boring.¡± ¡°But these history books are about your people.¡± More specifically, the people responsible for Ellie being alive today. Their written records deserved more respect. Ellie shrugged. ¡°I just don¡¯t feel much of a connection to them. I¡¯m the odd one out. I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll find a single person like me in there.¡± ¡°I would not guess that I would. You¡¯re you. You¡¯re very Ellie, and that is okay.¡± ¡°It¡¯s more than okay.¡± She pushed her chair back to give herself more room to stretch out her legs. ¡°I wonder how low the sun is hanging at this moment. It could be time for me to go soon. Getting sleepy.¡± Ellie yawned, her overacting obvious from the way she said yaaaaawn instead of actually yawning. ¡°There are beds upstairs.¡± ¡°Thanks for reminding me! Maybe I¡¯ll just take a nap.¡± It took Shreya a moment to catch on to what Ellie was doing. ¡°Do not avoid my question. Answer it.¡± Ellie perked up. ¡°Oh, yeah, that. My type. Let¡¯s see¡­ Well, for starters, I¡¯m a card-carrying member of the VWS. You should know what the VWS is.¡± Shreya hoped she¡¯d pull the card out of her bag. When she didn¡¯t, she was forced to take a wild guess. ¡°VWS is the Very Wholesome Supply.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not.¡± Ellie grinned. ¡°It¡¯s the Violet Women Society. We meet once a week for brandy and pie. Last week, Frances brought one of those plum shortcrust flat pies to the meeting. So sweet and delicious. It was to die for.¡± She put her finger to her lips. ¡°Shhhh, we¡¯re a secret society. You have to know someone to get in. I can only vouch for you if you¡¯re a lady loving lady, too.¡±This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Show me the VWS card,¡± Shreya said. She held out her hand. ¡°And bring me back something sweet and delicious the next time you go.¡± ¡°I would if it was real. There¡¯s no Frances and no actual VWS group. It¡¯s a joke thing,¡± Ellie explained. ¡°It¡¯s my way of segueing into your question. To begin with, my type¡¯s girls, or people with a distinctly feminine vibe.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Not being able to ask any questions made it difficult for Shreya to navigate the conversation. She just had to accept what Ellie said, and wait for her to hopefully expand on that statement. Shreya was more used to the back and forth of questions and answers. Being the one asking questions relieved her of an immense amount of pressure. ¡°When I was little, I wanted so badly to be a dressmaker. That¡¯s where it all started for me,¡± Ellie said. She took the conversation in a direction Shreya hadn¡¯t expected. She had started out in one tree and somehow ended up in another. The VWS. Pie. Dresses. Where was she going with this? Shreya had done her fair share of sewing and clothes weaving. Wanting to be a helpful community member, she¡¯d assisted with most of the available tasks at home. She¡¯d sampled a little bit of everything. There hadn¡¯t been anything particularly enthralling about making clothes. It was especially not something worth Ellie getting out of her chair and spinning (dancing?) around the room for. Was this Ellie¡¯s way of saying that her type has impeccable clothing? Or were they all women who wore fancy dresses? Marjani people weren¡¯t fancy. They dressed for utility and comfort, as recommended by the Elders. The Elders were the tastemakers, influential enough that when they suggested everyone get a cape, everyone tried their damnedest to get one. Speaking of capes, that bolt incident had ruined the look of hers. Shreya had patched it with another feral animal¡¯s fur. She couldn¡¯t be choosy, so the fur was patterned differently from the rest of the hide cape she wore. Were the tastemakers in Stockbrunn Ellie¡¯s family? Had she secretly been judging her about her mismatched cape this whole time? That wasn¡¯t fair. It wouldn¡¯t have happened if it weren¡¯t for Ellie in the first place. ¡°When I was nine or ten, my mom took me to a dressmaker¡¯s boutique. There was a gorgeous woman there. I¡¯ll never forget her,¡± Ellie continued. ¡°She was like, so perfect. I couldn¡¯t take my eyes off of her! The way she worked that dress¡­¡± She got lost in her imagination as she talked. ¡°It was exquisite.¡± ¡°I can work on dresses. I know how to do that.¡± Shreya could be exquisite, too. If dressmaking was all it took to be called that, then Shreya would bring a backstrap loom and make her one. ¡°I can show you how.¡± ¡°Thanks, but I don¡¯t want to be a dressmaker. I don¡¯t think I ever really did. I was just jealous of what she got to do. All the fittings, sizing, and all of that close contact stuff. The pretty clientele. It was too much for my young, violet-colored heart,¡± Ellie said. ¡°I played dressmaker with my friends after that. Those were funny times.¡± ¡°This still does not answer my question.¡± And what was with the obsession with the color violet? ¡°I¡¯m building up to it! It¡¯d be boring if I answered it all plainly. This way, I have you at the edge of your seat. And there¡¯s the added bonus of you getting to learn even more about me.¡± ¡°The only thing I learned so far is that you like dresses.¡± Ellie sighed. ¡°That can¡¯t be the most important thing you learned. They¡¯re clothes. I don¡¯t care about them that much.¡± ¡°You keep talking about dressmaking,¡± Shreya replied. ¡°It seems important.¡± ¡°It is important, kind of. It¡¯s my realization moment. It¡¯s how I realized I was part of the VWS.¡± Ellie fake-coughed into her palm. ¡°I was hoping you¡¯d take the bait and share your story, too, but that¡¯s okay. We can work up to that.¡± ¡°You lost the game. I am not going to let you trick me into giving you the answers you want.¡± ¡°Yeah, okay, fine.¡± She sat back down in her seat. ¡°My type is¡­unique. I like people who aren¡¯t afraid to take a stand. When everyone else goes left, they aren¡¯t afraid to go right. They¡¯re strong enough to be able to take care of themselves, to stand on their own if they have to,¡± Ellie said. ¡°That¡¯s the kind of ¡®energy¡¯ I¡¯m interested in, but if you want to hear if I¡¯ve got a certain type of look I¡¯m into, that¡¯s going to cost you more.¡± ¡°I can beat you at Slaps for the answer.¡± Ellie smiled and shook her head. ¡°No way. I¡¯m going to let you figure it out on your own. But yeah, basically, that¡¯s the kind of person I¡¯m into, as well as the kind of person I¡¯m trying to be more like.¡± She gathered their food jars, and placed them carefully into her bag. ¡°We should start training the next time we meet. And maybe do a little searching, if you¡¯re okay with that. Tomorrow, maybe?¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay. Yes.¡± Shreya reviewed what Ellie said, trying to see where she fit into any of her words. Strong? Not exactly. She came from a culture of other-reliance. As different as she felt from them, she couldn¡¯t deny that she needed them. Standing on her own wasn¡¯t something that could happen any time soon, if ever. Not that it mattered. She didn¡¯t have to be Ellie¡¯s type. It was perfectly fine if she wasn¡¯t. Ellie certainly didn¡¯t match the type of person she was normally interested in, and that was ignoring the fact she was from Stockbrunn. That was the biggest X of all, but again, it wasn¡¯t like that mattered, either. It¡¯s not like it would be possible for whatever-this-was to go much further than where it currently stood. So, she¡¯d open up her heart to whatever friendship may come from them seeing each other regularly. Friendship and information, that is. The information part was important, too. ¡°I should get going while there¡¯s plenty of daylight. I don¡¯t want to worry Zinnia,¡± Ellie said, standing up. ¡°I had to pull off a kind of sneaky trick to be able to go here without her.¡± ¡°Sneaky trick?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a long story¡­ It involves Marietta.I¡¯ll tell you the next time I see you.¡± ¡°I can walk you some of the way back, as a thank you for the book¡­or, books.¡± Shreya got up and headed for the door. ¡°I¡¯ll be alright,¡± Ellie said with a smile. ¡°Thank you for spending time with me today, and for accepting my apology.¡± Her smile dropped, her gaze wandering over to Shreya¡¯s bandaged arm. ¡°I¡¯m really going to work hard to make up for everything that happened. I really, really am.¡± ¡°I know you will.¡± Chapter 22: Official There was no escaping her forefathers¡¯ eyes. No matter how far she walked down the hall, they continued to follow. Baron Eichel¡¯s face was the worst of them. Not because he looked particularly stern and angry (as was customary in portrait art, for whatever reason), but because he wore the expression of a man who¡¯d just had a fish put in his shirt. His popped-out eyes did the best job of tracking her movements. Ellie Navarrete ducked away from his gaze, heading towards the Archives. She decided that if Shreya was going to have a Stockbrunnian history book, she¡¯d have one of the best ones possible: something special and official. She remembered playing in the Archives when she was little, maybe when she was five. Her parents would go to one of their council meetings, and she¡¯d get to play among the books. The archivists would have to double as babysitters on those days, a task made more palatable by them being paid handsomely for it. Then, when they¡¯d finish with their meeting, her parents would take her to the local bakery, where they¡¯d all share cornet cakes and other treats. Things changed only a year after that. ¡°Heiress Navarrete, are you here to attend today¡¯s meeting?¡± Didier Rasulov, the Scrivener, pulled her out of her thoughts. She¡¯d been so lost in her memories that she hadn¡¯t noticed him coming up behind her. A stout man, he had a full moustache as white as his cropped hair. Didier had served on her grandparents council, doing the same job for them as he did for her parents. He was one of the few council members they¡¯d retained from the last Chiefs¡¯ Council, partly due to his unparalleled quill speed. ¡°Oh, no. I¡¯m on my way to the Archives, actually,¡± Ellie said, flashing him a smile. ¡°I wanna do some reading. Gotta peruse some texts, y¡¯know.¡± ¡°I wish you the best in finding reading material that¡¯s suitable, Heiress Navarrete.¡± Remembering that he was her subordinate, Ellie stood a little straighter and cleaned up the way she was talking. ¡°Thank you, Scrivener Didier, I mean, Scrivener Rasulov.¡± Formalities. ¡°Thanks to your wish, I¡¯m sure I will.¡± ¡°Elspeth¡¯s here for the meeting?¡± Ellie turned to see her aunt Catalina Navarrete approaching them. She was all buttoned up in her royal court dress, the outfit she¡¯d wear when administering her legal duties. ¡°Please tell me I¡¯m not dreaming.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t planning on it,¡± she replied. ¡°I¡¯m just paying a visit to the Archives.¡± ¡°That¡¯s disappointing,¡± Catalina said. ¡°What has you so interested in the Archives all of a sudden?¡± ¡°I wanted to double-check something.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± Ellie rifled through some possible answers in her mind before settling on one. ¡°Chief Baron Eichel¡¯s reign. What did he do?¡± ¡°He was a valiant man known for being instrumental in goatherding efforts,¡± Scrivener Rasulov explained. ¡°We have his autobiography, and the biography he wrote on Chieftess Irenka Eichel. He embellished quite a bit, but he had a way with words.¡± ¡°Your side of the family never ceases to amaze me,¡± Catalina said. She grinned. ¡°Valiant goat herding.¡± ¡°What¡¯s so funny about that?¡± Ellie asked. ¡°I wonder if that¡¯s your true calling. You may do better at that than certain other things.¡± Had Scrivener Rasulov not been there, Catalina may have been more specific with her sentence. ¡°I¡¯d like to see you trying to wrangle a goat.¡± ¡°How about no?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t knock it until you¡¯ve tried it. I can have you stay with one of the goatherd families for a month. Better yet, why don¡¯t you live with the goats themselves?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to pass.¡± Heels clicking towards them indicated another person coming their way. The Intendant of External Affairs, Aika Fonseca, never failed to dress her best. She wore an elegant dress (no doubt an import from a northern city) finished with a layered skirt. Seeing Ellie made her speed up her walk to join the small group. ¡°Hi Aika,¡± Ellie greeted. Catalina cleared her throat. ¡°Intendant Fonseca, rather. Good morning.¡± ¡°Good morning to you, too. I must say that it¡¯s nice to see you growing up so well, Heiress Navarrete,¡± Intendant Fonseca said. ¡°I¡¯d love to stay and chat some more, but I don¡¯t want to be late.¡± ¡°Ten minutes early is late to her,¡± Catalina whispered to Ellie. ¡°I heard that,¡± the other woman said. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with being early.¡± ¡°No harm, no foul,¡± the Intendant of Internal Affairs replied. ¡°I¡¯ll see you at the meeting.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll see you and Scrivener Rasulov there.¡± Intendant Fonseca waved, then took her leave. Renata Pascual and Ivon Kabede walked past them next. They looked as serious as their respective roles of Intendant of the Treasury and Intendant of the Economy and Public Finances were. Prim, proper, high collars, and similar pairs of glasses on their face earned from years of examining financial documents. They were in the midst of talking over a shared book when they came near. At first, Ellie assumed it to be money-related, but when they got closer, she realized it was a sketch of a farm house. She hadn¡¯t taken either of them to be artists. The trio exchanged greetings with the pair, and the two continued on their way. ¡°Aren¡¯t you gonna go, too?¡± Ellie asked her aunt. ¡°In a rush to read your goatherding book?¡± Catalina teased her. ¡°No, I¡¯m waiting to see the look on your mother¡¯s face when she sees you here.¡± ¡°She¡¯s not going to see me, ¡¯cause I¡¯m going to the Archives now. See you later,¡± Ellie said. Catalina threw her arm out in front of her. ¡°Not so fast, Elspeth.¡± ¡°The next time you call me that, I¡¯m going to call you a name you hate.¡± ¡°What would that be?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I have my sources, and I¡¯ll find out. I¡¯m sure Uncle Federico would help me out.¡± Federico was the oldest of the three of them, Catalina being the middle child, and her father being the youngest. Uncle Federico was bound to have some good dirt on Catalina that Ellie could use on her. ¡°Don¡¯t try and cross me, Elspeth,¡± she said. ¡°You won¡¯t like what happens when you cross me.¡± Even though Aunt Catalina was only a year younger than her mother, it was in moments like these that she felt like the older sister Ellie never had. ¡°I¡¯ll cross you as much as I want, Kitty.¡± ¡°Are you sure you want to call me that with your mother coming this way?¡± ¡°No way, move¡ª¡± She tried to edge around her, but Catalina kept blocking her. Scrivener Rasulov, wisely, stayed out of it, not saying a word or doing anything to help either of them. ¡°Stop it!¡± By the time Catalina got out of Ellie¡¯s way, it was too late. Hildegarde had spotted her daughter, a priceless look of shock on her face. There was no getting out of this. Hilda blinked rapidly. She hurried her way over to them. ¡°Ellie, what are you doing here? Are you here for the meeting?¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be lovely if she was?¡± Catalina asked, knowing full well what Ellie¡¯s plans were. I¡¯m going to get you for that¡­ ¡°It would be,¡± Hilda said, clasping her hands together. Guilty of using the same move when hiding her excitement, Ellie understood the hand holding for what it was. ¡°Yeah, lovely¡­¡± Ellie mumbled. ¡°If I had known you¡¯d be here, I would¡¯ve been able to prepare you,¡± she replied, ¡°but this is fine. This is more than fine, actually. Scrivener Rasulov, please add a chair to the roundtable for Heiress Navarrete.¡± ¡°Shall I seat her next to you, Chieftess Navarrete?¡± Didier asked. Ellie was grateful that he didn¡¯t voice any confusion he may have had about her sudden change in plans. ¡°Yes, please do that.¡± ¡°Right away, Chieftess Navarrete. I¡¯ll inform everyone of her joining us today.¡± He left in the direction the others had. Once he was gone, Hilda gave her daughter some words of warning. ¡°It¡¯s best that you spend this meeting in observation, as a silent presence taking everything in. It can take a few sessions to get acclimated and have a proper grasp on what¡¯s happening with our town.¡± ¡°How long do these meetings take? Not that I¡¯m in a rush getting anywhere, but¡­¡± Ellie trailed off. Ideally, she¡¯d be out of here, history book in hand, well ahead of the afternoon sun. She didn¡¯t want to keep Shreya waiting forever. ¡°It depends on how intense things get,¡± Catalina said. ¡°We had a five hour meeting once. Remember that, Hilda? Things got heated. I thought your brother was going to break a chair over Sandro¡¯s head.¡± Hilda explained, ¡°your Uncle Cornelius can get¡­passionate when it comes to his department. This meeting should only be two hours maximum. I don¡¯t want to hold anyone longer than that.¡± ¡°Did you see Cornelius on your way here?¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t. I was running an errand before I came here.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see if I can do the impossible and finally get to the meeting before him, then. See you two in the chambers.¡± Catalina walked off. Ellie waited long enough to make sure Catalina wouldn¡¯t overhear her. ¡°Mom, what¡¯s the worst nickname you can think of for Aunt Catalina?¡± ¡°Did you try Kitty?¡± ¡°I did, but I need a worse one. It¡¯s to get back at her for calling me Elspeth all the time.¡± ¡°Elspeth is a beautiful, powerful name fit for a beautiful and powerful woman. You shouldn¡¯t think ill of it.¡± She bent slightly at the knees, and swept Ellie into a tight hug. ¡°Thank you for being here. I know there¡¯s so many other places you¡¯d rather be, but I see the effort you¡¯re making and I appreciate it so much.¡± Ellie patted her mother¡¯s back, unused to this level of affection from her. ¡°Traditionally, I¡¯m meant to enter last, but I¡¯d like you to have that honor today.¡± Hilda let her go. ¡°Thanks,¡± and maybe it was because she was caught in the moment, but Ellie said to her, ¡°I¡¯ll do my best. I won¡¯t let you down.¡± ¡°You¡¯re my daughter. You can¡¯t let me down.¡± Hilda hugged her a second time, and then started walking. ¡°We¡¯ve delayed our entrance for long enough. Follow after me.¡± ~ * ~ * ~ The brightness of the meeting hall was harsh against Ellie¡¯s eyes. Offensively so, she might say. Decorations were kept minimalist, free of any portraiture or artwork. The closest thing to a decoration they had was a giant chalkboard. Ellie was glad there weren¡¯t any portraits in here. She was under the watchful eye of enough relatives as it was. Her mother, her aunt, her uncle. Ellie sucked in her lip, trying her best to copy the other nine attendees¡¯ expressions. Neutral. Mildly grim. The jovial energy they¡¯d had prior to the meeting had been extinquished in favor of absolute seriousness. Seeing Aunt Catalina looking so straight-faced was strangely funny to her, to the point that she made sure to avoid looking in her direction. She wasn¡¯t going to let ¡°Kitty¡± mess this up for her. She was used to seeing her Uncle Cornelius¡¯ face graveyard serious. It would¡¯ve been weirder to see him crack a smile. Come to think of it, did he ever smile, even around his partner, Uncle Marinus and their child? He¡¯d always had a harsh edge, like he¡¯d modeled himself after his older sister¡¯s stoic traits and magnified them. He carried that same attitude into the meeting in triplicate. ¡°We shall begin this meeting by hearing the agenda. Scrivener Rasulov?¡± Hilda, or rather, Chieftess Navarrete announced. In this meeting hall, they were their titles, and Ellie had to regard everyone as such.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°We shall hear reports from each Intendant, and then from the Chieftess. From there, we will open the floor up to any suggested topics, provided we have time to discuss them,¡± Rasulov said, his eyes down at his stack of papers. He dipped his quill into his ink well. ¡°Intendant of External Affairs, Aika Fonseca, is the first.¡± Intendant Fonseca nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve heard back from my representatives in Nystad. We have some news that Intendant Kabede may like,¡± she said.¡±The diplomatic mission sounds like it was a success. Every mission gets us closer to cleaning up Stockbrunnian-Nystadian relations. We¡¯re still paying for last year¡¯s disaster and the subsequent price hikes, but it looks like things are on their way to improving.¡± ¡°And what of Vaide? How are the diplomatic missions doing there, because it looks like they¡¯ve risen their prices?¡± Ivon Kabede, Intendant of the Economy and Public Finances, said. Part of his job was keeping abreast of economic and commerce trends throughout Casterne.¡±Did something happen on one of your representative¡¯s missions?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to look into that. Scrivener Rasulov, underline that for me,¡± Intendant Fonseca replied. ¡°Unfortunately, correspondence from Vaide takes a long time. It may be a month before I have a definitive reply for you.¡± The forest made it difficult for letters to get back and forth. ¡°See? It¡¯s things like this that should remind us of why it¡¯s important we establish our own electrical grid,¡± Sandro Liibaan, Intendant of Public Works, said. He was mainly in charge of Stockbrunn¡¯s maintenance and overall upkeep. ¡°We build an electrical plant and after that, we move onto starting an electric telegraph program. It¡¯s done wonders for Baekstadt.¡± ¡°We¡¯d be dabbling in something we know nothing about,¡± Renata Pascual, the Intendant of the Treasury, said. She flipped her long braid over her shoulder. ¡°It¡¯d be a foolish allocation of funds.¡± ¡°It¡¯d improve the way of life for so many people. Fuel prices are hard enough on citizens as it is,¡± Intendant Liibaan responded. ¡°It¡¯d be ten times harder for Stockbrunn to switch to electricity. When Baekstadt implemented their program, they already had the proper infrastructure in place,¡± Intendant Pascual said. ¡°Stockbrunn doesn¡¯t. We¡¯d have to uproot our entire way of living.¡± Cornelius Dietrich, the Intendant of Agriculture, spoke up, his low voice booming. ¡°Moreover, where would we put an electric power station? We¡¯d run the risk of cutting into the forest, and possibly poisoning the ground soil for miles.¡± ¡°Do you remember what happened to Graudel when they tried to switch from gas to electric power?¡± Intendant Fonseca asked. ¡°They tried hydroelectric power, but it proved to be too costly, and they had to go back to gas.¡± ¡°We¡¯d have to hire well-educated foreigners from outside towns to run the power station. We don¡¯t have the manpower here,¡± Chanchai Beridze, the Intendant of Social Welfare, said. He oversaw the health, labor, and education sectors of Stockbrunn. ¡°I call for a re-examination of our budget,¡± Intendant Liibaan proposed. ¡°Stockbrunn needs to advance. We¡¯re going to get left behind.¡± ¡°In what?¡± Intendant Pascual glared at him through her glasses. ¡°Pursuing this project is going to sink the town. It¡¯s radical, and unnecessary. Funds are tight enough as it is.¡± ¡°We could ask for a loan,¡± Intendant Liibaan said. ¡°There are towns willing to give us a bail-out if we ask.¡± ¡°We won¡¯t be doing that. We¡¯re not going to be in another town¡¯s debt,¡± Chieftess Navarrete said. Ellie looked around the room. Everyone sat up in their chair a little bit straighter as her mother talked. ¡°Intendants Pascual, Kabede, and Liibaan, I¡¯d like the three of you to research what it would cost to establish and maintain a small electrical grid. I¡¯m defining small as a grid that encompasses two Districts, as a way to test the feasibility of it spreading throughout the town. Get me those exact figures before we deliberate on this subject any further.¡± The people in question voiced their agreement. The Chieftess continued, ¡°Intendant Fonseca, are you finished with your briefing?¡± ¡°Yes. I have nothing new to report from any of the other towns,¡± she replied. ¡°As soon as I hear more information, I will let you know.¡± ¡°Intendant Navarrete, do you have anything to report?¡± Chieftess Navarrete asked. ¡°There hasn¡¯t been anything too unusual. We swiftly dealt with a robbery in the merchants¡¯ district,¡± she reported. ¡°We¡¯ll have an increase in enforcer presence in that area because of that for the next week or two. Preparations are also moving ahead for the upcoming trial.¡± ¡°Is this about the criminal that was brought up at the last meeting?¡± Intendant Beridze asked. Intendant Navarrete made eye contact with Ellie. ¡°I¡¯d like to spare the Heiress the details of the crime, but yes, it is for that criminal. He claimed he was driven to madness.¡± ¡°It used to be that you could exile freaks like that,¡± Intendant Kabede said. He rubbed his knuckle into his eyebrow. ¡°You could let the wolves do what they will with them.¡± ¡°Now there¡¯s generations of those ¡®freaks¡¯ living in the woods,¡± Intendant Pascual said, ¡°and that was a poor decision on everyone¡¯s part. We¡¯re not going to repeat the mistakes that our mothers and fathers made.¡± Freaks? Writing off every woods dweller and their families as ¡®freaks¡¯¡­ They had no idea what they were talking about. Ellie stopped herself from saying anything. She¡¯d done well so far. She didn¡¯t want to get herself in trouble for an outburst like that.Hold it together, Ellie¡­ ¡°It¡¯s fortunate that our legal system has evolved past that point,¡± Chieftess Navarrete said. ¡°Is there anything you¡¯d like to add to your report, Intendant Navarrete?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t. All I¡¯d like to say is that an adequate punishment for the crime will be dispensed soon after the trial,¡± she answered. ¡°Intendant Pascual? What would you like to report?¡± The Chieftess asked. ¡°I¡¯ve looked into our accounts for whether or not we can support Luzna¡¯s R&D project,¡± Intendant Pascual said. Luzna was one of the towns that hugged the border between Casterne and Erzya. ¡°It¡¯ll be a difficult prospect for us. We¡¯ll have to negotiate to bring the costs down.¡± ¡°You¡¯re actually entertaining this frivolous idea?¡± Intendant Liibaan nearly stood out of his chair. ¡°You¡¯d rather put our government¡¯s money towards toys instead of electricity? Intendant Beridze, you should be on my side here. And Intendant Fonseca. Think about what electricity could do for Stockbrunn. Think about how we¡¯ll be able to better communicate with towns across the country.¡± ¡°Intendant Liibaan, that subject is shelved. I already gave you your assignment regarding that,¡± the Chieftess said, glaring at him for good measure. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Chieftess, but I don¡¯t see how we¡¯re going to move forward on this project. I don¡¯t understand the need for it,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s a vanity project at best.¡± Intendant Navarrete jumped in. ¡°Better defense for the town is not a vanity project. We¡¯ll be untouchable.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve made it through the warring times. We have to look more towards Stockbrunn¡¯s future,¡± Intendant Liibaan replied. ¡°It was only a quarter of a century ago that we were fighting the Erzzyans. Who¡¯s to say that won¡¯t happen again?¡± Intendant Navarrete argued. ¡°This project is the stop-gap that ensures nothing can happen to us.¡± Intendant Liibaan wasn¡¯t budging. ¡°It¡¯s possible that the Erzyans have already developed their own weapons. Does it matter either way? Peace has been established between us. Just because we used to be a warrior town doesn¡¯t mean we have to permanently stay that way.¡± He focused his attention on Chieftess Navarrete. ¡°You¡¯re a Chieftess, not a War Chieftess. Things are different now.¡± Chieftess Navarrete held up her hand. ¡°I hear your concerns, but this isn¡¯t about the Erzyans. Intendant Pascual, can we afford a prototype shipment?¡± ¡°We¡¯d have to pay for a demonstration, as well,¡± Intendant Pascual said. She looked down at her stack of notes. ¡°There¡¯s certainly enough room in our budget for that, but full-on pursuit of this¡­that¡¯s going to be difficult.¡± Intendant Kabede grumbled to himself. ¡°Nearly all of these budgetary issues we¡¯re having could be helped by stronger agriculture. We¡¯re not exporting like we used to. We¡¯re buying more than we¡¯re selling.¡± He ran his hand through his hair in frustration. ¡°I was going to wait until it was my turn to say this, but our economy continues to tank on that end. We either have to get better faster, or diversify.¡± That got Intendant Dietrich¡¯s attention. ¡°Why don¡¯t we get a closer look into what we¡¯re trading? Could it be that our salesman is doing a poor job of things? Do more research on the national market before you start pointing fingers at my sector.¡± ¡°There¡¯s only so much economic diversification we can do at this point,¡± Intendant Beridze said. ¡°Any projects we start now might not be able to turn a profit in time.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to have to tread water,¡± Intendant Pascual said. ¡°We should discuss cost-saving measures at the next meeting. ¡°My sector¡¯s doing the best that it can. We¡¯re strained,¡± Intendant Dietrich said. ¡°Perhaps Intendant Fonseca can drum up more sales? Improve relations?¡± ¡°Your sector¡¯s always strained,¡± Intendant Kabede started. Intendant Fonseca cut them off. ¡°Okay, it¡¯s going to take some time, but I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡± ¡°Intendant Pascual, do you have more to add to your report?¡± The Chieftess asked. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Intendant Kabede?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve basically gone over what I wanted to say already,¡± he answered. ¡°We¡¯re not in complete dire straits but we¡¯re going to need to figure out some improvements to work towards in the longterm.¡± ¡°And Intendant Liibaan, how about you?¡± Chieftess Navarrete asked. ¡°My department is revisiting its draft of the clean-up program. We¡¯ll have more information about that in the coming weeks.¡± ¡°Thank you, Intendant Liibaan. Intendant Beridze?¡± ¡°There¡¯s been a noticeable increase in the number of clinic visits,¡± he said. ¡°We don¡¯t have enough clinics for the load, nor do we have enough medical professionals for the amount of house visits being requested. I¡¯d like to request that we bring in professionals from other towns to fill in the gaps.¡± Intendant Pascual looked up from her budget sheet. ¡°I thought you said that situation was under control.¡± ¡°The situation changes from week to week. If hiring outside help is an issue, we can raise the prices at the apothecary in order to offset things,¡± Intendant Beridze said. ¡°Those who can afford the medication can help pay for the foreign doctors we bring in.¡± ¡°It¡¯d have to be a huge incentive,¡± Intendant Fonseca supposed. ¡°Ridiculously so,¡± Intendant Liibaan added. ¡°That money is primarily for the drugmakers,¡± Intendant Dietrich, his distaste apparent. ¡°You can¡¯t use that to entice foreign hires.¡± ¡°Something has to bring them in. Let it be the extra money from the upcharging,¡± Intendant Beridze said. Ellie couldn¡¯t stop herself. The words flew out of her mouth. ¡°What are you saying? You can¡¯t raise the prices of medicine for no good reason. The prices are bad enough as they are.¡± Her mother shot her a look, but she kept on talking anyway. ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be the People¡¯s Intendant? People are struggling enough when it comes to the apothecaries.¡± ¡°Heiress Navarrete, the money has to come from somewhere. Healthcare is free,¡± Intendant Beridze explained. ¡°It¡¯s the medication that isn¡¯t.¡± ¡°And it¡¯s the taxes that help keep healthcare free,¡± Intendant Pascual added. ¡°Why isn¡¯t the apothecary included in all that? It doesn¡¯t make sense to divide it,¡± Ellie said. ¡°These are the things that people need to live.¡± The things that make girls like Zinnia have to go to Arntzen District just to get by. Nevermind what people from Arntzen proper have to do to survive. ¡°To do what you¡¯re proposing, we¡¯d have to raise taxes. Then, there¡¯d be many more things that people couldn¡¯t afford beside medication,¡± Intendant Dietrich said. ¡°We can¡¯t let people suffer just because Stockbrunn¡¯s in financial ruin. The clinics are full! I¡¯ve seen it myself,¡± Ellie said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Heiress Navarrete, but you don¡¯t have the full grasp on the situation here.¡± Intendant Pascual looked over at the Chieftess for some help. ¡°There¡¯s no room in the budget for, like, a public assistance kind of program? You¡¯ve got people in Arntzen who are barely making it. They¡¯re dying out there,¡± Ellie explained. ¡°They don¡¯t need a tax increase but what they could use is some sort of subsidy thing so they can afford medication.¡± Intendant Beridze sighed. ¡°We can¡¯t single out a particular District above others. That¡¯s not how we do things, Heiress Navarrete.¡± He, too, looked at the Chieftess to make the Heiress stop her tirade. ¡°But you guys are planning on possibly rolling out electricity to certain districts first. I bet one of them will be Seide. Isn¡¯t that singling out districts?¡± ¡°Ellie, don¡¯t assume so much,¡± Intendant Dietrich said. He winced at his slip-up. ¡°How about singling out groups based on income level? You can assist people who need it the most, no matter what district they come from,¡± Ellie tried again. Intendant Beridze wasn¡¯t having it. ¡°It has to be universal assistance or nothing at all.¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be done,¡± Intendant Pascual said. ¡°Now the Heiress knows how I feel¡­ Getting roadblocked every step of the way,¡± Intendant Liibaan said. ¡°This is so stupid¡­¡± Ellie looked around the round table. ¡°There¡¯s a possible health crisis happening, and you don¡¯t want to do anything to help anyone?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve proposed a possibility, a logical one,¡± Intendant Beridze said. ¡°You obviously haven¡¯t been paying enough attention.¡± ¡°Beridze,¡± Intendant Navarrete warned him. ¡°You guys care less about your citizens than what? Electricity, money, and whatever this Luzna project thingy is. You¡¯re supposed to care about this town,¡± Ellie said. She slammed her hands down on the table. ¡°You¡¯re dysfunctional.¡± The Chieftess¡¯ tone was cool and calm, a counter to the Heiress¡¯. ¡°Thank you for observing the meeting thus far, Heiress Navarrete. Please wait for me in my office, and I¡¯ll go over the rest of today¡¯s meeting with you.¡± Ellie got out of her chair. She didn¡¯t fight it. There was no point in making this into any more of a scene. She¡¯d made enough of a mess already, if Catalina hiding her face in her hands was anything to go by. ~ * ~ * ~ ¡°What was that in there? I told you to observe and stay silent.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Ellie sat at her mother¡¯s desk, while her mother stood with her back to the door. The desk wasn¡¯t enough to protect her from her mother¡¯s quiet fury, however. Hildegarde crossed her arms, and took in a deep breath. ¡°You do know,¡± Hilda said. ¡°Don¡¯t pretend like you don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Okay, I do know, or whatever,¡± Ellie said. ¡°I didn¡¯t like what they were saying in there. I mean, did you like what they were saying? Is that what the council meetings are all like? Oh, boo hoo, we can¡¯t do this or that thing because of the budget. Is there anything that they can do?¡± ¡°They do what they can.¡± ¡°And no one else was bothered by what Beridze was saying. What the hell was that, Mom? If everyone¡¯s letting that kind of attitude slide, then what are they doing as leaders of this town? What the hell¡¯s happened at other meetings?¡± Ellie felt sick to her stomach. ¡°No wonder Stockbrunn¡¯s this screwed up.¡± ¡°There are better ways to go about saying what you need to say. You can be passionate about an issue, but you have to be professional about it,¡± Hilda said. ¡°You don¡¯t resort to name calling under any circumstance. Playground antics make it impossible for anyone to take you seriously.¡± ¡°Sorry, I couldn¡¯t help it¡­ It¡¯s just¡­when no one jumped in to tell him off, it got to me. The closest thing we got was Uncle Cornelius being concerned about the apothecaries not being paid for their work.¡± ¡°Each Intendant is hyper-focused on their own area. They can sometimes fail to see the bigger picture,¡± Hilda said. ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯re there to help them with. We listen to their reports, give our advice, and try to look out for the town the best that we can.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve got the ultimate say, though, don¡¯t we? So what are we doing listening to people like that?¡± ¡°If we were as hyper-focused on each sector like they are, then we¡¯d lose our heads. That being said, we still have to know about what¡¯s happening so we are better equipped to make decisions. You have to know their departments, and know how to bring them into balance,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s leadership. It¡¯s not about forcing your decision on everyone and acting like you automatically know the right answer.¡± Ellie put her head down on the desk. ¡°Did I do that today?¡± ¡°What you did was out of line. The next time you come to a meeting, you¡¯re going to listen to me or else I¡¯m going to have you sit in a corner facing the wall,¡± Hilda said. ¡°But¡­your heart was in the right place. You care about Stockbrunn, and that¡¯s a good thing.¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± Ellie said with a shrug. She didn¡¯t want to think about that too deeply. She¡¯d spent too long not caring (more like actively disliking almost everything) about the town to suddenly start liking it. ¡°Am I in trouble?¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re not. It¡¯s like this, Ellie¡­ You can¡¯t farm. Una told me all about your little accident with the sickle,¡± Hilda said, pointing at her palm. ¡°You can¡¯t hunt. Catalina told me you have to go back to the fundamentals.¡± ¡°In what way?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t load a crossbow.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯m hopeless.¡± ¡°But where you¡¯re not hopeless is this. You¡¯re the Heiress. This is your town, and this is where you need to be,¡± Hilda said. ¡°You can do this.¡± ¡°If you say so.¡± Ellie looked towards the window. ¡°Um, I¡¯m supposed to be meeting up with Zinnia, so¡­¡± ¡°We can talk more about this tonight at dinner. I¡¯ve got some paperwork to deal with,¡± she said. ¡°Thanks for keeping my seat warm. Now, get out of it.¡± Hilda smiled. ¡°Heh, see ya.¡± Maybe she could get used to this whole leadership sort of thing. Chapter 23: Company All the other tasks having been claimed already, there wasn¡¯t much else for Shreya to do besides sit by the fire. She was fine with that. It allowed her to remain mostly unnoticed by Shanti and her friends. If she stayed still for long enough, maybe she would blend in with the shadows cast by the early morning sun. Shanti, Danilo, and Adikavi were waist-deep in the river, stretching out a net to catch another fish. Built as solid as a tree trunk, Adikavi made Danilo look like a sapling next to him. In Shanti¡¯s eyes, however, Adikavi might as well have been a piece of grass. She looked at Danilo, that tiny sprout of a wolf, like he was every tree in the forest. Shreya dreamed of being adored the same way¡ªto find her match and just¡­be with them. She was never good at figuring out what happened in the ¡°ever after¡± part. Chinaza, Oydis¡¯ sister, handled the cooking. She rotated the fish skewers, the fire crackling beneath them. Shreya turned away from the smoke stinging her eyes. Had Oydis been there, she¡¯d at least have someone to talk to, but Oydis had gotten held up with her weaving. For sisters, the two of them weren¡¯t much alike at all. Where Oydis was friendly and lively with everyone, her sister was as dull-toned as a walking corpse. Firouz was reserved in a different way. He huddled by the shoreline, washing his knife in the water. It was thanks to him that the fish had been descaled and debarbed. Adikavi had made fun of him for wanting such a soft chew to his food, but Firouz took the insults in stride. He caught Shreya looking at him, and smiled. She looked away, feeling mildly embarrassed. ¡°Watch out! Flying fish!¡± Adikavi bellowed. He launched a fish out of his hands. It hit the grass, its mouth gaping for water. He and Shanti roared with laughter, Danilo¡¯s much quieter laughs covered up by theirs. ¡°Lookit the way it¡¯s flapping around.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t play with food like that,¡± Firouz chided him. ¡°Kill it or put it back in the water.¡± ¡°Let the bear killer get it,¡± Shanti said. ¡°Do your thing, sis.¡± Firouz looked Shreya up and down. ¡°That was you?¡± ¡°It was nothing. I was lucky,¡± Shreya said. She went over to the thrashing fish. It didn¡¯t deserve this much humiliation. She lifted it up, careful not to get stuck by its barbs, and placed it back into the water. Shanti groaned in disappointment. ¡°We have a fish for everyone already. We don¡¯t need more.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with having a little extra,¡± her sister said. Shreya flexed her fingers into her palm, making sure the fish¡¯s spikes hadn¡¯t stuck her without her realizing it. ¡°We have to be mindful of the forest. We take what we need, and that¡¯s all.¡± It was bad enough that they were out here on this selfish little excursion with no plans of bringing any food back for the others. ¡°Agreed. If we take and take when we don¡¯t need to, we¡¯ll deplete the woods,¡± Firouz said. Adikavi laughed. ¡°One more fish isn¡¯t going to empty the river.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the principle of it.¡± ¡°Whatever,¡± Shanti said. With Danilo¡¯s help, she gathered up the net. ¡°Chinaza, is the fish cooked and ready yet?¡± Her voice sounding as dead as her expression, she answered, ¡°it¡¯s been ready for a while. You were just too busy dicking around in the water to notice.¡± ¡°Wow, Chinaza,¡± Shanti said, placing a hand over her heart. ¡°You¡¯re truly the sunshine of my life. Promise me you¡¯ll never be anything other than an emotionless bitch.¡± ¡°See this fish? It¡¯s yours.¡± Chinaza proceeded to lower the fish-on-a-stick closer to the flames. ¡°Hope you like your fish black.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ll take that one,¡± Danilo said. ¡°You can have mine, Shanti.¡± Chinaza pulled it away. ¡°I¡¯m only taking this out of the fire because Danilo¡¯s a good person. I don¡¯t want him to suffer for your sake.¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± Shanti grinned. The three of them waded their way out of the water, not giving up the chance to splash each other as they moved. Shanti put the folded-up net by their clothes pile, then ran around in a circle to dry herself off. Danilo and Adikavi were more practical. They used their capes to wipe themselves off. ¡°Stop wasting our time before I change my mind,¡± Chinaza warned her. That was enough to bring Shanti back in line, in a Shanti-ish way. She flopped over on top of her cape, rolled a few times, and then changed back into her clothes not too long after Danilo and Adikavi. Shreya wondered if Shanti, Danilo, and Adikavi consulted one another for their outfits today. They all wore what looked like to be variations of the same sleeveless theme. Shanti wore a high-necked top and loose pants held up by a rope string belt. They reminded her of a pair Danilo used to wear. In fact, those might have been those pants. Danilo kept things simple: a shirt that hung loosely on his frame and some shorts. Adikavi opted for a vest string-tied closed and a dark knee-length skirt. At least Chinaza and Firouz had worn sleeves today. It helped Shreya feel like she hadn¡¯t been left out of something. Everyone gathered around the fire. Shreya sat between Firouz and Shanti, a small part of her hoping that some of her sister¡¯s sociability would rub off on her. Chinaza passed everyone their skewers. Shreya turned the stick over in her hand, and grimaced at the fish¡¯s unblinking head. She wished Firouz had gotten rid of that part. ¡°Are you and the cr¨¨che a permanent thing now, or what?¡± Adikavi asked Shanti. ¡°Been some time since I¡¯ve seen you in any hunting parties.¡± Shanti shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m bouncing around. I dunno what I wanna do.¡± ¡°How ¡¯bout the rest of you? What are you thinking of doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to stick with the cr¨¨che,¡± Danilo said. ¡°I know I don¡¯t have to stay locked into that, but I like it way more than I thought I would.¡± ¡°Weaving¡¯s easy. I¡¯ll do that,¡± Chinaza said before chomping down on her fish. Firouz replied, ¡°I haven¡¯t stuck to anything. I¡¯ve been doing odd jobs here and there, wherever I¡¯m needed. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to settle for one task. It¡¯s more fun when things change from day-to-day.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the same way,¡± Shreya said. ¡°I don¡¯t like being pinned down to one thing. I might stay as a floater.¡± ¡°I would¡¯ve expected you to say hunting. You seem well-suited to that, considering how you took down a bear,¡± Firouz said. ¡°The bear was close to death, and a young bear at that,¡± Shreya clarified. She needed to squash the rumors of her grandeur. ¡°If the bear had been at full strength, things would¡¯ve turned out differently.¡± She probably would¡¯ve saved Ellie at Marietta¡¯s expense. That pig would¡¯ve been the bait that allowed everyone else to live. ¡°Don¡¯t be so modest!¡± Shanti slapped her on the back. Shreya tightened her hold on her skewer to keep from dropping it. ¡°Tell him how you took that bear down with your bare hands. Tell him exactly what you told me.¡± ¡°What? I didn¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°You so did!¡± ¡°I improvized a spear and took it down that way,¡± Shreya explained. ¡°No one can kill a bear with their bare hands.¡± ¡°I accept that challenge,¡± Adikavi said. Chinaza threw her empty skewer over her shoulder. ¡°Finding a bear here will be harder than killing it. You have to have a bear to kill a bear.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go into Stocky territory to do it,¡± he replied. ¡°They¡¯ve got bears there.¡± ¡°And face exile, or something worse for breaking the rules?¡± Danilo shook his head. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°Yes, definitely, don¡¯t go anywhere near there,¡± Shanti said. If it weren¡¯t for Danilo being there, she may have egged Adikavi on. Shreya was grateful he¡¯d taken a day off from the cr¨¨che to come along. ¡°What¡¯s it like over there?¡± Firouz asked. ¡°Is it that different?¡± She couldn¡¯t tell him the truth. She couldn¡¯t do so much as even hint at its beauty and liveliness. ¡°You¡¯re not missing anything. It¡¯s not worth any punishment you¡¯d get for going over there,¡± Shreya explained. ¡°Would it be worth it if you weren¡¯t caught?¡± Chinaza wondered. ¡°We should stop talking about this,¡± Danilo said. He finished off the last of his fish. ¡°No one¡¯s going over there.¡± ¡°And what if I do? What are you going to do about it?¡± Adikavi challenged him. Shanti glared. ¡°Danilo doesn¡¯t have to do anything about it. If you go, I¡¯ll make you wish you never thought about it in the first place.¡± He grinned at that. ¡°I¡¯d beat you down so easily. Don¡¯t try me. I can have you pinned in half a minute.¡± ¡°Wanna bet that you¡¯d be the one pinned, big guy?¡± Adikavi caught the last piece of his fish between his teeth and yanked it off the skewer. He swallowed it without chewing. ¡°Loser has to do whatever the winner says!¡± ¡°Within reason,¡± Danilo added. ¡°Ha! He¡¯s saying that for your sake, you know,¡± Shanti said. ¡°Y¡¯sure you wanna play with your life like that?¡± ¡°First to two points wins. Chinaza can be the judge. She¡¯s the most nonbiased,¡± Adikavi said. ¡°I¡¯ll pick out the spot,¡± Danilo said. The other three followed him further into the woods, in search of a prime wrestling location. Firouz stayed seated, poking at the rocks laying by the fire. Shreya turned to him. ¡°You didn¡¯t want to go?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not my thing,¡± he said, ¡°besides, staying back here reduces the chances of them somehow dragging me into the fray. Adikavi tends to lash out after he loses.¡± ¡°Shanti¡¯s a sore loser.¡± No doubt she¡¯d take the loss out on Shreya. ¡°I hope she wins. Please tell me Adikavi¡¯s got an exploitable weakpoint.¡± ¡°She¡¯ll find it. It¡¯d be good for his ego if he lost,¡± Firouz said. He smoothed back his gray-brown hair, moving his bangs out of his eyes. ¡°Since no one else is here to stop us from talking¡­can you tell me what it¡¯s really like over there?¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°I won¡¯t tell them. I¡¯ll keep it to myself.¡± Something about his smile made her lower her guard. ¡°Okay, I guess I can tell you a little bit,¡± Shreya said. ¡°It¡¯s one of those places that constantly surprises you. There¡¯s always something new to discover.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°They¡¯ve got things over there that we don¡¯t have. Berries, food, wildlife. It¡¯s beautiful over there, and the humans don¡¯t even know how rich they are for what they have,¡± she said. ¡°Beautiful, huh? I might have to see it for myself.¡± Shreya warned, ¡°you better not. I¡¯m on Danilo and Shanti¡¯s side about that. We have rules for a reason. Like I said, it¡¯s not worth the trip.¡± ¡°I pegged you as someone who¡¯s too cool for rules. A real rebel with a real cool hat,¡± Firouz said. He mimed getting stabbed in the chest. ¡°Ouch. It hurts being wrong. Look at what you¡¯re doing to me. I¡¯m dying!¡± A rebel. Ellie had called their trio¡ªher, Zinnia, and Shreya¡ªthat before busting into the house they reclaimed as theirs. ¡°We do what we want because we¡¯re rebels. Tell us what to do and we say screw that,¡± Ellie had said. Firouz fake-stabbed himself again. ¡°And now you¡¯re smiling about me dying. Finish me off quickly, please. I can¡¯t take this torture.