The Playing Fields First Draft

Chapter Three

     What if a changeling was among them?

     Claire shivered as the thought terrified her. If a changeling was found among them, there wasn't anything they could do outside of running from the creature. There were types of changelings that could kill them all before they were able to run.

     Claire noticed that the grass around her was tall enough that she could kneel behind them, and observe the three abductees. It sounded like a fantastic idea to her, and Claire immediately placed herself behind the grass, kneeling in the mud.

     "Is anyone here?" The woman entered Claire's view, and surprised Claire almost immediately. While Claire had pictured an average looking woman, but the reality was that the woman looked like she could be a model. While the woman looked like she was in her 20s, the clear signs of asian heritage made it entirely possible that she's much older than she looked. As a result, the fae had given her clothes that looked more like lingerie than clothes.

     Figures the fae would find something skimpier for a model. Claire frowned as she looked down at her own.

     The second was a well-built man with salt and pepper hair, and in Claire's opinion of his clothing, he looked like a private investigator who went through the same hell as a cabin in the woods survivor. While the second one to come into Claire's view, he was the one who seemed in charge.

     Coming in last was a scrawny young man, awkward in appearance, and wore probably the least revealing clothes with a button up shirt, and shorts. Perhaps it's because the fae were trying to also follow the horror tropes of slasher victims. Still, Claire envied him because she'd rather wear more than she was currently.

     "Rick, I think someone was here." The woman said, softly.

     The woman had found where Claire had fallen, which it looked like she had caused more of a mess than Claire thought. While Claire wanted to leave her hiding place, and communicate with the trio, maybe the four of them could find the other components faster, Claire wanted to see what their theories were.

     Rick was knelt over where Claire had fallen, and while his head wasn't looking, it looked he was looking over the site with his eyes, scanning for any clues.

     Which he found.

     Rick pointed at Claire's footprints in the mud. "There's a trail heading toward that grass." Rick pointed out as he stood up.

     "Are we going to follow?" The woman asked.

     Rick shook his head. "No, Mari. We aren't."

     Mari raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

     "Because someone's watching us, likely the woman we heard screaming."

     Claire widened her eyes in surprise. How did he know it wasn't a changeling's tracks? Then Claire realized that the private investigator outfit was meant for him as his own role. Rick was an investigator, but could he be a paranormal investigator?

     As Claire stepped out from the grass, she held her hands up. "Alright, I give up!" Claire said with a bit of cheeky humor. "You got me!"

     Rick didn't look amused. "You should've covered your trail." He said, scowling. "At least I know you're not with them."

     Claire pulled the key component from her pocket. "And I got something that we're all looking for too." She replied. "If I was with them, I'd keep it from you."

The trio reacted differently from how Claire figured they would.

     Rick kept his expression stoic.

     Will, the youngest of the group, didn't hold back his surprise like Rick.

     Mari grinned over Claire showing them the key component.

     Okay, maybe Claire wasn't really surprised by their expressions. Rick didn't seem to be the type to wear his emotions on his sleeves, and Mari seemed to be a rather optimistic woman. Will was probably the only one Claire really expected to be surprised.

"How did you find that?" Mari asked. "We looked all over!"

     Claire shrugged. "Dumb luck?"

     "Goals aren't achieved by dumb luck." Rick frowned, he seemed to be suspicious of Claire, and with the key component, he seemed even more so.

     Great.

     Mari placed a hand on Rick's shoulder, and whispered into his ear. Claire couldn't hear what she was saying, but whatever it was, Rick seemed to change his mood slightly about Claire.

"What's your name?"

     "Claire."

     "No family name?"

     "Given name's not good enough?" Claire asked, innocently.

     Rick's frown deepened as he looked her over. Was it because Claire let it slip that she knew the power of names? First names and family names

      "My name's Mari." Mari stepped toward Claire with a hand stretched out, which Claire took. Will stared at Claire, which she wasn't certain what to make of the stare, but Claire didn't feel like she was   threatened by him. Why should she? Will seemed more awkward than threatening, and if Claire was wrong about him, she was fairly confident that she could hold her own.

     Papa Fischer didn't raise any of his daughters to be defenseless.

     Claire nodded her head toward the young man, and his face flushed.

     Did he? No, no he couldn't have..."

     "Seems like Will's got a crush on you." Mari teased.

     Claire felt heat go from ear to ear, it was more for Mari teasing her. Does this woman have a filter? Claire wondered, she also wondered how it was possible for Mari to be so warm with someone she didn't know. Already Claire knew that Mari would make her head hurt to figure out.

     "Well, what are we waiting for?" Rick asked, as he turned toward the trees in the distance. "We've got two other key components to get."

     The group followed Rick as he headed toward the trees. Claire didn't need an invitation to know that "we" also included her.