Life in Fae Valley

Chapter 2: Part 3

With a start, Natalie woke up again, sun light filtering in through the open curtains. Brandy was already up, making breakfast while Chuck read a book next to her, blinking a bit as he gazed over at her. "Ya alright there Nat?" He asked gently, the women slowly nodding, running a hand through her hair.

"Yeah, just... Odd dreams... Hey, do you mind if I hang out with Missy and Lucky today? I'd love to help around the farm but I have a few questions to ask them" she replied as she got up, Chuck placing a bookmark to mark his spot in the book before getting up. "Sure Nat, I don't mind and I don't think Brandy will either. You want us ta drop you off at Lucky's?" He suggested as they walked to the kitchen, Natalie nodding a bit as they each took their own respective seats.

Brandy handed them all their food, the trio then sitting in silence as they ate. Chuck was the first to finish, then Natalie, then Brandy, each doing their own morning routines before meeting up again by the truck. This time, Brandy drove while Chuck and Natalie sat in the back, Natalie keeping her eyes fixed on the woods and the scenery behind it.

She was brought back out of her daze as they stopped by Lucky's shop, though Chuck seemed far to nervous to go inside. "Chuck? What's up?" She questioned, gazing around her a bit. Sure, the day was misty and made the town look ever so slightly eery but nothing too scary. "The guy there... Dante... He's Lucy's big brother... He hates my guts" Chuck whispered as he lay flat, trying to keep out of the smoking man's sight.

'Those eyes... The hat... Is he the one from my dream?... No, that... That can't be... If he's Lucky's brother, I'm sure he's a nice guy...' Natalie thought to herself.

She had to admit he looked eery to say the least and something about him was distinctly... Off. She couldn't quite place her finger on it, but for now she had to ignore that nibbling feeling at the back of her head, climbing out of the pickup truck and waving goodbye to her friends as they drove off.

"Uhm... Hello. You must be Dante, Lucky's brother?" Natalie said in a friendly manner, holding her hand out for him to shake. His piercing green eyes merely traveled to look down at her hand, then up at her, extinguishing his cigarette against the wall and walking inside.

'Or not... How the hell is an angel like Lucky related to this... No, weirdo is mean but... What else can I say to describe him?' Natalie thought to herself, though couldn't help but notice he made sure he didn't step on the salt line across the door way. Stepping over the salt too, she walked into her friends shop, gazing around a bit. She watched a bit as Lucky happily gave her older brother a big hug, the tall man rather awkwardly returning it before disappearing into the back of the shop, Lucy 'Lucky' May finally noticing Natalie.

"NATTY!"

With an excited squeal, she nearly knocked the women over as she ran over and hugged her, Natalie laughing some as she fell back, catching the slightly shorter women in a hug. "Hey Luck! How are you?" Nat smiled, Lucy chuckling some.

"I'm doing great! My brother's helping me out a bit before going up to the woods with his friend. Said they're gonna go chop wood or something like that, since the colder seasons are heading this way" Lucy replied, leading her friend to a little table where they sat down, starting up a casual conversation before it grew to more serious topics.

"So, the boys tell me people have been going missing... Any clue what's happening?"

Lucky sighed as she heard this question, tracing the patterns of the wooden table. "No one knows... Only two bodies have been found... Poor Missy... Her husband Eddie's brother was one of the bodies. Eddie is still recovering, he's the one who found the bodies after all. Decapitated, their eyes goughed out, limbs tied together like a grotesque present..." she replied softly, Natalie falling silent before shivering as she tried to imagine it.

"That's horrible... Any specific victim patterns?" She questioned, Lucky shaking her head. "Nope. That's whats so strange. None of the victims have any ties to one another, other than the fact its mostly tourists who pass through. Dante said he doesn't want me near the woods with all that's happenin', too dangerous out. Especially with the animal attacks happenin' out there."

The two women sat for a few moments in silence as they let the news sink in. Turns out Fae Valley wasn't as much as a fairytale as Natalie had hoped.

"Ey Lucy. Ford and I are goin' now. You stay safe in town, alright? Stay here or if ya gotta go, bring Missy and ya new friend with ya. Safety in numbers" a sudden deep voice said behind them, though only Natalie startled at the sound. This was Dante, who then softly ruffled his sisters hair before leaving the shop, Natalie's gaze following the man.

Just to stop as she saw him beside Ford, Dante holding an axe over his shoulder. They spoke for a few minutes outside of the shop before Ford noticed Natalie and winked at her, flashing her a bright smile. A bright... Fanged... Smile...

"Lucy... How certain are you that... That Dante won't hurt anyone?"