¡± ¡°Stop that.¡± She moved his hands away from his chest. ¡°It might be pretty over there, but it¡¯s boring. Why go over there when there¡¯s so much for us here? Here¡¯s company.¡± ¡°You¡¯d be a lot more believable if you did a better job of acting like you believe that.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s true. There¡¯s nothing going on over there.¡± ¡°I was talking about the company part,¡± Firouz said. ¡°You don¡¯t seem like you enjoy it all that much.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like being in big groups,¡± she admitted. ¡°Same here. I prefer one-on-one conversations. It¡¯s easier to get to know people that way. They¡¯re more honest the less people there are around.¡± ¡°It depends on the person. There¡¯s more vulnerability when you¡¯re one-on-one. Some people become honest, and other people put walls up to protect themselves,¡± she said. ¡°On second thought, I might like big groups better after all. I don¡¯t like having a lot of attention on me.¡± Firouz laughed. ¡°I hope I¡¯m not bothering you, then. If you¡¯ve had enough of me, I can go watch the wrestling match.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I don¡¯t mind you.¡± He wasn¡¯t so bad, as far as wolves went. ¡°I don¡¯t mind you, either. You should show up to our next get-together.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Shreya hadn¡¯t added a whole lot. They would¡¯ve had just as much fun without her there. ¡°You¡¯re fun to talk to. You¡¯re different,¡± he answered. ¡°Bad different?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re bad different, then I¡¯m just as bad,¡± Firouz said. ¡°You kill bears and hate wrestling. I haven¡¯t done anything as extreme as kill a bear, but I¡¯ve had my fair share of close calls while hunting, and I also don¡¯t like wrestling. We¡¯ve got that in common.¡± ¡°Hunting alone or with a group? Because I killed that bear by myself,¡± she said, smiling. ¡°Do we have that in common?¡± ¡°I killed a hawk the size of my head by myself once. Does that count?¡± A loud whoop and cheer interrupted their conversation. Game over. Shreya held back her answer to Firouz¡¯s question, too eager to see who won the match. They raced over to the other four wolves. Chinaza stood by, hands in her pants pockets and looking as bored as ever. Danilo used the end of his shirt to blot at the bleeding scratches on Shanti¡¯s arm. Adikavi smeared the bit of blood on his forehead with his bare arm. He hocked up a spit wad and spat it into the grass. From the looks of it, they¡¯d put each other through the ringer. ¡°Who won?¡± Shreya asked, hoping that the worst hadn¡¯t happened. ¡°Me!¡± Shanti pumped her fist into the air. ¡°Barely,¡± Adikavi added. ¡°You barely won, and you know it.¡± ¡°What do you want for your prize?¡± Chinaza asked, ignoring Adikavi. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it,¡± Shanti said, ¡°I¡¯ll save it for when I need him to do something real good.¡± Danilo pulled his shirt away. He frowned. ¡°We should go home and get you looked at.¡± ¡°He just got me with his nails. I¡¯ll be okay,¡± she said. Chinaza sniffed the air. ¡°Did you guys remember to put out the fire?¡± ¡°Sorry, we rushed off without thinking about it,¡± Shreya said. ¡°It¡¯s not like you to be forgetful. You¡¯re usually the careful one,¡± Shanti said. ¡°I wonder what had you so distracted.¡± ¡°It was my fault, not hers,¡± Firouz said, taking the blame. ¡°I¡¯ll go back and put it out.¡± ¡°Nah, I¡¯ll do it.¡± Adikavi stopped to spit again. Shreya cringed, glad for the distance between them. ¡°Some walking will do me some good.¡± He left the group to take care of it. Shreya winced at her sister¡¯s wounds. ¡°Did you have to go that far with your game? He messed you up real bad.¡± ¡°So what? I messed him up, too. Winning doesn¡¯t count if you¡¯re not both trying your hardest,¡± Shanti said. ¡°It¡¯s gotta be a prize worth fighting for.¡± ¡°There¡¯s less violent methods than drawing blood.¡± Shanti tapped her bottom lip. ¡°Hmmm¡­like hand games?¡± And just like that, Shreya regretted telling her sister about what happened yesterday. As usual, she¡¯d skimmed the personal details of her meeting with Ellie, but she¡¯d taught her how to play Slaps to prove she was still garnering new information as a spy. Unfortunately, Shanti played dirty. Instead of following the rules, she kept grabbing Shreya¡¯s hands and trying to throw her to the ground. ¡°Hey, do you guys smell that?¡± Danilo threw his head back. Chinaza¡¯s ears swiveled towards the direction of the campfire. ¡°We¡¯ve got a guest.¡± ¡°Lookit what I caught snooping around!¡± Adikavi called them over. They joined them, their senses alerting them to his find before they laid eyes on her. He had a rabbit by the arm, held so tight her skin had paled where he gripped her. She was young, about their age, with big blue eyes and her gray hair in fluffy twintails. Her ears stood straight up in fear. Adikavi shoved her forward. The rabbit was off the ground as fast she fell to it, but there was nowhere for her to run. Without realizing it, Shreya had become part of a circle trapping her on all sides. ¡°I-I don¡¯t want any trouble,¡± the rabbit stammered in Casternian. ¡°What were you doing spying on us, then?¡± Shanti asked, not bothering to switch tongues. She cracked her knuckles, grinning. Shreya translated her question. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°Passing by,¡± the rabbit answered, her voice wavering. ¡°She could be a decoy,¡± Danilo supposed. The group stuck to their own language. ¡°She might be distracting us from the real trouble.¡± ¡°What if she¡¯s a scout?¡± Chinaza asked. ¡°We should let her go. If she said she was passing by, then she was passing by,¡± Shreya reasoned. She tried moving aside. Shanti put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. Firouz replied, ¡°she¡¯d say anything right now.¡± ¡°What can she do? She¡¯s a rabbit,¡± Shreya said. ¡°She¡¯s harmless.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not as worried about her as I am of all of her friends who could be hiding,¡± Danilo said. He glanced over his shoulder. ¡°We¡¯d smell them,¡± Shreya replied. ¡°There are ways around a wolf¡¯s nose,¡± he responded. The rabbit spoke up, not understanding what they were saying. ¡°If you let me go, I¡¯ll pretend I never saw you. I swear!¡± She dropped to her knees, pleading with them. ¡°I swear I never saw you. I swear; I swear.¡± This time, when Shreya tried to move, Shanti pointed her knife at her. ¡°You stay right there, Shreya,¡± she said. And then, to the rabbit, she said in Casternian, ¡°no move. Move and die.¡± ¡°I like the way this is going,¡± Adikavi said. Excitement danced in his eyes. He drew out his knife from its scabbard. ¡°Please¡ª¡± The rabbit¡¯s eyes widened, tears gathering in the corners. ¡°Please don¡¯t do this.¡± ¡°We should bring her back to the community,¡± Chinaza suggested. Firouz scanned the rabbit over. ¡°There¡¯s enough of her to feed a family.¡± ¡°No, no, no, please, no.¡± They continued to ignore her. ¡°Who wants to do the honors?¡± Adikavi passed his knife back and forth in his hands. The rabbit screamed, cowering into a ball. She started chittering away in what Shreya could only assume was her native language. ¡°Shut up!¡± Chinaza shouted at her. It did nothing to calm her down. She continued to sob loudly, her body hiccuping from her cries. ¡°Tell her to shut up!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you guys? She didn¡¯t do anything to us!¡± Shreya yelled at them, trying to wake them up from whatever it was that possessed them. ¡°She was passing through.¡± ¡°She¡¯s a prey animal, Shreya,¡± Shanti said. She hadn¡¯t lowered her blade, keeping it steady and aimed at Shreya. ¡°You¡¯re going to hit me with that?¡± She looked at her sister¡¯s friends. ¡°You¡¯re all going to let her stab me?¡± ¡°We¡¯re not going to let her go,¡± Shanti said. ¡°We¡¯re wolves. As soon as she came near us, she was as good as dead.¡± Shreya ripped her knife free of its sheath. She raised it towards her sister. ¡°Let her go.¡± ¡°Or what? You¡¯re going to fucking fight me to save her? This is the baby deer all over again,¡± Shanti said. ¡°You chose a deer over the lives of our people. Don¡¯t make the same mistake again.¡± ¡°This is different from that! Look at her.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same. This is hunting. This is providing for the people who need it. Killing this rabbit could mean one less family having to choose which of their babies they have to put down so the others can live. One less couple like Galo and Kachina,¡± she said. ¡°Less mourning fires, less death in the community. Bear killer, you should understand that! How heartless are you?¡± Shreya looked at Firouz. ¡°You can¡¯t be on their side.¡± He was supposed to be different. ¡°This is about the community,¡± he said. Firouz was the same as them. He took out his knife, Chinaza and Danilo doing the same. ¡°Do it, bear killer. Kill the rabbit and show us you¡¯re one of us,¡± Shanti said, her eyes cold. ¡°No! I¡¯m not killing her. You can¡¯t make me kill her.¡± Shreya¡¯s hand shook around her knife. ¡°Do it, you fucking traitor! What¡¯s stopping you?¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t do anything to us.¡± Shreya had to raise her voice over the rabbit¡¯s sobs. ¡°She was only passing by. She was in the wrong place, at the wrong time, that¡¯s all. This is wrong, Shanti, this is so wrong.¡± ¡°Wrong?! There¡¯s something wrong with you!¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Danilo¡¯s shout interrupted them. ¡°I¡¯ll do it. I¡¯ll do it, and we¡¯ll all go home, okay?¡± ¡°You¡¯re pathetic,¡± Shanti shot at her. She put her knife away, standing down from their confrontation. Shreya backed out of the circle. She didn¡¯t want to watch this. ¡°No pain if you do not move,¡± Danilo told the rabbit in Casternian. She¡¯d folded herself up, giving him clear view of the back of her neck. He switched the way he was holding his knife, and approached her. ¡°Will be fast.¡± The rabbit jumped up, raising her fist in an arc. Blood followed her hand. Danilo¡¯s blood, coming from his chest. They missed the dagger she¡¯d had on her. She took advantage of everyone¡¯s shock, and bolted out of the circle through the gap Shreya had left. Danilo clutched at his shirt, trying to hold it against the slash wound. It didn¡¯t work. It continued to bleed. Firouz moved into action first. ¡°I¡¯m going to the village! I¡¯ll get the healers ready for him!¡± He ran off, as fast as he could. Shanti couldn¡¯t speak. Her mouth opened in a soundless scream. She rushed to him, managing to catch him before he fell. Chinaza helped her prop him up. Adikavi, face full of rage, started to go in the rabbit¡¯s direction, but Shreya stopped him. ¡°Carry Danilo back. He needs you,¡± Shreya said. Adikavi growled at her. He untied his vest, shrugged it off, and pressed it to Danilo¡¯s wound. Shanti got out of their way, letting Chinaza help Adikavi get Danilo into his arms. Chinaza took Danilo¡¯s hand, and pressed it against the vest. ¡°Stay with us, Danilo,¡± Chinaza said. ¡°Keep talking to me.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± They hurried away, off to the village, leaving Shreya and Shanti in the wake of what happened. Shanti sunk to the ground, in much the same way the rabbit had. She beat her fists against the grass, taking in deep breaths. Shreya didn¡¯t go near her. ¡°He¡¯ll pull through,¡± Shreya said. ¡°Chinaza and Adikavi will get him there in time.¡± Shanti didn¡¯t acknowledge her words. What she did instead was take out her knife, and stalk towards the direction the rabbit had gone in. Shreya followed after her. Finally speaking again, she spat at her, ¡°you can¡¯t stop me! Go away!¡± ¡°You¡¯re not being smart about this. That rabbit could be alerting her whole village or a group, or something. Danilo could be right. This could all be a trap.¡± That got Shanti to stop. She shoved Shreya, knocking her off-balance. ¡°Be smart about this? He could¡¯ve died because of you, because you pretend to be so high and mighty!¡± ¡°It was all on you and your friends. No one had to get hurt,¡± Shreya said. ¡°I wanted to let the rabbit go.¡± ¡°A harmless, little rabbit passing through¡­¡± Shanti tightened her grip on her knife. ¡°Like hell she was!¡± ¡°She wouldn¡¯t have hurt Danilo if we let her go. This isn¡¯t my fault!¡± Shreya backed away from her, putting more distance between them. ¡°You¡¯ll save some girl and her friends from a bear, but you won¡¯t save our people.¡± Shanti moved towards her. Shreya took more steps back. ¡°There¡¯s something wrong with you. You¡¯re messed up.¡± Shreya realized she hadn¡¯t put her knife away. ¡°The rabbit didn¡¯t provoke us. The baby deer didn¡¯t, either.¡± She raised it for defense. ¡°This shouldn¡¯t have happened.¡± ¡°It should¡¯ve been you. Maybe that¡¯s the lesson you need to start caring about someone other than yourself.¡± ¡°I¡­ We need to go home,¡± Shreya said. She backed up, trying to get out of Shanti¡¯s range. Her sister stayed within the edge of it. ¡°We need to be with Danilo.¡± ¡°What¡¯ll it take to get you to care, huh? Something just as bad?¡± Shanti swung. Shreya twisted away. ¡°Stop it! You¡¯re not thinking straight.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll never put us first. You¡¯re supposed to be a wolf!¡± Shanti lunged for her. Shreya fell backwards, out of the way. Her knife dropped. Shanti stood over her, snarling. ¡°What is wrong with you?¡± Shreya crawled backwards the best she could, her cape getting in the way. Shanti stepped on it to stop her. ¡°Shanti, please¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m so sorry.¡± Shanti leaned in, her blade taking over Shreya¡¯s vision. ¡°You¡¯re not a wolf.¡± She pulled her hat off of her head, and tossed it off to the side. ¡°Are your ears for show?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a wolf! I am!¡± Shreya wailed. She¡¯d be anything if it meant she¡¯d let her go. Shanti grabbed her head with her free hand, her knife hand moving upwards and out of view. Shreya tried to wiggle away, but Shanti¡¯s grip became stronger. ¡°Shanti, Shanti, don¡¯t do this. Please!¡± ¡°Only wolves have these ears,¡± Shanti said. Shreya felt the dull side of the cold metal press against her ear. Tears poured out of her eyes. She shook. ¡°Y-you¡¯re my sister. Don¡¯t do this,¡± she choked out in desperation. ¡°I love you, Shanti, please don¡¯t do this to me.¡± Shanti stared at her. ¡°Shreya¡­ What the fuck are you?¡± She let her go, then stood up and started walking away. It was over. She hadn¡¯t hurt her. Would she have? Shreya scrambled to get up and go after her. ¡°No,¡± Shanti said as she turned around. Shreya wiped at her eyes, trying not to cry anymore. They were going to go home together, and she¡¯d have a chance to fix this, and everything would be alright. ¡°You go out there.¡± ¡°Sh-Shanti¡ª¡± ¡°Go be with that rabbit! Go be with your girl. I don¡¯t care.¡± Shanti grabbed Shreya¡¯s hat from the ground and threw it at her. It hit her, and fell to her feet. ¡°Just stay the fuck out of my sight. I¡¯m done with you.¡± Shreya snatched her hat up, and ran. Chapter 24: Jolt Shreya made it to their meeting place before Ellie did, but didn¡¯t have much time to breathe before she heard the other girl running her way. She made sure her face was dry and her expression cool and composed. There wasn¡¯t anything she could do about the redness of her eyes, other than pretend that she was having a bad reaction to something in the air. She hoped that excuse would be enough to cover for any weaknesses to come. ¡°Shreya!¡± Ellie skidded to a stop in front of her. She thrust a thick, gold and brown-trimmed book towards her. ¡°I got you the history thing you wanted. It¡¯s an abridged version, but it has footnotes about other books and we¡¯ve got them, so whatever you want to know more about, just tell me and I¡¯ll grab those for you, too.¡± ¡°Oh, thank you,¡± Shreya said. She practiced a smile, considering it a victory when it didn¡¯t falter. ¡°Sorry if you were waiting for a long time. I had to go to a council meeting to get it. They¡¯re not as strict with their time limits as they should be.¡± Ellie dumped the book back inside her bag. ¡°The council needs help. A lot of it. Luckily I was there to lead them in the right direction.¡± ¡°Are you going to go to more meetings?¡± Ellie laughed bitterly. ¡°Hell. No. I¡¯d rather jump off a bridge,¡± she said. ¡°They¡¯re obsessed with electricity and like, other new technology stuff instead of with the townspeople. They should be eating and breathing Stockbrunn. Not literally, but you know what I mean. They should obsess over that, not electricity.¡± ¡°Electricity,¡± Shreya repeated. She liked the sound of that word. ¡°What words are similar?¡± ¡°Energy. Power. It¡¯s something that can move mountains and light up towns,¡± Ellie explained. ¡°Gas, steam, and wind can do those things, too, but electricity¡¯s different. You can do more with it. Honestly, though, I don¡¯t know a whole lot about it. There¡¯s some towns in Casterne that use it.¡± ¡°Have you seen it?¡± Shreya pictured it as a liquid fire coursing through the veins of trees. ¡°I think so? It¡¯s that spark you see and feel sometimes. Do you know what lightning is? The white flash you see in a storm, and there¡¯s a thunder rumble noise with it?¡± Ellie asked. ¡°That¡¯s electricity happening. And you can see it in smaller ways. Have you ever walked around a carpet in wool socks before?¡± ¡°No, I do not think I have,¡± Shreya said. ¡°When I talk to you, I feel like I know so little.¡± Ellie waved her hands out in front of her. ¡°That¡¯s okay! You know a lot of other things. I only know these things because of where I¡¯m from. You¡¯ve got me beat, anyway, since you know all of your things and Casternian. I couldn¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°You give me too much credit.¡± ¡°You deserve all the credit in Casterne, and I¡¯m not just saying that.¡± The way Ellie smiled had Shreya smiling back without trying. The facade broke in her presence, giving way to something more genuine. ¡°You¡¯re a great person.¡± ¡°Stop that.¡± Shreya rolled one of her hat¡¯s strings between her thumb and forefinger, trying to distract her smile from getting any bigger. ¡°I am not that great. You are.¡± ¡°Because of my title? A title¡¯s a title.¡± Ellie pushed the toe of her boot into the dirt. ¡°Not your title. It is you. You bring out my fun side,¡± a side of her that rarely came out with anyone else. Something about Ellie gave her permission to be silly, and try and do things she couldn¡¯t back at home. ¡°Do you say I am great because I know how to speak multiple languages? It doesn¡¯t take much to be great, then.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a small thing that makes you great, among a bunch of other small things. It stacks.¡± ¡°Do you want to learn our language? I can teach you phrases,¡± Shreya said. The prospect of having the linguistic upper hand for once excited her. While her Casternian wasn¡¯t the worst, she was still painfully aware of her shortcomings: the woodenness of her speech, the way she had to unpack every word and repackage it. Ellie introduced her to new vocabulary every time they met. Reading that Cavalier book was for more than entertainment. It was for study, as well. She¡¯d get more practice traveling through storybook pages. Unfortunately, she hadn¡¯t been able to read more than the back, and Ellie¡¯s apology letter within it. Quiet days up ahead meant she¡¯d finally be able to read it. ¡°This isn¡¯t going to stop me from wanting to learn it, but, um¡­ What does it sound like, and what¡¯s it called?¡± Ellie lifted her bag off of her shoulder, and set it down. The history book peeked out of it. ¡°It doesn¡¯t have a precise name. We call it something like our language, or the language.¡± Neither of those translations had the right level of care. Casternian was too sterile of a tongue, too distant and at arms¡¯ length. ¡°It sounds like¡­what do you want me to say?¡± Ellie rolled her shoulder. The weight of her bag may have strained it. Shreya hoped it was nothing serious. ¡°How about you answer one of my questions from yesterday? What do you honestly think of me? You can be brutal.¡± ¡°You win¡¯t understand it.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t,¡± Ellie corrected, ¡°and that¡¯s the point. If my suspicions are wrong, I don¡¯t want to know a thing. I like the mystery factor of the maybe, maybe not. Maybe I¡¯m right. Maybe I¡¯m wrong. I like not having a clue.¡± ¡°You do not. If that was truth, you would never ask.¡± ¡°Zip zip zippidy zip zip,¡± Ellie babbled. ¡°That¡¯s the beginning of my secret. Me, at my most honest. You should do it, too.¡± ¡°That is not how my language sounds. It is not zippy.¡± ¡°I know. I wasn¡¯t making fun of you. It¡¯s all I¡¯ve got to work with, okay?¡± Ellie cupped her hands out in front of her, like she was holding an invisible baby bird. ¡°Zip zippidy. Zip, zip, Shreya.¡± If that¡¯s supposed to be her heart she¡¯s cradling, she¡¯s more of a romantic than I thought. Shreya could play along. Messing with Ellie was one of her favorite games as of late. She stepped in closer, and gently uncurled the other girl¡¯s fingers. ¡°Me, at my most honest,¡± she echoed Ellie. Shreya smoothed her hands up Ellie¡¯s arms, surprised at the firmness of her biceps. She ran them back down, and felt the subtle wrist straining she was doing to flex her arms. You don¡¯t have to try and show off. You¡¯re fine, and nervous, if her racing heartbeat was any indication. Shreya brought her hands back up, and let them rest on Ellie¡¯s shoulders. She stole a glance into her brown eyes and instantly knew she¡¯d made a mistake by looking. Up close, she could see the beginnings of what she may look like in a few years, a captivating maturity to her looks that her youthful spirit covered up. The gentle arc of her eyebrows. The willful gaze she wore, the sort that Shreya sought to be appraised in. They commanded a presence like this. And then, there was the smile tugging at the corners of her lips, a smile Shreya wanted to widen. She leaned in at an angle, bringing her mouth close to Ellie¡¯s ear. Shreya cooed softly in her home language, letting the syllables take their time. ¡°You keep making me forget that I¡¯m not supposed to like you. I¡¯ve got so many reasons to hate you, to be mad at you, but you¡­¡± She laughed under her breath, Ellie jumping a little in her loose grasp. ¡°What are you doing to me, Ellie?¡± Ellie didn¡¯t move. ¡°Zippidy zip zip,¡± she whispered back. ¡°Zip zippy zip zip. Zip zip? Zip zip.¡± A heavy sigh. The zips took on a sadder tone. ¡°Zippity zip zip. Zip¡­zip zip, Shreya.¡± She took that as a cue to say more, sticking to her native language. ¡°You¡¯re surprising and confusing. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a trait all humans share. It¡¯s you, only you. You¡¯re something else, Ellie.¡± Not that she knew many for comparison, but this girl was unlike any she¡¯d read about. ¡°You¡¯re beautiful,¡± the words came out of Ellie quietly. ¡°Crap, I mean, you sound beautiful. Dammit, I can¡¯t talk. Pretend you didn¡¯t hear that.¡± She slipped back into character, and said, ¡°zip zip zip. Zippidy zip zip zipper. Zips zip zipper zip, Shreya.¡± Pretending didn¡¯t do anything to soothe the somersaults happening in her chest. Still relying on the safety of the Marjani language, she said, ¡°see? You keep paying me compliments and treating me nicely. You¡¯re not fair.¡± Shreya slid her arms forward, to let them drape languidly around her neck. ¡°It¡¯s just you doing things like this that makes me forgetful. You need to control yourself, or else¡­¡± Her words hung in the air without response. Not letting go, Shreya eased back to gauge Ellie¡¯s reaction. Her smile had escaped her lips and became the brightness that illuminated her eyes. Those eyes, they looked into Shreya¡¯s, flicked downwards, and back into hers again. A question. Shreya repeated the motion. An invitation. Ellie moved in, her eyes closing and her hands meeting Shreya¡¯s waist¡ª and she shoved Ellie off, taking a big step backwards as she did. Ellie stumbled, regained her footing, and looked the very image of someone who¡¯d cracked a clay doll. Red-faced, making false start vocalizations too strung together for Shreya to understand. ¡°Okay, okay, great,¡± Ellie slowed down. ¡°Great! Isn¡¯t sharing secrets like that great? I had a good time, didn¡¯t you? Good, yeah, good. A good time was had, indeed.¡± The slower pace didn¡¯t seem to help her be any less flustered. ¡°I am sorry.¡± Shreya didn¡¯t have the comfort of her language to hide behind anymore. ¡°Nothing to be sorry about!¡± She laughed a laugh so forced it made Shreya cringe. ¡°I got carried away, yeah. How embarrassing. Man, oh man, that¡¯s embarrassing.¡± Ellie laughed again. ¡°You startled me. I got scared.¡± Ellie rubbed her arm against her eyes, as if she was waking up. ¡°Sorry for being gross. I took that way too far. Caught up in the moment, y¡¯know? Ew, me,¡± she said, making a face. ¡°Are we okay?¡± ¡°You are not gross,¡± Shreya said, ¡°and we are okay.¡± ¡°What were we talking about before?¡± ¡°Electricity.¡± ¡°Yeah! Electricity, it sure is a cool thing. What a thing electricity is. It powers things up. You can make it in these generator stations, or something,¡± Ellie explained, fumbling her words. She grabbed her bag and hefted the strap over her shoulder. ¡°I can show you it at the house. The socks thing. Cool, let¡¯s get going and see some electricity.¡± She hurried off at a speed between walking and jogging. Shreya took her time, taking in the surroundings spread out before them. Green, and brown, and life. The clicking hum of insects. The smell of wet wood. Moss clinging to a forgotten log. Overturned rocks and the brief splashes of color brought by the presence of flowers. They moved in the cool shade cast by trees overhead. ¡°S-so, how¡¯s your day been so far? What did you do today?¡± Ellie asked without turning around. ¡°Sorry I forgot to ask.¡± A phantom hand squeezed its way around her heart. Shreya took in a breath to steady herself. ¡°It was alright.¡± ¡°¡­And we¡¯re definitely okay?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Shreya said, thankful that Ellie misattributed the strain in her voice. Her fears of Ellie digging into the issue were unfounded. ¡°Did you want to train? I warn you I am not an experienced teacher. I do not know where to start.¡± ¡°How about at the beginning?¡± Ellie suggested. ¡°Just kidding. If it makes you feel any better, I basically know squat all so you can¡¯t go wrong no matter where you start with me.¡± Shreya didn¡¯t go near the odd thing she said in the middle of her sentence. ¡°Okay¡­ What do you want to do?¡± ¡°We should do something to establish a baseline, right?¡± ¡°A starting point. Yes.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s spar!¡± Ellie stopped them, her usual smile and energy restored. She took her bag off, and then paced around to check if the area had an adequate amount of space. They¡¯d ventured off far from the walking path. ¡°What is that? A game?¡± ¡°It¡¯s when you practice fighting. It¡¯ll be fun,¡± she said, ¡°and I wanna show you I¡¯m not as defenseless as you think. I¡¯m rusty, but I used to get private self defense training. My Mom insisted on it.¡± ¡°Ellie, I do not want to fight you,¡± Shreya said with a sigh. ¡°You will never fight anyone like this. This is not practical.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not fighting. We¡¯re sparring. It¡¯s different. Don¡¯t you think learning how to fight unarmed, without weapons, is an essential skill?¡± Ellie sat down in the grass, her fingers making quick work of her boot laces. ¡°No shoes allowed.¡±This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°It is important, but¡­¡± ¡°Think of it as a game.¡± Ellie kicked her boots off. ¡°Shoes.¡± ¡°What are the rules?¡± She untied her leather shoes, and slipped her feet out of them. Why am I doing this? ¡°No headshots. The neck and up is a no. Don¡¯t start at full strength. The point of this isn¡¯t to hurt each other. We¡¯re trying to show technique,¡± Ellie said. She stuffed her socks into her boots. Shreya added, ¡°no blood. Blood and we stop. And we stop if you get hurt in any way.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll stop if you get hurt, you mean.¡± She jumped up to a stand. ¡°Keeping your cape on?¡± She took off her knife belt and set it aside with her shoes. ¡°Is that a problem?¡± Since she hadn¡¯t been able to go home, she hadn¡¯t bound herself as well as she usually did. Shreya had to borrow some of her chest wrappings and arm bandages to keep her upwards-laying tail tied to her back. She wore her shirt tucked in, as an added help for keeping it all in place. Her cape kept all of that covered up. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It gives me something to grab.¡± Ellie stretched her arms over her head. She bent down to reach her toes. Shreya tied her hat strings tighter beneath her chin. ¡°Grab? What does ¡®grab me¡¯ mean? Is that what you plan on doing to me?¡± ¡°¡­Is that a legitimate question, or are you trying to mess with me? I can¡¯t tell if you¡¯re serious or not,¡± Ellie said. ¡°You decide.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± To Shreya¡¯s disappointment, Ellie didn¡¯t go for the bait. ¡°Let¡¯s do this with throwdown rules. You win by taking your opponent to the ground, or when they tap out. Three rounds.¡± Shreya bent down at the waist, keeping her back parallel to the ground, arms and shoulders forward. Ellie backed up to give them some more room to move. She brought her hands up into loose fists, her body slightly angled. She had her left shoulder aimed towards Shreya, her left heel following suit in front of her while she rocked back and forth on the ball of her back foot. ¡°Count of three. Three, two, one¡­go!¡± Ellie moved forwards, then backwards, light on her feet. She strafed to the side, Shreya watching her dance-like movements in amusement. Didn¡¯t she know she¡¯d be thrown more easily like that? Shreya pivoted to stay face-on with her. Ellie got closer and then dipped just out of Shreya¡¯s swiping range. On the defensive, Shreya stayed mostly stationary, allowing Ellie to come to her on her own terms. That proved to be the right move. Overly confident from all her footwork, Ellie came back into striking distance. Her right fist swung for Shreya, who stood up straighter to block it. What she missed was Ellie¡¯s other hand. It connected with her side, the hit more solid than she expected. Shreya grasped that arm by the elbow to stop her. Ellie attempted another hit with her free hand. It made its mark, getting Shreya in the shoulder. She hit her a second time in the same spot, and then a third time much harder than the first two. With a growl, Shreya moved forward to knock her down, pushing her weight forward. Hitting didn¡¯t matter here. It was all about the takedown. Feeling herself sliding, she gripped Shreya¡¯s shoulder to hold on for dear life. No luck there. Ellie tried to rip her other arm out of Shreya¡¯s hold. Shreya gave her what she wanted, freedom of her arm. She let go, moved her hand to her hip, and took her straight down. She would¡¯ve been more gentle with dropping Ellie if she hadn¡¯t pummeled her shoulder. Shreya backed off, out of her fighting stance. Ellie stayed sprawled out, trying to catch her breath. ¡°Shit,¡± she wheezed out, ¡°that was fast.¡± ¡°I did not hurt you, did I?¡± ¡°I¡¯m good¡­I think. How about you? Is your shoulder okay?¡± Ellie got back up. She rubbed her elbow to check for any bruises forming. Shreya did the same for her shoulder. ¡°You take your games seriously.¡± ¡°Yeah, well, sparring¡¯s a good way of getting to know someone. I¡¯ve got to take it seriously. I want you to have a better idea of who I am,¡± she replied. They got back into their starting positions. ¡°Impressed yet?¡± ¡°It is too early to say,¡± Shreya answered. ¡°Heh. Ready? Three, two, one¡­go!¡± Less bounce this time, Ellie exploded forward. Shreya met her charge. She reached for her middle, attempting a tackle that Ellie side-stepped away from. Not losing her momentum, Ellie aimed her hits for Shreya¡¯s side. The one-two-three hit combo clipped Shreya. She pivoted on one foot, and slammed her open palm Ellie¡¯s stomach. The pain of that hit was palpable. It flashed across Ellie¡¯s eyes. Shreya backed off and made an X across her body with her arms. ¡°Stop,¡± Shreya called. ¡°You are hurt.¡± She wiped the sweat from her forehead. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Second round¡¯s a stalemate.¡± Ellie brought her fists back up, not giving Shreya much time to reason with her. ¡°Final round. Three, two, one, go.¡± Determination on all time high, Ellie launched herself at Shreya. She snapped a fast jab at her. Shreya ducked down to avoid it. Planning to swing in low from the right, Shreya started to move only for Ellie to slap her left hand over her upper back. She clutched her cape. Startled, Shreya took steps backwards to shake Ellie¡¯s hand off. Ellie took advantage of her momentary panic. With her other hand, she grabbed Shreya¡¯s left wrist, and then in one fluid motion her hand on Shreya¡¯s upper back moved. She hooked her arm around her neck, stepping forward as she swept her foot behind Shreya¡¯s left knee. They fell forward together, Shreya hitting her back on the ground and Ellie laying on top of her sideways. Her arm wrapped behind her neck hadn¡¯t cushioned the fall by much. Rocks dug into her back. Shreya closed her eyes, her head spinning. Ellie¡¯s weight lifted off of her. Whatever Ellie was saying¡ªsomething about her cape being a good target¡ªwashed over her. She sounded far away. Underwater. When she resurfaced, she saw Ellie standing over her, just like¡ª no, don¡¯t think about her. Shreya willed herself not to. She tried to get up, but her cape wouldn¡¯t move. Her feet planted on her cape, Ellie had her pinned. Trapped. And that look she was giving her¡­the forest¡¯s shadows made it impossible to read. Malice? Anger? Ellie¡¯s posture showed she was ready to strike and take your ears from you. She knows your secret. Shreya slapped her hands against the top of her head. The hat hadn¡¯t moved. She¡¯s going to take it. She¡¯s going to hurt you just like Shanti did, because you left him. She¡¯d ran, escaping from her people¡¯s forest and into this one, all while Danilo lay dying. She abandoned him, all while people who wouldn¡¯t cry for her stood around him, hoping and praying and wishing that it had been her instead of him. Who¡¯d miss the misfit, the wolf who wasn¡¯t a wolf? Shanti could tell everyone she died trying to hunt down the rabbit, and no one would bat an eye. Compared to Danilo, Shreya was nothing to her community. Danilo¡ª the rabbit¡¯s knife stained in red¡ª the way he collapsed against Shanti¡ª Shreya squirmed. Ellie crouched to her level, saying something she couldn¡¯t parse. Everything was going hazy, like a fog was passing through. Ellie reached for her arm. Shreya moved her hand away. ¡°Get off of me.¡± As soon as she did, Shreya stood back up. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! We don¡¯t have to spar ever again. It was a silly, silly idea,¡± Ellie said. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have done that to you without a training mat. Where does it hurt the most? Your back?¡± ¡°My back is fine.¡± ¡°You¡¯re crying. Your back¡¯s not okay. Shit!¡± Ellie walked back and forth. ¡°You need to lie down. You shouldn¡¯t be standing. I¡¯ll¡­I¡¯ll get the water. You lay down.¡± Shreya wiped the back of her hand across her cheek. Ellie was right. She looked at the streak of water on her hand. ¡°It is not about the game. I am okay. It is about Dan¡ª¡± The strength of her voice snapped. It crumbled away to pitiful puffs of air. ¡°Shreya¡­¡± ¡°What is next today, looking for your friend? We are doing that.¡± Shreya picked up her shoes. She took in a shuddering breath through her tears. Helping Ellie would get her mind off of everything. She could go back to keeping everything far away from her. ¡°We can look for her another day.¡± Ellie grabbed her boots and socks. ¡°We¡¯re going to the house.¡± ¡°She is important.¡± ¡°You¡¯re important,¡± Ellie said, her voice sanitized of its merriment. ¡°Put your shoes on and let¡¯s go.¡± Once they had all of their things packed and ready, Ellie offered Shreya her hand to hold. Ellie walked ahead of her as they went. She kept her hand behind her, linked with Shreya¡¯s. Walking like that afforded Shreya more privacy as her tears continued to fall. ~ * ~ * ~ Two jars of oatmeal were set out on the table. No one had touched them. Shreya leaned her head in her hands, covering her eyes as if that would dam the water coming out of them. Ellie sat across from her, quiet. Although they weren¡¯t talking, her presence was enough of a help. The gentle breaths Ellie was taking in, the near inaudible inhale and exhale, gave Shreya something to focus on. She lowered one of her hands to the table, and moved it towards Ellie without looking. Ellie took it. She smoothed her thumb over Shreya¡¯s pulse point. It was when her ears picked up a change in her breathing¡ªa sniffle¡ªthat Shreya finally looked at her. ¡°I swear I don¡¯t cry this much,¡± Ellie said, smiling weakly. ¡°You¡¯re, like, my soft spot or something. I¡¯m way cooler than this.¡± ¡°I think you are mine, too.¡± Her voice had gone hoarse. ¡°You are an interesting girl.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a compliment.¡± ¡°Please do,¡± Shreya said. She glanced at the food jars. ¡°I do not think I can have that, not right now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t think you have to. I only took them out in case you wanted to,¡± Ellie said. ¡°We can take things easy, okay? We don¡¯t have to talk about whatever¡¯s going on. Think of today as your day. We can do anything.¡± ¡°I think I want to talk upstairs.¡± Shreya¡¯s limbs weighed heavily as she got out of her chair. Her exhaustion was from more than the sparring. Too much had happened in a single day. ¡°Join me.¡± She walked up the stairs and sat on the first bed she laid eyes on. Not that there was much variation among them. They all looked aged and worn down. The mattress squeaked beneath her, the coils pressing against her. She found a more comfortable spot against the headboard, and stretched out her legs. Ellie took a seat on the edge of the bed. If she¡¯d been in a better mood, Shreya would¡¯ve teased her for that. Instead, she silently patted the spot next to her. Looking grateful, and a touch relieved, Ellie took it. ¡°I do not know where to start,¡± Shreya said. ¡°It has been a terrible day.¡± And there went her voice, becoming watery soft all over again. Ellie sat up more. ¡°Is it okay if I hold you?¡± Shreya nodded. Ellie put her arm around her shoulders, sitting closer. She matched Shreya¡¯s voice for softness. ¡°Take as much time as you need. I¡¯m not going anywhere.¡± Being this close, there was a lot of Ellie to take in. The thrum of her heartbeat. Her pleasant scent. Shreya spoke, ¡°I was with my sister and her friends this morning. They seemed nice. Okay¡­except one of them. He brought a fish to shore when he didn¡¯t need to, but it wasn¡¯t that big of a deal.¡± ¡°Where did this happen?¡± ¡°In the woods.¡± Where else could it have been? ¡°We had a fire. We were eating fish. Everything was okay, and then, most of the group left to watch my sister and her friend fight. I stayed at the fire with one of her friends, because I do not like fighting, sorry.¡± She knew she was stalling by drawing the story out. ¡°He was friendly. Very friendly.¡± ¡°Friendly like me?¡± ¡°No, not like you. There is no one like you there for me.¡± ¡°I know how that feels¡­¡± Shreya let out a big sigh. ¡°We talked. Then, we met everyone else. Things were okay. My sister won her fight. She and her friend were bleeding, and it disturbed me.¡± She was thankful that her sparring with Ellie hadn¡¯t resulted in anything similar. ¡°Blood is not unusual. We fight hard.¡± ¡°Do you win a lot?¡± ¡°No, my sister wins. That is okay with me. It is a sport. It is meant to be fun.¡± Shreya took in another deep breath. Ellie squeezed her shoulders. ¡°You can stop whenever you need to.¡± ¡°Thank you. I want to keep going,¡± Shreya said. She readied herself for the worst part of the story. ¡°We found a rabbit after that. And we¡­we surrounded it. Everyone wanted to kill it but me.¡± Her head threatened to spin again. ¡°The rabbit was not doing anything. It did not deserve to die.¡± ¡°Four legs or two?¡± Ellie asked. ¡°Were they trying to kill it for fun?¡± ¡°Two legs. It was not for fun. It was for food but in a disrespectful way,¡± Shreya said. She remembered the way Adikavi passed his knife back and forth, and the way they all openly discussed killing the rabbit. ¡°It did not feel right. She did not look dangerous. She did not provoke anyone. She was there. That was all. She begged for her life.¡± ¡°So they killed the rabbit?¡± Shreya turned her head towards Ellie, tilting her head so she could hide against her chest. ¡°No. They did not,¡± she mumbled. ¡°My sister was going to force me to. She wanted me to prove myself to her. Kill the rabbit, and you¡¯re one of us.¡± ¡°That sounds like a gang initiation.¡± ¡°Gang? No gang. It is family. It is community,¡± Shreya said. ¡°Th-there¡¯s someone I have not told you of in my story. He is someone important.¡± ¡°Who is he?¡± ¡°My sister¡¯s Forever.¡± Shreya couldn¡¯t think of a better word for it in Casternian. ¡°He was there, and he said he would kill it for me. He got down a-and then that rabbit attacked him.¡± She closed her eyes to try and hold back more of her tears. It wasn¡¯t working. ¡°The rabbit had a knife and she hurt him so bad, Ellie.¡± Ellie hugged her closer. Shreya could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She continued, ¡°The rabbit ran. Everyone else carried him back and my sister and I stayed to talk. I would not let her chase the rabbit, and we fought. She¡­¡± Shreya¡¯s voice became whisper thin. ¡°She hates me. Shanti never wants to see me again.¡± ¡°Was she the one who put that shoeprint on your cape? I didn¡¯t say anything when I first saw it, but¡­I saw it.¡± ¡°Yeah. She was very angry. She had a knife. I thought she would hurt me.¡± Shreya tried not to relive that moment. ¡°It was horrible.¡± ¡°Your sister pulled a knife on you? That¡¯s fucked up, Shreya.¡± ¡°It should have been me, not Danilo. The rabbit should have hurt me.¡± ¡°Bullshit. Don¡¯t say things like that,¡± Ellie shot at her. ¡°What if he¡¯s dead because of me?¡± Shreya asked. ¡°It wasn¡¯t your fault,¡± Ellie said. ¡°The only one anyone should blame for this is the rabbit. It¡¯s not fucking fair to put it all on you.¡± ¡°None of this would¡¯ve happened if I was normal,¡± she whispered. ¡°If I was normal, I could¡¯ve killed it and been done.¡± ¡°That¡¯s normal?¡± ¡°Community comes first always,¡± Shreya said, ¡°but it¡¯s not like I can go back there. My sister warned me not to.¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t go back. Come home with me to Stockbrunn,¡± Ellie said. She thought of Sunflower and Marietta, and how they instantly knew she was a wolf. There¡¯d be no hiding in Stockbrunn, not among the people who¡¯d be her enemies if they saw through her disguise. ¡°I can not.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Ellie¡¯s voice rose. ¡°I can keep you safe. No one¡¯s going to force you to do anything you don¡¯t want to do. No one¡¯s going to be pulling knives on you. You keep saying you¡¯re not like anyone from your home. You don¡¯t have to be.¡± What the fuck are you? Her sister had screamed that at her. ¡°I¡¯m not like them,¡± Shreya said, ¡°and I can¡¯t be like you. I¡¯m nothing.¡± Not a wolf; not a human. An entity all her own. ¡°You¡¯re not nothing to me,¡± Ellie said. Shreya looked up at her, into her eyes looking at her like she was all that was important. She would¡¯ve gotten lost in that look if it weren¡¯t for the space between them shortening. Something cracked inside of her. It must¡¯ve been the electricity Ellie spoke of, the thing that had the strength to move mountains and power entire towns. It was the pull that brought them together, Ellie¡¯s hand finding hers as they leaned in closer. Shreya¡¯s eyes lulled to a close. Her senses filled with the girl before her. Ellie, the girl who¡¯d so thoroughly planted herself in her head. Ellie, the girl set to inherit a legacy she rejected. Ellie, with her love of wheat oatmeal, lockpicking, rebellion, games, and laughter¡ªshe was kissing that girl, and she was kissing her back in earnest. They parted, still holding each other to keep one another close. Ever the eloquent one, Ellie spoke first. ¡°Wow. That happened¡­¡± ¡°I know,¡± Shreya replied, ¡°that happened.¡± She let go of her, and settled herself so she could more comfortably lay against Ellie. ¡°And yes, before you worry, we are okay. We are very okay.¡± She felt incredibly tired. The day¡¯s events had taken their toll on her. Her emotions had ran her ragged. ¡°Wow,¡± Ellie repeated numbly. ¡°Thank you for listening¡­¡± Shreya wasn¡¯t sure what else she said. That was the last thing before she gave in to the urge to sleep. ~ * ~ * ~ She woke with a start some time later. Ellie was trying her best to slide out from under her without disturbing her. The coil springs made that an impossible task to win. ¡°Sorry,¡± Ellie said. ¡°I have to get home. The sun¡¯s gotten too low.¡± That¡¯s right. Ellie had Stockbrunn to return to. Shreya sat up, careful to keep her cape behind her. ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°You¡¯re staying here for the night, right?¡± Ellie asked. Shreya nodded in confirmation. Ellie said, ¡°I can lock you in here, but if you go out it may mess up the locking mechanism. I¡¯ve got it rigged in a certain way. You¡¯re not trapped in here, just¡­nevermind. Basically, if you leave, it¡¯s not going to stay locked.¡± ¡°I am not leaving. I am going back to sleep,¡± Shreya said, ¡°and when I wake up, I will do some reading. Remember to leave the book.¡± ¡°And eat the oatmeal. I don¡¯t know how well it¡¯s going to keep through the night.¡± Ellie frowned. ¡°I wish I didn¡¯t have to leave you. I don¡¯t like the thought of you staying out here all alone. Maybe I can try and see if I can stay with you tomorrow night? Would that be okay?¡± ¡°It is okay. This is how it is.¡± As much as she wanted her to, it would be better if she didn¡¯t. Keeping her disguise through the night seemed a difficult prospect. What if her hat came off, or her cape and clothes shifted to reveal her tail? Anything could happen from her tossing and turning at night. ¡°Sleeping in a house like this is better than how I usually sleep. I will be okay.¡± ¡°Alright¡­ I¡¯ll see what I can do. Bye, Shreya.¡± She said farewell to her in her language, ¡°take care, Ellie.¡± ¡°Zip zip,¡± she chirped back to her, and she left down the stairs. Shreya rolled over on the bed, her eyes to the ceiling. I hope things really are okay. Chapter 25: Advice Ellie Navarrete did more than show up at Marietta Trotter¡¯s edge-of-the-town home. She made her entrance by skipping, hopping, and spinning, like she were wearing birds for shoes¡ªerratic birds with frenzied flight patterns, who didn¡¯t care who or what their ditzy passenger bounced into. On the third time Ellie came close to whirling into Marietta, Marietta stretched out her foot to trip her. Ellie danced over it. ¡°What¡¯s got you in such a good mood?¡± Marietta rested her hands on her hips. She wore a pink and blue polkadot bow to complement her overalls and round-collared blouse. Her bow was off to the side of one of her pig ears. ¡°Is Stockbrunn burning?¡± ¡°Nope!¡± Ellie stopped, mid-turn. It was still early enough in the evening for pillars of smoke to be unmistakable. Not to mention that there weren¡¯t any screams of terror to be heard. Stockbrunn was the same as it ever was. ¡°And I don¡¯t know. Life¡¯s got me in a good mood.¡± It wasn¡¯t that Ellie didn¡¯t want to tell Marietta what was going on between her and Shreya. She¡¯d been keeping Marietta more-or-less up-to-date on the situation. Marietta was her confidant in a way that Zinnia couldn¡¯t be: sharp and shrewd with her points aimed at the rest of the town, and not her. They had a bond forged through their mutual dislike of the town¡¯s politics and stances. ¡°Is your good mood to blame for why you¡¯ve been slacking on your visits?¡± ¡°Kind of¡­ I¡¯m getting absent-minded, sorry.¡± Ellie fished into her bag. ¡°Here, I¡¯ve brought dinner for you. I put some pears in it.¡± ¡°Pears? You spoil me.¡± Marietta lacked sincerity. She took the oatmeal jar and unscrewed the lid. ¡°I¡¯ll bring you more food in the morning. It¡¯ll be enough to cover both meals,¡± Ellie said. ¡°I¡¯m not going to be around at supper time, so don¡¯t eat them both at once.¡± ¡°It would be easier to do that if you brought something other than porridge. What happened to the other things you used to make?¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± Her dinner leftovers used to make their way into Marietta¡¯s breakfast jar. She hadn¡¯t had any part in cooking them. ¡°Well, the way you become an expert at something is to do it a whole bunch of times, right? I¡¯m trying to become a porridge expert. Isn¡¯t it good? Shreya likes it.¡± ¡°So she¡¯s the reason why I¡¯ve been left to this cruel fate. A menu of porridge day in and day out.¡± ¡°It¡¯s easier to make it in batches.¡± ¡°Tell her to get a new favorite food,¡± Marietta said. Instead of saying more, she gave Ellie an up-and-down once-over, letting out a small, thoughtful ¡°hmmm¡± as she did. ¡°She¡¯s the reason why you¡¯re giddy.¡± ¡°What? Nooooo,¡± Ellie said, drawing the word out for far too long. ¡°Seems like patching things up with her went¡­splendidly, didn¡¯t it?¡± She gave her a knowing smile. Ellie balanced back on her heels. ¡°Yeah, we patched things up, but, um, nothing weird happened. Don¡¯t look at me like that. The letter worked, and it got us talking.¡± ¡°I told you it would. You write better than you speak.¡± ¡°Thank you, I think? Anyway, yeah, that was yesterday. We got to know each other better. And then today,¡± Ellie said, ¡°we got to talking some more. It got personal.¡± ¡°I bet it did. You smell like her.¡± ¡°What?¡± She brought her arm to her nose and gave herself a sniff. ¡°No, I don¡¯t. You¡¯re messing with me.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t tell, but any animal can. She¡¯s got a scent, as do you. You¡¯ve all got your own scents.¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised you remembered hers. It¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°She¡¯s not one to forget. You¡¯d know that better than me, though,¡± she replied. ¡°Now, I wonder what you could¡¯ve been up to that would¡¯ve had her all over you.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t anything explicit, so you can take all those dirty thoughts you¡¯re having, pour them into a bucket, and toss them into the river.¡± Ellie made a throwing motion. ¡°For a prattle-box, you¡¯re being awfully quiet about this.¡± Marietta scooped some of her porridge into her mouth. ¡°It¡¯s private!¡± Heat radiated from her cheeks. ¡°Personal; private¡­ It sounds like something happened.¡± ¡°Yeah, something happened, but not that,¡± Ellie said. ¡°It was, like, a thing that I wanted to happen except I didn¡¯t think it¡¯d happen so soon. And it didn¡¯t happen quite the way I would¡¯ve wanted it to.¡± She didn¡¯t want to soil the hours-old memory by looking too far into it, but now that she was talking to Marietta, she couldn¡¯t help herself. Ellie kept digging at it, uncovering the doubt she¡¯d been trying to bury beneath secretive smiles and impressive dance moves. The doubt curled its way around her thoughts like a mossy vine. ¡°Did she reject you?¡± ¡°Funny enough, she did at first. She had her arms around my shoulders like this.¡± Ellie hugged herself the best she could. ¡°And she was whispering all this stuff in my ear and she made me so weak I thought I¡¯d faint if it weren¡¯t for her holding me. It was intense. Ever done a whole lot of running? It was like that, except we hadn¡¯t been working out at all. We were just standing there.¡± ¡°Get to the point.¡± ¡°Okay, so, I went for it, right? She pushed me away, ¡¯cause I totally misread the signals. She wasn¡¯t ready. Hell, I don¡¯t know if I was ready, either. I just wanted to.¡± Her tongue felt thick in her mouth, disgustingly so. Why¡¯d she have to go and drudge that up? ¡°How about the second time?¡± ¡°You remember that house I told you about? We were in there, and talking about things, and it got real intense again. She was telling me about her day and more things about her life, and I got this overwhelming urge to save her,¡± Ellie said. ¡°But she doesn¡¯t want me to. She won¡¯t let me help her, and she won¡¯t give me a good reason as to why.¡± ¡°You¡¯re being incredibly vague, but I have a solution for you: don¡¯t save her. She doesn¡¯t need you to.¡± ¡°She¡¯d need me if I didn¡¯t suck at everything. I tried showing her that wasn¡¯t true, but it came back and hit me in the face. It was way worse than stepping on a rake.¡± If Marietta didn¡¯t understand that expression, she didn¡¯t let on. ¡°Your forest friend can handle herself.¡± ¡°One half of me knows that, and the other half of me doesn¡¯t want to admit that. It was like I was going through all of the stuff with the letter all over again. It¡¯s not like I deserved her talking to me again. What I deserved was something twice as bad, right?¡± Ellie asked. ¡°Accept that she accepted your apology.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Ellie answered her question, ignoring Marietta. ¡°So we were talking and things got intense, and¡ªdid I say that already?¡± ¡°You¡¯re drifting off-track,¡± Marietta said. ¡°Sorry. We were huddled close and our emotions took over, I guess. We kissed, and I¡¯m happy and confused about it. It¡¯s something I¡¯ve wanted to happen without me fully saying to myself that I did. It became clear after the first time I tried to kiss her, but, who kisses someone they hardly know?¡± ¡°You do.¡± ¡°I know¡­¡± ¡°Did it make you happy?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°So what are you waffling about this for?¡± ¡°Because it made us go from this,¡± Ellie said, holding her hand in front of her stomach, ¡°to this.¡± She brought her hand up to eye-level. ¡°We should¡¯ve been going from this,¡± she held her hand at neck-level, ¡°to this,¡± and raised it to her eyes. ¡°See the difference? High to very high, not low to very high.¡±This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°The mood! It should¡¯ve been happy to very happy, not sad to very happy.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see the problem.¡± ¡°Maybe there isn¡¯t one. I don¡¯t know,¡± Ellie sighed. ¡°I wish it¡¯d happened in a better way. It¡¯s just hard to think around her. She¡¯s just everything I¡¯m not, you know? One look at her, and my mind goes elsewhere.¡± ¡°Elsewhere,¡± Marietta repeated. ¡°Not in that way!¡± Ellie covered her face with her hands. ¡°I¡¯m gonna have to go soon. I¡¯ve gotta catch up with Zinnia.¡± ¡°When you do, go ask her about her toolbox. She¡¯s got work for you to do.¡± ¡°What do you mean? She didn¡¯t fix your wall?¡± ¡°Nope. She threw a fit. An entertaining fit, mind you, but a fit all the same,¡± Marietta said. ¡°She told me to hope that you¡¯d know how to fix it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t, that¡¯s why I asked her to help.¡± Ellie had a feeling something like that would happen. Her distraction plan had worked, but at what cost? ¡°I¡¯ll bring it up to her again when I see her. I can¡¯t have you living with a wall that¡¯s ready to cave in.¡± ¡°Convince her to expand the place, too. I could use a space upgrade.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try. I¡¯ll see you in the morning with plenty of food.¡± ~ * ~ * ~ The door to the Trotter residence opened before Ellie had a chance to knock. ¡°Hey, Zinnia!¡± Ellie waved at her. ¡°Great timing.¡± ¡°I told you not to come here anymore,¡± Zinnia warned. She gently closed the door behind her. ¡°What are you doing here? This better be an emergency.¡± ¡°It is! I need your help with something.¡± ¡°If this has anything to do with Marietta¡¯s house, I¡¯m not falling for your trick a second time. That was dirty, and you know it.¡± ¡°How was I supposed to know she¡¯d be there while you were working? I thought she¡¯d leave,¡± Ellie said. ¡°No, she stayed and she threw a fit. She was being childish.¡± ¡°She said the same thing about you, minus the childish part.¡± ¡°She¡¯s a pig. They like patterning themselves after our speech patterns to make themselves feel smart,¡± Zinnia explained. ¡°It makes sense that she¡¯d use the same word choice.¡± ¡°Or you guys have more in common than you think.¡± ¡°If you honestly think that, then you have no idea who I am.¡± ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m not trying to get on your bad side here,¡± Ellie said. ¡°Let me try again¡­ I need your help, Zinnia.¡± ¡°With what?¡± ¡°Um¡­a lot of things. Beginning with me needing you to cover for me. I need you to pretend like I¡¯m staying with you tomorrow night, like overnight and stuff.¡± Zinnia stared at her. She moved away from her doorway. ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m not smiling, am I?¡± ¡°This is about Shreya, isn¡¯t it?¡± Zinnia asked. Ellie nodded. ¡°Yep! So, help me out. Be a friend and cover for me.¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m not covering for your little woodsy affair.¡± ¡°Woodsy affair? It¡¯s not like that. Ugh, why does everyone think it¡¯s like that?¡± ¡°Everyone? Ask whoever else knows if you can pretend that you¡¯re staying at their place,¡± Zinnia said. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re even asking me this.¡± ¡°Marietta knows, but my mom would never let me stay at her place. You¡¯re my only hope.¡± ¡°How long have you known this girl?¡± ¡°Save the lecture,¡± Ellie said. ¡°I¡¯m not sleeping with her. I just want to spend more time with her. She¡¯s going through a lot right now, and I gotta be there for her.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a classic line. Is that what she said when she asked you to spend the night with you?¡± ¡°It was my idea.¡± ¡°Have you even kissed yet?¡± ¡°No. ¡­Maybe? Just a little, but that doesn¡¯t matter!¡± ¡°Now I¡¯m really not going to help you. I don¡¯t support this.¡± ¡°I thought you liked her,¡± Ellie said. ¡°You¡¯re the one who gave me the idea on how to win her back.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m going to help you have your way with her. My apologies, but I¡¯m drawing the line here,¡± Zinnia said. ¡°I cannot condone you entering a relationship with someone from the woods.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not. Nothing¡¯s happening between us. It was a spur-of-the-moment thing. We still have to talk about it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re acting shady.¡± ¡°Only because I¡¯m nervous.¡± Ellie clasped her hands together. ¡°Okay, it¡¯s really not my business to tell, but I want to stay with her tomorrow night because she doesn¡¯t have anyone else. She was kicked out of her home.¡± ¡°Bring her here, then. You¡¯ve got room in your house.¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t want to be here. She wants to stay out there where she¡¯s more comfortable. What would you do if she was crying in your arms, telling her how alone she was?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t fall for her tricks. She¡¯s trying to manipulate you.¡± ¡°Why are you being so cruel?¡± ¡°Because you were cruel with that Marietta set-up.¡± ¡°How else was I supposed to get you to see the damage? You would¡¯ve never gone on your own,¡± Ellie reasoned. ¡°Sorry she bothered you or whatever, but you have to know you can¡¯t leave her house like that. What if I help you fix it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know why you care so much. She¡¯s an animal. She doesn¡¯t need four walls and a roof.¡± ¡°Oh, c¡¯mon. I¡¯ll do anything you tell me to do. Whatever it takes to fix it.¡± ¡°Is this two favors you¡¯re asking of me?¡± Zinnia asked for clarity. ¡°I guess.¡± ¡°Okay, give me a minute where you don¡¯t talk. I need to think.¡± Ellie counted in her head. Once the appropriate amount of time passed, Zinnia said, ¡°I¡¯ll do it. We can make quick work of the wall if you work with me on it.¡± ¡°What about the other thing?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do both things only if you swear something to me.¡± ¡°Anything!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t report me, Noemi, or anyone else in Arntzen for what we¡¯ve been doing,¡± Zinnia said. ¡°Didn¡¯t I already give you my word on that?¡± Ellie asked. ¡°You can¡¯t still be hung up about that¡­ We¡¯re past that, aren¡¯t we?¡± ¡°I want you to swear it to me.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± she said. It felt like she was betraying her friendship by doing this, but she needed her help. ¡°I swear it.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Zinnia said, smiling. ¡°Meet me on my family¡¯s farm first thing in the morning. There¡¯s tools and supplies there that I¡¯m going to need your help carrying. If we¡¯re lucky, we won¡¯t run into my father.¡± ¡°Oh, how¡¯s he been doing lately?¡± ¡°He¡¯s coping,¡± she said, her smile going away. ¡°He¡¯s not doing it in a way I¡¯d like, but he¡¯s coping all the same. That¡¯s all I have to say about him.¡± ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t know he was a sore subject with you.¡± Zinnia cleared her throat. She looked away. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m going to head back inside. I¡¯ve got dinner to prepare.¡± ¡°See you tomorrow. Thanks so much.¡± ¡°Mmhm, see you.¡± ~ * ~ * ~ Later that night, Ellie discovered that her mother¡¯s high spirits and chipper mood had found its way into her food. Wonderfully spiced quail with a hearty side of creamy mushroom noodle soup. She waved the smell of it into her face, breathing in deep before digging in. Hilda poured herself a glass of white wine, something from the cellar. ¡°You¡¯ll give yourself hiccups if you don¡¯t slow down.¡± ¡°Can you write down the recipe for this?¡± Ellie sipped broth from her spoon. ¡°Yes. You have to be careful with quail, though,¡± Hilda said. ¡°Its size makes it easy to burn.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve had quail. I almost forgot how good it is.¡± ¡°The herbs help it.¡± Delicate with her knife, she cut a piece off of the bird, pierced it, and placed it in her mouth. ¡°You¡¯re scary when you do that.¡± Ellie reached for the wine bottle. Her mother swatted her hand away, then poured a glass to the middle for her. ¡°Certain members of the council are recommending that you take etiquette lessons. We can start with your table manners.¡± ¡°Says the lady who just stuck a knife in her mouth,¡± Ellie said. ¡°Says your mother,¡± Hilda corrected, ¡°your mother who cleaned up that mess you made at the council meeting.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t that bad, was it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m thankful it wasn¡¯t worse. Being the Heiress, it¡¯s easier for you to get away with things like that. Your reputation among the council may suffer for this, but it wouldn¡¯t be smart of them to vocalize their complaints.¡± ¡°Tell them I¡¯ll wipe the cabinet clean if they do.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what they¡¯re afraid of.¡± Hilda knifed another slice of quail. ¡°An Intendant would rather die than be replaced. They don¡¯t take their positions lightly.¡± ¡°Aunt Catalina seems to.¡± ¡°She¡¯s different outside of casual environments,¡± she replied. ¡°You do realize that ¡®getting on the Heiress¡¯s nerves too much¡¯ isn¡¯t grounds for expulsion from the council, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Ellie said. She cut her quail, and ate a forkful of the meat. ¡°On the other hand, Uncle Cornelius is like her opposite.¡± ¡°He¡¯s a man bound by duty.¡± Hilda drank a little wine. ¡°The Intendant of Agriculture is the most coveted position on the council. It¡¯s difficult, yet necessary work, and your Uncle Cornelius is well-suited for it.¡± ¡°Do you ever think about what would¡¯ve happened if he became the Heir? I would¡¯ve been a regular kid and you would¡¯ve been a regular mom. We wouldn¡¯t have this house.¡± ¡°You nearly made me choke on my drink,¡± she said. ¡°If he¡¯d won the title and gone on to be the Chief, he would¡¯ve appointed me the Intendant of Agriculture, the same as I did for him. We wouldn¡¯t have been regular.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have wanted to be a farmer like Uncle Kier and Aunt Una?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t settle for that, no. I¡¯d always want more,¡± Hilda said. ¡°Good thing you got what you wanted, then,¡± Ellie said. She ate more of her food. Having finished her glass, Hilda poured herself some more. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± It wasn¡¯t the time to have that conversation. ¡°I was wondering, um, do you think it¡¯d be okay if I hung out with Zinnia tomorrow? I¡¯ll have Sunflower with me. I want to help her out with the farm.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want you near that farm.¡± ¡°I have to help her carry some stuff so we can work on Marietta¡¯s house together.¡± ¡°You know my thoughts and feelings about you spending too much time around Marietta.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t stop taking care of her,¡± Ellie said. Hilda sighed. ¡°I know. I¡¯m only reminding you of my opinion.¡± ¡°Alright. And after we hang out, we¡¯re going to have a sleepover.¡± ¡°Where? Outside?¡± ¡°No, at Zinnia¡¯s house.¡± ¡°Ianthe and Vervain wouldn¡¯t be okay with that.¡± ¡°They¡¯re going to have to get used to me talking to Zinnia.¡± ¡°You can understand why they¡¯d be upset, yes?¡± Hilda asked. ¡°They¡¯d never approve of you being in their house.¡± ¡°So we¡¯ll sleep in her backyard. It¡¯ll be like a camping trip.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still on their property.¡± ¡°What about if we sleep outside Marietta¡¯s place? We won¡¯t wander far,¡± Ellie tried. ¡°I¡¯ll have Sunflower with me. Having her and Marietta around would be like having two alarms.¡± Hilda replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s worse.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the safest camping trip I could have. Marietta¡¯s place is within the town¡¯s limits. We¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t the reason why you went to the council meeting, is it?¡± ¡°No way. This has nothing to do with that. I only came up with this when I was hanging out with Zinnia earlier.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been hanging out with her a lot,¡± Hilda said. ¡°Nothing¡¯s happening, I swear,¡± Ellie defended herself before any accusations could start flying. ¡°Heh, I wasn¡¯t insinuating anything,¡± Hilda said. ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you with your friend back. I can tell she¡¯s having a positive effect on you.¡± ¡°Yeah, she really is¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make me regret this. I¡¯ll let you have your camp-out. Bring Sunflower with you. I want her next to you at all times.¡± ¡°Definitely! Thanks so much!¡± ¡°And remember to exercise her more often. I¡¯ve noticed her being aggressive with my dogs,¡± she said. ¡°She has too much pent-up energy.¡± ¡°I will, for sure.¡± Ellie grinned, then dove back into her dinner. Everything was going according to plan. So far, anyway. Chapter 26: Meaning It had been a long time since Ellie Navarrete last stepped foot on Trotter farmland, way off in the agricultural sector. Keeping her dog Sunflower close to her, Ellie followed after Zinnia. Squat, a-frame shelters stood along the dirt path they walked on. The majority were open-faced, with plain curtains hanging in place of proper doors. What struck Ellie the most was the stark sameness. Gone were the color and style variations from years ago. These houses were personality-stripped doppelgangers, each one as bland as the last. There was only space enough between them for a small child to squeeze through. ¡°Was the redecoration your idea?¡± Ellie asked the girl ahead of her. ¡°Yes and no,¡± she said, ¡°my father wanted to focus on quantity over quality, and I wanted to avoid feeding into certain behaviors.¡± A pig peeked at them from around his doorway curtain. Catching his eye, Ellie gave him a wave. He grinned, then whipped his head around so fast that his ears bounced. ¡°Lady Trotter brought a friend with her,¡± the pig announced to whoever else was in his tiny home. Hearing the news, another pig appeared at the entrance-way of the next shack over. To be nice, Ellie waved at her the same way she had the other animal. The pig audibly gasped at that, her knees knocking together. This caused yet another pig to poke its head out of its house and see what was going on. Ellie raised her hand. Zinnia tugged Ellie¡¯s arm down. ¡°Don¡¯t do that.¡± A growl rumbled in Sunflower¡¯s jumpsuit-clad chest. Ellie said her name to reassure her, and put an end to that. She challenged Zinnia, ¡°why not wave at them? You don¡¯t say good morning to them?¡± ¡°They¡¯re pigs. We don¡¯t humor them,¡± Zinnia said. If she¡¯d noticed she¡¯d affected Sunflower, she didn¡¯t act like it. ¡°It¡¯s not humoring them. It¡¯s saying hello. What¡¯s wrong with saying hello?¡± ¡°Acknowledging them in any special way makes their egos swell. You greet one, and you have to greet them all. It¡¯s too much of a headache.¡± She rubbed the edge of her eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯re not a morning person, are you, Zinnia?¡± Ellie asked. ¡°Let¡¯s not forget whose idea it was to wake up before the birds do.¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying to get you out of here before Father gets here,¡± Zinnia said. ¡°We do this early or we don¡¯t do it at all.¡± ¡°Still doesn¡¯t explain why you can¡¯t treat your animals better.¡± The better treated the animal, the better tasting the meat, supposedly. Better meat sold better. The financial impact should¡¯ve been enough to sway her. Zinnia kept walking, leading them further into the pig village. ¡°Ignoring them is my way of keeping them from getting competitive with another,¡± she said. ¡°They crave attention from people. It¡¯s something they can use in their little status arguments. ¡®Lady Trotter¡¯s friend waved at me, so I¡¯m better than you.''¡± ¡°Is that why they¡¯re all wearing the same clothes?¡± Each pig she¡¯d seen had been wearing a plain, pattern-free gown. ¡°Yes, giving them the same look generally helps.¡± ¡°That happened in the last village, too. The status obsession. Are they as excited by ribbons as the last ones?¡± ¡°You mean their designation tags? Yes, they are. It¡¯s one of their few differentiators. They fight over them sometimes¡­ They¡¯ve created meanings for the colors that don¡¯t make any sense.¡± Zinnia sighed softly. ¡°That¡¯s another headache I don¡¯t want to get into.¡± New pigs. Newly restructured environment. No traces left behind of the previous society. And yet, they fell back into the same superiority complex-driven patterns as the last group. They echoed the ghosts from pasts they¡¯d never known. If the one pig she¡¯d heard from was any indication, then their grasp on Casternian was just as impressive, despite Zinnia (and maybe her family)¡¯s unwillingness to speak with them. There were some qualities that were just inherent to animals. Nature won out. Zinnia brought them to an area piled high with various lumber, somewhere towards the back end of the village. ¡°Everything we need is in here.¡± She gestured to her family¡¯s locked tool shed, and took a key out of her coveralls¡¯ pocket. Painted mint green, it was one of the few things they hadn¡¯t knocked down during the redevelopment process. ¡°You can carry the toolbox. Sunflower can push the wheelbarrow,¡± Zinnia said. She unlocked and opened the door. ¡°Wait here while I gather the things we¡¯ll need.¡± Sunflower¡¯s ears perked up. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°What¡¯re you gonna do?¡± Ellie asked. ¡°¡®Cause it sounds like we¡¯re the oxen and you¡¯re the driver.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got a wall to tear down and put back up. I¡¯m saving my strength for that.¡± ~ * ~ * ~ And it was a good thing she had, because Ellie didn¡¯t know the first thing when it came to construction work. Following a hammer-related mishap, she was relegated to the ¡®pass me whatever thing I ask for¡¯ role. Marietta sat on a blanket laid over the grass, watching them while she ate. Her mouth was too full to verbally jab at them, something Ellie was grateful for. Sunflower paced around the perimeter. Although Marietta¡¯s house was relatively safe at the edge of the town, it gave Ellie more peace of mind to have Sunflower patrol for them. ¡°Okay, that should be the last of the nails.¡± Zinnia dropped it into the container Ellie held out for her. ¡°Help me pull this board away from the frame.¡± Ellie put down what she was holding, then did as she was asked. It took some tugging, but with their combined efforts, they took the old wall off. ¡°This is lighter than I thought it¡¯d be.¡± They guided it down to the ground. Ellie whistled for Sunflower¡¯s attention. Glad to be useful, she ran over. ¡°Take. Drop it there,¡± Ellie commanded, pointing to a spot. Sunflower dragged the wooden board out of the way for them. ¡°It¡¯s thin plywood,¡± Zinnia explained. She went to the wheelbarrow, stacked high with wood slabs the right length for Marietta¡¯s shack. ¡°It¡¯s light by design, but that¡¯s what makes it more vulnerable to things like rot. It¡¯s weak.¡± ¡°Is the, um, frame or whatever made out of the same thing?¡± That didn¡¯t sound too safe. Zinnia took a slab from the pile. ¡°The scaffolding¡¯s a stronger material. There hasn¡¯t been any damage done to the wall¡¯s framing, so that will make this easier.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not plywood you¡¯re going to hammer to it again, is it?¡± ¡°Regular wood. Since I couldn¡¯t get a big cut of it, I¡¯m going to have to hammer each plank to the frame and rebuild the new wall that way,¡± Zinnia said. ¡°It won¡¯t take me too long.¡± Marietta¡¯s house looked like someone had sliced it open. It was strange seeing it exposed from this angle. Ellie looked up, and gasped. ¡°Wait a second, shouldn¡¯t her roof be coming down? What¡¯s keeping it up? Aren¡¯t you scared it¡¯s going to slide off or something? What if it comes off and smooshes us?¡± ¡°Ellie, I know what I¡¯m doing. I¡¯m the one who built this for her.¡± ¡°You¡¯re expanding it, right?¡± Marietta cut in from her place on her blanket. ¡°Love what you¡¯re doing with it so far, by the way. Just keep going with that and make it bigger.¡± Zinnia white-knuckle gripped her hammer. ¡°You go deal with her.¡± ¡°Oh, but conversing with you is so much fun, Zinnia,¡± Marietta chimed. ¡°Deal with her.¡± ¡°I see you¡¯re as delightful as ever. Lady Sunshine¡¯s here to grace us with her presence.¡± ¡°Why are you just standing there?¡± Zinnia gritted her teeth. ¡°Do something about her, or our deal¡¯s off.¡± Ellie snapped back to attention. ¡°Yeah! Hey, Marietta, why don¡¯t you and me talk over there?¡± ¡°We can talk right here. This blanket¡¯s as fine a place as any,¡± Marietta said. Zinnia crouched down, pushed the wood slat against the vertical framing, and started hammering it with more force than was necessary. Sunflower jumped at the loud sound. Ellie called her over to her and gave her a hug around the shoulders. Her tail wagged in response. ¡°What¡¯s this I hear about a deal?¡± Marietta asked around the bang, bang, bang of Zinnia¡¯s hammer. ¡°She¡¯s covering for me,¡± Ellie answered. ¡°I¡¯m hanging out in the woods for the night¡­in a friendly way. My mom wasn¡¯t going to let me do that, so I had to tell her I was going to be with you, Zinnia, and Sunflower.¡± ¡°Did she buy that story?¡± ¡°Yeah, I think so. Pretty sure I¡¯m in the clear here.¡± Marietta smirked. ¡°All of this so you can spend the night with the girl who makes you especially happy. You¡¯re sly.¡± ¡°Who said I¡¯m spending the night with her?¡± Ellie covered her face. ¡°Your reaction says everything. Are you planning a continuation of your earlier activities?¡± Zinnia¡¯s hammer became louder, like she was trying to drown out their conversation. Sunflower whimpered. ¡°Noooo. I said in a friendly way!¡± ¡°Something tells me your intentions aren¡¯t that pure.¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± Ellie laughed, her laughter driven by nerves more than anything else. ¡°I¡¯m just keeping her company.¡± ¡°Keeping her company¡­¡± Marietta kept up her smirk. ¡°You take everything the wrong way.¡± ¡°You do it to yourself,¡± Marietta said. ¡°I suppose I have to play along with your deal if the Chieftess comes my way. What do I get?¡± ¡°She won¡¯t, but okay. You got some of my leftovers, that¡¯s what you get out of this deal,¡± Ellie said, ¡°and you¡¯re getting your house fixed.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re getting your night in the woods. What did Zinnia get out of this deal, I wonder? She wouldn¡¯t help me unless her part of the deal was particularly sweet.¡± ¡°She¡¯ll tell you about it if she wants to.¡± ¡°She won¡¯t ever.¡± ¡°So you¡¯ll never know.¡± Ellie glanced over at Zinnia. She¡¯d made it a quarter of the way up the wall. ¡°It¡¯s her business to share. You can¡¯t know everything about everyone, you know.¡± ¡°Speaking of business to share, would it be wrong of me to think that you¡¯ve gotten over Freesia?¡± The question hit her hard enough to knock the smile off of her face. ¡°What makes you say that?¡± ¡°You¡¯re getting awfully involved with that forest friend of yours,¡± Marietta mused, ¡°anyone would think that you¡¯ve moved on.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t.¡± She bunched part of the blanket beneath her hand. ¡°We¡¯re looking for her today. Me, Shreya, and Sunflower.¡± ¡°How does that make any sense?¡± ¡°I know she¡¯s still out there somewhere. I don¡¯t have to justify why I know that, I just do.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m talking about you using your new girlfriend to find your old girlfriend. The fact that you¡¯re getting a new girlfriend must mean that there¡¯s some part of you that¡¯s given up on her,¡± Marietta said. ¡°Correct me if I¡¯m wrong.¡± ¡°Shreya¡¯s not my girlfriend. I don¡¯t know what we are, but we¡¯re not that,¡± Ellie said. ¡°Me and her have nothing to do with me and Freesia, anyway. They¡¯re two separate issues.¡± ¡°They¡¯re more connected than you think.¡± ¡°Whatever¡­ There¡¯s not a single part of me that¡¯s given up on Freesia, okay? Don¡¯t ever say anything like that again.¡± ¡°I¡¯m merely pondering the possibility.¡± Marietta shrugged. ¡°You¡¯ll keep me posted on your search, won¡¯t you?¡± Ellie relaxed her glare. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll update you the next time I see you.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°I do hope you¡¯ll find her. She would¡¯ve made for an interesting Chieftess, had things not happened the way they did.¡± ¡°You think so?¡± It wasn¡¯t a future she¡¯d allowed herself to imagine in some time. Her and Freesia, together as the heads of Stockbrunn. ¡°She might make an even better one now.¡± Surviving on her own for so long would¡¯ve chiseled her as a person. She¡¯d be mentally and physically strong. Powerful. Someone formidable. Anyone who could survive for that long would be capable of anything. What¡¯s fear to someone who¡¯s already endured the worst fears out there? ¡°She might,¡± Marietta repeated. ¡°Find her and find out.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the plan. We¡¯ll scour the entire forest for clues. She had to have left a sign for me. I know she would¡¯ve.¡± ¡°Try looking for an F and an E carved into a tree.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good idea!¡± ¡°It¡¯s an obvious one. Frankly, I¡¯m surprised you haven¡¯t tried it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s worth another try,¡± Ellie said. She looked at Zinnia, checking on her progress. ¡°Do you need any help over there?¡± Zinnia called out over her hammer strikes, ¡°no, I¡¯m fine! Almost done.¡± ¡°Hm, I don¡¯t know what you did to convince her to do this,¡± Marietta said, ¡°but thank you. That rotted stain in the wall was beginning to grow.¡± ¡°No problem! You¡¯ve been through enough,¡± Ellie replied. ¡°If you ever need anything, just ask me and I¡¯ll do my best to help.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to keep that in mind.¡± They carried on with more conversation until the final nail was put into place. After Zinnia tested the new wall for sturdiness, she let Ellie come over to check her work. Not knowing a better way to test it other than pushing on it, she did just that, then gave it her own stamp of approval. Zinnia didn¡¯t bother seeing Marietta¡¯s reaction. It was as if she wasn¡¯t there. Zinnia packed her tools up, and put the box in the belly of her wheelbarrow. ¡°I¡¯m leaving the spare wood here in case she¡¯ll need it later.¡± ¡°You¡¯re fine pushing that back yourself?¡± Ellie asked. ¡°Yeah. If I¡¯m lucky, I can wheel it back to the farm before my father¡¯s any wiser. I¡¯ll see you later,¡± Zinnia said. She took the wheelbarrow by the handles. ¡°Oh, and remember to control yourself tonight. Be responsible.¡± ¡°Control myself?¡± Marietta giggled, catching on before Ellie did. ¡°¡­You guys are the worst,¡± Ellie said, ¡°the absolute worst.¡± A short while later, she bid farewell to Marietta and set off for the woods with Sunflower in tow. ~ * ~ * ~ Having Sunflower with her made the walk more pleasant, but it didn¡¯t do anything to calm Ellie¡¯s nerves. What if, in the span of a night, regret had set in? Shreya didn¡¯t have anyone to sound off on. She was alone with four walls staring back at her, and her thoughts swirling in all directions. In Ellie¡¯s experience, loneliness was the worst fodder for thinking. It colored things in a harsh light, leading to doubt and the downward spiral that stemmed from it. You¡¯re being overdramatic, Ellie chided herself. Her nervousness stayed with her, though. Until she opened the door before her, she¡¯d exist in a fantasy limbo of Shreya¡¯s regret/happiness. It was entirely possible that Shreya had liked the way things had gone the day before, and still liked everything after she woke up in the morning. Sunflower growled. ¡°I know¡­ I¡¯m gonna have to knock eventually,¡± Ellie whispered. ¡°It¡¯s scary.¡± There was a whole day, afternoon, and night ahead of them. They were going to have to talk about yesterday, and what it meant. The air had to be cleared. It couldn¡¯t stay as a ¡°thing that had happened.¡± Life had to be breathed back into it. It needed to be acknowledged. And if Shreya was going to write it all off as a moment of weakness, Ellie would deal with that. Just like she¡¯d have to deal with it meaning something big. She didn¡¯t know which scenario terrified her more. Being a coward¡¯s not going to get me anywhere. Ellie pounded her fist against the door. Let¡¯s do this. Shreya answered after the second series of knocks. ¡°Hello¡ª¡± What happened next, happened within a breath¡¯s timing. Sunflower launched herself forward, hands outstretched for a tackle. Shreya threw up her arms, pivoting on her heel to create more distance. Ellie snapped into action. She grabbed Sunflower, hooking her around the middle. Sunflower snarled in her arms, her face unable to choose between placation and rage. ¡°You stop it right now,¡± Ellie warned her. ¡°You know who this is. It¡¯s Shreya! You¡¯ve met her before.¡± ¡°Bad!¡± Sunflower exclaimed. ¡°Bad, bad, bad.¡± Wide-eyed, Shreya walked backwards, further into the room. She stood herself behind the table, where the history book laid open. ¡°No, she¡¯s good,¡± Ellie said. ¡°Remember when she helped save you?¡± ¡°Bad.¡± Her limited vocabulary prevented her from explaining herself further. ¡°Why did you bring your dog?¡± Shreya asked, her eyebrows creased. She looked like she was ready to leap away. ¡°Sunflower¡¯s here ¡¯cause I¡¯m staying the night. I got permission to and everything,¡± she answered. ¡°Sorry she¡¯s acting up like this. She must¡¯ve forgot you.¡± ¡°I told you you did not have to do that. I can live alone.¡± Ellie held Sunflower tighter. Her dog stayed rigid. ¡°I was hoping you¡¯d be happier about it¡­ Is there something wrong with me staying the night?¡± ¡°You should not worry your family.¡± ¡°My mom knows I won¡¯t be home tonight. They¡¯re not worrying about anything,¡± Ellie said. ¡°Sunflower can keep watch for us when we¡¯re asleep. We¡¯re safe.¡± ¡°I am not safe. She wants to kill me.¡± Shreya¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°She needs some time to warm up to you again.¡± ¡°Why does her body heat matter?¡± ¡°Um, I meant that she needs time to get used to you. She has to become comfortable around you. Give her an hour to calm down, and she¡¯ll be alright.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Shreya said. She sat down in a chair, her gaze not leaving Sunflower. ¡°Why do you insist on staying here tonight? You do not have to.¡± After a moment, she added, ¡°you should not.¡± ¡°Does it bother you that much? Do you really not want me to?¡± Ellie found it difficult to swallow. That shouldn¡¯t have hurt as much as it did. ¡°You don¡¯t¡­you don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to do something weird, do you? Because I¡¯m not. Is that what you¡¯re afraid of?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not, like, expecting us to do anything like we did yesterday. It¡¯s okay.¡± Her cheeks burned as she talked. ¡°So, if that¡¯s why you don¡¯t want me around, you don¡¯t have to worry about that. We¡¯re good.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t worry. I want you around. I like you being here,¡± Shreya said, ¡°but I am feeling shy. Embarrassed. Reserved.¡± She tried out different words, hoping at least one of them would make its mark. ¡°Sorry.¡± Shreya traced shapes onto the table. So that settled it. Ellie wasn¡¯t the only one who was scared. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have gotten so worked up.¡± Marietta and Zinnia were partially to blame for her accusations. ¡°Can we start over? Pretend like my dog didn¡¯t try to attack you and all that.¡± ¡°That is much to ask for,¡± she said. The corner of her mouth lifted, a small half-smile. ¡°What do I get in return?¡± ¡°I dunno. Something you like.¡± ¡°I like many things.¡± ¡°Yeah, like reading, nature, my excellent cooking,¡± Ellie rattled off, ¡°and maybe me. So one of those.¡± Shreya sat up straighter. ¡°Why do you say ¡®maybe¡¯?¡± ¡°You can be hard to figure out sometimes, Shreya. This,¡± she corrected herself, ¡°this right now, whatever it is, is hard to figure out. I don¡¯t know where we¡¯re supposed to go from here.¡± Just like that, Ellie had landed herself in the danger zone she¡¯d hoped to steer clear of. The big talk. She hugged Sunflower closer, like she was a stuffed toy. An angry, bristling stuffed toy who had a clear problem with the girl on the other side of the room. ¡°Can you say that in another way? I do not know what is the ¡®this¡¯ you¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°It¡¯s like we¡¯re in the woods without a compass.¡± ¡°I do not think I have one of those.¡± ¡°Not literally.¡± She let go of the comfort of metaphors, and opted for something more direct. ¡°You know how we kissed yesterday? Upstairs? In that bed? You were laying against me and moved in first, remember?¡± ¡°That is enough. Yes, I remember. I remember everything. I was there.¡± Shreya ran her hand down one of her hat¡¯s strings. ¡°It is not something someone forgets.¡± ¡°What did it mean? You can be honest with me. I can handle it,¡± she said, aware that her track record made that statement questionable. ¡°Kissing is something you do when you feel close to someone. It is this.¡± She held up her index fingers, then slowly pressed the tips together. ¡°That¡¯s great, but what about us?¡± ¡°Your dog would tear my throat out.¡± Cold fury radiated from Sunflower¡¯s every pore. She let out another low growl. ¡°I don¡¯t mean right now,¡± Ellie said, ¡°but I¡¯m happy you¡¯d want to again.¡± She bit her lip to hold back the ridiculous smile forming on her face. This was supposed to be a serious talk. ¡°Ugh, I know this is going to make me sound terrible¡­ Okay, where I¡¯m from, the way we kissed can mean so many things. I need to know what you thought about it. Is it not that serious in your culture, because it can be really serious in mine?¡± ¡°Do they not kiss in Stockbrunn? Sorry. I won¡¯t do it again.¡± Shreya busied herself with her hat¡¯s string. ¡°We do! I just want to know what you think.¡± ¡°If you do, then you should know what it means. Kissing has meaning.¡± ¡°It could mean anything. Maybe you¡¯re interested in me. Maybe you¡¯re looking for a relationship or something more casual. A relationship would be hard, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± Ellie stopped to gauge Shreya¡¯s reaction. Shreya¡¯s hand dropped from her hat. ¡°¡­It could also mean nothing, like you were looking for some comfort or you got lost in the moment. I mean, the set-up was pretty romantic. I get it if you were confused by the mood and accidentally kissed me. Things like that happen all the time.¡± ¡°I was not confused.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to lie to me. It¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°You are not listening,¡± Shreya said. ¡°I did not kiss you meaninglessly.¡± ¡°Then why did you do it?¡± Shreya leaned forward in her seat. ¡°Is this level of interrogation normal in your culture?¡± ¡°When the other girl keeps dancing around the issue, yeah. You¡¯re avoiding my questions.¡± ¡°Your questions are insulting. When something like this needs to be discussed this thoroughly, that means there is something wrong.¡± ¡°Insulting? There¡¯s nothing insulting about it. We¡¯ve gotta talk about it ¡¯cause if we don¡¯t, I won¡¯t know where we are.¡± ¡°We are in this house.¡± Shreya wasn¡¯t joking. ¡°No, I¡¯m talking about me and you. Me and you.¡± If Sunflower wasn¡¯t there, she may have screamed. The last thing she wanted to do was set her off. ¡°Do you want us to be a serious thing or not? Nevermind that, do you like me? That¡¯s all I¡¯ve been trying to ask you. I didn¡¯t mean to insult you or anything like that.¡± Shreya sat back. She averted her gaze, and went back to playing with her hat. ¡°Must I answer?¡± Great. You had to go and make her upset. Nice going. ¡°¡­I¡¯m gonna take Sunflower outside. You can answer me whenever you¡¯re ready.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Shreya said, ¡°this is not something we do at home. We do not pick things like this apart. My feelings should be clear to you, and I can¡¯t tell if you are not understanding because you refuse to listen to me or if it is because of where you are from.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been listening to you this whole time.¡± Ellie needed to lay it out for her. ¡°See, this is why I¡¯m so confused. Our first kiss wasn¡¯t a happy moment.¡± ¡°I wish I did not hear that. It made me happy. I am sorry it was terrible for you.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it that way. I was just saying that it was confusing because it¡¯s not like we were doing some happy thing and kissed because of that. You were crying. I was pissed off. Anyone would be confused by a kiss like that.¡± ¡°Does crying make me a liar?¡± ¡°I never called you a liar.¡± ¡°You are treating me like I am,¡± Shreya replied. ¡°Ellie¡­ This is hard for me to say. Casternian needs better words for this.¡± This was it. The truth as finally going to be revealed, and it didn¡¯t look like it was going to be good. Shreya¡¯s absence of a smile telegraphed it. ¡°We can drop this, if you want. I shouldn¡¯t have been so pushy. Let¡¯s forget the whole thing.¡± ¡°You asked for it.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Listen to my answer, and remember it the next time you are confused. I like you. There is no ¡®maybe¡¯ about it. I am developing feelings for you when I know I should not. It does not make sense, and it scares me.¡± She stared down at the table. ¡°Why was I compelled to see you after you shot me? It had to have been because of that, right? Feelings.¡± Speechless, Ellie could only nod. Was this actually happening? Shreya continued, ¡°you are interesting and someone new and different in my life, but it is more than that. I think you¡¯re wonderful, and I want to keep getting to know you better. I am sorry I kissed you at the wrong time.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the one who¡¯s sorry. It¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t like it. It was like a twelve out of ten. It just made me feel like, I don¡¯t know, I was getting something awesome before I deserved it. It didn¡¯t feel like I earned it, not that kisses are earned, but¡­do you get what I mean?¡± ¡°You deserved it. You said it was not a happy moment, but it was for me. You made me feel secure. I felt like you cared about me. It was special,¡± Shreya said, ¡°and I feel sad that it was less than special for you.¡± ¡°It was special. Did I say twelve out of ten? I meant it was a twenty out of ten. So please don¡¯t be sad. That was just me messing up,¡± Ellie said. ¡°I mess up a lot around you, I know. You make it so hard for me to think straight¡­ Wanna know something wild? I think I¡¯ve liked you since day one, and I¡¯m not just saying that. It took me a while to notice.¡± ¡°I do not know when it started for me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay. You don¡¯t have to know.¡± As they talked, she felt Sunflower relaxing in her hold. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for confronting you about this. I guess I couldn¡¯t trust that someone like you could like someone like me. Opposites don¡¯t attract that much.¡± ¡°Believe me. I have been trying to show you I do with more than words.¡± ¡°Have you looked at yourself lately? It¡¯s hard to believe you when you look like that. Just on looks alone it¡¯d be unbelievable for you to be into me.¡± ¡°You look good. You¡¯re¡­appealing.¡± Ellie hid her face against Sunflower¡¯s shoulder. There was no way Shreya just said that, not with that big smile of hers. Shreya was trim all the way around. The girl was solid. Sparring her had proved that. And she had this undeniable coolness about her, helped along by the shape of her eyes and the arch of her ¡®brows. The heiress, on the other hand, was a softie in the middle with minimal curves. The soft angles of her face were going to be a blessing when she was older, but right now, they made her feel terribly juvenile. Although her mother told her her looks were going to even out eventually, she didn¡¯t believe her. She felt cursed to look like the helpless damsel when she dreamed of being the knight. Her skin was the sort of pale tan, fair brown shade that when she was a baby, she looked white in her father¡¯s arms and brown in her mother¡¯s. She missed out on the giant Dietrich warrior gene and the dark allure of the Navarrete family. She¡¯d become a blend of glimpses of each, but she didn¡¯t pull enough from either side to be able to stand toe-to-toe with someone as striking as Shreya. And yet somehow¡­Shreya thought she was wonderful and appealing? ¡°Thanks,¡± she mumbled into Sunflower. She lifted away from her dog. ¡°You, too. You look good, very good.¡± Shreya covered her face. ¡°You are embarrassing me. I told you I am shy.¡± ¡°Oh, c¡¯mon, you have to have lots of people after you at home.¡± ¡°No one finds me that interesting. I think I am okay.¡± ¡°If you count as okay, then you have to take me there. Sounds like paradise.¡± ¡°You know I cannot do that,¡± Shreya said, her tone dropping to a more serious one. ¡°Bad choice of words, sorry.¡± ¡°What about the people who are after you?¡± ¡°Dating¡¯s complicated for me. I¡¯m not a regular person, so I have to be careful about it.¡± Any of her suitors could potentially co-lead Stockbrunn. Ellie had to be selective. ¡°What about your important person?¡± Ellie¡¯s arms started aching. ¡°Freesia? There¡¯s no one like her back in Stockbrunn for me. You don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡± ¡°Mmhm.¡± Shreya nodded. ¡°We need to start hunting for her. Do you have a lead?¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to be aimless at first, but I¡¯m sure we can find something. I¡¯m thinking she¡¯s left clues for me.¡± Shreya stared at her, not saying anything for a moment. ¡°I wish I could hold you.¡± ¡°Sunflower seems more relaxed, but she may need a little more time. Us hugging might trigger her.¡± As much as she loved Sunflower, she was beginning to regret bringing her. ¡°I¡¯m hoping she¡¯ll start feeling my positivity towards you and start behaving better.¡± She stroked her hand through Sunflower¡¯s fluffy strawberry blonde hair. Sunflower¡¯s eyebrows stayed angry, but she hadn¡¯t growled in some time. That was a step in the right direction. ¡°Um¡­sorry if this is random,¡± Shreya said. She reached for the history book and dragged it closer to her. ¡°I wanted to talk to you about something in here before we head out.¡± ¡°Like I said, I can¡¯t answer for anything my ancestors did.¡± ¡°This book is current as of ten years ago. It is vague at that point.¡± ¡°You read the whole thing? How early did you wake up?¡± ¡°I flipped through pages. Can you tell me more about what happened between Stockbrunn and the wolves? They had a treaty. Why did it end?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ It¡¯s been a long enough morning already,¡± Ellie replied. ¡°We should get going while we have an ample amount of daylight.¡± ¡°It is strange that their relations were fine. The change was abrupt.¡± ¡°Yeah, well, history¡¯s a strange thing. You latched onto a boring section. You should read more about the Casternian-Erzyan Conflict. Now that¡¯s a fun part.¡± ¡°Do you know what happened to the treaty?¡± At first, she thought Sunflower was tensing up again. Then, she realized it was her. ¡°There¡¯s not a whole lot to say. The wolves broke it.¡± ¡°Why do you think they broke it?¡± ¡°Because they¡¯re¡ª¡± Ellie stopped herself. She took a deep breath. ¡°This isn¡¯t a great subject for me. It¡¯s personal.¡± ¡°Do you have problems with wolves?¡± ¡°Read more of the book instead of flipping through the pages. My answer¡¯s in there,¡± Ellie said. ¡°You¡¯re from this forest. You¡¯ve probably been affected by some of the things they¡¯ve done, and if you haven¡¯t, you¡¯re lucky.¡± She turned for the door, still keeping her arm around Sunflower. ¡°I¡¯ve gotta get out. She¡¯s getting antsy.¡± Shreya stood up. ¡°Do you think she¡¯ll attack me again?¡± ¡°Come outside and we¡¯ll see,¡± Ellie said, grinning. ¡°No, but, seriously, I¡¯ll keep hold of her. Let¡¯s head out and do some more exploring.¡± ¡°Alright¡­¡± Chapter 27: Reality Shreya supposed it was a good thing Stockbrunn kept their dogs pathetic. Had Sunflower been any less so, she would have revealed her secret by now. She was limited to tantrums and babblings, neither of which Ellie paid attention to. That did little to dull the edge Sunflower¡¯s presence put her on, though. They were one sudden attack away from her hat being knocked off or the back of her shirt being torn. Just one slip-up, and Ellie would know the truth. ¡°I¡¯ve got a botany book in my bag,¡± Ellie said. Her arm was snaked around Sunflower in an appeasing half-hug. The hold tamed her protective instinct. ¡°It may help us with clues. Plants have their own language, y¡¯know?¡± While she was willing to grant her that plants were alive, cognition was a stretch. Having a language would require thought. ¡°Have you ever heard a flower speak?¡± ¡°Trees can talk! That¡¯s totally a thing. Put your ear to that one over there. You¡¯ll hear it say something.¡± As impossible as she knew that was, she still went over to the tree. It was as tall as the others that surrounded the outside of their house in the woods. Nothing about it struck her as particularly conversational. The bark was rough on her hands as she leaned in. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°You have to say it with more conviction than that!¡± Ellie urged. ¡°And you have to close your eyes or it¡¯ll get too self-conscious and not say anything.¡± ¡°Hello, tree,¡± Shreya said. She shut her eyes. ¡°I am Shreya. Do you have a name?¡± ¡°Hey, beautiful,¡± the tree spoke back. Its voice suspiciously came from Ellie¡¯s direction, and sounded an awful lot like her if she was deepening her voice. How strange. ¡°I¡¯m Treeno. What brings you to me?¡± ¡°Some girl.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s the girl?¡± Shreya played along. ¡°Her name is Ellie. She is an interesting girl.¡± ¡°Is that the best thing you can say about her?¡± ¡°Creative girl. She is making me compliment her through a tree,¡± she said. ¡°Is she not tired of me saying good things about her?¡± ¡°She¡¯ll never get tired.