Finding Elora

Chapter 10

ABBY

I'm so happy to have food in me.

It's renewed the energy I didn't even realize I lost, and I'm sure going to need it to get through the night. I've been walking for what I estimate to be three hours, and already the sky is beginning to grow dim.

The roads here aren't as barren as when I walked through the prairie fields, and thankfully, small street lights illuminate the way. Every few minutes I'll pass a house, too, which I find comforting. If something goes wrong during the night, I'd like to think my scream would be heard.

Not that that means anybody would come out to help.

My feet are beginning to hurt, and I pause and roll my ankles before continuing. I'm glad I bought new sneakers before coming here, but I should've taken the time to break them in. My socks are painful where they rub against my heels, and I can feel blisters already forming.

I wish there were sidewalks here.

No cars have traveled down the road I'm walking along, but I still steer clear and stick to the grass next to the curb. It's not as efficient as walking on flat gravel, but I'm not looking to be turned into roadkill today. Especially during the night.

If the faeries are anything like the humans, I'm sure the roads are significantly less safe when the sky grows dark.

Although I wouldn't be surprised to learn the faeries have night vision and can drive just as well at night. I don't think there's anything they can't do.

I'm jealous.

I glance at the sky, frowning as I eye the orange and pink sunset off in the distance. It's beautiful, but it means I will need to stop walking soon. Samuel said Janta's about a day's walk away, so I still have a long way to go.

I need to get to Janta as soon as possible, preferably before Praxis begins.

I don't have any money—or anything valuable—to use to reserve a spot on a vehicle that can take me to Elora. By getting there early, I hope I'll have a few days to figure out the cost and earn money. My interactions with Samuel were positive, and I'm hoping I can find another faerie desperate for a mate and get him to give me a few coins in exchange for touch.

If I do that enough times, I'm sure to save up enough.

My other options are to steal, which I'm doubtful would even work, or to start fucking. I'd like to avoid the latter, but I'll do it if it gets me to Elora. At least the faerie men are attractive, and it's not like I haven't done worse.

I cringe as I recall all the nasty men I fucked for free in college. I should've been charging for all that charity work.

A quiet whizzing noise reaches me from behind, and I spin around just in time to see a vehicle come speeding down the road. It's the first one I've encountered, and I watch excitedly as it nears. The shape is relatively similar to a human car, but it's made almost entirely out of the dark glass I can't see through.

Despite the road being gravel, the wheels travel smoothly over the ground, almost as if it's floating. The wheels are turning so I know it's not, but I would think it was if I didn't see them. The car passes in a blur and gradually disappears ahead, leaving me alone once more.

I bet it's self-driving.

We've got a few cars like that back home, but I'm willing to bet my entire life savings that the faeries have it all figured out. They probably use their magic to prevent from getting into accidents, too.

This place is so fucking cool.

Daylight continues to dwindle, but thankfully, the street lights grow brighter. They light up the road just enough that I can confidently see where I'm going, not that there's much room for me to mess up. The road has been a straight shot, just like Samuel said.