Ch. 2 Cobblestone Streets

The town was bustling but clean. Cobblestone and brick storefronts lined the roads next to the docks and shipyard. Carriages adorned with gold and silver pulled some of the richer Island residence along. Lena took in another deep breath. She had a busy day ahead of her, her application for a small house hear the woods had gone through successfully, but she needed to go pick up the key from the housing office and give them the first payment, get a few job applications, grab food and finally go home.

The general chaos of moving in wasn’t that Lena wasn’t used to. It was a little bit overwhelming, especially when she was doing it by herself. Once Lena got into the groove of things, she got all of her work done super fast.

The nap that she took afterwards was borderline glorious. She crashed in her new bed, sleep instantly claiming her. It would have been perfect if she didn’t have a nightmare.

...*

...

Fog curled into the woods, all of its tendrils like tiny hands claiming all of the land. The trees that made up the woods reached up like gnarled appendages of an old beast.

Lena stood in the middle of a forest, so cold that she felt like any movement might break her. Lena felt isolated here. Like no one would be able to hear her if she screamed. She shivered, hugging herself and trying to generate some warmth. The fog was getting closer. Lena took a few steps away. Dead leaves crumpled and twigs broke under her feet. A million little whispers invaded the sound waves. Each one saying something indiscernible, but still making her feel off kilter.

A sweat broke out on her forehead even though she was colder than she had ever been before. ‘No, no, no.’ She thinks to herself. She felt like she should be anywhere but here. Her urge to flea was overwhelming but there was no escape in sight. No matter how much Lena ran, the fog was clipping at her feet, and the sensation of being watched grew stronger and stronger.

Lena’s mind was all over the place, but it slowly unified into one thought.

Get out of here.

...*

...

When Lena woke, she was covered in sweat. Her palms were slick and hot. She let out a small choked sob. A second ago, she had been in a state of pure terror. Her heartbeat slowly started to return to it’s normal rhythm. “Motherfucker,” She muttered under her breath.

Despite the panic in chest, she had been well rested. She hadn’t had a nightmare since she was a little kid. If she was more superstitious, she felt well rested. She hadn’t had a nightmare since she was a little kid. If she had been more superstitious, she would have considered this a bad omen.

Lena wiped her shaky palms off on the blankets. She forced herself up and changed her rumpled up dress. It was a good thing that she had packed all of her clothes neatly.

As she got dressed, she made a mental check list of what the rest of her day was going to look like. The first thing that she was going to do was go to the local tavern and find a hot meal and a drink. Try and soak in the cheer the locals exuded. Lena took in a deep gulp of air as she walked through the door. She should be excited and ready to explore.

Now she was shaken.

She kept looking over her shoulder, as if she was expecting someone to be there. The feeling of being watched didn’t subside yet. Much to Lena’s chagrin. That feeling did not subside once she got into town. Lights from torches and firefly lamps made the cobbled streets almost illuminated. Lena tried to let herself get lost in the din of people drinking and laughing and being merry. The evening was good. People were going about life without a worry in the world. The draw was almost intoxicating, to surround herself by people, to let herself get lost while still being seen by enough people that fog couldn’t come out and grab her.

The tavern had a sign with a dragonfly and swirling ball of light ornately decorated on it. The picture was partially painted, partially carved by expert hands. Warm light flickered in. The tavern smelled like a home kitchen, apples and chicken and cinnamon and honey. Lena’s stomach grumbled, and suddenly she forgot about the knots that had been in her stomach. She so desperately wanted something to eat.

Lena was glad that she had saved up enough coin for the house payments and a weeks worth of food. She sat down at a table and was immediately met by a cheery grin. A bright and bubbly blonde girl in a bar maiden’s outfit stood across from her with a small pad of paper in one hand, a pen in another hand. “Hi, how can I help you?”

“Hi—um what’s your special for dinner?”

“We’re doing chicken and apples today.”

“That sounds great, can I have a pitcher of mead too?”

“Of course, darling. Sounds great.” She wrote everything down and then told her that she would bring her the meal as soon as possible. Lena smiled and nodded, minding her own business so that no one paid much attention to her. She wanted to shrink into nothingness, but unfortunately this didn’t happen. Someone sat down next to her and she felt like she was going to die after that.

Lena glanced up quickly, an eyebrow raised. A woman sat there, her gorgeous red hair done up in a rich up-do. She looked way too rich to be in a place like this, although the tavern is cozy and warm and smelled like home, it was kitschy and clearly decorated on a budget. Not somewhere that an upper-class woman who looked like she should be in a painting would be. “Can I help you?” Her mouth tasted dry and bitter.

“Hi,” The woman bit her lip. Her eyes were brilliant and unnerving. It was clear that she was studying Lena, which made her squirm. “You’re new,”

“Is it that obvious?” Lena asked sheepishly.

“Yes,” The woman smiled, “Don’t worry about it though, it’s a good thing.” Her cheeks tinged pink when the woman continued, “You just have a kind of beauty that we don’t normally see here.”

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***