¡± ¡°Flowers are watered once a day. The sun takes care of the rest.¡± Stockbrunnian flowers called for floods while ignoring the sun¡¯s strength. They were demanding in ways that Marjani ones weren¡¯t. Ellie¡¯s insatiable need for verbal reassurance baffled her. ¡°Huh? Where¡¯d that come from?¡± ¡°It is an expression. You are the flower. These words I keep saying, they are the water. How I feel about you, that is the sun. My presence. You need to trust the sun,¡± Shreya explained. ¡°That¡¯s cute and all, but I¡¯m a tree, not a flower.¡± ¡°You know what I mean.¡± Shreya stepped away from the tree. ¡°This tree is not going to help us. Do you have any other ideas?¡± ¡°I¡¯d pop open the book but I¡¯m kinda worried about what¡¯ll happen if I release this beast,¡± Ellie said. Sunflower¡¯s expression had evened out, but her eyes stayed trained on Shreya. ¡°Let¡¯s try walking. There might be more houses up ahead. She could¡¯ve left something in one.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± For once, she was glad for Ellie¡¯s obliviousness. It caused the other girl to miss the hurt that flashed across Shreya¡¯s face. ¡®Beast¡¯ was a disgusting word, no matter the context, and the casual way Ellie had dropped it sickened her. She trailed after the pair as they walked. They were facing a problem Ellie may not have been aware of. Shreya didn¡¯t know the missing girl¡¯s scent from anyone else¡¯s, and even if she did, her scent would¡¯ve gone cold within weeks. The years erased it. This aimless wandering wasn¡¯t going to turn up with anything more than brief comfort for Ellie. It was the act of trying that mattered most. When everyone else had given up, there Shreya was, enabling this behavior. If someone had been there for Ellie sooner, then she would¡¯ve had more of a chance. As it was, the odds were against her. Had she found her, though, they¡¯d never have met. Ellie and her important person would¡¯ve lived out their lives together. They¡¯d grow old together. Raise kids together. Run a society together. In the meantime, Shreya would¡¯ve carried on as she had been, as the person she was before she crossed the border. That one choice had been powerful enough to derail her life. ¡°You¡¯d think they would¡¯ve built their homes closer together,¡± Ellie said over her shoulder, ¡°but these people were reclusive. They liked their privacy.¡± ¡°You know them?¡± ¡°Nah, just stuff I¡¯ve read. They¡¯re like old people who lived out in the woods before things got too dicey. They never left ¡¯cause they were stubborn, or whatever.¡± ¡°Dicey?¡± ¡°It¡¯s another word for risky,¡± she explained. ¡°It comes from dice games. Six-sided cubes with a number of dots on them, from one to six. When you roll a die, it¡¯s a gamble, because you never know what side it¡¯s going to land on.¡± ¡°And that is why it is dicey.¡± ¡°Yep! I can bring you some the next time we meet up. It¡¯ll give you something more to do than read,¡± Ellie said. ¡°Anyway, yeah, these houses were built by people like that. People who wanted to make it out on their own outside of Stockbrunn.¡± ¡°Woods dwellers,¡± Shreya said. ¡°Not exactly, but kind of. These people leaned on the town at times, so they weren¡¯t really like you guys. They may have been outside, but they didn¡¯t reject us completely. And we didn¡¯t reject them.¡± ¡°You sound sad about that.¡± ¡°Your people have got a bad reputation, like you¡¯re all murderers and criminals who are out of your minds. So because of that rep, we don¡¯t want anything to do with you. Not we as in me, and you as in you. I¡¯m talking in generalities here. I just don¡¯t think it¡¯s fair Stockbrunn¡¯s abandoned you.¡± ¡°It is reasonable.¡± They stopped walking in a part of the forest where the tall grass reached their calves. Ellie said, ¡°the problems started with us exiling people from Stockbrunn. You guys had to try and build everything up on your own. No real resources or support. Here¡¯s how it all turned out years later. You¡¯re struggling.¡± Shreya wondered if Ellie¡¯s heart could bleed as much for her real people as it did for these woods dwellers. Had she not talked her out of it, the heiress may have actually set up trade routes and communication with them. From her attempts at talking about the history book, she had a feeling that Ellie would rather wash away in a river than help a wolf. She couldn¡¯t even answer a simple question about them without becoming fitful. ¡°What did you think of us before you knew me?¡± Shreya asked. ¡°I¡¯d only heard bad stories. I dunno. I didn¡¯t think they¡¯d all be truthful,¡± Ellie answered. ¡°You were the villains, the scary things in horror stories, and, like, the cautionary tales of why we shouldn¡¯t venture into the woods. You¡¯re the first one I saw for myself. How about me? Am I your first?¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°It is hard for me to say.¡± It¡¯s not like humans wore labels identifying where they¡¯d come from. ¡°You are the first I talked to this often.¡± ¡°No one else was this interesting?¡± ¡°You could say that,¡± she said. ¡°Hm, I think you are also the first one I have talked to in many years. There were more of you wandering in the forest in the past. We stay more separated now.¡± ¡°Things changed. People became more scared.¡± ¡°Would you have ever wanted to help us if you did not know me?¡± ¡°Honestly? I¡¯m not sure I would¡¯ve thought about it. I had to see you and know you to know how bad things are for you guys. We¡¯re separate, sure, but is that the best way for things to be? I don¡¯t know about that.¡± What if I¡¯d been a wolf? Would you still be this helpful? The questions clung to the roof of her mouth. Shreya scraped it off with her tongue, swallowed it down, and said something else, ¡°it is the best way. I do not think we can combine.¡± ¡°We are! We¡¯re proof it can work.¡± ¡°You and I, we are unlike our people,¡± Shreya said, ¡°and have you forgotten that I am estranged? I am a terrible choice for proving there can be a union.¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t forget, sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have put us on this conversation to begin with. We should probably get moving.¡± ¡°It is okay. I like it when we talk.¡± ¡°Same here, but I wanna keep things positive for you. If you don¡¯t want to talk about something or it makes you upset in any way, we don¡¯t have to talk about it,¡± Ellie said. ¡°That talk we had earlier? I don¡¯t wanna go through something like that again, you know? I don¡¯t want to be pushy and weird.¡± Ellie dropped her arm from Sunflower, and switched to holding her hand in a tight grip. Sunflower didn¡¯t make a move towards Shreya, not even in the split second where she wasn¡¯t being held onto. Progress. ¡°It is okay if you are. I am already out of my comfort zone. Push me further if you want to.¡± ¡°And you can push back. Talk to me. Tell me when I¡¯m being offensive or whatever, okay? I might not notice it if I don¡¯t hear it from you.¡± ¡°I do not have a problem with that,¡± Shreya said. ¡°I will tell you.¡± ¡°See, here¡¯s the part where we¡¯d kiss if my dog wasn¡¯t here.¡± Ellie smiled. ¡°But we should save the next one for a spectacular moment. It¡¯s gotta be after something amazing happens.¡± ¡°If you can hold out until then.¡± ¡°I so can! I bet you¡¯re gonna be the one who cracks first.¡± ¡°Heh, I do not think so.¡± Shreya shook her head. ¡°Your resistance is as fragile as glass.¡± ¡°I¡¯m as good as brick and you know it.¡± Ellie beat her free hand against her chest. ¡°Solid.¡± ¡°We will see about that. Consider yourself lucky Sunflower¡¯s here.¡± ¡°Yep, we will,¡± Ellie said. ¡°She¡¯ll be here to see you fail. Now, let¡¯s get going. We¡¯ve got an entire forest to cover and only so much daylight to do it in.¡± They set off on their hike. Given that Ellie had less control over Sunflower, Shreya kept more distance. She couldn¡¯t let her guard down. Her senses stayed on edge throughout their walk. They strayed away from paths, deciding to act like people who didn¡¯t want to be found. After all, the missing girl had ran off after breaking out of her prison. Someone like that wouldn¡¯t choose the easiest path through the woods. It wouldn¡¯t have surprised Shreya if the landscape had gone through changes since then, though. What was once difficult could¡¯ve been easier now, and vice versa. She wasn¡¯t aware of the environmental changes that happened around here. One of the rivers had flooded in her part of the woods, had the same thing happened here? This time when they stopped, it was Sunflower¡¯s fault. Despite the distance Shreya had given her, she snarled at her and snapped out, ¡°bad!¡± ¡°Did I do something wrong?¡± Shreya asked. ¡°She was doing so well,¡± Ellie said. She put her arm around her. ¡°What¡¯s gotten into you?¡± ¡°Bad!¡± ¡°Have you thought about teaching her Casternian?¡± ¡°Dogs can¡¯t speak Casternian. They¡¯re dogs,¡± she replied. ¡°I mean, I guess they can pick up some phrases and understand the general tone of what we¡¯re saying. That¡¯s pretty much their limit.¡± Shreya looked at the back-and-forth swishing of Sunflower¡¯s tail. ¡°Maybe we should take a break, wait for her to calm down.¡± ¡°Good idea. I wouldn¡¯t want her to jump you or anything. There¡¯s a log over there you can sit on if you want. I¡¯ve got jerky in my bag if you¡¯re hungry. Are you good at catching?¡± Ellie reached into her bag, and pulled out a small wax paper-wrapped bundle. Sunflower¡¯s ears shot up in interest, her tail moving faster. ¡°She should get one. Throw it over here.¡± Shreya sat on the overturned log and held out her hands. ¡°You throw one back for her. It might make her like you more.¡± Ellie tossed it over. Shreya had to lean forward to make the catch. ¡°Sorry.¡± Shreya opened up the bundle, a stack of jerky meat. She peeled off the top orange-brown strip, and threw it to Sunflower. The dog squealed when she caught it. Sunflower shoved it into her mouth, practically inhaling it. ¡°Is that her favorite food?¡± Shreya asked. ¡°Everything¡¯s her favorite food,¡± Ellie said. ¡°I¡¯m only supposed to feed her lard and grains and stuff, but I can¡¯t help it. I love her too much to subject her to that kind of crappy diet.¡± She took off a layer for herself. ¡°What is this?¡± Shreya popped it into her mouth. She savored the flavor as she slowly chewed. ¡°It¡¯s chicken. Good stuff, huh? I can¡¯t get enough of it. If you like it, I can get you a whole bag of it. I¡¯ll get you whatever you want, seriously.¡± ¡°That would be nice of you, thank you,¡± Shreya said. Whatever she wanted? She stripped off another piece of jerky. ¡°Can I talk to you about something?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯ve been doing. Ask me anything.¡± ¡°I get if you do not want to talk about it. You do not have to explain it. I just¡­ I was wondering about your reaction to that book.¡± ¡°What¡¯s there to wonder about?¡± Ellie laughed softly. ¡°It¡¯s a history book. It¡¯s boring. I¡¯m allowed to say it¡¯s boring, right?¡± ¡°You said you have a personal problem with wolves. Did they do something to you?¡± ¡°And I said that you need to read more of the book to find that out.¡± ¡°The book would tell me what they have done to Stockbrunn, not what they did to you personally.¡± Whatever had made Ellie laugh was long gone. ¡°It¡¯s the same thing.¡± ¡°I take it you hate them,¡± Shreya said. ¡°Do you believe the stories about them? You questioned the woods dweller stories but you don¡¯t question the wolf stories. Why is that?¡± ¡°Because they¡¯re not stories. They¡¯re truths.¡± ¡°Have you met one?¡± Ellie went back to holding Sunflower¡¯s hand. ¡°What difference does that make? Maybe I have; maybe I haven¡¯t. I don¡¯t need to meet one to know what they¡¯re like.¡± ¡°It could change your view of them.¡± Shreya rested her hands on her knees. ¡°Hmmm¡­I don¡¯t think so. I¡¯m going to quote one of my favorite people on that one. ¡®Do you want to die?''¡± ¡°I said that.¡± Shreya didn¡¯t mean to blurt that out. She meant to keep that inappropriate moment of happiness to herself. Ellie frowned. ¡°Yeah. We¡¯d have to get past Ianes¡¯ Wall and head into their territory to meet one of ¡¯em. They¡¯d kill us as soon as they saw us.¡± ¡°What if you met a nice one?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as a nice one. If I met a nice one, I¡¯d say that it¡¯s biding its time,¡± Ellie said. ¡°You¡¯re not thinking of going over there, are you? Don¡¯t you dare do it. You look better with your head on than off, and I know that sounds like a joke but I¡¯m not joking at all.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t go. I was curious as to your thoughts on them.¡± ¡°They¡¯re absolutely vile,¡± Ellie said. ¡°What else do you want to hear? That they make me sick to my stomach? That they¡¯re beasts? Monsters? They eat people, Shreya. They eat them and rip their bodies up into bits and put heads on pikes and wave ¡¯em around like they¡¯re flags. They¡¯re rotten to the core.¡± ¡°Rotten to the core,¡± Shreya repeated. She was glad she was sitting down. She may have lost her footing otherwise. ¡°I heard they eat their own babies. Who does that besides monsters?¡± ¡°They do not!¡± ¡°I know! It¡¯s hard to believe, but they do it. They think it makes them more powerful, to, like, bathe in the blood of their children. It¡¯s disgusting. And before we got them out of this forest, they were attacking and killing people for no reason.¡± ¡°You really believe all of this?¡± Her head hurt. ¡°You haven¡¯t dealt with them like I¡¯ve had to. Stockbrunn would be a better place if it weren¡¯t for them,¡± Ellie said. ¡°And you wanna know the real reason why there¡¯s no normal people in the woods anymore?¡± ¡°Why?¡± Shreya breathed out. ¡°The wolves killed them, and we lost a lot of good people in Stockbrunn trying to get rid of them. All because of what? Because they were selfish, and didn¡¯t want to follow a treaty that they agreed to.¡± ¡°That is the one from ten years ago,¡± she replied. Her vision swirled. It became difficult for her to focus on Ellie, her dog, the forest around them. ¡°Yeah! They ruined everything. They¡¯re dirty cheating liars. We were nothing but nice to them and they went and¡ª¡± Ellie cut herself off. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m ranting. I¡¯m getting out of control here.¡± She took a deep breath in through her nose and out her mouth in a long sigh. ¡°I told you my problem with them is personal. It¡¯s beyond personal, actually.¡± ¡°You would never like a wolf.¡± Dogs and woods dwellers were fine, but not the person who Shreya truly was. ¡°No. I would never like one, let alone trust one.¡± She would¡¯ve rather been scraped by another arrow than hear that. Softer, Ellie called her name to get her attention. ¡°Shreya?¡± She knew none of this was real, but to have reality confirmed so harshly¡­ ¡°Shreya? Hello? Are you okay?¡± ¡°I think¡­I think I need to lie down.¡± Shreya held her head, her hands covering her forehead. ¡°Sorry, I think I am getting sick. I do not feel well.¡± ¡°Was it the jerky? Oh, shit, the jerky was bad, wasn¡¯t it? I didn¡¯t think it was!¡± Ellie moved towards her, then stopped when she realized she still had Sunflower in tow. ¡°Let¡¯s get you back to the house. I¡¯m so sorry!¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I will be okay once I lie down. Sorry for not helping you more today. I wanted to.¡± ¡°I know. You helped a lot! We can go out later, if you want. Erm, actually, it doesn¡¯t matter. Let¡¯s just get you back there. Forget about me and my stuff.¡± ¡°Later, we can go later.¡± ¡°Are you okay to walk on your own?¡± Shreya stood up from the log, her legs shakey. She wrapped the jerky back up in the wax paper. Ellie, her hand still in Sunflower¡¯s, watched her to make sure she wouldn¡¯t fall. ¡°I always am.¡± Chapter 28: Distraction Asserting Ellie was wrong wasn¡¯t going to calm the quaking in Shreya¡¯s chest. There¡¯d been truth to Ellie¡¯s vitriol. A broken pact. Wolves pushing forward in an effort to expand their territory. Attempts to reclaim land that should¡¯ve been theirs. And resource gathering, to make up for the end of the bargain Stockbrunn failed to follow through on. The Elders¡¯ stories had felt too spun to be real. They¡¯d weaved stories of Stockbrunn treating the Marjani people unfairly, that Stockbrunn forced them into a bad deal. Stockbrunn drew those boundary lines knowing that food would dry up on the Marjani side. They planned their destruction from the start. Not having the wolves near them and sharing resources meant that Stockbrunn could flourish. They got to have everything for themselves. The town prospered, while Shreya¡¯s people suffered. The wolves tried to work something out. They¡¯d stay on their side, as long as Stockbrunn sent them provisions. It worked for some time. They were able to coexist. Then, Stockbrunn cut them off cold, entirely unprovoked. The food stopped, and the treaty along with it. What choice did they have when choice was ripped out of their hands? Were they to die, starved out by forced niceties and a law that was unjust to begin with? Upholding that treaty would¡¯ve killed them. Ellie called this a personal subject, but it wasn¡¯t like she lived through it from their side. How personal could it have been for her? She only knew loss from a distance. Her worst one could turn out to be alive, for all they knew. Try bearing witness to hundreds of mourning fires over a short lifetime. Entire families lost to sickness and starvation. Infants being put to sleep so they wouldn¡¯t suffer. A brother withering away. A sister dying for no explicable reason. Another succumbing to a debilitating fever. ¡°Personal subject¡± didn¡¯t cover half of it for Shreya, not with what she¡¯d been through. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re gonna make it to the house okay?¡± Ellie asked. ¡°Yes.¡± Shreya¡¯s feet chose that moment to stumble. ¡°Y¡¯sure about that?¡± ¡°I tripped,¡± she said. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re obviously sick. You can¡¯t even walk.¡± Ellie linked her arm around Sunflower¡¯s. ¡°We should stop here.¡± ¡°I am fine.¡± ¡°If you were fine you wouldn¡¯t be wobbling. Take a rest. You need it.¡± Shreya¡¯s eyebrows creased. ¡°I plan to do that at the house.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to make it there at this rate. I¡¯ll help you down to the ground if you need it.¡± Ellie held out her hand. She kept hers by her sides. ¡°The house is more comfortable.¡± ¡°Why, ¡¯cause there¡¯s beds there?¡± ¡°That is part of it.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll be your bed.¡± ¡°Ellie!¡± ¡°What? Oh, no, I don¡¯t mean in a nasty way!¡± Ellie¡¯s face flushed. ¡°I was saying it in a totally not-nasty way, like you could lay on me to avoid getting, like, twigs in your hair and rocks in your back. You¡¯d be on top ¡¯cause I¡¯d be the bed. Get it?¡± She dug a deeper hole for herself as she talked. ¡°It is not nasty when I am on top?¡± Shreya crossed her arms. She fought to keep the smirk off of her face. ¡°Is it nasty when you are?¡± ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t you go and twist things. You know I didn¡¯t mean it like that.¡± ¡°I know you asked me to lay on you. Is that twisting things?¡± ¡°It¡¯s twisting things when you make it sound twisted. I was offering so you¡¯d have something more comfortable to lay on. Nothing more, nothing less.¡± ¡°My cape would be fine,¡± Shreya said, ¡°unless you would beg to differ. What can you do for me that my cape cannot?¡± Ellie walked into her trap. ¡°Seeing how I¡¯m living and breathing, I can hug you, cuddle you, do other things to you. I dunno, there¡¯s a lot I can do. I¡¯d make a way better pillow, that¡¯s for sure.¡± ¡°Do other things to me?¡± She hadn¡¯t dropped her innocent act. ¡°Tell me whatever you could mean by that.¡± ¡°Like the thing we agreed to do after a big spectacular moment. That kind of other thing.¡± ¡°Hm, that thing you won¡¯t be able to resist doing to me first.¡± Their next kiss. ¡°Only if it¡¯s the right time!¡± Ellie exclaimed. Sensing how flustered she was, Sunflower squirmed. Ellie tightened her hold on her. ¡°You were hoping the right time would happen right here.¡± Shreya dragged her shoe across the ground where she stood. ¡°Is that what you were hoping for?¡± Ellie did the same. ¡°¡­More like right here.¡± She tapped her foot. ¡°There¡¯s too many sticks over there.¡± She smiled slowly, her cheeks not having lost their pinkness. Shreya mirrored her expression. Conversations like these helped her forget who they were. In these moments they were two girls getting to know one another. Their pasts didn¡¯t matter. The only thing that did was seeing who would smile first. Seeing Ellie fumble and trip over herself was something Shreya¡¯d never tire of. It was one of the things about her that kept Shreya from running. The hatred the Stockbrunnian girl spewed would¡¯ve been enough to drive away a weaker heart. She grounded herself in Ellie¡¯s laughter, a light giggle she contained behind her hand. The mirth flickering in her eyes became her rock. There were noble excuses and selfish excuses for staying. Noble as in she was going through this for her community¡¯s sake, and selfish as in she was going through this for her enjoyment. Ellie was Stockbrunn¡¯s heiress. She was an influential force in that town. As the next in line, she had everyone¡¯s ear, and in a small way, Shreya had hers. Should things between them take a turn for the worst, Shreya¡¯d lose that connection. As long as they were together, the opportunities to be selfish or noble would keep coming. She could collect information for her people and guide Ellie away from harming them. A noble effort, although she recognized she¡¯d been doing a poor job of that thus far. If Ellie had a soft spot for certain animals, perhaps she could develop another one for wolves. Their interactions had been enough for Ellie to discard her fear of woods dwellers. All it took was proving to her that the stories about them weren¡¯t entirely true (not that Shreya knew the details of those stories in the first place, but still). Ellie¡¯s deep-seeded lupine hatred would be harder to uproot, but if Shreya kept trying, kept nudging her into a better direction¡­ Revealing her ears was out of the question. From what she knew about Ellie, she knew doing that this soon wouldn¡¯t go over well. In the worst case scenario, Ellie would snap and attack her. Her rage would manifest in the form of an axe swing, one that Shreya would accept as penance. That¡¯d be the beginning of a war between Stockbrunn and the Marjani wolves, a war her people would be ill-prepared to win. ¡°Best¡± may not have been the word for it, but the best scenario was the one in which Ellie¡¯d see her ears and run back to Stockbrunn. No one else would be hurt after that. Ellie would dry her tears on her own, and go on to become her town¡¯s leader. She¡¯d forget all about the girl who took advantage of her, refusing to acknowledge that Shreya¡¯s identity had been the single thing she¡¯d faked. That was the only passibly good outcome Shreya allowed herself to hope for. Anything better than that was too far out of reach, too impossible for her to dream of. Whatever the scenario, good or bad, they all ended in Shreya losing her. Shreya couldn¡¯t go through that, especially not when Ellie was the only person in her life at the moment. She didn¡¯t have anyone else. And as complicated and imperfect as this situation was, Shreya was glad Ellie was that person. Her silliness was the distraction Shreya needed. Shreya stepped closer and lifted her hand for Ellie to rest hers on. Sunflower nearly started at that, but Ellie angled herself so she¡¯d be in the way of her dog¡¯s swinging range. She kept her behind her, Sunflower¡¯s tiny growls going ignored.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Ellie placed her hand over Shreya¡¯s, her arm stretched to close the distance. Shreya¡¯s heart fluttered at the contact. She hadn¡¯t realized how starved she¡¯d been for it until then. The way Ellie relaxed in her grasp made her suspect her suffering hadn¡¯t been solitary. Her biting her bottom lip confirmed it. Using her other hand, Shreya stroked her finger tips along Ellie¡¯s palm. She dragged her nails slightly on the upstroke to keep from tickling her, going from top to bottom and back again. A pale curved line in the center of her palm caught Shreya¡¯s attention. Careful not to upset the scar, she slowed her movements. ¡°Thank you for being here,¡± Shreya said. ¡°Thank you so much.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± Ellie closed her eyes to savor the feeling. ¡°Very, very welcome.¡± Shreya ghosted along the lengths of Ellie¡¯s fingers, taking note of the slight crookedness to some of her knuckles. Her ring finger was longer than her index, a short way off from the length of her middle. For someone with farmer¡¯s blood, her hand was surprisingly callous-free. Soft. Warm. She wandered her attentions to the heat generating from Ellie¡¯s wrist. At a languid pace, she brushed her fingers along her wrist to the crook of her elbow. Shreya thanked her ears next for being able to catch Ellie¡¯s gasp. The sound would¡¯ve been imperceptible to a human. Pleased with the reaction, Shreya decided to test the waters. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± ¡°Just imagining what else you can do,¡± she said. ¡°What do you have in mind?¡± Shreya leaned further into Ellie¡¯s personal space and brought Ellie¡¯s hand to the side of her jaw. ¡°What do you want me to do to you?¡± Ellie laughed breathily. ¡°You¡¯re gonna give me a heart attack.¡± She turned her hand so she¡¯d feel her lips move against her thumb. ¡°You started it.¡± ¡°I know, but¡­can we cool off? This is starting to get really intense, and I really don¡¯t want us to regret anything, okay?¡± ¡°Nothing is happening. We are talking.¡± ¡°You¡¯re totally giving me the eyes, though.¡± ¡°I do not understand ¡®giving you the eyes,¡¯ sorry. I am looking at you,¡± Shreya said. ¡°Is that bad?¡± ¡°Maybe I¡¯m projecting. I dunno. Either way, um, weren¡¯t you sick a minute ago? What happened to that?¡± ¡°You cured me.¡± She took her hand away from her face and dropped it. Ellie tucked it by her side, her difficulties with eye contact apparent. ¡°There is something I want to ask you.¡± That brief moment of satiation emboldened her. ¡°If it¡¯s about that I think the farthest we can go is making out. I¡¯m not ready for more than that. Nothing more than kissing. Sorry. I know spending the night makes it seem like much more¡¯s gonna happen, but noooo. Too fast. I¡¯m not trying to be mean, I just wanna put it out there.¡± Ellie winced at the end of her sentence. ¡°Sorry if that¡¯s mean.¡± ¡°¡­That is not what I wanted to ask, and no, you are not mean. That is not something to be sorry about.¡± It disturbed her that she was so apologetic about it. ¡°Thank you for telling me.¡± Relieved, Ellie smiled. ¡°What is it, then? What do you wanna know?¡± ¡°Is Stockbrunn planning on attacking the wolves any time soon?¡± Ellie¡¯s smile dropped. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I don¡¯t know why we aren¡¯t, but my mom hasn¡¯t mentioned anything like that to me.¡± ¡°Good, I would not want anyone to get hurt. The war would get dragged to the forest, and we would have to leave to protect ourselves.¡± ¡°Me and you?¡± Her wrong assumption tickled her. ¡°My community,¡± Shreya corrected. ¡°I would leave with them.¡± ¡°Where?¡± ¡°I am uncertain. Further south. Perhaps north. It is hard to say. It would be up to the Elders.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not happening any time soon, so you don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡± ¡°Can you please tell me if you hear talks of war? We could prepare ourselves, then. Leaving would be less of a surprise,¡± Shreya said. ¡°When the Elders are surprised, they tend to go to extremes. We may never come back if that happens.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll tell you,¡± Ellie said, ¡°but how about this? If there¡¯s a war, we could conscript you. Your community could help serve as our soldiers against the wolves and after the war, you could become official Stockbrunn citizens.¡± ¡°We are not fighting your war for you.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t fight in it. I¡¯d enlist you as my personal bodyguard.¡± ¡°While my community members suffer on the battlefield? I am sorry, but I have to decline.¡± ¡°You¡¯d get citizenship, though. I could set you up with a real nice house, better than this one in the woods. You¡¯d have everything you¡¯d ever want. I swear I¡¯d give you the perfect life, Shreya. That¡¯s how much I like you.¡± ¡°Ellie, thank you, but I do not want that. I want no war.¡± ¡°It¡¯s pretty much the easiest and least suspicious way I can get you in Stockbrunn.¡± ¡°Do not start a war for that!¡± Shreya snapped. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be for that! That¡¯d be a side effect of it, but it¡¯s not happening, anyway. Jeez, no need to yell at me.¡± ¡°I am sorry,¡± she softened her tone. ¡°Will you promise me you will tell me everything you know about any plans for violence? I am afraid of never seeing you again. Am I wrong to think you think the same way?¡± Ellie jumped at that. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong! I¡¯ll tell you everything.¡± ¡°Will you try to stop it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I can,¡± she said, ¡°and to be real with you, it¡¯s not like I¡¯d want to. You¡¯d be the only thing holding me back.¡± ¡°Please, Ellie?¡± Shreya blinked rapidly. Forced tears sprung at the corners of her eyes, a skill she hadn¡¯t tapped into since she was a pup. ¡°Please slow it down if you can. I do not want to be taken away from you. I am scared,¡± her voice cracked. Ellie took her hands into hers. ¡°Shhhh, shhhh, it¡¯s okay. I won¡¯t let that happen to you.¡± She guided Shreya¡¯s hands upwards, so her arms could drape around her shoulders. ¡°Is it okay if I put my hands on your waist?¡± It surprised her that she¡¯d learned from the first time. Another flurry started in her chest, as real tears mixed in with the fake ones. Shreya pulled back to lead Ellie¡¯s hands to the right placement, at her waist but not in any danger of finding their way to her back. ¡°Yes, right there is okay. Please do not move them.¡± Shreya placed her arms around Ellie¡¯s shoulders again. She nuzzled against her face, the flaps of her hat blocking them from touching skin-to-skin. ¡°We need to talk about that. I have problems with being touched.¡± ¡°Did something happen to you?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± she lied. Lying to her like this sickened her, but she had to do it. ¡°Something happened. That is why we are going to need rules.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll fucking kill him. I will fucking tear him apart if I ever see him.¡± Although she spoke gently, Shreya could feel the sharp anger bubbling beneath her words. ¡°Or her, or them, or whoever did that to you. I¡¯m so sorry. I didn¡¯t know. I¡¯m such an idiot.¡± ¡°It is not like I wore a sign saying it. How were you supposed to know?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m just¡­¡± She trembled. ¡°Are you crying?¡± Shreya pressed herself closer. Ellie¡¯s hands didn¡¯t stray. A hiccuping sob tore out of her. ¡°No.¡± ¡°You are. Sorry. I wanted to tell you early. This was too much. I should not have said that.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be sorry. I¡¯m sorry. So many horrible things have happened to you. You deserve so much better!¡± Ellie cried. ¡°I-I¡¯m going to do everything to make you happy. You¡¯re going to be so happy, Shreya. You deserve to be happy.¡± ¡°You do make me happy,¡± she whispered. I don¡¯t deserve this. ¡°I¡¯ll make you happier. I¡¯ll be the best,¡± she hesitated, ¡°the best whatever-we-are to you. I¡¯ll support you. I¡¯ll protect you. I¡¯m here for you.¡± Shreya pulled back to look at her, at the sincerity swimming in the water of her eyes. She tried to dam up her own eyes, but seeing Ellie cry made it worse. This girl was ready to do anything she asked of her. She was willing to give her so much, and there Shreya was, falling back into her old patterns of manipulation. She trounced all over her feelings. ¡°Do it. Make me happy.¡± Distract me. Make me forget who I am. When Ellie didn¡¯t move, she tilted her head. ¡°Do not wait for something spectacular. C¡¯mon,¡± she pleaded. ¡°Make me feel spectacular.¡± ¡°Shreya¡­ Why can¡¯t we ever do this when we¡¯re not crying? I don¡¯t want this to become a thing.¡± She watched the resolve crumble in Ellie¡¯s eyes. The closer Shreya moved in, the more it broke. Shreya felt Ellie take in a breath. ¡°Dammit, girl.¡± She considered stopping. Ellie may have wanted it, too, but this wasn¡¯t a fair way of going about it. They should save this second moment for a happier circumstance, just as Ellie had wanted. But then, Ellie¡¯s lips met hers and the voices in Shreya¡¯s head shut off. It started relatively chaste at first, small pecks of are you sure? The answer was the same every time, a resounding yes, but Ellie held back. She kept her passion bridled, only revealing itself in the way she drew circles on Shreya¡¯s waist with her thumbs. To show her she meant her yes, Shreya gave her a more forceful kiss. She pulled back to get a read on her. Their gazes locked, Shreya could see how Ellie¡¯s eyes had clouded over. The brunette giggled, and said something Shreya wasn¡¯t in the right mindset to translate. Ellie obliged her further, returning that kiss and then some. Shreya felt like she was melting, drowning in the sensation. In need of an anchor, Shreya tangled a hand into Ellie¡¯s hair. Ellie provided another one, her hands harshening their grip on her waist Shreya poured as much as she could into her kiss. Her vulnerabilities. The things she didn¡¯t dare say. Her gratefulness for having found someone like her. The need to feel like everything was okay, like they were any other couple-to-be. In the moment, she could fool herself that much. ¡°You¡¯re the best,¡± Ellie murmured when they broke for air. ¡°No talking.¡± Shreya brought her in again. If anyone had deserved better, it would¡¯ve been the girl channeling as much emotion in return. Ellie¡¯s willingness to support her floored her. Shreya wasn¡¯t anywhere close to being the best, not when Ellie was the measuring stick by which she compared herself. ¡°Mmm, wait,¡± Ellie said. Shreya stopped to take in her appearance, the redness that had reached her lips. ¡°Hold on.¡± She let go of her, and turned around. She did a double-take. ¡°What? Whaaat?¡± ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Shreya moved to embrace her once more. Ellie shook her head. ¡°Where the hell is Sunflower?¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± The spell wore off. They were back inside a cold reality. Shreya patted her face to wake up. ¡°When did she run off? This can¡¯t be happening!¡± Ellie brought her fingers to her mouth, and shrilly whistled through them. Shreya flinched from the noise. ¡°Do not do that. You are going to call every animal in the forest over here.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care! Sunflower¡¯s missing and I can¡¯t even tell you when she disappeared. She can¡¯t be by herself. I have to find her.¡± The panic rose in her voice with every word. Shreya gripped her wrist. ¡°Get a hold of yourself. She is a dog.¡± ¡°She¡¯s not a dog; she¡¯s my dog!¡± Ellie pulled away. ¡°I¡¯m going.¡± ¡°Slow down. Breathe.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°We can track her,¡± Shreya said. She breathed in her scent. It was unmistakable amongst the smells of the forest. She was as wrong and foreign to this place as Shreya was. ¡°Trust me that we can find her. You are light-headed and not thinking straight.¡± Ellie sighed. ¡°Whose fault is that?¡± ¡°We can try this direction,¡± Shreya said without paying mind to that comment. ¡°You wanted to learn how to track, correct? This will be your lesson.¡± ¡°As long as we find her before nightfall,¡± Ellie glumly said. She reshouldered her bag. ¡°We will,¡± she assured her. Shame on her if she couldn¡¯t complete a hunting task this simple. ¡°Come with me.¡± Shreya and Ellie joined hands, and got to walking. Chapter 29: Tracking ¡°All it takes is one second. One second and everything goes to shit.¡± Ellie rolled her head to the side and pulled her bag up and off of her shoulder. She breathed out through clenched teeth. ¡°One second and she just runs off for no reason.¡± Shreya crouched over a spot in the dirt. ¡°I promise you we will find her.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been saying that for, like, what? An hour now?¡± Ellie threw her bag down, the botany book¡¯s smack-of-an-impact making Shreya jump. ¡°Doing that won¡¯t help us.¡± She narrowed her eyes. ¡°Come here and look at this.¡± ¡°It¡¯s another footprint,¡± Ellie said. ¡°What does it mean?¡± ¡°I dunno. It means she¡¯s been heading that way, like she¡¯s been doing forever.¡± Shreya outlined the shapes of the footprints. ¡°Compare this one to that one. She changed directions.¡± Ellie squatted down next to her to take a closer look. If this is what it¡¯d take to heighten Shreya¡¯s sense of urgency, then she¡¯d go along with it. ¡°Yes, okay, she changed directions and went right, great. So let¡¯s start running there and go.¡± ¡°No running. We move with caution.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been moving with caution this whole time,¡± she said. ¡°C¡¯mon, the sun¡¯s starting to go down. She could be miles ahead of us by now. We¡¯ve got to catch up to her.¡± ¡°She is not miles ahead,¡± Shreya said, her words as cool as the look in her eyes. ¡°Your hand?¡± She held out hers to take. Ellie slid hers over Shreya¡¯s, and allowed the other girl to guide her palm into the soil. ¡°Do you feel this?¡± ¡°I¡¯m feeling a whole lotta smooshy dirt, I can tell you that.¡± ¡°Why do you think it is like this?¡± Ellie sighed. ¡°Okay, I get that you want to teach me how to track things down, but this is not the time. Can we put a pause to the lesson plan?¡± She asked. ¡°We¡¯ve been at this for too long and all we¡¯ve been doing is starting and stopping at every tiny sign you find. We should¡¯ve found her by now.¡± ¡°The tiny signs are things you must notice. You asked to learn.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re so confident about where she is, then let¡¯s go get her.¡± She moved her hand away. ¡°Let¡¯s just go.¡± ¡°I understand you are upset¡ª¡± ¡°Yeah, of course I¡¯m upset! I screwed up and she¡¯s gone, and you keep stringing me along like she¡¯s right around the corner. Where is she?¡± Shreya wiped her hand off on her pants. ¡°Yelling at me helps us the same as you throwing things. Do you think I would be this slow if I thought we need to worry?¡± ¡°I guess not.¡± Ellie frowned, hesitating to clean herself on her trousers. They may have been her traveling pair, but she was hoping to keep them semi-clean for a little while longer. ¡°I would not do this if I thought she was in danger. I know she is not.¡± ¡°See, you know things. You know everything about this stuff.¡± She waved her arms around, indicating the forest surrounding them. ¡°I didn¡¯t grow up doing this. I don¡¯t have every answer at the ready like you do, so do you get why I¡¯m frustrated? There¡¯s no point in asking me anything, because I¡¯m just holding us back.¡± ¡°There is a point,¡± Shreya countered. ¡°Here, with this dirt, I wanted you to see she was here a small time ago. It is soft. Do you remember what you told me when we were by the three-headed tree?¡± Ellie hummed in thought. ¡°Hmm¡­ Her prints were less rushed. She was flatter on her feet.¡± ¡°How was that different than before?¡± ¡°Because before she was running on her toes, then she stopped doing that. We saw more of her foot in the prints,¡± Ellie said, ¡°which means she¡¯s been walking. And they¡¯re closer together. When she ran, they were further apart, right? She either caught whatever she bolted off for or she lost it.¡± ¡°You are right. Those are all the details you see when you are slower,¡± Shreya said. ¡°We know the story.¡± ¡°How close do you think she is? I could try whistling again.¡± ¡°That draws too much attention.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the point. It¡¯s a whistle. It¡¯s supposed to be attention-grabbing.¡± Ellie raised her fingers to her mouth. Shreya curled her hand around them. ¡°Please stop. I think she is not far from here.¡± She let go and stood back up. ¡°Will you carry your bag, or will I?¡± ¡°I will. It¡¯s heavy.¡± Ellie got off the ground, then grabbed her satchel. ¡°I¡¯ve got pretty much everything in it.¡± Extra clothes, the botany book, the handaxe, food, water, her lockpicking tools, whatever she could cram in there for her overnight trip. She may have overpacked, but she¡¯d rather be overprepared than underprepared. It¡¯s not like she had a Girl¡¯s Guide to Your First Sleepover with the Woodsdweller You Fancy to consult. They walked in the direction Sunflower went, the dog¡¯s steps acting as their compass. The sun shone in glimpses through the branches overhead. Its light washed the trees ahead in dark orange, a color that made Ellie take Shreya¡¯s hand. Daylight¡¯s protection was going to leave them soon. Searching for Sunflower in the dark would be a risky, if not foolish move. The darkness held the worst of what the woods had to offer. And although Ellie thought the tales and rumors to be highly exaggerated, she couldn¡¯t deny the pit forming at the bottom of her stomach. Once night fell, they¡¯d be forced to go back to the cabin. They¡¯d lose the ground they¡¯d made on Sunflower. Sunflower would be alone. She¡¯d wander in circles, not knowing how to get back home in a place so unfamiliar. Something would notice her, a ghoul or some other ghastly creature. Fangs bared and red eyes glowing, it would stalk its unwitting prey. It¡¯d wait until Sunflower exhausted herself in her search. The moment she laid down to rest her head, the beast would strike. She wasn¡¯t like the other dogs back in Stockbrunn. Hildegarde chided Ellie many times about that. Sunflower lacked discipline. Ellie hadn¡¯t had it in her to be hard on her. If she could go back, she would¡¯ve been more diligent with their training sessions. Any other dog would¡¯ve come running at the first whistle. Shreya insisted everything was fine, that they were going to find Sunflower safe and sound. Ellie glanced at her, hoping to absorb her confidence through a shared gaze. It was a wonder to Ellie how the girl whose hand she held managed to get up every morning. In her lowest of times, Ellie folded inwards. She had locked herself in her room, only opening her door to drag in the food left for her in the hallway. Her blinds drawn, her days and nights floated by without difference. Failure weighing heavy in her heart, she withdrew from the world. When her mind¡¯s retreat became too much to handle, she turned to lockpicking. She practiced on whatever locks she could find, boxes, doors, anything in her house. Fiddling with the picking tools kept her busy. What was once an odd hobby became her obsession. The less idle she was, the better she was at shoving her darkest thoughts into the margins. It didn¡¯t seem like Shreya had a crutch like that. How could she? Her life didn¡¯t allow her time to waste away on empty busy-making activities. Not that Ellie knew what Shreya¡¯s life was like exactly, but she¡¯d heard enough about it to picture it. An ethnocentric place where might makes right, where everyone is a number that needs to fall in line. Do what¡¯s expected or be punished for being different. Those who stand out are brought to their knees. Community comes first, always. Whatever the old people say goes. They say, ¡®take out your teeth,¡¯ and you¡¯re expected to ask, ¡®where should I put them?¡¯ around a mouthful of blood and dental remnants. Shreya¡¯s people¡¯s blind faith poisoned them. It ruined their minds, rendering them as nothing more than the elders¡¯ puppets. As an isolationist group, they¡¯d never be able to break away from their brainwashing. The misery of their lives was all they knew. If they¡¯d never met, Shreya would¡¯ve turned out like the rest of them. Another doll to be propped up for the elders¡¯ amusement. As soon as her community caught onto her not being like the rest of them, they¡¯d break her to pieces and reform her in their image. She¡¯d be just another woodsdweller, walking the same narrow path as everyone else. They¡¯d destroy her to make that happen. Everything was up to the elderly. If they decided Shreya deserved to be hurt for whatever reason (one of those reasons had been feeding their village¡ªanything could be grounds for punishment), then their culture required it to happen. Ellie couldn¡¯t fight against that. She was only so strong, only able to protect Shreya so much. Two girls versus hundreds. Once Shreya returned home, there¡¯d be nothing Ellie could do to save her. The hundreds would win. What if they punished her for being away for so long? It¡¯d been a day, at least. What if they saw that as insubordinance and planned something worse than exile for her? For whatever reason, Shreya kept refusing her help. Ellie offered all kinds of outs for her, and she turned down every last one. Rescue was at her fingertips. She needed to realize how perfect her life would be if she¡¯d just accept the damn offer. Ellie would give Shreya everything she wanted in a heartbeat if that¡¯s what it¡¯d take. Those terrible things that happened to her in the past, they didn¡¯t have to be part of Shreya¡¯s present or her future. Her indoctrination stopped her. That¡¯s what it was, wasn¡¯t it? Her community had its toxic claws sunk into her and she couldn¡¯t abandon them out of principle. What good were her principles in this situation? They were the blockade preventing her from being saved. Was it ¡°out of principle¡± and on the elders¡¯ orders that someone touched her? What were they trying to teach her then? What justification could they have possibly used for a punishment like that? They were sick. Every last one of those community members were sick in the head. Ellie took back every trade offer she ever mentioned to Shreya. Stockbrunn would never deal with them in a positive way. In fact, Ellie had a new trade on the table for them: justice in the Stockbrunn courts. Everyone responsible for the wrongdoing done to Shreya would pay for it. In exchange, Stockbrunn wouldn¡¯t level their backwards village. Final offer. ¡°Sorry for snapping at you,¡± Ellie said. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have been so nasty and it was uncalled for. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°It is alright. You have big reactions about people you care about,¡± Shreya said. ¡°Emotions are good to have. Do not be sorry.¡± ¡°Yeah, but that¡¯s not an excuse. You were helping me and I blew up. It wasn¡¯t nice of me and I¡¯m really sorry.¡± She didn¡¯t want to be another problem on Shreya¡¯s long list. Ellie needed to be better than that. Shreya tugged on her hand. ¡°I am sorry, too, for losing Sunflower. It¡­¡± Her words faltered. ¡°It was my fault. I should have waited for a better time.¡± ¡°Hey, what¡¯s a better time than when you feel like it?¡± The pair stopped walking to talk. ¡°You wanted it a certain way,¡± Shreya said. ¡°Happy and a word I forgot. Spectacular?¡± ¡°Well, was it?¡± Shreya poked her in the side. ¡°I am not answering.¡± ¡°Okay, ¡¯cause the way I remember it, someone was definitely happy. Two someones. Me and you,¡± she said, gently swinging their arms. ¡°We were real happy, and that¡¯s all that counts to make it happy and spectacular, alright?¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Shreya smiled. Ellie swore Shreya¡¯s smiles were made out of the stuff that made birds sing, plants grow, and the sky stay high. She cherished them as much as she cherished the girl they adorned. ¡°Forget what I said before. I was being a drama queen.¡± If Shreya needed her to be happy and carefree-seeming, then Ellie could do that. She¡¯d make every moment they had together into something special. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°I was being too dramatic. We don¡¯t need that kind of pressure. So what if the timing¡¯s not perfect? When the moment feels right, just go for it. Hug me. Kiss me. Whatever. I don¡¯t want you to have to hold back your feelings.¡± Shreya preferred physical expressions¡ªactions over talk¡ªand Ellie was more than willing to adapt to her style. She faced a steep learning curve, not when it came to wordless communication, but when it came to believing in it.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. She wasn¡¯t a stranger to distortions of truth. Lying to herself was one of the things that helped her leave her house after Freesia¡¯s disappearance. She¡¯d pretend to be okay just enough to function. Once she didn¡¯t feel twisted up about tricking herself, she lost that pang of shame she should¡¯ve felt lying about other things. It wasn¡¯t like it was malicious. It was how she dealt with things and she did it so often that substituting reality became an easy feat. Sometimes, she lost track and fiction blurred into truth. Her mother called it a nasty habit she was too old for. Ellie was inclined to agree. She had trouble believing in things as they were. What if she looked into a kiss, derived a certain meaning from it, and reached the wrong conclusion from it? She¡¯d take in the happy parts of it, discard the rest, and miss out on its real intention. ¡°And I know it¡¯s annoying,¡± Ellie said, ¡°but when I ask you to tell me how you feel, can you?¡± ¡°We talked about this. You already know how I feel.¡± ¡°Sometimes I need that extra confirmation. It¡¯s not because you¡¯re doing anything wrong or that I doubt you or anything. It¡¯s ¡¯cause¡­well, because it¡¯s nice to hear. It makes me happy when you compliment me and I don¡¯t want to lose that.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t,¡± Shreya said. ¡°Mind if I ask you something else? You never did answer me about¡­¡± Thinking back to the argument they had that morning made the words die in her throat. Solving that problem hadn¡¯t helped her confidence any. She still floundered about this subject. Shreya watched her expectantly. ¡°¡­Answer you about what?¡± What were they? Girlfriends? Friends messing around? Some cloudy, hard-to-define in-between stage? When she asked the first time, Shreya did a fantastic job of avoiding the question. That was an answer in and of itself, wasn¡¯t it? Just let things progress naturally and let the label form on its own. It wouldn¡¯t be fair to go exclusive or heavy at this point. They had more to figure out. Rather than get caught up in a potentially pitfall-filled conversation, Ellie decided to drop it. ¡°Your birthday! I realized I never asked how old you are. I¡¯m sixteen, how about you?¡± ¡°We may count age differently,¡± Shreya said. ¡°I was born in the Spring, but I do not know what you would call the day.¡± ¡°You guys use a different calendar system? That¡¯s cool. Early in the season or late in the season?¡± ¡°Late. Mama told me it was close to summer.¡± ¡°Can you count how many Springs you¡¯ve lived through? Don¡¯t include the one you were born in. Think of that as zero.¡± ¡°Zero, one, two, three¡­¡± Shreya added them up on her fingers, saying the numbers out loud. Ellie held her breath in anticipation. While an age gap wasn¡¯t the worst thing, a chasm of one would be enough to tear their relationship into friendship-only. She bit her lip to keep from screaming when Shreya stopped at twelve. ¡°You cannot be twelve,¡± Ellie said. ¡°I¡¯ll eat my left boot if you¡¯re twelve years old. There¡¯s no way! I demand a recount.¡± Twelve year olds weren¡¯t supposed to look like Shreya. If woodsdwellers¡¯ twelve year olds were like Shreya, then Stockbrunn needed to investigate their sorcery. ¡°I forgot how to pronounce the next number.¡± ¡°Thirteen!¡± ¡°Yes, okay, thank you. Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen. I think I have lived through sixteen,¡± she said. Ellie cheered. ¡°Yes! Thank you! Ooh, you know what? I was born early in the Spring, which means I¡¯m older than you, kiddo.¡± ¡°I do not know what a kiddo is, but I do not think I like the way you smile as you say it.¡± Shreya cupped Ellie¡¯s face in her hands. ¡°Your smile is a mocking smile.¡± Ellie wondered if Shreya could feel the fire in her cheeks as they burned. ¡°Y-yeah? You know what to do to get rid of it. Go ahead. I won¡¯t bite.¡± ¡°It is hard to kiss you when I am smiling this much.¡± ¡°Then stop smiling!¡± ¡°You stop smiling!¡± ¡°Okay, okay, how about this? Is this a face you wanna kiss?¡± Ellie strained and scrunched up her expression. Shreya turned away to giggle, music to Ellie¡¯s ears. ¡°You look like you need to poop. Stop that.¡± Ellie relaxed. ¡°Guess you¡¯re gonna have to deal with both of us smiling, then. Make your move.¡± The pressing of their lips together happened slowly, a gentle, shared caress. It was more chaste than the others, but the kiss lit Ellie up inside all the same. She felt a tingling sensation all over, a blissful head-to-toe tickling. When they separated, both girls erupted into a fit of laughter. She thanked the forest that there wasn¡¯t any wind blowing through. The feelings ballooning in her chest would¡¯ve lifted her away with the breeze. Feeling lighter than air, Ellie leaned up and kissed Shreya on the forehead. ¡°See? That wasn¡¯t so hard!¡± ¡°You are right,¡± she said. ¡°I¡­I really like you, Ellie. You can let every tree know that.¡± ¡°The trees know,¡± Ellie said, ¡°and they know I really like you, too.¡± ¡°I do not want to put a stop to this talk, but we should go back to finding her.¡± ¡°Ah, right, Sunflower.¡± Her irresponsibility had struck yet again. ¡°Here, hold onto me. The tree roots are dense over there and I don¡¯t want you to slip.¡± A gnarled collection of roots laid out before them. They¡¯d broken through the surface of the ground, taking over the path they needed to walk. Ellie held out her arm for Shreya to take, and they traversed over it, careful not to lose their footing. To make up for any lost time, they increased their pace. Shreya took over on the tracking front, hardly stopping to examine Sunflower¡¯s footprints. She¡¯d send them a glance and move on. Sunflower stayed on the same trajectory: slow steps in one direction. The sun had gone to rest by the time they found her. Sunflower¡¯s clothes were dirty. The low lighting made it difficult for Ellie to make out the dark stain near her collar. Mud? Drool? Sunflower¡¯d been sitting, but sprung to her feet and bounded over to Ellie as soon as Ellie called her name. Fabric stuck out of her mouth. ¡°Sunflower! Don¡¯t run off like that again. You worried me sick,¡± Ellie said, speaking softly to not startle her. ¡°What happened to you? What¡¯s that you got there?¡± Sunflower made a noise through the cloth. Her eyes were unfocused. Shreya put a hand on Ellie¡¯s arm. ¡°Ellie, we need to go.¡± Having her closer allowed Ellie to see the lines going down Sunflower¡¯s chin. Ellie wiped at them, surprised at their dried stickiness. ¡°Ew, what the hell is this? What are you eating?¡± She rubbed the substance between her thumb and forefinger. ¡°Do not touch it! Wipe it off.¡± Shreya grabbed her hand and rubbed it off on her sleeve. Sunflower tilted her head. Too occupied with chewing whatever was in her mouth, she didn¡¯t react to Ellie and Shreya¡¯s close proximity. Or maybe she was feeding off of Ellie¡¯s positive vibes towards Shreya. No matter what the reason was, Ellie was glad she didn¡¯t have to deal with anymore growling from her companion. ¡°What is it? Sunflower, give,¡± Ellie commanded. Sunflower released it into her hand. Shreya slapped it away. ¡°What was that for?!¡± Shreya met her glare. ¡°I told you not to touch it.¡± ¡°Why? Talk to me. Tell me what¡¯s going on. Sunflower, stay.¡± She stopped Sunflower from moving after the damp cloth scrap. It looked like it had been torn off of something. Ellie checked Sunflower up and down, turning her around to look for any rips in her jumper. ¡°That is blood! Blood and¡ª¡± ¡°Blood?! She¡¯s bleeding?¡± Ellie took Sunflower¡¯s face in her hands, and moved her head from side to side to see her from every angle. Her dog whined from the rough handling. ¡°Sunflower, what happened? Shreya, do you think she got into a spiky bush and someone gave her this to bite on, to stop the bleeding?¡± ¡°It is not her blood.¡± ¡°How do you know that? You¡¯re not holding her.¡± ¡°Does she look in pain?¡± Shreya answered for her, ¡°no, she does not. It is someone¡¯s blood.¡± She grabbed the fabric and uncurled it from the wadded-up shape it was in. Ellie strained her eyes to see its lined pattern. It reminded her of some dresses she¡¯d seen in town. Crushed petals fell out of it. ¡°Flowers?¡± Ellie asked. Shreya shoved it into her belt. ¡°Do not run. Do not scream. Do not make any extra noise,¡± she whispered. ¡°I need you and Sunflower to stay calm.¡± ¡°You¡¯re scaring me¡­¡± ¡°We are going back to the house.¡± Shreya hand rested over the hilt of her knife. ¡°I-is someone watching us?¡± She whipped around, looking for any signs. ¡°No, not that I can tell,¡± Shreya said. She looked over at something over Ellie¡¯s shoulder. ¡°There could be traps. You need to hold onto Sunflower and follow close to me.¡± A million questions shot through her mind. Ellie shut her mouth. She didn¡¯t want to spend another second in this place, and asking more questions would only prolong their stay. They needed to get out, the sooner the better. Ellie gripped the back of Sunflower¡¯s shirt to lead her forward. After a shared nod for reassurance, the group set off. ~ * ~ * ~ Ellie wouldn¡¯t have pegged inducing vomiting as a romantic affair, but there was something touching about the way Shreya helped her through it. They forced Sunflower to empty the contents of her stomach into a hole Shreya dug up for them some ways away from the house. It was disgusting, but Ellie¡¯d take a handful of puke over Sunflower succumbing to whatever plants she¡¯d been drugged with. ¡°Do you think she¡¯ll be okay?¡± Ellie used her clean hand to brush the tears streaming down Sunflower¡¯s face. Sunflower whimpered, stretched out in Ellie¡¯s lap. ¡°This is the best thing we can do,¡± Shreya said. She rubbed Ellie¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I know the plant. It is not a killer, but it does things to your mind.¡± ¡°Someone fed it to her,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s what must¡¯ve happened. She found someone and¡­¡± She couldn¡¯t bring herself to say it. It was difficult for her to wrap her mind around. Who would do that to a dog? ¡°I do not think she killed someone.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say that.¡± ¡°It is on the front of her. I thought you would think that.¡± ¡°She wouldn¡¯t do that. No, somebody else killed someone or hurt someone and, I don¡¯t know.¡± The blood was too fresh for it to have been something she randomly found. It was all over her chin. And, then there was the plant. ¡°This was something deliberate. Something messed up and planned out.¡± ¡°Is this something Stockbrunn does?¡± Shreya asked. ¡°No! We¡¯re not psychos. This is something your people would do.¡± Shreya looked at her like she¡¯d been slapped. Her words were delivered slow and steady. ¡°I asked because your people create fake floor traps for animals. The bear? Forgive me for the assumption.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean it like that,¡± Ellie said. ¡°I just lost it for a minute there.¡± ¡°Ellie, we would never do something like this.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°It is alright. We need to get you and Sunflower cleaned up. Here, I think I know where a stream is.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ Sunflower, stand.¡± According to Shreya, her community wouldn¡¯t be capable of such a thing. And yet, she knew what happened to Sunflower within seconds of them finding her. The blood. The plant. The confidence. Something wasn¡¯t right. ~ * ~ * ~ It turned out Ellie forgot to pack some essential things for her night¡¯s stay, namely candles and matches. She moved through the pitch black house on memory. To the left were the cupboards. Directly in front were the tables and chairs. Ellie bumped into one of the latter, and dragged it to the door. ¡°I can¡¯t see well enough to lock it,¡± she explained, ¡°but setting this chair up should keep anyone from turning the knob.¡± ¡°Do you want me to set up a fire?¡± Shreya asked. ¡°Knowing our luck the torch would nick something and this whole cabin would go up in flames. Besides, don¡¯t we need to act like we¡¯re not here? This needs to be like any other dark house around.¡± ¡°You are right. Do you need help getting to the table?¡± Sunflower brushed against Ellie¡¯s arm. Ellie said, ¡°she¡¯ll help me over.¡± She was the only one who could properly see in the dark, after all. ¡°Sorry for the nastiness, Sunflower. You did a good job. You deserve a nice reward, don¡¯t you?¡± Ellie lowered her bag onto the table. She rolled her shoulder, glad to be free of its weight. Unfortunately, looking up the plant in her botany book would have to wait until the morning. She took out the jars of food, clinking them against the table to make noise for Shreya to follow. ¡°Sounds like oatmeal,¡± Shreya said. ¡°It is. I brought some apples if you¡¯re interested.¡± Ellie brought them out, some of her lockpicking tools tumbling out with them. ¡°Did you give me the jerky back?¡± ¡°Here it is.¡± She rapped her knuckles against the table. Ellie popped the lid off of one of the jars. ¡°Here, Sunflower. Take.¡± Sunflower lifted it out of her hands and dug right in. ¡°Shreya, yours is here. There¡¯s a spoon next to it. You don¡¯t care if Sunflower gets, like, half the jerky, do you?¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± she said, before crunching into an apple. ¡°She can have all of it for what she went through. Your old jars from yesterday are on the tabletop over there.¡± ¡°The counters,¡± the ones below the hanging cupboards. ¡°Damn, I should¡¯ve brought you some more food for tomorrow. I¡¯ll go home and try to swing back here if I can.¡± ¡°It is okay. I can survive here. If I get hungry, I can go hunting or fishing.¡± ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t like doing that.¡± ¡°I hate it when it is unnecessary.¡± Ellie listened to Shreya bite into her apple. ¡°You¡¯d be okay going out there with those people roaming around?¡± ¡°I will see them before they see me. I am not afraid,¡± Shreya said. ¡°Because you¡¯re an expert tracker?¡± Ellie took the cap off of her oatmeal. ¡°Come to think of it, isn¡¯t it weird we didn¡¯t see their tracks in the dirt?¡± ¡°They did not lead her.¡± Shreya paused to take another bite. ¡°She came to them.¡± Ellie reached out for Sunflower. Her hand found her hair and stroked through it as she and Shreya chatted. ¡°What do you think they wanted her for? If they wanted to steal her, wouldn¡¯t they have just gone and done it?¡± ¡°I do not know. We should be happy we found her.¡± With all those delays, they might not have. They were that close to losing her. Ellie refrained from bringing that up. They rescued Sunflower. Ellie needed to be happy about that. But in the process of rescuing her, she confirmed that there was something to those rumors. Bad, inexplicable things happened in the woods. If she hadn¡¯t witnessed it herself, Ellie wouldn¡¯t have believed it. Nothing about it made sense. Had it been for fun? Was it someone¡¯s idea of a wicked prank? They could¡¯ve done something so much worse to Sunflower, but they hadn¡¯t. The whole thing made her head hurt. ¡°That plant doesn¡¯t have any longterm effects, does it?¡± ¡°It should not. Watch her. Give her water when she needs it.¡± Ellie stirred her oatmeal. ¡°I think¡­I think you should rethink coming home with me.¡± ¡°We have gone over this. I cannot.¡± Shreya set what remained of her apple down. ¡°Why are you so calm about this? There¡¯s something happening here. It¡¯s not safe.¡± ¡°The forest is never safe. I am sorry you found out that way,¡± Shreya said, ¡°but I have known that my whole life. I am not as calm as you think. I am worried.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not acting like it,¡± Ellie said. ¡°How would that help anything?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re that worried, you¡¯d come home with me. What if they get you?¡± ¡°They won¡¯t. I am not their target.¡± Sunflower placed her jar on the table, the sound of glass meeting wood interrupting them. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Ellie asked. ¡°This will sound bad,¡± Shreya said. ¡°They want people like you. Sunflower is a kept animal. Groomed. Cared for. Whoever did that to her may have thought someone would come for her.¡± ¡°That¡¯s horrible. You¡¯re sure no one was watching us?¡± ¡°Yes, I am certain of it, and you should be certain that I will keep you safe. As long as you are with me, you have no reason to be afraid.¡± ¡°Same to you. They¡¯ll have another thing coming to them if they try anything on you.¡± Ellie fumbled in the dark for the jerky bundle. ¡°Here, Sunflower, take. I¡¯m never letting her out of my sight again.¡± ¡°I will do the same. It helps that she no longer hates me.¡± ¡°See, the trick with her is to give her food. I think once you gave her that jerky, she became okaywith you. Some dogs are simple like that.¡± Ellie ate a spoonful out of her jar. It tasted sour on her tongue. ¡°Careful. The oatmeal may have gone bad.¡± ¡°It is fine to me.¡± Shreya¡¯s spoon clinked against the glass jar. Ellie recapped her jar. ¡°I already cleaned up her throw up. I¡¯m not cleaning up any more.¡± She trailed her hand along the table until she found an apple. ¡°I will finish your oatmeal. You should eat the rest of the meat and apples. It will be hard for you to sleep hungry,¡± Shreya said. ¡°You are not used to it.¡± ¡°And you are,¡± Ellie said. She took a bite out of her apple, chewing it as she figured out how to phrase what she wanted to say. ¡°That¡¯s awful. You¡¯re stronger for it, but that¡¯s terrible.¡± ¡°The sky is blue,¡± Shreya said, ¡°that is the way it is.¡± They finished their meals in silence apart from the sounds of chewing. Content, Sunflower hugged Ellie around the shoulders when she was done. Ellie patted her on the arm. Her dog had been through more than enough in one day. They all had, in their own ways. A good night¡¯s sleep had been hard earned. Shreya set the empty jars and spoons on the counter top with the others. ¡°Do you need help getting up the stairs?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯d be great. I¡¯m gonna change down here first, though. I, um, brought you a nightgown, too, if you wanna wear it. It might be more comfortable than your clothes, I dunno.¡± ¡°I am fine,¡± Shreya said. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ellie¡¯s hands hesitated on the top button of her shirt. The house was darker than the back of her eyelids, but for some reason, she couldn¡¯t do it. Not in the same room. ¡°Ah, sorry if this is weird, but do you mind going upstairs? I¡¯m kinda nervous changing with you here, wherever you are.¡± ¡°Should I turn around and cover my eyes?¡± ¡°That¡¯d help but it¡¯s not like it makes that much of a difference. I¡¯ll have Sunflower bring me up. You can claim your bed.¡± ¡°Okay, I will go do that.¡± Ellie waited until she heard Shreya make it all the way up the stairs, then she slipped out of her day clothes and into her nightgown. She stuffed her brassiere deep into her bag. The last thing she wanted was for Shreya to see it. She was badly in need of a new one. She called for Sunflower, and together, they went up the stairs step-by-step. Chapter 30: Halfway ¡°Where are you?¡± ¡°Here, by the window,¡± Shreya said. She covered her mouth to keep from laughing at Ellie struggling in the darkness. The heiress used her dog as a guiding shield, pushing her forward and walking heel-to-toe with her. ¡°I considered pulling these clothes away, but privacy is safer.¡± Ellie clutched onto Sunflower as they made their way beside Shreya. The change in Sunflower¡¯s behavior towards her didn¡¯t make Shreya any less wary. One sudden movement and she could revert back to saying ¡°bad, bad, bad¡± ad nauseum, or worse. Although the plant lowered the likelihood of her attacking, the possibility lingered. Shreya saw it in Sunflower¡¯s eyes, the way they stayed trained on Shreya¡¯s movements. It was a wonder that Sunflower could keep her head up, let alone stand. She had to have been running on an incredible amount of willpower. The khadarven flower she¡¯d chewed was known for its relaxation effects. It set busy minds and bodies to rest. Bliss didn¡¯t accompany its ingestion so much as detachment. Its distancing quality was the main draw. It functioned as a fast track to an out-of-body elsewhere. Khadarven kicked people outside of themselves, hard enough for them to not care about their realities. With that, came the khadarven user¡¯s suggestibility. Shreya¡¯s khadarven experiences had been under controlled circumstances: never alone and always in someone¡¯s care. Its addictive properties made that a necessity. Retreating into khadarven-induced nothingness was comforting, but it ruined productivity. The Elders allowed it on select, special occasions, only by their permission. Yet, someone on this half of the woods knew about the plant and how to abuse it. They doused a khadarven-stuffed rag with double-sourced blood, fed it to Sunflower, and left her behind to be found later. Someone should¡¯ve been waiting for them. Everything was set up for a near flawless trap for a human, but they were somewhere further off. When she and Ellie found Sunflower, Shreya had smelled the range of scents lingering in the air. Grime. Dried blood. The pungent sweat of unwashed people. Touches of a dark floral smoke. A fresh killed animal or two was mixed amongst all of that, throwing Shreya off from being able to pick out the finer details. She was too focused on getting them out of that situation to ruminate on everything right then. ¡°Pulling these clothes away? What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Ellie asked. ¡°If you¡¯re talking about yours, I¡¯m not gonna stop you, and I won¡¯t get in the way of your privacy, so no worries there. Do as you wish. Get comfortable.¡± Ellie¡¯s eyebrows creased, her eyes visibly straining as she tried seeing in the blackness of the room. Shreya¡¯s smirk grew. For someone too shy to change in front of her, Ellie didn¡¯t seem to have any problems with the reverse. ¡°These ones that hang by the window,¡± Shreya explained. She gave one a tug. ¡°The starlight may reach us without them.¡± ¡°Oh, the curtains, yeah, those are curtains. For a second there, you made me think you wanted to get down to your undergarments¡­or less.¡± She giggled behind her hand. ¡°What if I already am?¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re not serious.¡± ¡°Is there something wrong with that?¡± ¡°Some people would call it indecent. Nobody exposes themself for no reason, you know? It¡¯s intentional, and, um, showing off your body to someone, it¡¯s supposed to be a private thing. Or so they say. I don¡¯t know. Plenty of people don¡¯t care about that,¡± Ellie rambled. She hooked her finger around the collar of her gown. ¡°Sorry, I talk a lot when I¡¯m nervous. You¡¯re not actually naked, are you?¡± ¡°You would not know, would you?¡± Ellie moved her hand, searching for Shreya. Shreya offered her her still sleeved arm. ¡°You¡¯re not!¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± The most she had done was discard her cape. ¡°Some people would call it indecent.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same way for you guys? I would¡¯ve thought you¡¯d be more free-spirited than that, what with the woods and nature and all.¡± ¡°I have never connected bodies and ¡®decency¡¯ before. That sounds strange to me.¡± Bodies were bodies, masses of skin, muscles, and bone. They didn¡¯t need any behavioral or moral codes attached to them. ¡°Me, too! I mean, it¡¯s different in other places but in Stockbrunn it¡¯s more about protecting yourself than about purity or stuff like that. You have to be careful and you need to be discreet, or else you¡¯re being immodest and that¡¯s bad. But what are we protecting ourselves from? We¡¯re girls and unless you¡¯re a lavender girl we don¡¯t have anything to worry about.¡± ¡°Is lavender another shade of violet?¡± Perhaps the Violet Women¡¯s Society members existed in various degrees along a spectrum of purpleness. ¡°It¡¯s about a flower in its species. A hybrid thing. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s in the stuff they take. Chemicals? It¡¯s a mix of things. Whatever, it doesn¡¯t matter. Let¡¯s just say they can get girls pregnant because they¡¯ve got the equipment for it,¡± Ellie said. ¡°Ugh, this is so random and weird to talk about, sorry. Who talks about pregnancy stuff like this?¡± ¡°It is interesting. I like hearing about your town.¡± Sunflower whined for attention. Her head drooped to the side, her shoulders slumping. Ellie patted her on the back, unable to see the movements her dog made. Shreya spoke for her, ¡°you should let Sunflower sleep. She has been fighting it for so long.¡± ¡°Yeah, she has. Poor girl. Sunflower, go sleep. Bed.¡± As soon as she flopped onto one of the beds, Sunflower passed out, her arms and legs splayed out. Shreya¡¯s ears picked up on her soft, languid breaths. ¡°There won¡¯t be any long lasting effects, will there be?¡± Ellie asked. Without Sunflower to lean on, she wandered closer to the window. ¡°She will be okay. We helped her the best we could. Let her rest for as long as she needs.¡± Ellie dragged one of the curtains aside. She revealed a sliver of the nightsky, a smattering of white dots against a black backdrop. Shreya craned her head to find the moon. Shadows overtook more than half of it. ¡°Do you know what astronomy is? It¡¯s the study of everything you see out there. The moon, the stars, all of it. If I brought you a telescope, you could see it closer. It¡¯s this thing you look through to bring far away images much closer, in case you wanted to know.¡± ¡°It is fine without one,¡± Shreya said. ¡°I can see the stars like this.¡± She stood on her toes to get a better view of the ground below. Satisfied not to see anything out of the ordinary, she decided not to drag Ellie away from the window. ¡°Astronomers have figured out patterns to the stars. They call them constellations, and everyone¡¯s all about discovering new ones to name after themselves. Gotta stake a claim on the stars, y¡¯know? Stockbrunn¡¯s got constellation maps.¡± ¡°How do you know where one constellation starts and one ends?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good question,¡± Ellie said. ¡°Um¡­I guess it has to do with the patterns. And you can¡¯t always see every constellation all the time. Yeah, I almost forgot that part. It¡¯s a right place, right time thing.¡± Shreya gazed through the glass window. ¡°Show me one.¡± Ellie drew her finger from bright twinkle to bright twinkle, creating a shape. ¡°It¡¯s a rhombus! Cool, huh?¡± ¡°But what about the other stars?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think they count because they¡¯re not flashy.¡± ¡°Could this be a constellation?¡± Shreya traced something out above Ellie¡¯s rhombus. ¡°It is wearing a hat now.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if that counts, either.¡± ¡°The stars change every night. What counts should change along with them,¡± Shreya said. ¡°Honestly, it is silly to claim stars. What good is their ownership?¡± ¡°It¡¯s like you¡¯re leaving your mark. You decide a bunch of stars means something, and everyone else gets on board with that. Then when people check out that hat shape in the sky, they have you to thank for it,¡± Ellie said. ¡°I dunno, getting a chance to be important¡¯s exciting. You¡¯ll be in books.¡± ¡°You do not seem to like that. You do not like your importance.¡± Ellie stiffened. ¡°Because it¡¯s not like I picked that out for myself. I¡¯m the heiress by default, remember?¡± ¡°I know. Forgive me if we have talked about this before, but what else would you like to do?¡± ¡°Shreya, I could talk about the same things a million times with you and never get bored.¡± She let the curtain go and adjusted it back into place. ¡°I¡¯d be a hunter or a farmer. Maybe I¡¯d work for my aunt and become an officer, or¡­¡± Ellie trailed off in thought. ¡°Oh, I guess I could work something out and become a locksmith¡¯s apprentice. That¡¯d be unusual and unlikely, though. Very difficult.¡± ¡°You like all of those things?¡± ¡°Those are the paths I could take. Switching onto another path¡¯s hard. Things are different if you wanna leave Stockbrunn, but that¡¯s pretty much the way it is if you¡¯re staying. People are generally raised in their careers.¡± ¡°It is less rigid for us,¡± Shreya said. ¡°We choose and switch when needed.¡± ¡°What do you wanna be?¡± ¡°Relief. I want to know many trades so I can help anyone who needs it. I like learning new things and I like helping. I do not know the word for it in Casternian.¡± ¡°It sounds like you wanna be a floater,¡± Ellie said. ¡°That¡¯s cool. It makes sense for you. You¡­when do you think you¡¯ll go back home? I forgot.¡± Something sunk in her core. ¡°When the time is right for it.¡± ¡°Cryptic.¡± ¡°It could be a week or a month. I will return before anyone worries.¡± ¡°It takes that long for anyone to care?¡± Ellie asked. ¡°We trust in our capabilities. Knowing my sister, she will tell everyone I am chasing rabbits,¡± Shreya said. ¡°There have been hunting parties gone for months. It would be an easy story to believe.¡± ¡°You sound sad all of a sudden.¡± ¡°Tired,¡± Shreya said, wondering if the dark heightened Ellie¡¯s perception. ¡°Do you want me to wake you up or do you wanna go to sleep?¡± ¡°Can we fall asleep talking? I do not think I can sleep on my own.¡± She reached around Ellie to touch her back, to give herself something to hold onto before the storm of her thoughts began. ¡°Talking or talking?¡±If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Talking.¡± She was careful to keep the word even. ¡°Yeah, good idea. Wouldn¡¯t want to get too tempted.¡± Normally, Ellie saying something like that would be accompanied by an awkward grin, a gesture that would cool the heat off. The dark emboldened her. ¡°Getting into anything here would be a recipe for disaster.¡± Shreya wondered how long Ellie could keep her composure for. ¡°Hm, and what would we get into?¡± ¡°A disaster.¡± ¡°Kissing is not a disaster.¡± ¡°It¡¯s dangerous. You¡¯re dangerous,¡± she corrected herself. ¡°I understand. We need to follow Stockbrunn¡¯s rules and protect ourselves.¡± Shreya sought a reaction. Ellie went taut. Shreya struck a nerve she wasn¡¯t aiming for. ¡°You know I don¡¯t care about that. I¡¯m just saying that if we start anything, I don¡¯t think we¡¯re gonna stop, and I¡¯d rather avoid that whole mess. I¡¯m weak and you¡¯re hard to resist and¡ª¡± She cut herself off, her expression changing as if she remembered something. ¡°Ah, you know what¡¯s fun in the dark?¡± Shreya¡¯s lips didnt get a chance to form a word before Ellie interjected. ¡°Telling stories! You¡¯re right. We should tell stories!¡± Ellie exclaimed. ¡°What¡¯s a sleepover without storytelling?¡± ¡°¡­Are you okay?¡± ¡°When I¡¯m with you, I¡¯m fantastic.¡± She shuffled away from her, her hands outstretched and patting the air to find a bed. ¡°I know storytelling may be important, but this feels forced.¡± ¡°What¡¯s forced is this story about this servant girl who everyone was ungrateful towards. She made out like a thief by the end of the story,¡± Ellie said. She found the mattress¡¯ edge and sat on it. ¡°It¡¯s not realistic, but it¡¯s fun to pick apart.¡± ¡°Did I do something wrong?¡± Ellie shook her head. She spoke in the wrong direction. ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything wrong. It was me. I just didn¡¯t like where I was taking the conversation.¡± ¡°Do you want a restart?¡± A second try might clarify what the mood whiplash was for. ¡°I can¡¯t keep getting restarts. That wouldn¡¯t be fair to you. Anyway, why don¡¯t you get in bed for storytime? I¡¯ll switch to Sunflower¡¯s when you fall asleep,¡± Ellie said. ¡°I¡¯ve got a bunch of children¡¯s stories memorized from when I used to read my dad to sleep.¡± ¡°You would think he would do that for you.¡± Shreya wouldn¡¯t put it past Ellie to come up with a silly role reversal game like that. ¡°You would think so, yeah.¡± She crossed her arms, her tone dulling. Since her body language was less than positive, Shreya refrained from looking into it any further. It wasn¡¯t like she wanted to talk about her Papa, either, or anyone in her family for that matter. Some subjects were too personal and this must¡¯ve been one of them for Ellie. Shreya went to the other side of the bed. ¡°Is it alright if I dress down?¡± ¡°It¡¯s like what I said earlier. Get comfortable. Not like I can see.¡± It was for that reason that Shreya could take off her hat and give her ears a well-needed break from being flattened down. She took a seat, massaging them while she waited for Ellie¡¯s story to begin. This had been the longest stretch of keeping herself in her disguise. She hadn¡¯t noticed the aching at the base of her tail until she sat down. She slipped off her top. The bed creaked as she leaned forward to undo her chest wrappings. She had them on for the dual job of support and keeping her tail against her back. Ellie cleared her throat. ¡°So, as I was saying, there¡¯s this servant girl. Her step-family employs her to do everything. Cook. Clean. Wash their ¡®pits for them. She takes care of it for room, board, and food.¡± Once free, Shreya had to swallow her sigh of relief. Her tail waved behind her, still cloth-bound to thin it out. ¡°What is a step-family?¡± The other things she decided she¡¯d have to understand through story context. ¡°A family through marriage. Her father remarried so she got a step-mother and some step-sisters. New ones, not related by blood. And let me tell you, they were foul. Rude and spitting everywhere,¡± Ellie said. ¡°They were nasty to our kind-hearted servant girl. Slovenly and avoidant. Can you guess what she did?¡± Shreya fed her tail through the slit in the back of her pants. ¡°She accepted it because they are her family.¡± ¡°Yes! And it¡¯s not like she got nothing in return. They gave her things, but things aren¡¯t enough. Getting the bare minimum doesn¡¯t make you feel special, does it?¡± ¡°Is that a question for me to answer? I suppose it does not,¡± Shreya said. She pulled her top back on, then put her hat and bindings near her pillow. As long as she woke before Ellie, Ellie would be none the wiser. ¡°They never talked to her ¡¯cause they didn¡¯t know how to deal with the servant girl¡¯s grief. The servant girl didn¡¯t have her old family anymore, and there she was with this new one who figured she¡¯d want to make herself useful at home. It was better for her to do that than work the stables or farm. Baby steps.¡± ¡°And then one of the step-sisters started talking to her.¡± ¡°Mmhm. She told the servant girl about this glamorous ball that was happening in town. They could all go together. The problem was that the servant girl didn¡¯t have a dress.¡± ¡°She stole one.¡± ¡°Try again.¡± ¡°Her step-sister gave her one.¡± ¡°You¡¯re close. What happened was that she did this blood magic ritual thing, called up a fairy witch, and the fairy witch took care of everything. It¡¯s a fantasy story so there¡¯s gotta be some magical elements.¡± Shreya got under the covers and rolled onto her stomach. ¡°Why would she not ask them for one? A blood magic ritual sounds extreme.¡± ¡°Because they never had any heart-to-hearts. She didn¡¯t feel like she could trust her step-family. The servant girl thought they¡¯d never give her anything to wear. It was all assumptions on her part,¡± Ellie said. ¡°Sometimes, people take the hard way out when they don¡¯t have to.¡± ¡°There were consequences for the blood magic ritual,¡± Shreya said. ¡°She got greedy. She had the dress, but she wanted the most gorgeous guy at the ball. So she took that ritual further.¡± ¡°Someone was sacrificed.¡± ¡°Not quite.¡± ¡°She created the perfect man from her blood. No other man could stand up to him. No person. She became obsessed with an unreal relationship, created from her imagination.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Ellie brought herself closer on the bed. ¡°But nope, the story¡¯s not headed in that direction. She did steal something and it was a pumpkin. It turned into a carriage only big enough for her and no one else. Greedy.¡± ¡°Did the step-sisters know of the dress and carriage?¡± ¡°Yep. The step-mother found out about it first. She asked the servant girl where it all came from and the servant girl slapped her in the face. Now, granted, the step-family was awful and standoffish towards her but that¡¯s because they didn¡¯t know what to do with her.¡± ¡°Her step-mother hit her back,¡± Shreya guessed. ¡°She cried and cried, knowing that the servant girl was tainted.¡± ¡°By the blood magic ritual.¡± ¡°By greed. By the step-family¡¯s indifference. By them not asking her how she wanted to be treated,¡± Ellie said. ¡°A combination of things ruined her.¡± ¡°Did the servant girl regret what she did?¡± ¡°She thought her step-mother deserved it. The night of the ball came. She looked beautiful. She latched onto Mr. Gorgeous and danced all night with him. Her step-sisters watched in horror, because they knew the truth about Mr. Gorgeous.¡± ¡°He was the carriage.¡± ¡°What? No, he wasn¡¯t the carriage. The carriage was the carriage. Mr. Gorgeous just had a thing for feet. That¡¯s why the servant girl dropped her glass shoe for him, so he could have an excuse to check out everyone¡¯s feet.¡± ¡°I feel like you skipped something in the story.¡± ¡°Oh, I forgot that the blood magic ritual thing only lasted until midnight. She had to get home before her carriage turned back into a pumpkin and her dress turned back into a broom. Her glass shoes stayed regular because, I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°You cannot not know. Why would her shoes stay and everything else change?¡± ¡°She found them in the back of her closet.¡± ¡°Are glass shoes normal? They sound like a bad idea.¡± ¡°Maybe if you¡¯re heavy-footed. So, yeah, she leaves behind a shoe and Mr. Gorgeous gets to put the shoe on everyone¡¯s foot in the town, trying to find someone who fits the shoe perfectly. The thing was that he never had to do that, since he knew her face and everything. It was all an excuse to feel up some feet.¡± ¡°This story is moving in a strange direction¡­¡± ¡°Eventually, he finds the servant girl. Mr. Gorgeous is actually a prince. She leaves with him to another kingdom and doesn¡¯t spare any money to the family she leeched off of for years. A life of luxury awaited her,¡± Ellie said. ¡°The servant girl lived happily ever after, but the step-family suffered under a massive debt. Wanna guess the moral of the story?¡± ¡°Talk.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Never be cruel to your helpers. Never stop checking in on someone who¡¯s hurting, because the next thing you¡¯ll know they¡¯ll get tainted by a blood magic ritual and run off for a happy ending.¡± ¡°I feel like there should have been a fight. The step-sister should have reasoned with the servant girl.¡± ¡°What do you say to someone who¡¯s made up their mind?¡± ¡°You meet halfway. This story would have been solved if the step-family convinced the servant girl they loved her.¡± ¡°Love conquers all? How romantic of you,¡± Ellie teased. ¡°It would have made her stop to think about what she was doing,¡± Shreya said. ¡°They needed to fight.¡± ¡°The step-sister tried inviting her to the ball with them. She went halfway and got burnt for it.¡± ¡°There was a fire?¡± ¡°Metaphorically burnt,¡± she said. ¡°I disagree. Halfway would be them being nice to her from the beginning. They failed to build trust and failed every chance to build it. The step-mother slap. The carriage greed. Mr. Gorgeous. They had chances to try, but they never fought.¡± ¡°Shreya, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Ellie¡¯s voice softened. ¡°We need to fight.¡± She turned over to look at her. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯d rather hurl myself out of that window than have you be hurt.¡± ¡°If you fight me you will hurt me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but we have to, because you know what hurts worse than that? Regret. I¡¯m not leaving here without you.¡± ¡°How many more times do I need to say it? I am not going to Stockbrunn,¡± Shreya said. She grabbed her hat and squeezed it in her hands. ¡°I will never go. I am safe where I am.¡± ¡°Are you afraid of the town? I¡¯ll be with you. I swear I¡¯ll make it so no one bothers you.¡± ¡°You cannot promise that.¡± Ellie pounded her hand into the sheet. ¡°I can! You want a house to yourself somewhere on our lands? You got it. You want to be a floater for us? You can have that. You can have everything.¡± ¡°I do not want that. I want to be here,¡± Shreya replied. ¡°Here, where they¡¯re torturing people¡¯s dogs and leaving them out as bait? You can¡¯t stay here.¡± ¡°You swear off the forest for one bad thing. You used to sing its praises.¡± ¡°Meet me halfway,¡± Ellie urged. ¡°I told you this was not a place for you. Now you understand why, and you have become afraid. I do not share your fear.¡± ¡°One day, you¡¯re going to mess up. One day, something bad¡¯s gonna happen that you¡¯re unprepared for. It can happen to anyone.¡± ¡°It can happen anywhere! How safe are you within your walls?¡± ¡°Nothing like this is happening in Stockbrunn. My town¡¯s dangers are nothing like the dangers here. Face it, your argument doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡± Shreya dragged her hat down over her head. ¡°You are the one who does not make sense. See it from my view. You know nothing about this place and pretend to be an expert.¡± ¡°I never claimed to be an expert,¡± Ellie said. ¡°I¡¯ve put my life in your hands time and time again here.¡± ¡°And I protect you.¡± ¡°And I let you because I trust you. Sometimes I don¡¯t know if I should¡ª¡± ¡°Then do not. Why would you not trust me?¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t go there. I was trying to say that sometimes I don¡¯t know if I should, but I go with my gut and I do it. I completely trust you.¡± Was she listening to herself as she talked? ¡°You do not. If you trusted me, you would leave me alone. I know how to take care of myself. Nothing will happen to me. I am not a dog or a townsperson. I know how to survive here.¡± ¡°Can you at least tell me why you won¡¯t let me help you?¡± ¡°Your town doesn¡¯t like people like me,¡± that was the closest she could get to the truth. ¡°I do not understand why you act like that is untrue. You told me your aunt would have killed me if she knew about us. How do I go there knowing that?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t let anyone near you.¡± ¡°We are closer now than we were back then. What would everyone think of that?¡± ¡°They¡¯d have to get over it. We¡¯re not their business.¡± Ellie held a fist to her heart. ¡°You are theirs,¡± Shreya said. ¡°They would never accept us. I would be killed in the night.¡± ¡°I¡¯d avenge you. I¡¯d make them pay.¡± ¡°What good is that if I am dead?¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be scared of that. Do you know what the odds are? I¡¯ll get you security. I can¡­meet you halfway and send you guards here.¡± Ellie smiled. ¡°Perfect! I¡¯ll bring Stockbrunn to you.¡± ¡°You do that and I am gone.¡± Ellie¡¯s face fell. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I do not want Stockbrunn.¡± ¡°Whatever bullshit your elders fed you about Stockbrunn is wrong. We won¡¯t hurt you,¡± said the girl who hours before this called for a genocide of Shreya¡¯s people. Ellie was as fired up about saving her as she was about killing her kind. ¡°I am sorry. I must refuse your offer.¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t you trust me on this? What am I doing that¡¯s so wrong?¡± A crack. A faltering. A sharp breath inwards. ¡°Ellie.¡± ¡°You¡¯re stubborn about the wrong things. You kept me safe here. Let me keep you safe there. Trust me. Go halfway and trust me.¡± ¡°I want to.¡± I want to tell you everything. ¡°Do it. What¡¯s stopping you?¡± You hate me. ¡°I cannot say.¡± Shreya was thankful that Ellie had trouble directly facing her in the dark. It allowed her to miss the full intensity of her gaze, instead taking it in parts that nonetheless shook her to the core. Light¡¯s absence gave Ellie that kind of strength, the power to look as though she was seeing through Shreya¡¯s depths. ¡°Is it okay if I lay down?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± the word got caught in her throat on the way out. What she didn¡¯t expect was for Ellie to stretch out on her side next to her, instead of on Sunflower¡¯s bed. Ellie switched between bending her knees and straightening them out, the bed creaking from her uncertainty. ¡°I might as well be setting our relationship on fire like this. Smoke and flames.¡± Ellie tucked her arm beneath her head, using it as a pillow. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± ¡°Torn. There are things about me I am not ready to tell you. If you knew me, you would¡­ You would light the fire that would burn us.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve both got secrets. Torn¡¯s a good way to describe what I¡¯m feeling, too. I feel like I¡¯m pushing you away. You¡¯re gonna run from this and I¡¯m only gonna have myself to blame.¡± ¡°It is not that I hate your offers. I cannot take them,¡± Shreya said. ¡°What if you stayed with Marietta? She lives in a section of the forest that¡¯s close to town. It¡¯s safe there. No one from Stockbrunn visits her but me,¡± Ellie said. ¡°It¡¯s the best compromise I have.¡± ¡°I cannot promise staying there a long time.¡± ¡°Try it for a few days, at least. Give time for whoever those people were to pass by.¡± Shreya dug her nails into her thighs to keep from prolonging their argument. Ellie¡¯s words were nothing more than wishful thinking. The people who drugged Sunflower could pass by, and a new, more sinister group could replace them. There wasn¡¯t any way of predicting something like that. ¡°Is it truly a distance from Stockbrunn? What about dogs or other animals?¡± ¡°It¡¯s outside of Stockbrunn. Marietta pretty much has the area to herself. I haven¡¯t seen other animals around there, other than Sunflower. Like I said, I¡¯m her one visitor. It¡¯s a small place but I¡¯ll bring you blankets from my house.¡± ¡°Alright¡­ If I leave it won¡¯t be because I did not try.¡± ¡°Try not to leave without telling me first,¡± she said, ¡°but I get it if you feel like you have to. Just leave a note for me on where I can find you, and I swear I¡¯ll reach you.¡± ¡°I promise I will.¡± ¡°Thank you for trying.¡± Her voice had a scraped-open rawness to it, like the way it sounded after she cried. ¡°You don¡¯t know how scared I was for you. Another night here? I couldn¡¯t stand the thought. Oh, but I¡¯m rambling again. Sorry.¡± ¡°Can you tell me another story?¡± Shreya sunk deeper under the blankets so they¡¯d cover her head. ¡°Something we can fall asleep to.¡± ¡°S-sure. This is about a girl locked in a high tower¡­¡± Chapter 31: Iota Wakefulness came to Ellie Navarrete in tiny flutters, short glimpses made on the road to getting up. In a glance of time, gentle fingertips coaxed her hair away from her face. They tucked it behind her ear, moved along by words whispered in a language she didn¡¯t understand. A pleasant sigh left Ellie, sleep overtaking her once more. She was alone when she finally freed herself from the bed¡¯s comforts. Her limbs were heavy, back and shoulder sore from the weight of her satchel. Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes, her face turned to avoid the light. The lifted curtain exposed the window to the sun, its rays bathing the empty room in a warm glow. The streams didn¡¯t reach the place where Shreya had slept. Her part of the bed was cold beneath Ellie¡¯s palms, as if the other girl had never been to begin with. It hadn¡¯t been her plan to fall asleep next to Shreya. She¡¯d meant to take her rest beside Sunflower. Her eyelids took on too much heft during the third story of the night, and she wound up curling herself into a ball and dozing off. At some point in the night she thought there¡¯d been the weight of an arm (delicate, secure, present) draped over her, but it could¡¯ve just as easily been a dream. ¡°Sh-Shreya?¡± Due to throat grogginess it took Ellie several tries for her call to travel. When she didn¡¯t hear an answer in return, she padded down the stairs. Her breath caught in her throat. Everything she¡¯d packed was laid out on the table in the same way a merchant peddling his wares would, organized by type. The books were stacked in a pile. Nothing but a wrapper remained of the jerky. The assortment of lockpicking instruments were tidied together, the handaxe acting as a ruler to keep them in line. Her clothes were folded, ready for her to change back into. The food jars, once on the counters, were missing along with her bag itself. ¡°What¡­?¡± Sunflower sat in a chair near the door, unable to give her more than a head tilt to go off of. Her usual vigor having been restored, her wagging tail thumped against her seat. Slinging questions at her dog wouldn¡¯t get Ellie anywhere. The answer was staring her right in the face: Shreya left. How could she have believed Shreya would actually go along with her protection plan? She¡¯d fought against it the entire trip, only giving in when the night was at its darkest. It took a moment of weakness for Ellie to trust that Shreya, after a life of horror, would be comfortable taking part in a life that was anything but. Ellie should¡¯ve expected this. People don¡¯t change that easily. She drifted back to their conversation. Shreya had warned her of this possibility. ¡°If I leave, it won¡¯t be because I didn¡¯t try,¡± she¡¯d said, but her leaving this early was like giving up before anything started. How do you give up before there¡¯s anything to give up about? Ellie searched the table for any carvings in the wood, her fingers wandering the surface. Shreya was supposed to leave a letter. She had agreed to that much. Not finding anything, Ellie took to examining the three books for cryptic hints. Her apology note was a bookmark in one of them, but nothing had changed about it. There weren¡¯t any dog-eared pages or torn-out sections forming any messages for her to find. Nothing. Shreya vanished without a trace. Her stomach flipped for a different reason. Ellie gripped the table¡¯s edge to steady herself. What if the people who poisoned Sunflower took her? The plant¡¯s effects may have still been coursing through Sunflower¡¯s veins, making her useless at her watchdog job. She¡¯d slept like a log through the night, hadn¡¯t she? If Shreya exited the cabin while Sunflower was incapacitated and got kidnapped somewhere out there, there wouldn¡¯t have been a warning. She¡¯d just be¡­gone. ¡°Yes!¡± Sunflower cheered. She bounced out of the chair and stood expectantly at the door. ¡°What in Casterne are you yes¡¯ing about?¡± The door knob turned. Ellie snatched her handaxe from off the table. ¡°Sunflower!¡± She raised her weapon over her shoulder. The door swung open. In walked Shreya, lips upturned at the display before her. She held Ellie¡¯s bag at her side, the glass contents inside clinking together. Ellie lowered her axe, her face lighting up from how silly she must¡¯ve looked with her nightgown, bedhead, and weapon combination. Unfazed, Sunflower hopped up and down in excitement. Given that there were no more leftovers to speak of, Ellie wondered if Shreya had spent the wee hours feeding her to permanently get on her better side. ¡°Good morn¡ª¡± Shreya started. ¡°Where did you go?¡± ¡°I went to wash everything.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do that!¡± Ellie cried. ¡°Wash? What is wrong with washing?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t disappear, especially when there are mad men out there who want to chop our heads off. Do you know how scared I was? What if something happened to you?¡± Shreya set the satchel on the table. ¡°I am sorry for scaring you. To tell you the truth, I was walking to clear my head. Yesterday was a big day.¡± Ellie reached out for her arm, then thought better of it. She dropped her hand. ¡°What were you thinking of?¡± ¡°Home, mostly.¡± Pain flashed across her features. ¡°If he¡¯s alright. If I am doing the right thing by staying away.¡± ¡°You are,¡± she reasoned. ¡°Everyone needs time to process what happened. You going back any time soon is a bad idea, a really, really bad idea. You need to stay with me, okay? Don¡¯t go back to them.¡± ¡°I will have to eventually.¡± ¡°To the people who torment you? They torture you. They¡­¡± Ellie took a pause to right herself, to cull her emotions so they wouldn¡¯t boil over. ¡°They¡¯re ruining your life. You¡¯re a beautiful person and it¡¯s like they¡¯re trying to do their damnedest to change that.¡± ¡°They are not ruining my life,¡± Shreya said. ¡°They are my life.¡± What could she say to something like that? Going down this path wouldn¡¯t give Ellie the result she strived for. It was as she¡¯d thought earlier: people don¡¯t change so easily, and change would be a million times harder to make happen in someone as shoulders-deep indoctrinated as Shreya was. Freedom would be hard won. Ellie forced on a smile, her voice brightening to switch the energy in the room. ¡°Well, we sure had an eventful day yesterday, didn¡¯t we? For once I¡¯m kind of glad to be going home.¡± Shreya matched her, relief crossing her face before she settled into a similar smile. ¡°How do you think Marietta will react to me? I feel like she will be upset.¡± ¡°She has no right to complain about you. She¡¯ll have to see to me if she dares to.¡± Ellie cracked her knuckles. ¡°No, but seriously, you don¡¯t have to worry about that. She¡¯ll be fine with you staying with her. I think she¡¯s lonelier than she lets on so she¡¯ll be glad for the company.¡± ¡°I would hate to impose,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s fine, really, and I promise I¡¯ll have dinner with you,¡± Ellie said, placing the handaxe next to her bag. ¡°I¡¯ll lay out a blanket and we¡¯ll have dinner under the stars. It¡¯ll be nice. I swear you¡¯ll love it.¡± Their constellation talk hadn¡¯t gone as smoothly and romantically as she had hoped. Astronomy was supposed to be this wonderful, heart-melting topic, but the interest hadn¡¯t been there. Shreya resorted to calling everything a bunch of shapes no one had the right to take ownership of. Rather than appreciating the night¡¯s beauty and calling on stardusted clich¨¦s, they settled on the philosophical. Take two, with a telescope, would be better. Not that she minded Shreya¡¯s penchant for deep thinking, no, of course not. Ellie lived for those moments where Shreya would ask her something and listen to her with rapt attention, like she wasn¡¯t babbling or hiding behind a vernacular that was ill-fitting of her upbringing. The circles she was meant to travel in hated the affected way she spoke, and, to a point, she reveled in them underestimating her. Shreya didn¡¯t carry that kind of judgment with her. ¡°Will you tell me another story?¡± Shreya asked. ¡°Mmhm,¡± she confirmed. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you everything you want to hear and give you everything you need.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°I should get changed so we can get going. I don¡¯t wanna stay here for too much longer.¡± She picked up her clothes pile, mortification setting in as she realized Shreya had touched the one item she¡¯d tried desperately to hide. ¡°You are forgetting something.¡± Shreya tapped her bottom lip. ¡°Huh?¡± She wiped her mouth, checking it for drool as she died of embarassment for the second time in a row. Next time, she was going to remember a mirror. ¡°Think again.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t get it. Wait, oh, that. Yeah, I didn¡¯t pack any toothpaste and I¡¯d rather not kill you with my morning breath, sorry.¡± More than just a mirror, next time Ellie was going to bring her entire bathroom. Ill-prepared for this sleepover was putting it lightly. ¡°It has been days without toothpaste for me. I won¡¯t die.¡± ¡°Whoa, you guys have toothpaste?¡± Such a thing hadn¡¯t occured to her. ¡°Not that your breath has ever been bad or anything, but you know, woodsdwellers brushing their teeth is kind of a funny image. All of you standing in front of a mirror brushing away in your nighties, heh. It¡¯s not real toothpaste from a jar, is it?¡± ¡°Ash water, powders, and herbs,¡± Shreya said. ¡°We mix it in a bowl.¡± ¡°Is ash water like soda ash?¡± ¡°I do not know what that is.¡± ¡°I dunno how to describe it. It¡¯s like baking soda. They put it in cleaners,¡± Ellie said. ¡°How about soap? I know I¡¯m asking all the hard questions today.¡± Shreya moved to stand in front of her, closing in on Ellie¡¯s personal space. To get some more breathing room, Ellie stepped backwards until her back met the table. Voice soft and eyes as sharp as the blade on her hip, Shreya asked, ¡°what do you think?¡± Ellie swallowed down her nervousness. ¡°I dunno. We¡¯ve got bath houses and lavoratories in Stockbrunn. People along the pipeline get their own private ones, which is pretty nice. Sorry, it just doesn¡¯t seem like something you¡¯d have.¡± ¡°Because you think we are dirty and rotten?¡± Shreya put her arms on the table, on either side of her. They were nearly nose-to-nose, close enough for Ellie to feel the rise and fall of Shreya¡¯s chest against hers. ¡°Because you live in the woods,¡± Ellie said, doing her best to maintain eye contact. ¡°I don¡¯t know how advanced your village is.¡± She cringed at how awful that sounded, but it was true. Woodsdwellers were backwards in so many ways. ¡°Soap comes from the woods. It is the ash of trees and the grease of animals,¡± Shreya explained. ¡°That knowledge does not solely belong to Stockbrunn.¡± ¡°I¡¯m terrible for asking. I never thought you smelled bad or anything, I just wanted to know.¡± ¡°Your soaps may be stronger. You had more of a flower smell yesterday.¡± ¡°That smell could¡¯ve been my perfume: Sapphire Hyacinth by L¨¦ontine.¡± It was a jawdroppingly expensive brand, priced in a way that would pale the common man. If there was one thing she¡¯d done right in getting ready, it might¡¯ve been spritzing that on. The ad copy did say it turned women irresistible, and Shreya sure seemed keen on her. ¡°Did you like it? I was worried that walking through the pig farm got rid of it.¡± ¡°I did not think to notice it.¡± Shreya smirked at the distress coloring Ellie¡¯s face. ¡°You look disappointed.¡± ¡°And you look like you¡¯re getting ready to tease me. That smile¡¯s always bad news,¡± Ellie said. She turned her head, only for Shreya to place a hand on her cheek and redirect her forward. ¡°Can I make it up to you?¡± ¡°How do you plan on doing that?¡± Ellie knew. She just liked taking the upperhand from Shreya. Her smugness had to go. ¡°Tell me exactly what you¡¯re planning, and don¡¯t skim out on any of the details or else I¡¯m not giving you that thing I forgot.¡± ¡°I will¡­¡± Shreya squeezed her eyes shut. ¡°I will do something.¡± ¡°Details, Miss Shreya, details,¡± she said, mimicking Gaurin¡¯s teacher voice. Seeing Shreya squirm shot a surge of confidence through her. Got you! ¡°If you¡¯re not going to complete your assignment, then I¡¯m going to need to ask you to move aside, ma¡¯am.¡± Shreya came in closer at an angle, blue eyes darkening. At this distance, Ellie wondered how much of the heat radiating from her face Shreya could sense. Or maybe this time, Shreya was burning as much from their proximity. Could she feel the way her heart threw itself towards her, straining to meet hers? Steeling herself, Ellie refused to move, not wanting to break first. This was going to be all Shreya¡¯s doing. Ellie was going to win this game or pass out trying. ¡°Scared?¡± She taunted her. ¡°I am,¡± she said, the two words tickling Ellie¡¯s lips. ¡°Don¡¯t be.¡± Ellie let her eyes close in anticipation. ¡°Fight or flight.¡± ¡°Flight,¡± Shreya said, and backed away. The flame left, the air palpably chilling. She grinned, going to stand by Sunflower. ¡°Go and change.¡± ¡°What about the thing I forgot?¡± Ellie asked. She hugged her clothing bundle out of frustration. ¡°Don¡¯t you still want that?¡± ¡°I do, but I wanted to see your face like that. It is funny.¡± ¡°You¡¯re unbelievable,¡± Ellie groaned. ¡°Alright, you wanna get out of here so bad? How about you pack up all of my things while I get dressed? Sunflower, stay and watch her. Make sure Shreya does her job.¡± Hearing her name, Sunflower became more alert. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t be a problem,¡± Shreya said, smiling from her victory. ~ * ~ * ~ Surprisingly, Marietta received the news of Shreya¡¯s stay well. Shreya stayed out of the conversation for the most part, only chiming in when specifically asked to. The experience reminded her of children being offloaded at the cr¨¨che for the day. Ellie provided the explanation, a shortened version of why they temporarily needed Marietta¡¯s help (Marietta didn¡¯t need the finer details about the khadarven and Shreya¡¯s thoughts on the matter). Blankets for Shreya and extra food for Marietta would come later. It wasn¡¯t until Ellie and Sunflower left them for what she called a ¡°veterinarian¡± that Shreya saw the reaction she¡¯d expected out of Marietta. ¡°You¡¯re not sleeping inside,¡± she grunted. ¡°In fact, you¡¯re not coming inside at all. I don¡¯t need your grimey paws ruining any of my things.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± Shreya said. She sat down in the grass. Marietta¡¯s home had a fraction of the space that the cabin had. ¡°When Ellie said you had a house, I imagined larger.¡± ¡°Has she talked to you about Zinnia Trotter?¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°I have met her.¡± ¡°Then you know why my house is this way,¡± Marietta said. ¡°I do not,¡± Shreya admitted. ¡°You seem to be in a bad mood. Are you?¡± She didn¡¯t remember them leaving off on such a bad foot, just one that made Shreya need to be careful around her. As a pig, Marietta was fully aware of Shreya¡¯s identity, and had made that clear to her during their first meeting. ¡°On the contrary, I¡¯m in a great mood,¡± she said. She fluffed out her hair. Her bows were an eye-searing yellow color, contrasting with the muted tones of her striped shirt and brown overalls. ¡°I¡¯m seeing my best friend after what feels like a decade.¡± ¡°Someone is visiting you? Ellie said she is your only visitor.¡± ¡°I said that in reference to you. I was being glib. Keep up, wolf.¡± ¡°You can call me Shreya,¡± she corrected. Shreya braced herself, preparing for jabs that were sure to come in the future. She didn¡¯t have any room to strike back, unfortunately. ¡°Has your ruse been adequately holding up?¡± Marietta asked. She leaned against the wall of her small home. ¡°I hear that you and Ellie have gotten quite acquainted, emphasis on the quite. Was that part of your plan?¡± ¡°It was not planned, no.¡± Shreya shook her head. ¡°Regardless, you¡¯re reaping the benefits of it. You reek of each other. I see you clearly have no ungivings about taking advantage of her.¡± ¡°I am not.¡± It took the utmost restraint for her not to snap at her. ¡°I care about her.¡± ¡°So says the wolf, everyone¡¯s favorite trickster villainess.¡± Shreya sucked in a breath. ¡°Your attitude, is it because of I am here? I do not want to be here, either, Marietta, and I think it would be best if we stop talking. I will sleep outside and keep my distance.¡± ¡°Have you forgotten that you¡¯re in my debt? We talk when I want to talk.¡± Marietta¡¯s eyes gleamed. ¡°What do you want? I am not interested in being kicked around by you,¡± Shreya said. She pulled at the grass to distract herself. ¡°I am only here because Ellie wants me to be. Your anger is aimed wrong.¡± ¡°I want to get to know you better, wolf. The average wolf would never cross into Stockbrunn¡¯s woods without a compelling reason for it,¡± Marietta said. ¡°Spying would be one, but you claimed not to be a spy. You were adamant about that. Hm¡­what was it that you called yourself, her friend?¡± ¡°How long have you held those words in your head?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t lie. I¡¯ve been looking forward to this altercation since the last time we met. I just didn¡¯t think this would happen this soon and this easily. Ellie dumped you right on my doorstep.¡± ¡°But you are not going to tell her anything,¡± Shreya said. ¡°Your threats are feather light, which is why you are mocking me this way.¡± ¡°In due time, I may tell her something. The timing has to be right for maximum impact.¡± ¡°You are doing this to toy with me¡­ Let¡¯s end this conversation.¡± What had she done to earn this level of vitriol? Marietta had it out for her, despite an overwhelming amount of evidence that Shreya was harmless. A trickster¡ªa liar of the worst kind¡ªshe may have been, but a villainess she wasn¡¯t. She¡¯d never wish for Ellie to be hurt even though that¡¯s what you¡¯re doing by lying to her like this. You know Marietta¡¯s hatred is nothing compared to hers. ¡°But if we end this conversation, you won¡¯t learn what I want to tell you about Freesia Trotter. Ellie has you running around looking for her. She told me about how you¡¯re so willing to help her. It¡¯s touching,¡± Marietta said, peering down at Shreya. ¡°How much do you know about her?¡± ¡°She is an important person to Ellie who went missing. Ellie wants to find her.¡± She ripped up more grass. ¡°I do not need to know more than that.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t bother you that you¡¯ll never be able to compete with her?¡± ¡°I am here, and she is not,¡± Shreya said. ¡°I am not bothered.¡± ¡°Not even an iota?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then why are you balding my lawn?¡± Marietta asked. ¡°I¡¯d appreciate it if you¡¯d stop that.¡± Shreya let go of the green blades in her hands. ¡°Sorry.¡± This was going to be a long day. Shreya hoped Ellie would get back from the veterinarian soon. ~ * ~ * ~ Ellie Navarrete¡¯s walk back from the veterinarian¡¯s and to her house was waylaid by a familiar pair, one that she thought she¡¯d prevented from forming again. Noemi, the ¡°Arse End¡± dealer, was working her painter schtick on the side of the street road. She had three canvases set up, each odd in its own disgusting way: a hand of dripping eyeballs, a pair of lips chewing on a lamp, and two naked legs spread out to reveal everything. Zinnia Trotter stood by the art display, her arms crossed and foot tapping. She looked at Noemi for help. ¡°Heiress Navarrete, how good it is to see you.¡± Noemi¡¯s greeting broke the silence. The top she wore was as low as the one she had on the last time Ellie¡¯d seen her. Catching her lingering eye, Noemi shot Ellie a wink. ¡°My, my, Heiress Navarrete, you look like you¡¯re packed for a vacation. Your bag¡¯s bulging at the seams. What¡¯s that sticking out of it?¡± Ellie ignored her. ¡°Zinnia, let¡¯s go get something to eat.¡± ¡°Might I recommend Gosia¡¯s Caf¨¦? It¡¯s around the corner from here,¡± Noemi suggested. ¡°Take a left at the Greenwurst sign over there. People kill for their breakfast pastries. You should order some.¡± ¡°Thank you for the recommendation. We¡¯ll be going now,¡± Zinnia said. She took Ellie by the arm, and started heading in the direction of the caf¨¦. ¡°I will see you later, Z!¡± Noemi called after them. Steaming, Ellie didn¡¯t say a word to Zinnia until they were in the caf¨¦, seated at a cornerside booth. She ordered for them, her status allowing them to get a sampler on the house. The sample platter was accompanied by various spreads, ranging from fruit jams and preserves to cheese curds and herby butter. Off to the side were glasses of apple cider. She dipped her knife into one of the tubs. ¡°What happened to her dropping you?¡± ¡°We weren¡¯t talking about that,¡± Zinnia said. She leaned on her hand. ¡°I was talking to her about her paintings.¡± ¡°Yeah, right.¡± ¡°I was! I ran into her, the same as you did. She¡¯s not as bad as you think, Ellie.¡± She smoothed some butter onto one of the rolls. ¡°As long as you¡¯re not doing that stuff anymore,¡± Ellie warned, keeping her voice low in case any of the other patrons were listening in. ¡°You know how I feel.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve established one hundred times over that you hate it. I know,¡± Zinnia said. ¡°Do they normally give people this much bread?¡± ¡°They¡¯re probably hoping I give them a good review, or that I¡¯ll vouch for them at one of those Council meeting things or something. I don¡¯t know. Whatever we don¡¯t finish, I¡¯ll be bringing back to Marietta and Shreya.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going back so soon?¡± Zinnia bit into a biscuit. ¡°Not to the woods. I convinced Shreya to come to Marietta¡¯s place. There was¡­a situation.¡± Ellie took a sip of her cider. ¡°¡­Well? You can¡¯t say there was a situation and then leave it at that,¡± Zinnia said. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°I dunno if we should talk about it here. What if someone hears us?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone¡¯s going to eavesdrop. They¡¯re too busy with their own conversations, but if you¡¯re concerned, then we can use code names. You¡¯re Esther and she¡¯s Salom¨¦.¡± ¡°Wow, you named us pretty fast, zero hesitation. Had those stored up for a while?¡± ¡°I like names.¡± ¡°They¡¯re too close to our real ones, though. We should say¡­¡± Ellie glanced around the table. ¡°Biscuit and Cider.¡± ¡°Valentino and Klaus,¡± she suggested. ¡°You choose who¡¯s who.¡± ¡°Valentino¡¯s the manliest man to have ever manned. He makes boys swoon at the snap of his fingers. He can get any boy he wants, because he¡¯s great like that. He¡¯s rich, handsome, and has everything a guy would want in another guy. And he¡¯s the heir of um¡­Biscuitville,¡± Ellie said. ¡°Klaus is tall, dark, and handsome. He¡¯s got classic bad boy looks. You¡¯d think he¡¯d be a wild man since he¡¯s from the forest, but he¡¯s actually a gentle and sophisticated soul. He adores Valentino and can¡¯t keep his hands off of him.¡± ¡°It sounds like Valentino needs to work on his ego. Your character description of him was distorted.¡± ¡°I took some artistic liberties. Can you blame me?¡± ¡°Including the part about Klaus not being able to keep away from Valentino? Valentino was the one who begged for my help in getting back in Klaus¡¯ good graces after shooting him. Anyone less desperate would¡¯ve cut their losses.¡± ¡°Klaus accepted his apology. You don¡¯t have to keep beating Valentino over the head about it. He¡¯s done enough of that to himself,¡± Ellie said. Zinnia picked up a slice of dark bread. ¡°Alright. What¡¯s the situation that happened? It had to have been bad if you¡¯re trying to hide Klaus at her place. I give Klaus many sympathies.¡± She visibly shuddered, her disgust apparent. ¡°Did his family show up?¡± ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t that. Basically, the woods aren¡¯t a safe place to be and Valentino didn¡¯t want Klaus there anymore. He¡¯s taking care of him.¡± ¡°Everyone¡¯s been telling him that. That¡¯s nothing new. What made him realize that?¡± She took a bite out of the bread, chewing as she listened to Ellie talk. ¡°We, I mean they¡­¡± How could she phrase this in a way that didn¡¯t make her sound bad? The blunt truth of why she¡¯d been distracted wouldn¡¯t go over well with Zinnia. Ellie decided to skip the majority of the details. ¡°Beanstalk, the dog, ran off and got lost. When they found him, he was messed up from this mind drugging plant thing and like, a bloody rag. It was stuffed in his mouth.¡± Zinnia¡¯s bread slipped from her hand. ¡°Are you making this part up? Is he okay?¡± ¡°Yeah, Beanstalk¡¯s okay. He¡¯s at a vet to make sure,¡± Ellie said. ¡°Klaus said he thought the whole thing was a trap, and that he knew what the plant was. It was weird, you know? The familiarity. He had these details figured out and was so confident about them. He¡¯s confident in general, but this was a weird thing to be sure of.¡± ¡°This is why people stay out of the woods, Ellie. Are you confident it was stuffed in Beanstalk¡¯s mouth? He was gagged with it?¡± ¡°It was purposeful. It wasn¡¯t like he wandered and found it. The collar of his jumper was covered in blood. I¡¯m getting sick thinking of it.¡± Ellie drank some of her cider, hoping it would wash down the feeling rising in her chest. ¡°Did it happen this morning?¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t find Beanstalk until early nightfall. It would¡¯ve been too dangerous to travel back at that hour, and Beanstalk wasn¡¯t in the best of health for that. Valentino listened to Klaus¡¯ suggestions on what to do, like make Beanstalk vomit and stuff, and then they headed back to the cabin. It was just kind of weird, Klaus¡¯ certainty and all that.¡± ¡°Klaus grew up in the woods. It¡¯s possible he¡¯s come across the plant before. Do you know its name?¡± ¡°You know what? I forgot to ask. I didn¡¯t think to take any samples of it, either. The vet said I should have.¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably better that you didn¡¯t. They would¡¯ve found out about Valentino sneaking out of Stockbrunn. That vet would¡¯ve told Chief Humpert about it.¡± ¡°You couldn¡¯t have picked a more regal name than Humpert?¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with the name Humpert,¡± Zinnia said. ¡°Eh¡­ You¡¯re right, though. It would¡¯ve been like Dr. Cuthberht and that time Sunflower fell in that hole all over again. Isn¡¯t there supposed to be doctor/patient confidentiality? Being the Heiress makes me immune to it?¡± ¡°They can¡¯t let you run amok and not tell the Chieftess about it. She¡¯d have their heads if she knew they were witholding anything like that. They¡¯re doing their jobs and fulfilling their commitment to Stockbrunn.¡± ¡°Look at you sounding so¡­so¡­¡± ¡°So¡­so?¡± ¡°So mature, I guess. Anyway, back to Valentino and Klaus. Valentino asked Klaus about the poison plant, wondering if it was something woodsdwellers did. I don¡¯t think Valentino was out of line for asking that, by the way. Klaus blew up at him. He swore it wasn¡¯t something his people did, and even had the audacity to say it was more of a Biscuitville thing to do. When has anyone in Biscuitville hurt a poor, defenseless dog?¡± ¡°People do, but they¡¯d opt for more direct methods. A poison plant is odd. Did you say it was mind altering?¡± ¡°Beanstalk¡¯s eyes were practically rolling in the back of his head. He was blissed out. Gone. Pretty numb and dull acting. Do you know the name of any drugs that can do that?¡± ¡°Can you whisper more quietly? You just described an entire catalog. It could be anything. Does it matter?¡± Ellie tore into a small loaf of bread. ¡°Guess it doesn¡¯t. Do you think Valentino was overreacting when he thought it was a woodsdweller thing to do?¡± ¡°It could¡¯ve been a trap or an appeasement,¡± Zinnia said, not answering Ellie¡¯s question. ¡°Whoever did it might not have wanted to hurt Beanstalk, and gave him the plant to stop him from following them. Did anyone consider that?¡± ¡°Nah, they jumped right to the trap conclusion. Straight to the negative and scary.¡± ¡°Did that make Valentino feel more on guard? Did he feel like he had to rely on Klaus more?¡± ¡°Klaus is the expert, so Valentino had been doing that pretty much the whole time. I guess that¡¯s another weird thing. Beanstalk went missing, and Klaus was calm about the whole thing.¡± ¡°Valentino needs that calming balance. Valentino¡¯s excitable.¡± ¡°I know, but Klaus was calm in a way that was so insistent and sure that Beanstalk was fine. This wasn¡¯t something like a ¡®don¡¯t worry yourself so much¡¯ type of calm. This was a dead calm to the point where he thought it¡¯d be the perfect time to teach Valentino a thing or two about tracking. Valentino got upset with Klaus over it, but¡­he¡¯s a weak man.¡± ¡°If there¡¯s something that upsets Valentino, he needs to talk to Klaus about it.¡± ¡°Oh, he talked to him about it. They talk a lot about things that are going on with them. It¡¯s just that Klaus had told Valentino some personal things about his life right before that, and Valentino didn¡¯t want to add to the bad things going on for him. You wouldn¡¯t know it, but Klaus has been through the wringer in a bad way.¡± Zinnia frowned. ¡°Even so, you can¡¯t sacrifice yourself.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call it sacrificing myself so much as putting her before me. Erm, I mean that¡¯s what Valentino says about Klaus.¡± ¡°That¡¯s sacrifice.¡± ¡°Well, what are you supposed to do when the girl you adore needs you to make that kind of sacrifice for her? She was crying.¡± ¡°Klaus cried because Valentino got upset with him about the delays in finding Beanstalk? Tell me if I heard you right.¡± ¡°He cried about other things. Hard personal life, you know? We got way closer yesterday. Shared a lot of heart-to-hearts,¡± Ellie said. She finished her cider drink. ¡°I don¡¯t know if Valentino can handle everything that¡¯s going on with Klaus, but Klaus is worth the effort.¡± ¡°You need to exercise some caution,¡± Zinnia warned. ¡°All of this personal life sharing¡­ How much of yours have you gone into?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t told her every last detail. You know there¡¯s some things I never talk about. I like her, but we¡¯re not there yet, so I dunno. She¡¯s interested in Stockbrunn so I gave her a book from the private archives. Oh, and I kind of promised her that I¡¯d let her know about any war talks Stockbrunn has, but that¡¯s not really personal about me, so nevermind. I dunno why I mentioned that. I guess the book made me think of it.¡± ¡°Ellie, what?¡± ¡°Ugh, I¡¯m bad at keeping up the codenames. Valentino and Klaus like getting to know each other, so they talk about their home lives. Biscuitville and, um, Forestville come up. I don¡¯t get what¡¯s so shocking about that,¡± she said. ¡°Let me tell you that Forestville is a creepy, cultlike place. That¡¯s probably why Valentino¡¯s so compelled to save Klaus.¡± ¡°What is Valentino doing? He¡¯s handing books from the private archives off to a woodsdweller?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Klaus. I didn¡¯t think it would be that big of a deal. It¡¯s not like he¡¯s taking it back into Forestville with him.¡± ¡°What if he does? Who knows what kinds of secrets are in those books? They¡¯re in the private archives for a reason.¡± Zinnia slapped her forehead. ¡°Klaus cries, and Valentino falls apart. Klaus wants something bolted under lock and key for a reason, and he gets it. Klaus upsets Valentino, and he gets a free pass because Valentino doesn¡¯t want to hurt his feelings.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re giving the private archives too much credit. He wanted any old history book. I just thought he should get one of the better ones.¡± ¡°Do you have any awareness at all? You¡¯re in a fireball of a relationship, which is bad enough, and she has you eating out of the palm of her hand. You need to watch out. You have more than yourself to worry about.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t trust anyone,¡± Ellie said. ¡°Klaus could¡¯ve been a good boy from a baker¡¯s family and I¡¯m sure you would¡¯ve come up with a reason to hate him.¡± ¡°I can say the same thing to you. I think my reactions have been perfectly reasonable, considering everything you¡¯ve told me. Klaus is a woodsdweller first, and everything else second.¡± Ellie picked at a biscuit. Her appetite was waning. ¡°Cultural anthropology¡¯s your thing, isn¡¯t it? How much do you know about woodsdwellers?¡± They spoke at whisper level, leaning in closer. ¡°I know Klaus defies my expectations of a woodsdweller in multiple ways,¡± Zinnia said. ¡°I never thought their society could be so organized. Nothing I¡¯ve read reflects that.¡± ¡°Did you know they have soap and toothpaste? That blew my mind. I know it¡¯s such a small thing, but isn¡¯t that wild?¡± ¡°So they¡¯ve stressed some importance on hygiene, at least,¡± Zinnia mused. ¡°They reject civilized society and yet still retain some of its trappings. That¡¯s interesting.¡± She took a swig of her apple cider. ¡°I wonder why no one¡¯s studied them in-depth.¡± ¡°Because they¡¯re not good people,¡± Ellie said. ¡°Klaus is the exception. Klaus is always telling me that they¡¯re dangerous and I believe it, especially after what happened to Beanstalk. I think¡­I think Klaus is a good guy stuck in a bad crowd. The problem is that that crowd¡¯s his family and he¡¯s not going to break away from them.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that a lot to expect from him, though? Valentino and Klaus hardly know each other. Klaus can¡¯t uproot everything like that.¡± ¡°They¡¯ve abandoned him, though. I can¡¯t go into it, but he basically can¡¯t go home for a while,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯d think this would be the perfect opportunity for him to come into Biscuitville, but nope. The town scares him. What do you think of that?¡± ¡°It makes sense that he¡¯d be scared of Biscuitville. We¡¯re scared of them,¡± Zinnia said. ¡°Even though Valentino¡¯s the Heir and can take care of everything for him?¡± ¡°Would him being the Prince of Forestville make Valentino any less scared of being in their camp?¡± ¡°They¡¯re a freaky cult. We¡¯re different.¡± ¡°He might think we¡¯re a freaky cult. We don¡¯t know how he feels about the way we live. We could be the strange ones,¡± she replied. ¡°Can you pass me those preserves?¡± ¡°Yeah, here. So what do you think Valentino should do? I¡¯m feeling more lost now than I was when I started talking to you.¡± ¡°He has to watch him. No, better than that, he has to start mining him for information. Everything Valentino tells Klaus, he has to hear twice as much from him.¡± ¡°This feels dishonest¡­ I don¡¯t want to mess up anything that we¡¯ve got going on. Aren¡¯t we taking this too far?¡± ¡°Maybe if you were a normal person, but you¡¯re not,¡± Zinnia said. She hid her face behind her cider cup. ¡°And, honestly, I¡¯m worried about Valentino. I know I can be hard on him sometimes, but I¡¯m looking after him. I don¡¯t want Klaus to break Valentino¡¯s heart. Even if he¡¯s not planning anything nefarious, it¡¯s going to hurt me to know he was using you for any reason.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be there for me if he does, won¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Fingers crossed that it won¡¯t happen.¡± Ellie smiled. ¡°Fingers crossed. Thank you. I almost thought about talking about this with my aunt and I ended up spilling all my guts to you, instead. Heavy details not included, of course. Have you ever thought about being a therapist? You¡¯d be good at it.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯d get burnt out. Talking for this long hurts.¡± ¡°Since you¡¯ve helped me, why don¡¯t I help you out with your Theres problem? Code name Jebediah. Don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t notice you¡¯ve been wearing that blob necklace she made for you.¡± Zinnia looped her finger around the string. ¡°It¡¯s a bug.¡± She wisened up. ¡°No offense, but I¡¯d actually prefer not to hear any of your advice. Theres and I aren¡¯t getting back together.¡± ¡°It could happen! Or has another girl caught your eye?¡± ¡°No. One.¡± Zinnia said, punctuating her words. ¡°How did the rest of your trip go? It couldn¡¯t have been entirely bad, was it?¡± ¡°Wonderful. We had some ups and downs¡ªyou know about those¡ªbut overall, I¡¯d say we had a good time. I can¡¯t wait to see her again tonight. We¡¯re going to go stargazing. I bought a telescope and everything.¡± ¡°That¡¯s one of the least creative date ideas I¡¯ve ever heard.¡± Zinnia smiled. ¡°Good luck and just¡­don¡¯t forget anything we talked about today.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t. I guess I¡¯ll have to report back to you on how things go.¡± ¡°If you¡¯d like to,¡± she said. ¡°Sorry to cut this short, but I have to leave. I promised to help my brothers and sister with their homework and I need them to get to work before school.¡± ¡°How¡¯s everyone been doing?¡± ¡°My siblings are a handful. Luckily, they¡¯re always welcome at the Stenberg residence so that helps cut down on them acting up,¡± Zinnia said. ¡°Mother¡¯s the same as she has been, and my father, he¡¯s doing what he wants to do.¡± That didn¡¯t sound good. ¡°Do you want to talk about it some time?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t want to keep them waiting any longer so I¡¯m going to get going, okay?¡± ¡°Alright, see you, Zinnia.¡± Had the waitress not taken so long to wrap up the leftovers (so much bread! so many rolls!), Ellie Navarrete may have avoided seeing him. But sure enough, plenty of time was wasted and she left her booth just as Wilhelm Lambros-Dietrich entered Gosia¡¯s Caf¨¦. Her cousin sported a fresh haircut, one that brought out the waves in his tawny brown hair. It felt like his entire being mocked her, from his bronze complexion to his solid ¡°it¡¯ll take a tractor to knock me down¡± stature. Knowing him, he¡¯d deny any discount offered, because that¡¯s the kind of person Wilhelm was. He¡¯d somehow avoided inheriting any of the brusque attitude that his father, the Intendant of Agriculture had. His niceness had to have come from his other father, Marinus Lambros. ¡°Cousin, how are you?¡± Wilhelm held his arms out for a hug. Ellie humored him for a split second, keeping the contact brief. ¡°I am well.¡± ¡°I saw your friend Miss Zinnia Trotter on my way here. She looks healthy.¡± ¡°She¡¯s not interested.¡± Wilhelm laughed. ¡°I see your sense of humor is as robust as ever.¡± He eyed the paper bag of treats she held. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were a fan of Gosia¡¯s. Have you had any of the breakfast pastries?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯ve only had the bread and spread sampler.¡± ¡°You should try them!¡± ¡°Yeah, sure, maybe next time. Look, I¡¯ve gotta go, so, yeah, bye, Wilhelm. Nice seeing you.¡± ¡°Did you pick up the dessert for dinner tonight? That¡¯s what¡¯s in your bag, isn¡¯t it?¡± Ellie choked. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Yeah, your mother invited us over for dinner. My dad¡¯s baking casserole.¡± ¡°She never told me we¡¯d be having dinner¡­¡± ¡°Oh! Perhaps it was a surprise.¡± Wilhelm chuckled. ¡°What does Aunt Hilda think of cinnamon coffee cake?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve never seen her turn down dessert so get whatever you want.¡± ¡°Perfect, I¡¯ll see you tonight.¡± Ellie went out the door, her head swimming. Stargazing. Information gathering. A picnic dinner. All of her plans were unraveling. How was she supposed to get out of this dinner party? Chapter 32: Control (Part 1) The fury writhing under Ellie¡¯s skin slowed down to a stop as soon as she returned to Marietta¡¯s home. No one had been at her house to receive her capital ¡°W¡± Wrath, and yes, the capital ¡°O¡± Overdramatics were entirely appropriate for this situation. How could her mother sign her up for an evening of painted-on smiles, forced merriment, and gag-worthy small talk without telling her first? Where was the warning? Where was the simple common courtesy, or better yet, the simple common sense? Her and her cousin Wilhelm didn¡¯t go together. He was a ¡°too¡± person. Too helpful, too advice-giving, too eager to hold doors open, and too willing to do anything his parents asked of him. Snap your fingers and he comes running; Golden boy Wilhelm was born to outshine Ellie in every aspect. Seeing Shreya leap up to meet her (all smiles and tingly excitement) muted all thoughts of Wilhelm from her mind. No use ruining their limited time together fretting over the dinner party yet-to-come. She¡¯d save that slice of misery for later. ¡°I come bearing gifts!¡± Ellie announced, a rolled-up blanket tucked under her arm and two bags gripped in her hands. If it weren¡¯t for those, the first thing she would¡¯ve done was bring Shreya into her arms. ¡°Brought you a bread and spread platter thing, a bunch of toiletries, and that Cavalier book you like, so you never have to get bored when I¡¯m gone. Oh, hey, Marietta, do y¡¯mind setting her blanket up in your place?¡± ¡°I would love to,¡± Marietta said, reaching out to to take it. ¡°I know the perfect place for it.¡± Shreya beat her to grabbing it. She pulled it out from Ellie, and bundled it up. ¡°It is fine. I will set it when it is time.¡± ¡°Okay! How¡¯s being roommates so far? No one¡¯s fighting over the mirror yet, are they?¡± ¡°She¡¯s been a lovely guest thus far,¡± Marietta said, hand placed over her heart. Ellie wouldn¡¯t have expected anything less from Shreya. ¡°We¡¯re in the process of getting to know one another, but I can tell we¡¯re shaping up to be fast friends.¡± Ellie beamed. ¡°That¡¯s great! A certain somebody here¡ªnot gonna name names¡ªwas worried you wouldn¡¯t like this arrangement. Glad it¡¯s working out for you.¡± ¡°I did not want to impose,¡± Shreya clarified, ¡°and if you think I am then you should tell Ellie.¡± ¡°Goodness no, the last thing you are is an imposition.¡± Marietta dismissed her statement with a wave of her hand. ¡°Ellie, we can store those bags in my house. It wouldn¡¯t be good to place them in the dirt where the ants can get to them.¡± ¡°Great idea. I already ate, but you guys can have lunch together later if you aren¡¯t hungry. You guys sharing food together would be cute!¡± Shreya took the bags out of Ellie¡¯s hands so fast that she dropped the blanket. ¡°We will eat now. We are hungry.¡± ¡°Starving, huh?¡± Ellie asked. ¡°Sorry, I ran into Zinnia and got caught up with talking to her. I should¡¯ve rushed right over here.¡± ¡°It is fine. We can sit on that.¡± Shreya put the bags down, then uncurled the blanket. She smoothed out the wrinkles in the fabric before taking Ellie¡¯s hand and helping her take a seat. ¡°You have quite the dutiful lady, Ellie. You sure know how to choose women who dote on you,¡± Marietta commented as she sat down. ¡°What is your secret?¡± ¡°She¡¯s not my lady,¡± Ellie said, maybe a little too fast judging by the way Shreya fidgeted at that response. ¡°I mean, she¡¯s¡­ She¡¯s Shreya, and there¡¯s no secret behind finding girls like her. You talk to them and you check and see if they could be remotely interested in you. And if they aren¡¯t, that¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry for assuming that you belong to one another. It wasn¡¯t my intention to offend you. I suppose being together would be a difficult prospect, given your differences in lifestyles.¡± Marietta sure was pulling out all the highfalutin stops today. Ellie glanced at Shreya, looking at her to say something, either in argument or agreement. The other girl just kept messing with one of the strings dangling from her hat, her gaze down-turned towards her lap. An uncomfortable reaction, if anything, but one that Ellie had trouble parsing. Was Shreya scared to drive a stake in this and make it into a real, committed thing? Was she worried their feelings didn¡¯t match up the same way? The prior day should¡¯ve dispelled those doubts. ¡°We¡¯re just doing our own thing.¡± Ellie went for the safest reply she could give, one that hopefully wouldn¡¯t sound bad or offensive in any way. She checked on Shreya for any changes in expression as she spoke, in the same way someone might ease their steps over cracked ice. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ve got some lifestyle differences, but that¡¯s not a terrible thing.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll certainly make things harder. Like things go together,¡± Marietta said. ¡°For instance, animal and animal; Stockbrunn person and Stockbrunn person, but not¡ª¡± ¡°Eat,¡± Shreya interjected. ¡°We need to eat.¡± She dragged the bread bag over and started laying out everything from it. The waitress had individually wrapped the leftovers in paper, string-tied closed. Rather than take her time to undo it, Shreya tore through it. A torrent of crumbs rained down. Ellie sucked in the inside of her cheek. ¡°Hey now. What¡¯s with you saying that, Marietta? I think we can judge how hards things are just fine by ourselves.¡± Marietta shook her head. ¡°What I was going to say before I was interrupted was that I think it¡¯s beautiful you can overcome those challenges. It takes strength to do that, and you both have it. Isn¡¯t that something to be celebrated?¡± Shreya muttered something under her breath. ¡°What was that?¡± Ellie asked her. ¡°Nothing,¡± Shreya said. ¡°Well,¡± Ellie said, addressing Marietta. ¡°Thank you for saying that. Shreya¡¯s more than worth the hard stuff.¡± ¡°Ellie is, too,¡± Shreya tacked on. ¡°Did you know you smile when you say each other¡¯s names? It¡¯s nauseatingly adorable,¡± Marietta said. She took a remnant of dark bread from off the blanket and shoved it into her mouth. ¡°Yes, we do, because we like each other,¡± Shreya said. She reached over and clasped Ellie¡¯s hand. ¡°We are like things, and your words can not change us.¡± If it weren¡¯t for her squeezing her hand, Shreya¡¯s words would¡¯ve stupefied her. How did Shreya say quote-worthy stuff like that, like it was no problem whatsoever? She used her free hand to hide the pink-tinged embarrassment flaring on her face. ¡°Y-yeah,¡± Ellie added. ¡°We¡¯re great!¡± She didn¡¯t sound nearly as grand, but she made up for it with an enthusiastic delivery. ¡°Wonderful,¡± Marietta said in a tone that told Ellie she wasn¡¯t particularly moved. ¡°I wish you many fortunes. You¡¯re the kind of couple that could change this town as we know it. That¡¯s powerful.¡± Her phrasing was strange¡ªkind of bitingly sarcastic-seeming¡ªbut Ellie found herself agreeing with the sentiment. Marietta had a tendency to confuse words and sprinkle in things that sounded mostly right, but weren¡¯t. In adding so much padding, she sometimes came off unintentionally wicked. Ellie blamed it on the environment Marietta was reared in. Figuring that what she last said was yet another example of her accidental toe-stepping, Ellie said, ¡°I know, right? Thanks.¡± The conversation stalled after that. Ellie filled the silence the best way she knew how: babbling about anything that entered her head without thinking too hard about it. Make eye contact with a tree? Talk about bark formations. Discover a hole in the blanket? Make idle talk about a childhood story that never happened. She was good at killing the quiet. Marietta was good at one-upping her tales. And Shreya was good at listening and making her heart skip beats whenever she so much as smiled in her direction. Marietta excused herself once the bread was gone and the tubs of cheese, jam, and what-nots were emptied. She retired to her shack-of-a-home, that tiny space that Ellie wished Zinnia would¡¯ve listened to her expansion requests about. Several extra square footage would¡¯ve made it more bearable for two to stay in. Ellie brushed the crumbs they left behind off of the blanket. ¡°Probably should¡¯ve brought more napkins,¡± Ellie said. ¡°Sorry about that. I¡¯ll have to bring you another set of covers when I get back. Come to think of it, I think I went and forgot your pillow. Great.¡± She needed to get into the habit of making lists. ¡°We need to talk.¡± There are certain sentences in the Casternian language that hold the power to rob people of their oxygen. They consist of words as sharp as arrows, as strong as the highest winds. They were capable of ripping the floor away. ¡®We need to talk¡¯ was one of those all-powerful lines, up there with the worst of them. ¡°¡­About what?¡± Ellie managed to wheeze out. ¡°Your friend hates me,¡± Shreya said.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Oh, okay,¡± Ellie said. ¡°You know you almost gave me a heart attack there. ¡®We need to talk¡¯ is never a good way to start off a conversation. Try not to do that.¡± ¡°Is that all you will say? I said your friend hates me.¡± ¡°She¡¯s not the best at talking nicely. She can sound like a jerk, but that¡¯s just because she doesn¡¯t have the same kind of manners as the rest of us. It¡¯s how she grew up.¡± ¡°She wants me away.¡± Shreya corrected herself, ¡°to go away. She does not want me here.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll get used to the way she talks. She doesn¡¯t mean anything bad by it,¡± Ellie replied. ¡°Think of this as another Sunflower type of situation. The two of you will warm up to one another and things will be fine.¡± ¡°I do not think so¡­¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t spent a lot of time around animals, have you? They don¡¯t have the same level of consideration we do.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°Just don¡¯t take what she says to heart and you¡¯ll be fine. What¡¯s she been saying to you, anyway? It can¡¯t be anything that awful.¡± Shreya sighed. ¡°It is nothing. Forget it. It is her attitude that upsets me.¡± ¡°I can tell her to lighten up,¡± she said. ¡°No. I¡­am being sensitized. No, sensitive.¡± Shreya rubbed her forehead. Her eyes kept going elsewhere. Something behind where Ellie was sitting. Ellie turned to look, but all she could see was Marietta¡¯s house, the door open a slight crack to let in fresh air. Nothing out of the ordinary. ¡°Is something wrong? You¡¯re acting kind of funny,¡± Ellie said. ¡°I do not like her hearing us. We need secrecy.¡± Shreya dragged over the other bag Ellie brought. ¡°What are toiletries?¡± ¡°Soap, shampoo, tooth powder; things like that. Hygiene supplies, basically. The toothbrush is brand new, but the hair comb¡¯s mine. And I packed a jar of rinsing water in case there¡¯s any girls around you wanna hurry up and brush your teeth for. I brushed and flossed, so I¡¯m perfectly ready for that¡­you know, just in case.¡± ¡°Just in case,¡± Shreya echoed her. She took out the squat tooth powder jar, the toothbrush, and the water. Shreya unscrewed the jar¡¯s lid. ¡°It is good to be ready.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it? Because you really never know who you¡¯ll run into.¡± ¡°This much is fine?¡± Shreya tipped a bit of the powder into the lid. ¡°A little more, and then add a quarter of a cap¡¯s worth of water. You want to mix it so it gets all pasty and sticky. It looks nasty and tastes pretty bitter because of the charcoal, but, um¡­scrub fast and you¡¯re on the road to victory.¡± Shreya made the mixture, frowning at its gray-black goopiness. ¡°Yeah.¡± She scooped her brush into it and got to cleaning. Deciding to give her some privacy, Ellie turned around to stare at Marietta¡¯s house. She heard Shreya laugh around the toothbrush in her mouth. After a few minutes, there was the sound of Shreya swishing water, spitting it (ew), and then gargling more of it. Ellie covered her ears and sang to herself to block it out. Once she was done, Shreya used a spare napkin to wipe the excess from her teeth. ¡°Ours is better.¡± ¡°Is it? Bring me some.¡± ¡°Yours tastes strange. Maybe I can make you some,¡± Shreya said. ¡°What was that song? The words were funny.¡± ¡°It was the ¡®gargling sounds nasty and a pretty girl doing it doesn¡¯t make it sound any less nasty¡¯ song. Doesn¡¯t it gross you out?¡± ¡°I have never thought about it. You should lay down. The blanket is soft.¡± ¡°What happened to you wanting privacy?¡± Despite the protest, she did as instructed, her vision filled with the clouds and sky until Shreya moved over her. She had her hands and knees on either side of her. If Shreya wasn¡¯t holding herself up like that, she would¡¯ve been straddling Ellie¡¯s waist and that sparked a mess of emotions in the heiress. ¡°It is her problem if she wants to spy.¡± She reached back to bring her cape forwards on her shoulders, the fur curtaining her. ¡°Perhaps she will learn I am serious about you.¡± ¡°Ah, is this because of what she said earlier? She meant nothing bad by it. You heard what she said. She¡¯s supportive.¡± ¡°She wants to break us.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re blowing everything out of proportion. It¡¯s not like she told us anything we didn¡¯t know already. Hell, I had a big talk with Zinnia today about pretty much the same thing.¡± ¡°You were talking about me?¡± Shreya asked. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re constantly on my mind, that¡¯s why. I don¡¯t get what¡¯s so shocking about that.¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± Ellie stopped to think. ¡°I said that you¡¯re the best thing I¡¯ve got going in my life right now. I wanted her to know why I was so happy.¡± ¡°Is that all?¡± Shreya shifted so she could cup Ellie¡¯s cheek in her hand. ¡°And I was thinking of how selfish I¡¯ve been. I talk about myself all the time when what I should be doing is listening more to you.¡± ¡°Hm? We talk the same amount.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think you know more about me than I know about you? Like¡­do you have a book about your history I could read?¡± ¡°No, we do not have books like that,¡± Shreya said. ¡°How about a storybook, something like the one I got you?¡± ¡°You would not be able to read it.¡± ¡°Picture books?¡± ¡°We do not have books, sorry.¡± ¡°Okay, that¡¯s a downright lie. If you didn¡¯t have books, how would you know what one is?¡± ¡°That was a joke. We do have books.¡± ¡°Are they bound and printed with a printing press? Do you know what a printing press is? I wouldn¡¯t think you¡¯d have machines like that, but, I don¡¯t know, I didn¡¯t think you guys had toothpaste either and apparently you do.¡± A smirk formed on Shreya¡¯s face. ¡°You talk a lot when you are nervous. Am I making you nervous?¡± ¡°Only ¡¯cause you¡¯re almost sitting on me. So, um, are your books all handwritten or are they ink stamped or something else? Stencils?¡± ¡°Why do you care about our books?¡± ¡°¡®Cause you like reading and obviously care about your books. I wanna see one.¡± ¡°I do not think I can take one without someone seeing.¡± ¡°Can you try? I got you two. C¡¯mon, it shouldn¡¯t be that much of a problem,¡± Ellie said. ¡°I can get you something else.¡± ¡°How about some artwork? I could hang it up in my room and it¡¯ll be like I¡¯ve got a part of you with me every time I go to sleep.¡± ¡°Are you being silly? It must be something small. Let me have time to think.¡± ¡°Yeah, I wasn¡¯t being that serious. Zinnia¡¯s got this friend that makes weird art, though, so I could probably get away with pretending I bought it from her,¡± Ellie said. ¡°Ooh, you know what would be cute? What if we started writing letters to each other, like a special diary?¡± ¡°We do not need a diary when we are here together, silly.¡± ¡°For when we¡¯re apart. Please? Couple diaries are so fun.¡± ¡°Casternian is difficult for me to write. I am not good with word spelling,¡± Shreya said. ¡°Will this be your first diary?¡± ¡°Second.¡± The first had no doubt been burned with the rest of Freesia¡¯s belongings. ¡°I would never make fun of your ¡®word spelling,¡¯ don¡¯t worry. Never worry about anything like that. You¡¯re, like, really good at Casternian and you¡¯ve gotten so much better at it since we first met. Is that normal for people where you¡¯re from, being good at the language and all that?¡± ¡°It depends on how hard they try. The Elders say it is important so we are taught from a young age, but many do not care for it. I make the effort to learn.¡± ¡°You got a motive behind that or what?¡± ¡°I think that knowing Casternian can help me understand things I do not understand. I would be left in the dark about many things if I did not know it. Knowledge is important.¡± ¡°What are you trying to understand, something philosophical?¡± ¡°Stockbrunn.¡± ¡°What¡¯s there not to understand about Stockbrunn? I don¡¯t think our town¡¯s especially strange or unusual. You¡¯re the ones who are harder to understand¡­ Maybe I should start learning your language so I can start understanding some things I don¡¯t understand. Sometimes things don¡¯t feel like they add up the way they should, like you¡¯re a woodsdweller but you¡¯re not a woodsdweller.¡± Ellie bit her lip to keep from saying more. The chill she felt from Shreya¡¯s eyes conflicted with the warmth her body gave off. It was like someone hit the cold water tap in the middle of a hot bath. ¡°Do you think I am not who I say I am?¡± Shreya asked. ¡°Of course you are who you say you are.¡± Ellie became acutely aware of how vulnerable she was in this position. Her heart rate kicked up. ¡°Who else could you be? I just meant that you¡¯re nothing like the woodsdwellers I know of. Getting to know you has been¡­enlightening.¡± Her expression softened, the temperature between them normalizing. ¡°Enlightening, yes, I agree on that with you, too.¡± ¡°You should roll over,¡± Ellie said. ¡°I do not roll over.¡± ¡°Did you forget I¡¯ve had extensive self-defense training? I know how to pull an arm out of a socket in 47 different ways, and that¡¯s not even counting the illegal ways of doing so,¡± Ellie said with a grin. ¡°If you don¡¯t roll over then I¡¯ll flip you myself, unless you plan on doing something that¡¯ll make me wanna stay.¡± ¡°You can not be serious.¡± ¡°Totally am! And I know 86 ways to dislocate a hip. Want me to show you?¡± Shreya laughed. ¡°How about no?¡± ¡°Then, sorry, you¡¯re about to be flipped. Prepare yourself.¡± Ellie leaned up, bringing herself up on her elbows. ¡°I know something that will stop you.¡± Shreya met Ellie in a kiss, their lips softly embracing. Although this wasn¡¯t supposed to be part of her information gathering plan, Ellie couldn¡¯t help but include it. Her resolve was only so strong. Ellie parted her mouth more and closed it around Shreya¡¯s bottom lip. She gave it a playful suck and a gentle tug, pleased to hear a contented noise escape Shreya in response. As soon as Ellie let go, Shreya pressed forward. Ellie laid back, accepting Shreya¡¯s weight on her. Her cape fell over them like a secondary blanket. Normally, she would¡¯ve fought against being pinned so easily, but each kiss smothered her resistance. Ellie gave Shreya the lead, a role she played to the tune of Ellie quivering beneath her. Noticing her shaking, Shreya rose up. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± she breathed out. ¡°Show me where I can touch you.¡± Timed with a kiss deep enough to swallow Ellie¡¯s sound of approval, Shreya used Ellie as the model. Sides, stomach rubbing. A tentative brush above that that made Ellie jump into her touch. Wanting Shreya to feel the same, Ellie didn¡¯t waste time in repeating the feather light movements on her. She would¡¯ve smiled at the way Shreya rocked against her if her mouth hadn¡¯t been occupied. Shreya broke off to whisper in her ear. Ellie took that moment to tame her breathing. All she understood was her name, caught up in a serene string of syllables. Figuring it was something good based on pleasant tone alone, she squeezed the sides of Shreya¡¯s waist in thanks, reciprocation, and mutual appreciation. ¡°What are you doing?!¡± screeched a voice that wasn¡¯t Shreya¡¯s. They tore off of each other, Shreya rolling to the side. Ellie sat up, her awareness of their surroundings painfully returning. Nothing like a splash of reality and burning shame. She covered her face with her hands, unable to face the animal glaring them down. ¡°Talking,¡± Ellie heard Shreya say. Marietta¡¯s nostrils flared. ¡°You¡¯re going at it like wolves right in front of my house, that¡¯s what you¡¯re doing.¡± If Marietta¡¯s presence hadn¡¯t sobered Ellie up enough, that did the trick. ¡°Don¡¯t say shit like that,¡± Ellie said. She fixed her hair, pulling some bread crumbs out of it. ¡°Sorry, I thought you were taking a nap or something.¡± ¡°How could I sleep through that? Next time find a cave,¡± Marietta said. Shreya¡¯s head hung low. Getting caught must¡¯ve embarrassed her something awful. What happened to her not caring if Marietta happened to hear them? She was as withdrawn as she had been earlier when they were eating the bread and spread sampler. She let out a meek ¡°okay.¡± ¡°I, um¡­crap, I forgot to tell you guys that I won¡¯t be around for dinner. Silly me being forgetful. My mom¡¯s forcing us to have this family dinner thing. I need to get dressed and ready for it,¡± Ellie said. She was still wearing yesterday¡¯s clothes. ¡°I know I promised we¡¯d eat together tonight, Shreya, and I¡¯m really sorry about that. I didn¡¯t know she made plans for us. I can¡¯t get out of them.¡± ¡°It is okay,¡± Shreya quietly said. ¡°Your family needs you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got a surprise for you when I get back. You¡¯re going to love it.¡± ¡°That surprise better not be what I think it is, and it better not happen anywhere near here. This is sacred land,¡± Marietta said. ¡°We said we were sorry,¡± Ellie said, ¡°anyway, I¡¯ve got to go and help get everything ready. I¡¯ll be back as soon as I can.¡± Things were too awkward for a direct goodbye kiss, so she kissed her first two fingers and pressed them against Shreya¡¯s cheek. ¡°Bye!¡± ¡°Goodbye,¡± Shreya said, holding her face where she¡¯d been touched. ¡°Don¡¯t forget to bring us the dinner leftovers,¡± Marietta warned her. ¡°I won¡¯t!¡± Ellie got up, waved at them for lack of knowing what else to do, and started walking in the direction of town. I can¡¯t believe I did that. I can¡¯t believe we did that. I¡¯m in trouble. Chapter 32: Control (Part 2) ¡°Are you out of your mind? I didn¡¯t take you for that much of an idiot, but I suppose I ought to do some revising on my thoughts of you. Disappointing,¡± Marietta spoke through clenched teeth. ¡°Did you want to be caught?¡± ¡°You helped yourself to our talk from the start. You had time to stop.¡± Shreya stood up to glare at her eye-to-eye. Without Ellie around, Shreya no longer had to pretend to be so demure. ¡°No one invited you to listen.¡± ¡°You were in obvious need of my help. If you¡¯d heeded my suggestions you wouldn¡¯t have had to resort to pawing all over her.¡± All throughout Shreya and Ellie¡¯s conversation, Marietta had been peppering in things for Shreya to say. Questions, warnings, ways to change the course of discussion. Ellie couldn¡¯t pick up Marietta¡¯s words, but Shreya¡¯s sensitive ears could. ¡°Do you know a single thing about the character you¡¯re playing?¡± Marietta asked. ¡°I am not a character. I am me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s your problem! You talked about books and Elders teaching you the importance of language. You told her about your interest in Stockbrunn. You laid your filthy self right on top of her,¡± Marietta said. ¡°Do you know how easy it would¡¯ve been for her to take your hat off?¡± Marietta reached for it. Shreya grabbed her wrist, stopping her while her other hand went for the hilt of her knife. Neither surprise nor fear registered on Marietta¡¯s face. Instead, she snorted and freed herself from Shreya¡¯s grasp with a light pull. It was a show of strength that made Shreya wonder if she¡¯d underestimated the other animal. ¡°That won¡¯t happen,¡± Shreya said. ¡°Is your hat secured with pins? No? Then any provocation could make you lose it.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t happen,¡± she repeated. ¡°So you insist. The rest of your cover is more problematic, at any rate. Did you invent anything you told her today or were you entirely ¡®you¡¯? Have you been ¡®yourself¡¯ this entire time?¡± ¡°I prefer to be honest with her. I want her to know me.¡± It was a measured honesty, but Shreya was as truthful as she could be without giving herself away. She was as close to herself as she could be with Ellie. Marietta huffed out a breath. ¡°You lazy, unthinking beast of a creature. That is exactly why she¡¯s onto you. Be thankful that Ellie is painfully slow-witted. A faster mind would¡¯ve suspected you far sooner than this.¡± ¡°I do not want to hear you if you will insult us.¡± A fire plumed in her chest. She struggled to steady herself, to keep from giving in to it. ¡°My insults should break through your cotton-stuffed ears and get you to listen. You¡¯re acting as a wolf who isn¡¯t a wolf when you should be acting as a human who isn¡¯t a wolf.¡± ¡°Do you claim to be an expert on that?¡± ¡°Expert or not, I¡¯d do a better job at this fooling business than you. I must admit, though, that I¡¯m impressed with the speed in which you captured her. Lonely girls make for good targets, don¡¯t they?¡± Marietta asked. ¡°Good, but easy. This is far from the first time a wolf¡¯s taken advantage of an innocent girl. I wonder if their weaknesses are inborn.¡± ¡°This will be the last time I say this: I am not taking advantage of Ellie,¡± Shreya said. Her hand tensed into a fist at her side. ¡°She is not my target, and never was. It is clear we care about each other.¡± Marietta shook with laughter. ¡°It¡¯s not caring that you feel. It¡¯s hunger, and hunger¡¯s not an emotion. It¡¯s a state of being.¡± Cruelty was her punctuation. ¡°You¡¯re not capable of having real feelings. You¡¯re simply a wolf ruled by your instincts, acting out those instincts. Maybe that¡¯s why you¡¯ve opted for primal means of trickery over logical ones. Logic asks too much out of you.¡± ¡°Why are you saying this?¡± ¡°To get you to wake up. If you want to carry out your charade for longer, you¡¯re going to have to do a smarter job at it,¡± Marietta said. ¡°This is not a charade,¡± Shreya insisted. ¡°Everyone knows what the ending will be. This sort of villainy is in your nature and I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re denying it rather than embracing it. You must be aware of the way you¡¯re manipulating her, no? She¡¯d never let you get so acquainted if she knew the real you.¡± Shreya didn¡¯t miss the disgust underlying the words in Marietta¡¯s last sentence, the bubbling and churning of it. ¡°I am done speaking to you.¡± Shreya went to grab the toiletries bag. ¡°Not so fast, wolf. I have some advice for you that you¡¯ll want to hear,¡± Marietta said. ¡°You may have messed up on your facade so far, but you can salvage everything by keeping your guard up from this point forward. Play defense. Redirect the conversation. Cool the fires of her suspicion.¡± She took a pause at that. ¡°You think she does not believe me? Why do you think that?¡± ¡°She said it to you as clear as day. ¡®You¡¯re a woodsdweller but you¡¯re not a woodsdweller.¡¯ Something you said or did is making her doubt you. You need to be cognizant of that.¡± ¡°What do I do?¡± The words left Shreya before she could swallow them back. The last thing she needed was Marietta inserting herself where she didn¡¯t belong, and such a question was almost asking her to do that. The pig was nosy enough as it was. Giving her permission to be that way unfettered was equal to ushering in a nightmare. But¡­if Marietta wasn¡¯t leading her astray about Ellie losing faith in her, then that meant she needed as much of Marietta¡¯s help as she could get. ¡°You stay guarded. Do a better job of protecting your disguise. If you have to say something, you have to be vague, and you have to think about what the things you say mean for your character,¡± Marietta said. ¡°Here¡¯s your first assignment: tell me why a random woodsdweller would be obsessed with Stockbrunn to the point of wanting to learn the town¡¯s language.¡± ¡°She wanted to learn about them.¡± ¡°Why would a dirty forest rat of a person want to learn about Stockbrunn? They don¡¯t have any connection.¡± ¡°Rat of a person?¡± ¡°This cannot be your first time learning that woodsdwellers are humans living in the woods away from town. Boy, do we have our work cut out for ourselves if that¡¯s true.¡± Marietta sighed. ¡°It¡¯s only you wolves that thought you could contend with Stockbrunn. You tangled with them. Everyone else, like the woodsdwellers and the smarter breeds of forest animals, knows to keep their distance.¡± ¡°I know they are forest people. I learned a little from Ellie. She is unfamiliar with them so that has helped,¡± Shreya said. ¡°If she knew more about them, I think I would have more of a problem.¡± ¡°You would. The fact that she doesn¡¯t know much about them confirms that the woodsdwellers and Stockbrunn aren¡¯t well-connected. You lucked out on that.¡± ¡°What is your connection to Stockbrunn?¡± She had bits and pieces of information she could make a fragmented guess with (something about a hard life and prior ownership), but she chose to hear it directly from Marietta¡¯s mouth. ¡°Born into domestication, and then liberated. If Ellie ever tells you that story, then consider yourself able to convince her to burn Stockbrunn to the ground. Unlocking that is the sign that you have her completely and wholly,¡± Marietta said. She shrugged, shoulders rising then relaxing. ¡°On second thought, there are better signs than that, ones far more salient. She¡¯s got a mountain of secrets that she only ever trusted her darling Freesia with. Learn those and you may be able to take your hat off for her.¡± ¡°I do not know if I ever will.¡± Shreya cursed her tongue for being so loose. ¡°Do you think,¡± she stopped mid-sentence to reconsider her phrasing, ¡°do you think I should learn her to hate me less? Me, the wolf.¡± ¡°It¡¯s ¡®teach her,¡¯ not ¡®learn her.¡¯ How do you plan on doing that?¡± ¡°I can tell her about us. She can teach that we are not monsters like she thinks.¡± ¡°That last one was supposed to be ¡®learn,¡¯ not ¡®teach.¡¯ There are several problems with that plan. You¡¯re a woodsdweller. Why would you care about wolves?¡± Marietta asked. ¡°When would you have met them?¡± ¡°Ellie is not the first human I have met.¡± ¡°What happened to the others?¡± There was no use in shirking the truth. ¡°We needed to eat. I am not proud of it,¡± Shreya answered. ¡°I was young then.¡± ¡°Goodness me, this gets better and better. So you want to play as a woodsdweller ready to defend wolves when you know for a fact that you, a bona fide wolf, have eaten people before. That¡¯s rich.¡± ¡°We were starving.¡± ¡°No one cares about that! Do you have sympathy for your enemies?¡± Marietta crossed her arms. ¡°Is sympathy understanding? I want to understand them,¡± Shreya said. ¡°Is that wrong? Why won¡¯t they do the same for us?¡± ¡°We¡¯re getting away from the issue at hand. You can¡¯t be a woodsdweller who¡¯s on the wolves¡¯ side. It doesn¡¯t make sense.¡± ¡°There must be different kinds of woodsdwellers. There are different wolves.¡± ¡°All the same amorphous blobs to Stockbrunn¡¯s citizens. Diversity¡¯s a dead concept.¡± ¡°So there is nothing I can do, is that what you are saying?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Marietta said. ¡°You can¡¯t advocate for your enclave. It¡¯d be best for you to leave that alone. Focus more on what it means to be human, and bring that into your character. Your whole plan of attack right now needs to be about minimizing her doubts.¡± ¡°I do that by protecting my disguise. Vague and guarded.¡± Lying by being someone else. Increasing the totality of the mask she wore. Adding distance out of fear that any further narrowing would out her. Closing herself off to Ellie. That wasn¡¯t how Shreya wanted things to be, but if there was anything she¡¯d learned these past few days it was that following her ¡°wants¡± wasn¡¯t always the best course of action. Putting herself first had the tendency to place others in her blindspot. Her refusal to do anything about the rabbit and what that did to Danilo. Her desperation to stretch her alone time with Ellie and what that did to Sunflower. Her need to stymie the worst of herself by losing herself in Ellie, and what that was doing to them. Consequences. It was said in her community that wolves fraternizing with humans were cursed. Paying them mind opened the door to a mind-crippling affliction. Madness. The dulling of their senses. The loss of what made a wolf a wolf. Was it happening to her? She¡¯d thought the curse to be a myth, but here she was, slipping up and making mistakes that were easily avoided. Ellie weakened her reasoning, her ability to see clearly. She needed space to think about everything and make sure she was going about this the right way. The problem was that that wasn¡¯t what she wanted. For the time being, Ellie and this faked life she had with her were all Shreya had. Should Danilo perish, this could be all she¡¯d ever have. Shreya wasn¡¯t cut out for the life of a lone outcast. This would have to do until she scrounged up the courage to face her sister and her community once more. What if it had been Ellie? The thought came in whisper-thin, shifting in her mind¡¯s eye like fabric. Ellie cut down; Ellie fading. Shreya would¡¯ve made the rabbit answer for that, in much of the same way she imagined Shanti doing. Vengeance would be a brutal warning, its shock waves to be felt in their neck of the woods for years to come. Shreya¡¯s delivery would not go lightly. She stared at her hands, watching her fingers flex as she came back to reality. ¡°Thank you for the advice,¡± Shreya said. ¡°I am going to go wash now.¡± ¡°Running away now, are you? I feel as though I have so much more to tell you.¡± ¡°I will ask you if I want to hear it.¡± ¡°There¡¯s the coldness I¡¯ve been expecting from you,¡± Marietta said, flashing a small grin. ¡°You go and enjoy your bath time.¡± ~ * ~ * ~ Ellie Navarrete found her mother downstairs in the cellar, contemplating wine pairings. Hilda¡¯s hand drifted towards the burgundy, her hard times choice, before moving to the ros¨¦e collection. She held a magnifying glass to read the fine, cursive prints on the labels. The occasion called for something with a grand flair, a flourishing complement for the peafowl to be served. The burning candles cradled in the wall sconces gave them limited light from which to see by. Their shadows stretched along the opposite end of the basement, Ellie¡¯s more saturated than Hilda¡¯s due to where she stood. ¡°They should be here any minute,¡± Ellie said. ¡°I am aware of that,¡± Hilda replied. She extracted a bottle belonging to a maker Ellie hadn¡¯t seen before. ¡°Shall we have a medium-bodied red or a full-bodied red?¡± Ellie wasn¡¯t an expert on this. Her opinion was merely being asked as a way of delaying her from asking any questions of her own. All her earlier attempts had ended with her mother brushing her off. She had told her to get changed, to do her hair, to not talk to her while she was preparing the roast and butter-herbed sides, and to go feed the dogs if she wanted to make herself useful (which resulted in Ellie having to switch dresses again). By the time she had her cornered, the guests were close to their arrival time. ¡°Bring both. Wilhelm told me Uncle Cornelius and Uncle Marinus made a casserole.¡± ¡°As expected of him. Cornelius has never trusted my cooking. Go fetch a bottle of white from the bottom rack that hasn¡¯t hued orange. We need to clean this place out.¡± Hilda tucked a midline candy red and a deep crimson red under her arm. She choked a pink wine by the neck, watching her daughter flitter about. ¡°Try not to muck up your dress.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± Ellie chose a drink and held it by a flame to be sure. ¡°This should be good.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nice to hear that you¡¯ve been talking to your cousin. He¡¯s growing up well, isn¡¯t he?¡± And I¡¯m not? ¡°I guess so,¡± Ellie answered. ¡°You should spend more time with him. It¡¯d be good for the two of you.¡± So I can learn to be more like him? ¡°He¡¯s got his friends and I¡¯ve got mine. Not a whole lot of time to spare there, sorry.¡± ¡°Regardless of that, you¡¯re family. That¡¯s a stronger bond than friendship,¡± Hilda said. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to regret not getting to know him.¡± ¡°Is that what this dinner¡¯s for? We don¡¯t need you guys to push us together. It¡¯s not really your business whether we get along or not.¡± Hilda regarded her daughter with weary, stress-lined eyes. ¡°Elspeth. This is one of the rare times where I¡¯ve felt strong enough to invite anyone into our home. I¡¯d appreciate it if you could understand and respect that.¡± Strong enough¡­ Ellie hadn¡¯t considered her mother anything but that. Hildegarde resided over Stockbrunn as someone to be respected, loved, and feared. She bowed for no one. During the Council meetings, the Intendants handed her their rapt attention. She was a commander, equipped with the right answers to every problem. Townspeople revered her, sending gifts to the Navarrete Estate and showing devout loyalty whenever she was near or mentioned. They trusted her not to fail Stockbrunn, and they knew she wouldn¡¯t. She was everything they wanted in a Chieftess. Hildegarde was more than strong enough to carry that weight-meant-for-two on her shoulders. To think that something as benign as having guests over could knock her down, well, that was ridiculous. ¡°It¡¯s not like you¡¯re opening the door to an army. What do you have to be strong for?¡± Ellie asked. She walked over to one of the candle-holders. ¡°You should head upstairs and make sure the wine glasses are properly polished.¡± It wasn¡¯t an answer. ¡°Okay.¡± Ellie left that hornets¡¯ nest alone. She exited the cellar and went to the dining room. The table was set, all the food laid out in a row. Her mother decorated the table with a red and gold accented runner, something that made the display look especially regal. A glass swan sat in the middle as the centerpiece, flanked by vases of elegant flowers. Ellie placed the golden white wine by it, keeping things as balanced as possible.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Candelabras set up and lit at each end added to the ambiance. The burning oil lamps provided a fuller warmth, but the candelabras were a good excuse to show off their expensive silver. Ellie had thought the cutlery would be enough for that. The silverware was set in proper order on each side of the chargers, the rims of which were colored metallic to match everything else. A simpler plate rested on the charger. Every seat had a place card folded to a stand. It was remarkable to Ellie that her mother had gone to this length. If she didn¡¯t know better, Ellie would¡¯ve thought they were welcoming in someone from the Greater Council of Casterne. She examined each card with amusement for its rigid lettering style. Sir C. Lambros-Dietrich would sit next to Sir W. Lambros-Dietrich who would have Sir M. Lambros-Dietrich to his right. Her mother had Lady E. Navarrete sitting across Sir W. Lambros-Dietrich, unsurprisingly. The head of the table was reserved for Lady H. Navarrete, and to her left and Ellie¡¯s right was a plate and name card for one Sir V. Navarrete. Her reflection shone in his wine glass, refracted and reversed. She wouldn¡¯t dare. Her father couldn¡¯t accept solid food. There wasn¡¯t anything for him to eat. What kind of conversation could he offer? His faculties were impaired. He¡¯d only be able to sit and stare and watch, head lulled to the side as the rest of them tried to carry on with their meals. Henrik Stenberg, his nighttime caretaker, would have to attend in silence, wiping Vicente¡¯s drool every few minutes. No one needed to see that. Ellie was going to call her mother to talk some reason into her when she heard knocks at the door. Out of time. She strode to the door, stopping briefly by a hallway mirror to ensure she didn¡¯t have a hair out of place. Her marroon dress reached the floor, a layer of ruffles gathered at the edges. The upper portion of the bodice was of a simple yet elegant stitching pattern. It cinched at her waist, emphasizing a feminine silhouette. The cap-sized sleeves of the dress bared her arms. Her hands were covered in a pair of white lace gloves, her nails meticulously cared for. Her effort wasn¡¯t for their dinner guests. They were just reaping the benefits of it. This was all for a certain girl she planned to wine and dine under the stars. Smiling at the thought of it, Ellie opened the door for the Lambros-Dietrich family. ¡°Hello! Good evening.¡± Marinus drew her eye first. Outside of his officer uniform, he was known for his flashy tastes in fashion. His brightly colored pants were hiked above his navel, his shirt round-collared and buttoned all the way up. The houndstooth cutaway coat he wore over it did little to tone down the look. Cornelius¡¯ style was on the more reserved side. Dark colors, and nothing experimental. It reminded her of something her mother might wear if she were picking out a shirt, waistcoat, jacket, and pants combination. Safe and unfussed over. His expression was as intimidating as ever, still as gruff as when she¡¯d last seen it in the Council Hall. Wilhelm was somewhere between his fathers when it came to his clothing. He had on a patterned vest over a collared shirt. His pants were kept up with a belt buckle that had the symbol for Stockbrunn¡¯s police force emblazoned on it. He slicked back his hair to keep his waves tamed. ¡°Don¡¯t you look stunning, Ellie?¡± Her uncle Marinus stepped over the threshold first. He gave her kisses on the cheeks, then a big hug. ¡°How are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m good. Well,¡± she corrected herself. Ellie needed to mind her P¡¯s and Q¡¯s tonight. ¡°How have you been, Uncle Marinus?¡± ¡°Wonderful.¡± ¡°Hello, Ellie,¡± her uncle Cornelius bent down to kiss her on the cheek in greeting. ¡°Where shall we put these?¡± He gestured to the dish he was holding and the bag Wilhelm held. ¡°Um, I think the kitchen would be best,¡± Ellie said. She closed the door after them. ¡°You can follow me.¡± They walked down the hall together. ¡°It¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve been here,¡± Wilhelm said. ¡°Do you still have those silly comics we used to draw together?¡± ¡°From when we were kids? I¡¯m pretty sure those are well and gone.¡± ¡°I remember you insisting that every character be a pretty girl. I had to fight to get a boy into the story, and even then you still scribbled out all of his speech bubbles.¡± Had it not been for her uncles being there, she would¡¯ve said something smart, but she had to hold her tongue. Marinus laughed and said something about that being an early sign. Cornelius agreed. Ellie¡¯s ears threatened to turn red. She led them into the kitchen where her mother was waiting. ¡°Hilda! So good to see you,¡± Marinus said. They exchanged kisses on the cheek. ¡°Ellie looks more and more like you every day.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see it,¡± Ellie muttered to herself. ¡°I could say the same thing about Wilhelm,¡± Hilda said. ¡°How do you buy clothes for him? He¡¯s taller every time I see him.¡± ¡°I admit that it¡¯s a struggle. It¡¯s like he¡¯s a baby all over again,¡± Marinus answered with a chuckle. Hilda hugged Wilhelm. He returned the hug the best he could, considering the dessert bag he held. She told him, ¡°you can put that on the counter. We¡¯ll eat it when we¡¯re ready.¡± Wilhelm pulled the coffee cake out of the bag and set it down. Ellie¡¯s mouth watered at the sight of it. She¡¯d have to buy one for her and Shreya some time. ¡°Should I put this on the dining table?¡± Cornelius asked his older sister. ¡°That depends. What¡¯s in the casserole?¡± Hilda asked. ¡°It¡¯s a blancmanger. Chicken and rice,¡± he replied. ¡°You made a peafowl, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Can you tell by the smell?¡± ¡°I can tell by the blue feathers you left on the counter.¡± ¡°I thought they would make for good party favors,¡± Hilda said. ¡°Ellie and Wilhelm, feel free to take some for your friends.¡± ¡°It¡¯s better if they don¡¯t,¡± Cornelius said. ¡°They don¡¯t need the town thinking that they¡¯re flaunting their wealth. Need I remind you that most townspeople cannot afford the price of a male peafowl?¡± ¡°Is that why you chose to cook a chicken? You don¡¯t have to lead a commoner¡¯s lifestyle. You¡¯re the Intendant of Agriculture,¡± she replied. ¡°You can afford a few indulgences every now and then.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the Chieftess¡ª¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Marinus interrupted his husband. Jolly-toned, he turned to Ellie and Wilhelm. ¡°Why don¡¯t we head into the dining room and pick out our seats?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve chosen them for you,¡± Ellie said. She spared her mother a glance, checking to see if she¡¯d like her to stay. Hilda made a motion for her to go. ¡°I¡¯ll show you to them.¡± Ellie led her uncle and cousin into the dining room. She gently closed the door connecting the kitchen to the dining room. Cornelius and Hilda could settle their brother/sister spat on their own. Looking at Wilhelm and Marinus, a shimmer of sympathy passed through her. Based on that tiny moment, her uncle Cornelius didn¡¯t seem like a fun guy to live with. Again, she found herself wishing she and Wilhelm were in an adult-free zone. The things she wanted to say clashed with her etiquette training. ¡°Did Aunt Hilda make all of this?¡± Wilhelm asked. He and his father sat in their respective seats. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say all of it. I mean, I helped lay out the spices,¡± Ellie answered. ¡°That¡¯s an important job,¡± Marinus said like he was patting her on the head. ¡°It¡¯s a shame we¡¯ll have to wait for them before we can start eating.¡± ¡°They shouldn¡¯t be too long,¡± she replied. Not knowing anything better to say, she went for a generic question. ¡°How has work been, Uncle Marinus?¡± Ellie wanted to add in a jab towards his boss, her Aunt Catalina, but refrained. The joys of being a proper and soulless child, where you¡¯ve got to void your personality as much as possible. ¡°We don¡¯t have to bore ourselves talking about that,¡± he said. Although he was as jovial-looking as usual, there was something about the way he said that that told Ellie ¡®work¡¯ was a subject to be avoided. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about you. Does our Heiress have her eyes on anyone at the moment?¡± Ellie¡¯s hand shot to hide her throat, then dropped when she distinctively remembered there not being any necking to speak of. Things had gotten slightly more heated than she intended, but they hadn¡¯t left behind any proof of that. She reached for the pink-shaded wine. ¡°Nope, no one.¡± Oh, crap, they¡¯re staring at me.She focused on the wine bottle¡¯s label, following the loops of its fancy script. Did they know? Could they see through her hesitation to answer? What if she¡¯d just given herself away somehow? Sometimes liking someone came with a branding, like people could just tell that a young maiden was involved in a romance on sight. It was a marking, a catch in breath at the mere mention of that special person. A change in color and vivaciousness; a renewed energy and thrum reverberating through everything. It had happened before. Age matured her reaction, but on the inside Ellie was squealing as much as she did back then. ¡°I¡¯ve made some acquaintances you may want to meet,¡± Wilhelm said. ¡°Do you know Idna Linkenhoker?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of her in my entire life.¡± ¡°I thought every violet knew each other.¡± ¡°Do you know everyone in town that shares your preferences, dear cousin?¡± Ellie had to add the last part to take the edge off of her question. ¡°Then you can understand why I don¡¯t know her.¡± ¡°Fair point,¡± he said. ¡°I think the two of you would get along well.¡± Marinus added, ¡°the Linkenhokers are butchers. They¡¯re well-respected in town for their work. I believe it¡¯s their beef cuts that they¡¯re known for. You¡¯ve more than likely heard of their shop.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a possibility,¡± Ellie said. She didn¡¯t keep track of store specialties. Every shop might as well be the same. ¡°I encourage you to meet her. She¡¯s friendly and always up for a good conversation,¡± Wilhelm said. ¡°She¡¯d also love to meet you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know when I could meet her,¡± she replied. ¡°I¡¯m booked up for the next month.¡± ¡°Oh, please, cousin, there¡¯s no need to be shy. There¡¯s nothing wrong with making friends.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m shy. I just don¡¯t have the time to meet anyone right now. Ask me again in a year.¡± ¡°I thought you said a month.¡± ¡°I forgot everything else I have to do. It¡¯ll be another year or two, sorry.¡± The door swung open. Hilda walked in first. She greeted everyone, then took her seat at the head of the table. Cornelius put down his casserole, and sat in the open seat between Hilda and Wilhelm. Neither looked angry so that was good. The bad air had hopefully been cleared. ¡°I apologize for the delay. Please take as much food as you wish,¡± Hilda announced. ¡°I¡¯ll pour the drinks. What would everyone like?¡± ¡°Ellie picked hers already,¡± Wilhelm said, smiling softly. ¡°I¡¯ll have the same as her.¡± ¡°The white wine,¡± Cornelius requested. ¡°White,¡± Marinus said. ¡°You can pass your plates to me and I¡¯ll carve off more of the peafowl for everyone. We can pass the sides and casserole around.¡± Conversation didn¡¯t continue until everyone had their food on their plate. Cornelius, Marinus, and Hilda busied themselves talking about something they¡¯d seen in the newspaper. A run-away mother and daughter pair no one had seen in a week who most likely were trying to get back at the deadbeat they lived with. Ellie pushed at the blancmanger with her fork. It looked pour, like a mash of rice and shredded chicken. The rice reminded her of porridge. Its baby food appearance paled in comparison to the slices of peafowl and greens it shared a plate with. She gave it a try, and was delighted to find that it tasted far better than it looked. ¡°Hilda, what are you running Ellie ragged doing that she doesn¡¯t have any free time for herself?¡± Marinus asked. Hilda stopped mid-cut of a peafowl chunk. ¡°Did she tell you that?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it like that,¡± Ellie said. ¡°I think you may have misunderstood me, Uncle Marinus.¡± ¡°She told me and Wilhelm here that she has a full schedule for the next year. Are you enrolling her in a training program?¡± ¡°I only said that to politely turn down the offer. I¡¯m not interested in meeting any suitors right now.¡± Ellie brought her wine glass to her lips. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be,¡± Hilda said. She sipped from her glass, having gone for her preferred choice in drink. ¡°Who are you planning to set Ellie up with?¡± ¡°Idna Linkenhoker, a butcher¡¯s daughter,¡± Marinus said. His knife clinked, making contact with his plate. ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to set them up. I just thought they¡¯d make for good friends,¡± Wilhelm said. ¡°Honestly, I didn¡¯t mean for it to come off any way but that.¡± Sure you did. ¡°Hm, I think I remember meeting her family before,¡± Hilda said. ¡°They seem like nice people.¡± She resumed eating her peafowl. ¡°Would you be opposed?¡± Cornelius asked her. ¡°My opposition is irrelevant. It¡¯s Ellie¡¯s decision on whether or not she wants anything to do with Miss Idna. The choice is hers to make.¡± ¡°Opposed to her being an eligible suitor, that is,¡± Cornelius said. ¡°I see potential in her.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t a dinner table conversation,¡± Hilda warned. ¡°We¡¯re ending this.¡± ¡°If she was my daughter I¡¯d¡ª¡± ¡°You¡¯re incorrigible, Cornelius, absolutely and utterly incorrigible.¡± She took a large swallow of her drink. Mortified, Ellie sunk further down into her chair. Wilhelm mouthed a ¡°sorry¡± to her. An apology couldn¡¯t change her circumstances. People getting in the middle of the Heiress¡¯ business was to be expected. Her business was theirs. In a sense, Ellie was Stockbrunn¡¯s daughter who would eventually grow up to be their mother. It was necessary for her to pair up with an acceptable co-parent, someone who would make up for Ellie¡¯s shortcomings. Together they would move the town forward to a better future. Every generation, an improvement on the former. The last girl, the last possible second mother, may have been right for Ellie, but she wasn¡¯t right for Stockbrunn. No one wanted a repeat of the past to happen. Such a mistake would not be tolerated this time around. Any love interests popping up in her life were going to be scrutinized to the nth degree. Satisfactory bachelorettes, like whoever this Idna girl was, would be arranged for her to pick and choose from in the hopes that they¡¯d connect and become something beautiful for Stockbrunn. She didn¡¯t need reminding that her mother had married at her age, and had her three years after that. An early love that blossomed during the Casternian-Erzyan war, a declaration of marriage, and then the birth of the new era. Had nothing gone wrong years ago, Ellie might¡¯ve been in a similar position at this point, but that¡¯s not how things ended up. Her mother assured her that times were different. Ellie didn¡¯t have to be hasty in giving her heart away. And yet she did, and everyone was scalded for her folly. Maybe taking the easy way out would be a good thing. Chiefdom came with sacrifices. Surrendering was part of growing up. Just as the smelter¡¯s son needed to learn the joy in melting metal, she, too, needed to source the happiness of being the Heiress. Away from the dinner table, she wouldn¡¯t be able to fall to this kind of thinking, but she was surrounded, trapped under the weight of expectations. Every bit of eye contact with her uncles implored her to consider it. Her and Idna. Her and whomever. Perfect harmony and perfect leadership. Her and Shreya. Something tightened in Ellie¡¯s chest. Stockbrunn would never allow them together. ¡°Intendant Fonseca made me an offer. I forgot to mention it,¡± Wilhelm said, using a napkin to blot the sauce from his mouth. ¡°She said I could accompany some of her ambassadors to a northern town after they return from their trip.¡± ¡°Which town?¡± Marinus asked. ¡°She hasn¡¯t decided yet. Possibly Baekstadt. I think she¡¯s awaiting on information. We¡¯d be leaving after next month¡¯s festival,¡± he said. ¡°I was wondering if you¡¯d like to come with me, Ellie. There¡¯s room in the caravan for you and some friends.¡± ¡°I¡¯d have to think about it.¡± Showing Zinnia Baekstadt might be the kick that she needed to free herself of Stockbrunn. The problem would be convincing her to travel. And Shreya, well, she just wouldn¡¯t. ¡°You do realize you have to get your parents¡¯ permissions before heading off, don¡¯t you? These trips can be dangerous,¡± Cornelius said. ¡°They¡¯d have a trained guard with them,¡± Hilda said. ¡°It¡¯s important that they familiarize themselves with the rest of Casterne.¡± ¡°I just hope we¡¯re not sent to that town with the rotational leadership, you know the one that changes every few years on the votes of their people,¡± Wilhelm said. ¡°I¡¯d like to establish a friendship with the town¡¯s leader-to-be. It¡¯ll make our future dealings easier on us.¡± Cornelius nodded in approval. ¡°That¡¯s smart thinking.¡± ¡°Ellie¡¯s in correspondence with a few. She can put you in touch with them if you¡¯d like,¡± Hilda said. It¡¯d been some time since the last letter exchange, but that didn¡¯t matter. It was an understandably slow-going pen pal network, consisting of children who probably couldn¡¯t care less about it. They¡¯d give each other non-perishable gifts and updates about whatever was going on in their lives. Light, meaningless talk. ¡°Yeah, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem,¡± Ellie said. The dinner chatter drifted away from politics. They kept busy by eating and listening to Marinus talk about something that happened during his last job as a painter. Something about a mix-up in pigments, and something else about additive color blending. Ellie thought she saw the faintest of smiles on Cornelius¡¯ face throughout the tale. Of course he would find humor in something that no one else thought was funny. What had started off as a heavy atmosphere eased its way into a lighter one as the night went on. The sibling rivalry died down to a murmur, the two of them coming to a consensus on street sign colors of all things. And Ellie may have actually laughed at one of Wilhelm¡¯s jokes. Maybe. Soon their plates were finished and second helpings were had. Ellie passed on her extra share, intending to eat it later on. She skipped out on dessert to save room. It was difficult to do¡ªshe had to watch her family tear into the coffee cake with especially exaggerated bites to goad her¡ªbut she had to do it. She had to stay strong. ¡°We¡¯ll handle that,¡± her mother said when Ellie went to stack the empty plates. ¡°You and Wilhelm can relax.¡± She took the plates from her. ¡°Would it be inappropriate if I paid Uncle Vicente a visit?¡± Wilhelm asked. ¡°I won¡¯t if you¡¯d rather I didn¡¯t.¡± Ellie¡¯s father never made an appearance at dinner. His chair remained pulled out, as if he had excused himself to the bathroom. Hilda stared at the empty place reserved for him before answering. ¡°You may. Ellie, go with him.¡± She tried to ask her if she was sure with her eyes, but the question must not have crossed into her expression far enough because Hilda didn¡¯t react. Marinus and Cornelius moved to help her with the rest of the plates, going in and out of the kitchen as they dropped things off at the sink. They didn¡¯t say anything, but Ellie could sense the tension that had re-entered the room. ¡°It¡¯s this way,¡± Ellie motioned to her cousin. Grateful, Wilhelm followed after her as she led the way up the stairs. The hallway was longer than usual, lined with too many rooms belonging to too many ghosts. Vicente¡¯s door was kept open a crack. Henrik¡¯s voice filtered out of the gap, reading one of Vicente¡¯s favorite stories. Ellie hesitated. It was for good reason that her father stayed in his own private room. Excess stimulation triggered reactions. Wilhelm¡¯s presence would be a risk. Wilhelm placed a hand on her shoulder. She pulled it away. ¡°I understand if you don¡¯t want me to see him,¡± he said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be pushy.¡± ¡°You just wanted to look nice,¡± Ellie said. Alone with just the two of them, she could be more like herself. ¡°No one¡¯s here now so you can cut the golden boy routine.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that what you were doing?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like your dads were making it easy on me.¡± ¡°I really am sorry about Idna. I was just as fooled,¡± Wilhelm said. ¡°I mentioned her interests off-hand one night and my parents ran with the idea of coupling you up. It wasn¡¯t my intention to get them involved in your love life.¡± ¡°You gave them an opening wide enough for a 400 pound bear,¡± Ellie said. ¡°How wasn¡¯t it your intention?¡± ¡°I had no part in it.¡± ¡°Whatever¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to listen to them,¡± Wilhelm said. ¡°Me, I don¡¯t have a choice since they¡¯re my parents, but you do. You can live your life how you want to, so I hope you don¡¯t take anything Father said to heart.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not as true as you think it is. It¡¯s not like I can bugger off and become a locksmith,¡± she replied. ¡°This is me.¡± ¡°This is us. You have a support system, Ellie, and I¡¯m a part of it. Everything I told you after Freesia disappeared, all those things¡­they haven¡¯t changed.¡± ¡°Is this you talking or is this a future Intendant talking?¡± Wilhelm frowned. ¡°Okay, I asked for that response by saying her name. That was wrong of me to do.¡± He sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, too. It just snapped out of me.¡± She rubbed her eyes. Her head hurt. ¡°Why don¡¯t we go back down¡ª¡± ¡°Excuse me.¡± Henrik peeked his head out of the door. He pushed his glasses up his nose from where they slid. ¡°Chief Vicente can hear you talking. It¡¯s beginning to upset him that he can¡¯t see you.¡± ¡°What happened to Miss Johanna Stenberg?¡± Wilhelm asked. ¡°I thought she was his nighttime attendant.¡± ¡°I¡¯m her brother Henrik.¡± ¡°I think I see the resemblance. It¡¯s good to meet you.¡± ¡°This is my cousin Wilhelm,¡± Ellie introduced him. ¡°My dad should recognize him, but¡­ If he doesn¡¯t remember you, Wilhelm, don¡¯t take any offense to it. It¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± he said. Henrik allowed them inside Vicente¡¯s stale-aired bedroom. Streaks of dirt lined the wheels of his wheelchair, evidence of a backyard stroll that may have occurred earlier that day. The window blinds were open, outdoor lights peeking through. Every now and then, a breeze blew in that rustled the pages of the open book on Vicente¡¯s bed. Vicente lifted his head to see his visitors. The metal tree stood by him, its hanging bags emptied. The cords draped over a branch of it. Vicente hadn¡¯t moved up from the liquefied diet Dr. Cuthberht placed him on. Ellie hadn¡¯t inquired as to why that was. ¡°Ellie?¡± The fuzz of facial hair outlining his face dirtied his appearance. He was overdue for a shave. ¡°Hi, Dad. It¡¯s me.¡± Ellie approached the bed. Wilhelm stepped in next to her. Henrik gave them distance. ¡°I brought Wilhelm with me.¡± ¡°Wilhelm is Cornelius and Marinus¡¯ son,¡± Vicente said. He shook out his hands. ¡°Hi, Wilhelm. Tell me about your day.¡± Ellie tugged on Wilhelm¡¯s arm. He leaned down so she could whisper in his ear, ¡°keep it short and positive.¡± ¡°Good evening, Uncle Vicente. I had a big dinner today.¡± Wilhelm patted his stomach. ¡°It was delicious.¡± ¡°That is so nice.¡± Vicente copied Wilhelm¡¯s movement, as if to better understand it. ¡°Hi, Ellie.¡± He turned to her, eyes shining. ¡°Tell me about your day.¡± She followed her usual script, the same one she¡¯d been using for years. ¡°I had fun with my friends. We played games.¡± Vicente slurred his response. ¡°That¡¯s so nice.¡± ¡°Henrik¡¯s here,¡± she said. ¡°We are going to let him finish reading to you.¡± ¡°This is the book right here?¡± Wilhelm picked it up. It was a picture book about a little girl and her flying machine. ¡°Do you mind if I read a few pages?¡± ¡°I think Chief Vicente would like that very much,¡± Henrik said. ¡°Don¡¯t you have to get going soon? It¡¯d be rude to keep your parents waiting,¡± Ellie reminded him. She didn¡¯t want to keep Shreya waiting, either. The sooner Wilhelm left, the sooner she could join her. ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯d mind having more time to talk with your mother,¡± Wilhelm said. ¡°A couple of pages shouldn¡¯t hurt.¡± ¡°I guess it shouldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°We can take turns reading to him,¡± her cousin said, ¡°I¡¯m sure it would make his night if we did.¡± Ellie chewed on her lip. It wasn¡¯t like Wilhelm was wrong about that. Vicente loved story time, and Ellie liked to think that he especially loved her edits and additions to tales. How long had it been since she last read her father to sleep like this? ¡°Alright, yeah, we can do that,¡± Ellie said. Shreya would understand if she showed up later than she wanted to. ¡°There once was a girl who wanted to fly,¡± Wilhelm read to Vicente. He held the book up so he could see the illustration. ¡°So she asked some birds how to fly,¡± Ellie continued, ¡°and they told her she needed wings¡­¡± Chapter 33: Starcrossed ¡°Did you seriously expect to sneak out of the house without getting caught?¡± Ellie nearly dropped the plate she was holding. She righted herself, putting her shoulders back and coming to an on-the-outside relaxed stand. The lid to the icebox stayed lifted open, cold air blasting out of it. It chilled her through the fabric of her dress. ¡°I was hungry and getting something to eat,¡± Ellie said. She kept her head down to avoid looking at her mother. ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere.¡± ¡°If that was true, you wouldn¡¯t have that overnight bag with you,¡± Hilda pointed out. ¡°It¡¯s easier to carry food upstairs that way.¡± They were in the storehouse room of their cellar where they kept their iceboxes. Leftovers, including the peafowl and sides they¡¯d enjoyed an hour or two before, were kept cold there. After the Lambros-Dietrich clan went home and Hildegarde retired to bed, Ellie packed her things for the night. The telescope, constellation map, blue-green feathers, spare plates, cutlery, napkins, and partially filled drink jars. She had everything squared away. She just hadn¡¯t accounted for the possibility of Hildegarde finding her in the middle of moving bird to porcelain. ¡°That doesn¡¯t explain everything else you have,¡± Hilda said. Her slipper-clad foot tapped the pack. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± ¡°I wanted to eat outside¡ªhey, don¡¯t touch that!¡± With ease, Hilda one-hand lifted the bag to Ellie¡¯s eye level. ¡°Clearly, you aren¡¯t planning on eating alone.¡± ¡°Okay, okay, I¡¯m not. I¡¯m bringing food to Marietta.¡± ¡°In your dress?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t want to waste any time by changing,¡± Ellie said. ¡°I can¡¯t keep her hungry and waiting, you know. It¡¯s kind of my responsibility to keep her from starving.¡± ¡°You had an ample amount of time to change.¡± She shook the pack. ¡°Please don¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°Elspeth, I¡¯m only going to ask you this one time. Where are you going and who are you seeing?¡± ¡°What, who? No, no, you¡¯ve got it wrong. I¡¯m not seeing anyone, not like, seeing them seeing them. No way.¡± Ellie would¡¯ve waved her hands in surrender if it wasn¡¯t for the plate she held. ¡°I¡¯m just going to Marietta¡¯s.¡± Hilda lowered the pack to go through it. ¡°I know when you¡¯re lying to me. Don¡¯t think that you can get one over on me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s my stuff!¡± ¡°This bag? I bought it. These jars? I bought them. This food? I paid for. The house you¡¯re standing in? It¡¯s mine. You don¡¯t have any ¡®stuff.¡¯ Everything you think you own is mine.¡± She stopped talking to inspect the collapsible telescope. ¡°If you don¡¯t start talking¡­¡± She didn¡¯t have to say more than that. All of the possibilities packed into that trail-off was threatening enough. ¡°Alright! I¡¯m gonna go hang out with Zinnia at Marietta¡¯s place. We¡¯re gonna do some stargazing. That¡¯s what I bought the telescope for. I¡¯m not getting anything over on you.¡± ¡°After I gave you permission to spend all day and night with her yesterday, you decided to sneak out in the middle of the night to see her again? Why didn¡¯t you ask me if you could go?¡± ¡°I thought you were asleep,¡± Ellie said. ¡°And I thought that, maybe, I dunno, I could get back home before you woke up and it wouldn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s only Zinnia and Marietta. Nothing else is going on.¡± ¡°Is there something going on?¡± Hilda asked, eyebrows creasing to form a glare. Even in her nightgown and sleeping cap, she still intimidated Ellie. ¡°Between me and Zinnia?¡± The thought drained the color from her face. ¡°Mom, no, she¡¯s her sister. I wouldn¡¯t, she wouldn¡¯t; neither of us would even consider it. That¡¯s just so wrong. I mean, we¡¯re friends. I can¡¯t even begin to tell you how wrong that¡¯d be.¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be the first time such a thing happened,¡± Hilda said, ¡°but I warn you that no one would approve of it. There would be riots in the streets.¡± ¡°Good, because we don¡¯t approve of it, either. Trust me, we¡¯d be on the front lines of those riots,¡± Ellie reasoned. ¡°So now that you know that can you let me go? I promise I¡¯ll be home in three-ish hours. If I¡¯m not home by then you can shave my head and strip the leather from my boots.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be home in one hour. I won¡¯t sleep until you return.¡± ¡°But how are we supposed to eat and stargaze in the space of an hour?¡± ¡°Two hours, and you¡¯re changing out of your dress.¡± ¡°Fine. Yeah, I¡¯ll do that.¡± So much for the grand entrance she wanted to make. She¡¯d have to settle for a clean set of casual clothing, something a cut above the traveler¡¯s clothes she normally wore but levels below what she¡¯d hoped to wear. ¡°And I¡¯m gonna take some blankets to sit on, if that¡¯s okay with you.¡± ¡°There are old ones in the closet you can take. It¡¯d be a waste to wash them, so you can keep them at Marietta¡¯s.¡± ¡°Thanks, Mom!¡± ¡°You know that I love you, right?¡± Her voice softened. ¡°Your uncles were speaking nonsense tonight. Please don¡¯t take any of their insinuations to heart. Your life isn¡¯t their business.¡± Ellie shrugged. ¡°Isn¡¯t it, though?¡± Everyone had expectations for her. ¡°The choice of Chieftess is your choice to make. We may guide you, but the decision is ultimately yours,¡± Hilda said. She set Ellie¡¯s bag down. ¡°If you do start to like someone, can you let me know? I won¡¯t judge you for who it is.¡± But you¡¯ll make sure she¡¯s nothing like Freesia. She had to be suitable, someone who could carry out Stockbrunn¡¯s ideals. Anyone who couldn¡¯t would be deemed unacceptable. Ellie hadn¡¯t forgotten that only a minute ago, her mother was warning her against a relationship with Zinnia. What kind of riots could she and Shreya incite? That was a question best reserved for later in the future, but imagining it made her head spin. Chaos. All-out anarchy. Stockbrunn wouldn¡¯t be able to handle an outsider paired with their leader-to-be. They¡¯d go into shambles over it. Fire and brimstone. Shattered windows. Worse than that would be the riots that would happen once she and Freesia reunited. ¡°Sure, yeah, as soon as I fancy somebody new, I¡¯ll let you know,¡± Ellie said. ¡°Maybe in another year? I dunno.¡± ¡°Whenever it happens, I¡¯ll support you.¡± Like how you were so supportive before, Ellie thought. Maybe this was her way of trying to make up for the past. It¡¯d take more than that to right the wrongs she¡¯d committed, especially the ones surrounding the events of two years gone. Hilda said, ¡°I think we¡¯ve left the icebox open for long enough. I¡¯ll reheat and pack up the food for you while you change. There¡¯s no sense in you serving cold slices.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll do that for me? Thanks!¡± ¡°It¡¯s dark. I¡¯ll leave a lantern and a knife for you,¡± she replied. ¡°Be sure to bring Sunflower along.¡± What Hilda didn¡¯t know was that Sunflower was having an overnight stay at the veterinarian¡¯s office. They needed to hold her there to see if there would be any lingering effects from the poison. It was the best thing for her, even if it killed Ellie to leave her dog alone. Curse dogs and their whimpering and their all too expressive eyes. They had the power to convince anyone to slip them an extra treat for no good reason. Once she had Sunflower back, she was definitely giving her whatever was left of the peafowl. ¡°I will. See you later!¡± Ellie set down the plate, gave her mom a hug, and hurried up the stairs. She didn¡¯t want another minute to go to waste. ~ * ~ * ~ Shreya¡¯s other senses picked up on Ellie before she arrived. The huffing of her breath as she ran. The thud of her boots against the dirt and the grass. Something creaking on its hinges and a muffled clinking of glass on glass. The pleasant aroma of cooked meat. ¡°Hey, sorry I¡¯m late! Tried to get here as fast as I could.¡± Ellie had one hand tensed on the strap of her bag and the other one holding a fire vessel aloft. Another blanket roll was fitted under her arm. She sniffled, her nose tinged pink from the crisp air. ¡°I¡¯ve got lots of stuff for you.¡± Marietta emerged from her home, a different bow fixed in her hair. This one was brown and blue striped. She lifted her face, her nostrils flaring as she took in the scent of food. ¡°Well, what are we passing time here for?¡± Marietta asked. She motioned towards Shreya. ¡°Help her get everything laid out.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Shreya approached Ellie, and put her hand out for her bag. She kept her distance from the flame bowl Ellie had gripped by its handle. When the other girl accidentally swung it closer, Shreya ducked away from it. ¡°No worries, I¡¯m fine,¡± Ellie said. ¡°Why don¡¯t you guys get set up on the blanket and I¡¯ll get everything ready?¡± ¡°I can help.¡± ¡°No, let me do it. I wanna make this special for you. And for Marietta, too, yeah,¡± she added on. ¡°You deserve it for how long I made you wait.¡± Seeing further protest as pointless, Shreya sat down on the blanket across from Marietta. Ellie set the plates and utensils for them, then slid their shares onto their dishes. Shreya breathed it in, taking in the spices she couldn¡¯t identify. She went to pick it up with her hand, but stopped herself when she saw how Marietta was eating. Take the tined tool. Stab the meat. Knife off a smaller piece. Then bring it to the mouth and chew. It was the same drawn-out process as the wheat oatmeal, spoon, and jar, only in a slightly different format. Shreya followed Marietta¡¯s lead. The fire vessel, sat off to the side of their blanket, illuminated a soft orange light over the scene. Ellie giggled as she took her seat. ¡°Do you like it?¡± ¡°Yes, it is good,¡± Shreya answered mid-chew. The flavors overwhelmed her mouth. Every bite uncovered another dimension to the food. ¡°It¡¯s a peafowl, probably raised, not hunted,¡± Ellie said. ¡°I¡¯ve got a present for you guys when you¡¯re done eating.¡± ¡°What type of gift is it?¡± The prospect of a present got Marietta interested enough to stop eating for a moment. ¡°You¡¯ll see. It¡¯s brilliant, I assure you.¡± She ate a bit of bird off of the serving plate. ¡°So how¡¯d the rest of your day go?¡± ¡°It was okay. We talked. I bathed. I read.¡± Oddly, the only choice Shreya had for reading was the fiction story. The history book hadn¡¯t been brought back. Marietta¡¯s words weighed on her when she realized that. It was further proof of Ellie¡¯s growing distrust. Her open body language didn¡¯t indicate that. Nothing about the subtle way Ellie leaned towards Shreya or how she looked at Shreya with such care showed that. In this moment, they were fine. Simply girls eating together and sharing how their days went. Everything else in the background fell away. ¡°That¡¯s great! How about you, Marietta?¡±Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°I had an enjoyable day conversing with your friend,¡± Marietta said. ¡°While she read, I color coordinated my collection.¡± ¡°Great,¡± Ellie replied. Shreya drew some pleasure from Ellie¡¯s difference in enthusiasm. She kept herself from smirking about it by filling up on more food. As she ate, she allowed Ellie and Marietta to carry on the brunt of the conversation. Ellie spoke to them about the dress she¡¯d planned on wearing for them (politeness prevented her from saying she wanted to wear it for Shreya outright, but Shreya could read between the lines). The design sounded impractical, so Shreya was glad Ellie¡¯s mother forbid her to wear it. What if something happened, and they needed to run? Looser clothing would be the better option. That being said, Shreya still felt for the other girl. Her disappointment hurt. Had Marietta not been there, Shreya would¡¯ve said something sweet to doubly embarrass her and reassure her that the dress wouldn¡¯t have made a difference. As long as her clothes were smart for their surroundings, it didn¡¯t matter what Ellie had on. But Marietta¡¯s presence meant that Shreya needed to be conscientious of what she said. Anything could be used as an arrow against her later. As it was, she felt like she was being examined. Everything she said had to be right and had to line up with the advice that Marietta had gave her. Fear of making a mistake led to Shreya sounding terse and guarded. If Ellie had noticed, she hadn¡¯t betrayed any hints of such. Their conversation coursed from the dress to flower garlands and then to the fabric quality of the latest ribbon Ellie had brought for Marietta. The phrase ¡°exquisite elegance¡± was thrown around more than a few times by both parties. Since the subject didn¡¯t hold any interest for her, Shreya busied herself by eating and adding in non-committal nods every now and then. ¡°I¡¯m expected home in another hour. Curfew,¡± Ellie said once everyone had finished their meals. Some time during the discussion, she¡¯d pulled a chained disc from her bag. She gave it a look of disdain before dropping it back inside. ¡°You guys wanna see your presents?¡± ¡°Yes, I believe we would,¡± Marietta said. ¡°Okay, close your eyes!¡± ¡°How do we see our presents with our eyes closed?¡± Shreya asked. Ellie gently pushed Shreya¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Just do it, silly girl. It¡¯s supposed to be a surprise.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Shreya covered her eyes behind her hands. She listened to Ellie rustle through her things. ¡°Here we go. Feast your eyes on this!¡± She had a feather in each hand, one for Shreya, and the other for Marietta. Dark and light striations of blue-green ran along its length. Round concentric shapes flared at the top of it, reminding Shreya of a sinister eye. Its unnaturalness unnerved her, but she took it and thumbed through its ticklish hairs. ¡°What animal is this?¡± Shreya twirled the feather. ¡°It¡¯s the peafowl we ate. It¡¯s super expensive, like my uncle was freaking out about me and my cousin giving it to any of our friends,¡± Ellie explained. ¡°He didn¡¯t want us flaunting our wealth or whatever.¡± ¡°Wondrous,¡± Marietta declared after hearing that. ¡°Thank you for bestowing us with quite the marvelous gift. This is as exuberant as the meal. I will cherish it.¡± ¡°I knew you¡¯d like it.¡± Ellie stared expectantly at Shreya. ¡°And you?¡± ¡°It is beautiful,¡± and scary. It was difficult for her to imagine a bird full of feathers this vibrant. How did it survive sticking out this way? It would have to be a predator in order to take care of itself. Sheer strength would keep it safe. ¡°Is it a big bird?¡± ¡°Um¡­ It¡¯s bigger than a chicken and smaller than a turkey. Maybe like this with some big tail feathers.¡± Ellie motioned the shape of the creature. It must¡¯ve been packed and brawny. Its meat didn¡¯t taste in a way that said anything about its muscular stature, but the cooking preparation could¡¯ve misled her about the bite consistency. Perhaps if it lacked in muscles it made up for that with fast flight and razor-sharp talons. Shreya crossed her arms, hoping that she¡¯d never have to witness a peafowl for herself. ¡°Are they common in Stockbrunn?¡± Hadn¡¯t she mentioned the possibility of raising them? ¡°Kind of rare-ish. I think somebody imported them and started a tiny farm for them. I dunno, I could find out for you and get you more¡ªah, actually, I don¡¯t think I can get you more feathers, but I can tell you all about them,¡± Ellie said. ¡°Wanna know something interesting? Only the boy peafowls have these tail feathers. They¡¯re like wide fans. The girls don¡¯t have them.¡± ¡°I wonder why that is,¡± Marietta mused. ¡°Good question¡­ Hey, I have another present for you, if you¡¯re interested.¡± ¡°We are,¡± Marietta answered for them both. ¡°Yours is here, Marietta. It¡¯s a slice of coffee cake,¡± Ellie said. She took it out from her bag and handed it over to Marietta. Marietta unwrapped the linen cloth from it, her eyes widening as they took in the dessert¡¯s crumble-textured top. ¡°It¡¯s the last of it, which everyone knows to be the best part of any cake.¡± ¡°Yes, that is certainly true,¡± she replied as she grabbed her fork and knife. ¡°And Shreya, your second present is this way. Would you please excuse us, Marietta?¡± Ellie stood up, hoisted her bag and its contents over her shoulder, and put out a hand to help Shreya up. ¡°You¡¯re excused. Who am I to interfere with your budding romance?¡± ¡°Heh.¡± Ellie let out a small snort of a laugh. ¡°Hope you enjoy your cake. Let¡¯s go, Shreya.¡± It amused Shreya that Ellie said that with her hand in hers, and then proceeded not to move. They weren¡¯t going anywhere without someone taking the first step. ¡°It is a present for me. You take me there.¡± Shreya squeezed her hand. ¡°Oh, yeah, that¡¯s right.¡± Ellie returned the squeeze. ¡°Do you want to hold the lantern?¡± ¡°Lantern?¡± ¡°That,¡± she said, using her foot to point to the fire vessel. ¡°Lamp. Fancy torch. Fire globe. I¡¯d just call it a lantern, though. It¡¯s safe to hold by the handle up at the top. The glass is really hot. It¡¯ll burn you if you aren¡¯t careful.¡± ¡°Okay. I will be careful.¡± Willing away her hesitation, Shreya tucked the feather in her belt and picked up the lantern. The bowl¡¯s heat licked at her fingertips. At home, portable fire came in the form of a burning stick. Stockbrunn¡¯s version shielded it in cloudy glass. It emitted a smell both sharp and dizzying. Shreya held the lantern in front of them to provide Ellie a guiding light. They moved far from Marietta¡¯s home. At times they would stop, Ellie looking upwards at the trees scraping the skies. She¡¯d comment on the inadequacy of the spot, then they¡¯d go on ahead to another place. In that place, the night soaked into the leaves and grass, coating the area in an all-over darkness. A sheen of glitter speckled the shade that haloed them overhead. Shreya held Ellie¡¯s hand a little tighter. Smiling in response, Ellie called her name for attention and pressed her lips to hers. The delicacy of their kiss lingered even after Ellie skipped away to sit on the green floor. She took a metal tube out of her bag, skinny at one end and larger at the other like a slim-lined funnel. ¡°This is a telescope,¡± Ellie said. Next, she pulled out a rolled-up scroll. ¡°And this is a constellation map we can use. Mind setting the lantern down over there?¡± Its position gave them a circular light they could read the map by. Shreya took her seat by Ellie¡¯s side, resting against her as she unfurled the paper before them. Ellie pointed out various star charts, the energy and zazz behind her words more intriguing than the words themselves. Honestly, most of what Ellie said went in one ear and out the other, but it was cute seeing her so excited. Shreya¡¯s opinions hadn¡¯t changed. The astronomers bought their distinctions, drawing lines in the stars wherever they saw fit. Discovery was a race-to-the-finish. Get there first, stake a high priced claim, and everyone was expected to fall-in-line with that paid-for theory. Ellie¡¯s explanation of the science behind it failed to convince Shreya to change her mind. ¡°¡­and yeah, so that¡¯s what the guy at the store said. The Antillion Model indicates that this blob over here means¡­¡± ¡°Ellie.¡± Shreya touched her thigh. ¡°You should show me some stars.¡± ¡°Ah, right, here¡¯s the telescope. Point it at the stars you want to see, look through it, and close one eye.¡± That wasn¡¯t what she¡¯d had in mind when she said that. Shreya sighed and went along with it. The telescope brought a blinking star closer to her. Horizontal and vertical beams of light pulsed from it. To its left, a grouping of dots shone. They led towards a swirled, glowing belt of dust. From there, her gaze dropped to an interlocking pattern. The paths the stars took merged into curved X-shape. Shreya looked away from the telescope to identify it on the constellation map. ¡°You know, there are people out there who believe fate¡¯s written in the stars. I think they¡¯re called astrologists, and they believe in something called astrology,¡± Ellie said. ¡°They say you¡¯re doomed if you¡¯re attached to a bad star.¡± ¡°Do you find it true or false?¡± Shreya asked. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t like it if it was true. I mean, they think everything¡¯s predestined just because something up there says so. Your life. Your wealth. Your family. Your relationships. Things are good because of the stars, things are okay because of the stars, and things are bad because of the stars. It¡¯s not about you.¡± ¡°Is that not freeing?¡± ¡°Why would it be freeing? Just because you¡¯ve got something else to blame if things go wrong in your life? ¡®Oh, the crops aren¡¯t failing this year for a rational reason like we weren¡¯t watering them the way we should, but ¡¯cause the stars wanted them to fail,''¡± Ellie said. ¡°I bet you that when times are good, astrologists are ready to take all the credit for their work. ¡®I did this; I did that.¡¯ Whenever it¡¯s a bad outcome, it¡¯s all the stars¡¯ fault.¡± ¡°I think the astrologists would never take blame. They would thank the stars for the good and the bad. They live for the stars.¡± ¡°Okay, but they should be living for reality. Lights and dirt in the sky don¡¯t mean anything. Can you believe there are folks out there who think there are big ol¡¯ stars out there just as important as the sun and moon? They¡¯re calling them planets. It¡¯s more astrology-astronomy nonsense!¡± ¡°Come here.¡± Shreya pushed the map and telescope aside and stretched out her legs. She patted her lap for Ellie to take. Once Ellie was situated facing her with her arms around Shreya¡¯s shoulders and Shreya¡¯s hands on her waist, Shreya spoke. ¡°Was my second present you showing me lights and dirt, as you say? Romantic.¡± ¡°Stars, actually. I went a little overboard on calling them dirt. I just don¡¯t believe in celestial bodies or anything spiritual like that,¡± Ellie said. ¡°Ghosts and stuff, like the presence of life after death? Nope. It¡¯s not real. The dead aren¡¯t walking among us and there¡¯s nothing proving that to be possible.¡± Shreya played with the fabric at the back of Ellie¡¯s shirt. ¡°The dead may not walk, but they can help you.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°You can pray to them for help.¡± It was a Marjani cultural practice to create and keep relics of their deceased. Those representative objects could be used to forge a connection between the living and the dead. The beyond one would grant the practitioner some qualities that they sought. For example, a hunter may call on the spirit of another fallen huntsman, and ask that huntsman to lend him his accuracy. ¡°I don¡¯t get how that¡¯d help anything, sorry. You¡¯re still stuck alone with your problem,¡± Ellie said. ¡°We believe that¡ª¡± Guarded. Withdrawn. Not so freely giving. Marietta¡¯s advice broke through to the forefront of her mind. ¡°Who? You and your people?¡± Ellie asked. ¡°We are not concerned with the stars,¡± Shreya said, ¡°but I can understand people who put their faith in them.¡± ¡°Had I put my faith into stars, I never would¡¯ve met you. Nothing in those stars would¡¯ve predicted this.¡± ¡°Was it not fate that brought us together?¡± Shreya caressed Ellie¡¯s face, her fingertips following her jawline. Ellie stroked her cheek against her hand, an unmistakable smile on her face. Her eyes filled with a fondness that Shreya felt overtaking her own. ¡°I¡¯m not above using the word. I think I¡¯ve said this was fate before, so yes, maybe I¡¯m in a bit of denial and contradicting myself here. I dunno. Maybe fate has had a role in this.¡± Ellie eased her hands down Shreya¡¯s sides. She took her time, sometimes adding pressure close to where Shreya wanted it, but not close enough. As if she forgot something the first go around, Ellie repeated everything from the top at a more agonizing pace. Not one to lose in the ¡°who can fluster the other one more¡± war they loved to play, Shreya got to work. Shreya used her thumb to part Ellie¡¯s lips and then met them with hers in a kiss that was a continuation of what they¡¯d started last time. She slipped her tongue over hers, the contact drawing out renewed appreciation. ¡°I think I like fate,¡± Shreya said. She gripped Ellie¡¯s shirt for leverage as she went in to kiss her neck. It warmed her soul that their scents were made more similar by the shampoo and soap she¡¯d borrowed. It took the edge off of how different they were as people in actuality. ¡°Shreya.¡± She brought herself back to eye-level with her. Ellie took that opportunity to return the favor, her mouth at Shreya¡¯s pulse point. As gentle as her kisses were, the thought of her adding teeth thrilled her. Ellie trailed her way back up to Shreya¡¯s face, then pulled back to give them some distance. The warm glow of the lantern highlighted the blush on her face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t know why I did all of that,¡± she said. ¡°I just lost control of myself.¡± ¡°It is okay, lakita. I lost myself, too.¡± ¡°Huh? Who¡¯s lakita?¡± Should she tell the truth or redirect the conversation? She could pretend like she didn¡¯t know the word for something and wound up saying gibberish. That would probably be the best thing to do according to Marietta: hide more of herself, swipe away anything especially incriminating. It wasn¡¯t the first time Shreya used her native language around Ellie, but this was her using it after being told to wise up. ¡°Um¡­¡± Shreya toyed with her hat strings. She went for honesty. ¡°You. You are my lakita.¡± ¡°What¡¯s it mean?¡± Ellie smiled, seemingly too interested in Shreya¡¯s slip-up than what was bothering her before. None of the translations she came up with fully illustrated the meaning. She settled for, ¡°it means you are special to me.¡± ¡°It does?¡± Her smile wavered. Ellie shut her eyes. ¡°What is wrong? Are you crying?¡± Shreya hugged her closer. ¡°I¡¯m trying not to. Oh, man, I¡¯m trying so hard not to.¡± ¡°Cry if you need to. Crying can be good,¡± Shreya said. She rubbed her back. ¡°I know. You¡¯re just too much for me sometimes, in a good way. How did I find you?¡± ¡°Fate.¡± ¡°But where does fate end and where do we begin? It¡¯s just as well that fate could make us lose each other,¡± Ellie said. ¡°Fate¡¯s what I¡¯m afraid of. What¡¯s to say we¡¯re not stuck to a bad star? I¡¯m not giving in to that, no. We¡¯re not going to work if we leave everything to bullshit like fate and destiny, Shreya. It¡¯s cute, it¡¯s beautiful, but it¡¯s not real.¡± ¡°It can be real.¡± Shreya tightened her hold. ¡°What¡¯s real is that at dinner my uncles were trying to set me up with some girl, and you know what? I think I would¡¯ve been tempted to say yes if I didn¡¯t have you. You appeared in my life with incredible timing and you shook up a lot of things for me, and, and, and¡­I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m saying, never mind.¡± There was another reason why Ellie wouldn¡¯t have said yes. Her lakita. ¡°I understand if your family duty means you¡ª¡± Ellie pulled away. ¡°No. As long as things between us stay like this, then no one else matters. I¡¯m fighting for this, remember? We¡¯re both fighting for this, and that¡¯s why we have to promise each other something.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°If this comes to an end, it won¡¯t be because of our families, our towns, or our communities. They¡¯re not going to ruin this for us. No matter how hard things get, we just have to think of this as you and me.¡± Shreya¡¯s heart beat twice as fast. ¡°Yes. This is who we are, not what we are.¡± ¡°Mmhm,¡± Ellie confirmed. ¡°This is a promise and it¡¯s effort on both of our parts, okay? I promise that this is about you and me, and everything else can go to blazes for all I care. I¡¯ll drag the stars down into the fire if they get in our way.¡± ¡°You are passionate,¡± Shreya said. ¡°Be careful you won¡¯t get burned.¡± ¡°I know. I know I¡¯m out of control, but this is the kind of mood you put me in, like I¡¯m charged up and can do anything. It¡¯s kind of scary, if I¡¯m being honest with you. I feel like you¡¯re gonna get me into trouble, heh.¡± ¡°As long as you are not like this all the time, then I think you will be fine.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not like this all the time¡­ Time. Time!¡± Ellie fell off to the side, grabbed her bag, and yanked out the chained disc she¡¯d been looking at earlier. ¡°Ten minutes?! I¡¯ve gotta get home before my Mom kills me. You can keep the telescope and the map.¡± Shreya picked them up, then handed the lantern over to Ellie. ¡°Race you to Marietta¡¯s?¡± Ellie asked, grinning. ¡°Loser has to face a penalty.¡± ¡°Get ready to lose.¡± They took off running. Chapter 34: Easy In the days following, they fell into an easy pattern. Ellie Navarrete would spend her early mornings and late evenings with Shreya. The rest of her schedule was dedicated to visits to Stockbrunn¡¯s Town Hall and classroom time in Gaurin¡¯s drop-in course. Her mother had yet to give her another chance at attending an Intendant meeting, but had her working and learning all the same. The manual labor of sweeping, mopping, and reorganizing paper piles into folders felt beneath her, but everything else felt heads-and-shoulders beyond her. There was no middle ground when it came to her hours in the Town Hall. Day one, Hildegarde taught her about ledger books and what they mean and why balancing the ledger was so important for a functional town. Then, Ellie had to learn about import/export tracking sheets and how to manage their profits. Another day was all about technical botanical papers, weather forecasts, and reports on the rise-and-fall of dairy quality from the Agricultural Department. Aunt Catalina stopped by to go over cross-referencing crime and legal data against various district-wide factors. And on a day after that, Ellie was tortured by hours of sorting through journal entries and documentation from the ambassadors they had stationed in other Casternian cities. The list of things she saw and had to review went on and on and on. She was given a taste of what each Intendant was in charge of. As small as that bite was, though, she still felt like she was choking under the dump of information her mother foisted onto her. Leading Stockbrunn meant keeping track of that thing and that thing, and, oh, you better not forget that other thing that is only the tip of the iceberg of things you¡¯ve gotta remember. Ellie had never deluded herself into thinking it¡¯d be an easy job, but seeing it for herself served as a reminder that Chiefdom wasn¡¯t for the weak-spirited. If it weren¡¯t for Shreya¡¯s encouragement, Ellie would¡¯ve backed down from it. It was actually because of her that Ellie had volunteered her time like this. It may have been the second entry in their exchange diary where Ellie confessed some of her worries concerning her future position. Forget her desire or non-desire, could she do it? Was she capable of making the same kinds of decisions her parents and ancestors had? After reading that (much to Ellie¡¯s embarrassment that Shreya had done so in front of her), Shreya closed their notebook, gave her a hard stare, and convinced her to give it a try. Shreya had asked her something to the effect of, ¡°how would you know if you don¡¯t ever make an attempt? No one was born knowing the things they know now. Learning takes time.¡± That night at dinner when she¡¯d asked Hildegarde if she could start working around the Town Hall some more, her mother was so happy she nearly cried. Ellie¡¯d been told that she got her emotional side from her father, but moments like that proved that Vicente wasn¡¯t solely to blame for the inherited parts of her personality. It helped that Ellie¡¯s reward for a hard day¡¯s work came in the form of kisses, hugs, and cuddles. Shreya became a close-to-the-heart secret that Ellie used to propel herself forward. Knowing that she¡¯d be there for her no matter what gave Ellie the sense she could do anything. Even if she messed up on something or got an answer wrong in class, it didn¡¯t matter, because at the end of the day, she had someone waiting for her who thought the world of her. Sitting on a bench in Rocha Park, an outdoor recreational area in Stockbrunn, Ellie couldn¡¯t hold back her bubbliness. It came through in the gentle forward-and-back swing of her legs and her giggling over just about everything. Perhaps if she was alone, she wouldn¡¯t allow herself to look so silly, but having Zinnia with her meant she could play off her giggly fits as laughing at her friend¡¯s good joke. The park was less busy at this time in the afternoon. Both girls had decided to give themselves a day off from Gaurin¡¯s lesson. They needed time to recuperate, Zinnia after assisting in an hours-long pig birth, and Ellie after helping her mother refine a speech she was going to deliver some time later in the week. Small pockets of children congregated around the wooden playground equipment. An older boy and girl sat at another bench, cozy with one another and in the middle of a conversation that had the girl hanging off of the boy¡¯s every word. Not too far off from them were the tree swings, each one occupied by a parent-child pair. ¡°Isn¡¯t it so cute how Shreya makes her letters?¡± Ellie flipped through her and Shreya¡¯s shared journal, stopping at a mostly sap-free page. ¡°I thought the point of a couple¡¯s diary is to keep it private between the two of you,¡± Zinnia said. ¡°Why doesn¡¯t anyone understand that?¡± ¡°Oh, I understand it. I just like showing off. I mean, look at all the nice things she¡¯s saying about me.¡± Zinnia took the notebook. She brought it up to her face, her eyes straining. ¡°How can you possibly understand a single thing this says?¡± ¡°Writing¡¯s not her forte.¡± ¡°I can see that. ¡®Seeing happy. Missed you. You thinking¡¯¡ªshe spelled that wrong, by the way¡ª¡¯think of me when I think of you?¡¯ Okay, that is kind of cute, but she writes as badly as my littlest brother. There¡¯s a lot of ink smears. What¡¯s this part down here supposed to mean?¡± ¡°Apparently it¡¯s a poem for me written in her language. She said it¡¯s amateur, but it sounded beautiful when she read it out loud for me.¡± Ellie sighed dreamily at the memory. Zinnia grinned. ¡°Who¡¯s ¡®E¡¯ ¡®Lee¡¯?¡± ¡°That¡¯s me. I don¡¯t have it in me to correct her,¡± Ellie said. ¡°So to her my name¡¯s spelled like E L E E.¡± ¡°If she¡¯s reading a book like Cavalier, I¡¯m surprised her writing¡¯s this poor. This is bad¡­ Now I feel bad for recommending something above her level.¡± ¡°I think she likes the struggle, I dunno. Maybe writing¡¯s something she just hasn¡¯t gotten a whole lot of practice with. Check out another page and you¡¯ll see she¡¯s gotten a little better. This is one of our earlier entries.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather not. I know how you can get in your entries.¡± ¡°Huh? Did Freesia show you our book?¡± ¡°She liked showing off her relationships as much as you do,¡± Zinnia said, ¡°but don¡¯t worry, I didn¡¯t see anything too personal.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how to feel about that¡­¡± She frowned. ¡°Did you really think my sister wouldn¡¯t have talked to me about you? Freesia was chatty.¡± ¡°Talking about us, sure, but showing you our diary¡¯s kind of crossing the line.¡± ¡°Then perhaps you should stop showing me you and Shreya¡¯s diary.¡± Zinnia closed it and handed it back to her. ¡°I¡¯d also suggest blotting out all the names and personal details inside of it. You don¡¯t know whose hands it could fall into.¡± ¡°Do you know what happened to our diary?¡± Ellie ran her knuckles down the front of the diary¡¯s leather-bound cover. ¡°I think I¡¯d like to read it again.¡± ¡°I imagine that my father burned it with the rest of her belongings. He¡¯s a cruel and unfeeling man,¡± Zinnia replied. She stared off wistfully towards one of the tree swings, where a parent was gently pushing a laughing child. ¡°Oh¡­well, I guess we¡¯d have to start a new one, anyway. It¡¯d be weird to continue where we left off on the old one.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll never change your mind about her, will you?¡± ¡°I know she¡¯s out there. It¡¯s an undeniable feeling. Don¡¯t ask me to explain it,¡± Ellie said. ¡°As soon as we can head back into the woods, me and Shreya are gonna go back to searching for her. I¡¯ve got a clue.¡± ¡°Is it a letter?¡± ¡°No, why would you think it was a letter? It¡¯s a flower that she was always talking about, one that could bring someone back to life. I think if I can find it, I¡¯ll be able to find something else that points me in her direction.¡± Zinnia shrugged. ¡°If you had a letter from her, you¡¯d have more of a reason to think she¡¯s still with us. Instead you¡¯re hunting for a magical item that doesn¡¯t exist. In fact, while you¡¯re at it, you should go to a witch¡¯s house and get some help from one.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to get nasty with me. A bunch of legends surround the flower but that doesn¡¯t mean the flower itself isn¡¯t real.¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± Zinnia said. ¡°I don¡¯t understand where your ardent belief comes from. It¡¯s borderline unhealthy.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re being borderline rude.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s whatever.¡± Ellie leaned back against the park bench. ¡°She¡¯s someone worth getting rude about so I don¡¯t blame you. I would¡¯ve been much worse than you if our positions were reversed. You¡¯re better at holding yourself together.¡± ¡°On a slightly unrelated note¡­ How are Klaus and Viktor?¡± ¡°Valentino,¡± she corrected, ¡°and you know how we¡¯re doing. The only thing that would make us better is if she¡¯d move into town. I¡¯m working on convincing her bit by bit. I can¡¯t push her too badly on it so it¡¯s slow-going. At least she and Marietta seem to be getting along better now. That¡¯s one more plus in this whole thing.¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing you forgot about what we talked about. Remember how Valentino was suspicious of Klaus?¡± ¡°Yeah, but I don¡¯t think he has any more reason to worry about him. Klaus is a genuine guy. Who but the most genuine would write such lovely things?¡± Ellie ran her thumb through the diary¡¯s pages. ¡°I took out this book from the library.¡± Zinnia pulled it out from her bag. The cover was plain, save for its title and author name. ¡°Janne Karppinen is a well-respected anthropologist. He once did an ethnography on a band of woods dwellers. I think you should read it.¡±This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°I bet he made it all up. Don¡¯t confuse fiction for fact. You¡¯re better than that.¡± ¡°There¡¯s some parts that are hard to believe, I¡¯ll grant you that, and yes, people have issues with his methods and verifying his work, but¡­ He¡¯s pretty much one of the definitive voices in this area,¡± Zinnia said. ¡°Who¡¯s to say the woods dwellers he studied have anything to do with Shreya¡¯s woods dwellers, huh?¡± ¡°This will give you a better understanding of them in general.¡± ¡°What year was this written? I bet you this isn¡¯t current, so what¡¯s the point in reading it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like there¡¯s a wealth of woods dweller information out there, Ellie. Read the book. There are things in there that don¡¯t match up with anything we know about Shreya so far. And believe me, I¡¯m not trying to ruin your relationship. I¡¯m just trying to protect you.¡± ¡°Well, me and Shreya have decided we¡¯re just gonna focus on each other. It¡¯s not about Stockbrunn or being a woods dweller with us. It¡¯s just me and her.¡± ¡°Whose idea was that? Hers?¡± ¡°I did, and we made a promise to each other. So even if this book says something bad about her, I don¡¯t care.¡± ¡°You¡¯re being irresponsible.¡± ¡°What¡¯s new?¡± ¡°Since you¡¯re not going to read it yourself, I¡¯m going to point something out to you. Woods dwellers don¡¯t have their own reading and writing system. They¡¯re a nomadic society,¡± Zinnia said, ¡°and Karppinen didn¡¯t find evidence of an age-based hierarchy. They¡¯re anarchists, and if you look at the book¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m not looking at the damn book!¡± ¡°If you look at the book and use it to better understand their origins,¡± Zinnia finished, ¡°you¡¯ll see why the things she¡¯s told you don¡¯t fit. You can hate Karppinen¡¯s theories and research. You can think of him as a liar, but the history in there is true.¡± ¡°The history was obviously rewritten so it¡¯d lend itself better to whatever bullshit he invented. You can¡¯t study woods dwellers in this way. It¡¯s all a bunch of folklore and horror fuel,¡± Ellie reasoned. ¡°It¡¯s propaganda to make people afraid of leaving Stockbrunn.¡± ¡°You can come to your own conclusions about it once you read it. Read it side by side with one of our historical books or better yet, why don¡¯t you ask the Chieftess who the woods dwellers once were?¡± ¡°I know that already. They were stubborn fools, exiled criminals, and people who rejected the idea of a civilized society.¡± ¡°How would a group like Shreya¡¯s branch off from that?¡± Zinnia asked. ¡°How would they have advanced to this point without wanting anything to do with us? There¡¯s some shared level of technology, isn¡¯t there? She understood what a book was.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a book, not electricity. You don¡¯t have to be all that advanced for a book.¡± ¡°Ellie, I know that you care about her, but even you have to admit that there is something to what I¡¯m saying here.¡± ¡°What am I supposed to do about it? Stand up, confront her, and call her a liar? What good is that going to do?¡± As soon as she did that, it would be over. Shreya would up and run and head back to her home, never to be seen again. They had something good going. Ellie couldn¡¯t risk losing her over something that may or may not be true. What did Janne Karppinen know about woods dwellers, anyway? What made him, some guy who wasn¡¯t even from Stockbrunn or this area of Casterne, an authority on the subject? Ellie had sworn to Shreya that she wouldn¡¯t let anyone interfere with their relationship. It was theirs and theirs alone. Part of her motivation in making that promise was the insurance that Shreya¡¯s family wouldn¡¯t ruin them either, but the promise still worked both ways. For Shreya to uphold her end of it, Ellie would need to uphold hers. ¡°You can¡¯t let her cloud your judgment,¡± Zinnia said. ¡°You need to have a clear head about this.¡± ¡°You want me to give her up for no reason?¡± ¡°This town¡¯s the reason.¡± ¡°Why do you suddenly care so much? You hate this place.¡± ¡°I hate it as much as you do, that¡¯s true.¡± ¡°What¡¯s me giving her up have anything to do with Stockbrunn? You¡¯re talking in circles here. Give it to me straight.¡± ¡°Because if she is a bad person, then we¡¯re all at risk. What if she¡¯s¡­I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m saying this, but what if she¡¯s Erzyan and this is the precursor to another Erzyan-Casternian War? What if she was sent here by them?¡± Ellie laughed, the taste in her mouth bitter. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you said that, either. She¡¯s a woods dweller from Casterne. She¡¯s no Erzyan spy.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t it make sense? Was there ever a true declaration of peace or did we have an armistice that blurred into a mutually assured destruction type of situation?¡± ¡°Your imagination¡¯s gotten the better of you. Shreya is a normal, excuse me, extraordinary girl from the forest. There¡¯s nothing more to her than that,¡± Ellie said. ¡°I mean, don¡¯t you think their plan would¡¯ve been a lot more sophisticated than one girl?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know what their plan is. You just need to be more mindful of all the possibilities here,¡± Zinnia said. ¡°Again, I¡¯m not trying to destroy your relationship. I¡¯m only trying to make you more aware of what could be going on.¡± ¡°You¡¯re acting like a deranged conspiracy theorist! This is bizarre. I can¡¯t accept anything you¡¯re saying.¡± She slid the exchange diary back into her bag. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to destroy our relationship then stay out of it. Mind your own damn business.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I did before. I minded my own damn business. I could¡¯ve stopped you and Freesia, but I didn¡¯t. I¡¯m living with that. This whole town¡¯s living with it,¡± she said. ¡°You don¡¯t have to help someone ruin this town again. You can change. There are people here who need your help.¡± ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t know who you are and where you¡¯ve hidden Zinnia Trotter, but I¡¯d like you to bring her back now.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t plug your ears up about this, Ellie. Don¡¯t you notice that the common man¡¯s struggling?¡± ¡°Wow, okay, congratulations. You were, like, the one person I thought I¡¯d never hear this kind of shit from, but thanks for proving me wrong. Why don¡¯t you get a life and stay out of mine, huh? Go get a girlfriend. Go sling your drugs. I don¡¯t care.¡± ¡°When you blew up on Theres, Aigner, and everyone else, I was the only one who stuck by you.¡± ¡°Who cares? What does that have to do with anything?¡± ¡°You can attack me all you want to, but I know you well enough to know that you¡¯re doing this because you know I¡¯m right about everything. You did it back then and you¡¯re doing it now,¡± Zinnia said. ¡°You¡¯re such a bitch.¡± ¡°That¡¯s nice of you,¡± she replied sarcastically. ¡°Pot calling the kettle black much?¡± ¡°I¡¯m out of here. I hope you end up in a ditch somewhere, dead.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll sooner happen to you than I. You¡¯re the one who¡¯s signed herself up for a beheading.¡± ¡°And you, a stabbing!¡± Ellie cried. ¡°Head on a pike.¡± ¡°Gutted from your neck to your belly.¡± ¡°Tongue torn out with a tongue tearer.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll get shoved into a guillotine.¡± ¡°They¡¯ll draw and quarter you. The Erzyans do that.¡± ¡°Ugh, do you ever shut up? I liked you better when I thought you were a mute.¡± ¡°And I liked you better when you didn¡¯t have your head up your ass.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it! I¡¯m out of here.¡± ¡°You said that already. Are you going or not?¡± ¡°I am!! Have fun with your sad and pathetic life.¡± Ellie snatched up the anthropology book, forced it into her bag, and stomped her way away from stupid Rocha Park with its stupid kids and stupid parents and stupid couples and stupid Zinnia Trotter who stupidly insisted on pretending like she was so much better than anyone else. Where did she get off acting like that? How would Freesia have reacted to that? She¡¯d obviously have to take Ellie¡¯s side. She would put Zinnia in a headlock, mess up her hair, and then tell her to play nice. Then she would¡¯ve done the same thing to Ellie, come to think of it, and she¡¯d bring them back together to make up. She made things like that¡ªapologies, reconciliations, truces¡ªseem so easy. Where Ellie was all grudges and spite, Freesia was forgiveness and forgetfulness. She would¡¯ve smoothed this situation over with cookies, flower crowns, and peach lemonade. But she wasn¡¯t here with one of her soul-soothing smiles. Instead, Ellie was alone to broil in her rage. ~ * ~ * ~ ¡°And then, and then she was shameless enough to call me crazy for knowing, not believing, mind you, that Freesia¡¯s alive! What¡¯s with that?¡± Well, she wasn¡¯t exactly alone to broil. Shreya made for a good audience, sitting in the grass with her arms behind her for support. Marietta declined joining them. She was busy trying to remove a stain from one of her fabrics, which was too bad since Ellie knew Marietta would¡¯ve loved a good Zinnia rant. ¡°What did you show her in our diary?¡± Shreya asked. ¡°Can we go back to that part?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter!¡± Ellie paced back and forth as she talked. ¡°Zinnia¡¯s a wicked, vile wench who I never want to speak to ever again. She is the absolute worst!¡± ¡°The diary is only for us. It is private.¡± Ellie took in a full-bodied breath and let it out in a stream. ¡°Okay, I know I messed up on that. I¡¯m sorry. It was just that page where you wrote about how much you missed me. Nothing that no one would¡¯ve been able to guess on their own, anyway.¡± ¡°Can you not show it?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t do it again, sorry. Truly sorry about that, but what about anything else that I said? What about Zinnia being wretched? What do you think of that?¡± ¡°The meaning of wretched is¡­?¡± Ellie leaned down to lessen her current height advantage. ¡°Awful. Really, really awful.¡± ¡°If you say she is, then she is.¡± Shreya gripped Ellie¡¯s pant leg. ¡°You should sit down. Sit down and breathe.¡± She sat down, crossing her legs under her. Face to face, they were close enough for their legs to touch. Ellie shut her eyes as Shreya took her by the hands. Her touch grounded her, the sensation relaxing her. ¡°Better now?¡± Shreya asked, voice as gentle as someone coaxing an injured animal out of hiding. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Ellie said. ¡°What else happened?¡± ¡°Well, we had a bit of a spat. It got bad and I maybe said some things I shouldn¡¯t have¡­ She did, too, though. And it really was because I was defending you,¡± Ellie explained. ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to sit there and listen to her tell me I shouldn¡¯t trust you.¡± ¡°You fought about me? I am sorry,¡± Shreya said. ¡°Do you want me to say sorry to her?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t your fault. Don¡¯t say sorry to her for anything. She¡¯s the one who was saying terrible things about you.¡± ¡°You do not believe her.¡± ¡°No, of course not. You should¡¯ve seen me. I was livid. I mean, she was really trying to say you¡¯re not a woods dweller. That¡¯s ridiculous. I know you¡¯re exactly who you say you are.¡± Shreya nodded. She gave her a slow smile, her happiness taking its time to spread. ¡°That is right.¡± ¡°And since you¡¯re who you say you are, I don¡¯t have anything to worry about.¡± ¡°You never have to worry when you are with me.¡± ¡°Nope! That¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t hear another minute of her rambling. I¡¯m probably gonna have to apologize, but so will she. I¡¯ll be sorry when she¡¯s sorry.¡± What a mess. It didn¡¯t have to turn out that way. They could¡¯ve had a civilized discussion where Zinnia brought up her concerns and Ellie calmly responded to them. Simple and easy. Zinnia just had to go and escalate things. She had to keep dealing low blow after low blow. If she¡¯d wanted to infuriate her, then she¡¯d more than succeeded. ¡°Someone will have to say it first.¡± ¡°Tomorrow or the next day or, like, next week or something,¡± Ellie guessed. ¡°Let¡¯s not keep talking about her. She¡¯s just going to get me mad all over again. So, what are our plans for tonight? I¡¯ll bring you and Marietta some dinner and then we can read together or just talk or anything else you want.¡± ¡°Tonight, I was thinking of going home.¡± That hit Ellie so hard that she lost her train of thought. ¡°You what?¡± Shreya repeated herself at a lower volume. ¡°I was thinking of going home.¡± ¡°Why? Does this have something to do with what Zinnia said? Forget about that. I think you¡¯re fine.¡± ¡°No. It is time. I can not stay here forever.¡± ¡°Nothing¡¯s going wrong. You don¡¯t have to leave.¡± She tightened her grasp. ¡°You just got here.¡± ¡°I have been gone for a week. I am near the limit where they might search for me,¡± Shreya said. ¡°I am sorry I have to go.¡± ¡°Without warning me? You could¡¯ve given me time to prepare. This isn¡¯t fair.¡± ¡°This is not a goodbye for always, Ellie. I will be back as soon as I can.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not leaving me. The sun¡¯s on its way down,¡± Ellie argued. ¡°This is the worst time to go. You can¡¯t. Something could happen to you.¡± ¡°I will be okay.¡± Shreya said, calm and self-assured as ever. ¡°You know that I would not leave if I did not have to. I am out of time.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t think you could¡¯ve talked to me about this first? You just had to spring this on me out of nowhere?¡± ¡°We knew I would have to leave. This is not out of nowhere. I am sorry. I did not want it to be such a problem and like this, you have less time to worry. I swear I will be back before you know it.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t okay. I need you here.¡± Who was she going to recap her days with? Who was going to reassure her that everything was going to be alright? ¡°My family needs me too. You get to see yours every day. This is the longest I have been away,¡± she replied. ¡°Would one more day help? After that, I must go.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t force you to stay here. That wouldn¡¯t be right.¡± She couldn¡¯t be selfish. ¡°Take care of what you need to.¡± ¡°If it makes you feel better, I will go after dinner.¡± ¡°Yeah, that helps, but¡­it still hurts. I think I¡¯m gonna go into shock. Is this what shock feels like?¡± ¡°Shock? No shock, no shock, please. This is not easy for me.¡± ¡°Just make it go by fast.¡± ¡°It will be for you. You are busy. Stay busy and it will go fast,¡± Shreya said. ¡°I hope you¡¯ll be right. Okay, well, what¡¯s the use in me moping about this? We¡¯ll have a good night. I¡¯ll send you off and I¡¯ll see you as soon as I can. It¡¯ll be that easy.¡± ¡°Easy, yes. We will be fine.¡±