Back Again

Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

“Alex, get your ass out of bed!” I bolted upright at the sound of Diana’s voice. I sighed and glared at the empty doorway. Diana had seemed nice the first day I’d met her; letting me stay in her home while I recovered my memory and all. But the more I got to know her, the more frightening she’d become. If she ordered me to do something, I was expected to do it with no questions asked. The fear or being beaten with a rolling pin prevented me from saying anything, either way.

“Alex, we need to get going!” She yelled again, and I finally slipped my feet out from under the covers and onto the cold, hard ground. I quickly went through the routine Diana had introduced to me, and that I’d perfected over the course of the seven days I’d been here already: I washed my face, ran a comb through my hair (it really was dirty blond), and put on my clothes. In five minutes, I walked out of the room and down the hallway. When I entered the kitchen, there were two people more than I was used to.

“Finally,” Diana grumbled when she saw me take a seat at the table between a tall blond girl, who was studying me intently through her thick-rimmed black glasses, and a pretty brunette who was studying me with the same scrutiny as her friend. “Alex, this is Ashley,” she pointed at the blond, who look up from her assessment to give me a small smile. “And this is Emily.” The other girl settled for looking at her hands with a faint blush across her cheeks. “They’re both aware of your…situation.”

I nodded slowly. They must be the neighbours Diana had told me about. “It’s nice to meet you both.” I said kindly, and then looked down at the plate before me. There were two over-easy eggs, four slices of bacon, and two slices of toast. Despite my best efforts to act in a somewhat-civil manner in the company of three women, I couldn’t help but wolf down the food. Diana was an amazing cook, despite her personality flaws.

“Ashley owns the Inn I was telling you about, Alex.” I heard Diana say, and I stopped eating to try and remember.

The memory came back to me. Diana had come into my room the other morning after she’d brought Joseph to school, and said: “Alex, I’m tired of you reading all day and staring out the window like some little girl.” I was surprised, to say the least. Mostly because she actually entered my room, but partially because I was surprised she’d noticed I was home. She was always busy baking away because she believed that just because she was on holidays from work, it didn’t mean she could take a break. Not that I’d ever complain; we always had fresh bread and cake for dinner.

“Um…I’m sorry?” I said sheepishly. She rolled her eyes. “Don’t be sorry, you pansy. Do something about it. My friend Ashley owns an Inn down in the village, and she need workers. Plus, don’t think I’m letting you stay here for free.”

“I remember something about it.” I said slowly.

She nodded in approval. “Good, because Ashley’s agreed to take you on as kitchen help.” I gulped. What if I messed up? I didn’t even know how to cook, for God’s sake! I opened my mouth to protest, but Ashley interrupted me.

“It’ll be a pleasure having you work with us, Alex. We really need help right now, since two of our waitresses are pregnant and can’t come into work, so our kitchen staff has been alternating between the kitchen and the dining room.

“I really appreciate it.” She added, sending me a pointed look, as if she had known I was going to protest.  I closed my mouth. Sly creatures, women are. They’re impossible to predict! I thought begrudgingly to myself.

“It’s no problem, Ashley.” She frowned, and I wondered if I’d said something wrong. “If you’ll be working for me, I’d appreciate if you called my ‘Her Holiness’, or ‘Master’. ‘Oh Great One’ is acceptable, as well.” I stared at her for a moment. Was she serious? She stared laughing, and soon the rest of us joined in. Apparently not.

***

The village I’d stumbled upon was quaint; there was about one hundred villagers living here. The reason they managed to stick around so long was hunting. Not to mention fishing, and a small logging company not far up the river. Because of this, Ashley’s Inn was constantly occupied. The bar was open past six o’ clock on weekdays and four on weekends. It was mostly locals that occupied the bars, though the occasional visitor would come by and have a drink with them; if only to learn the best spots for fishing, or to hear a few tales about the area.

There was one main street in the village that held all the businesses that they called the shopping district, and there were paths to houses every few stores or so.

In the shopping district, there was a bakery, a tailor, a blacksmith, a farmer’s market, a jewler, and just about anything you could want. There was no need to ever leave the village.

Ashley, Emily and I turned many heads. Conversations stopped to watch us pass, and I could feel the gazes of many people on me. Instead of meeting their curious eyes, I settled for staring at my shoes.

 After a few minutes of admiring the boots Diana had given me, I felt a reassuring squeeze on my arm. I looked up to see Emily’s blue-green eyes staring at me. “Ignore them, Alex. The women in this town are all gossips; they’ve no mind for their own business.” She smiled softly at me, and I couldn’t help but smile back. Though she was Diana’s friend, they were nothing alike—which brought me to wonder how they’d become friends in the first place.

While Emily and I were talking, we had managed to finally make it to the Inn. Ashley, who was a fast walker, had already entered. There were two teenage girls in front of the doors, watching us with sneers on their faces.

“Diana sure knows how to pick ‘em,” the first one, a plump girl with curly brown hair and her nose so high in the air you almost wanted to look at the sky to see what she was looking at, said. The other, who was a blond with a blotchy complexion said. “She sure does. First a wife-beater, and now a cheater.”

I wasn’t exactly sure what they were talking about, but I had the feeling it wasn’t good. Emily stopped dead in her tracks at their words. She looked at the two girls with a glare that rivalled even Diana’s.

“You want to say that again?” Her voice chilled me to the bone. The girls looked utterly terrified; the one with the blotchy skin had turned a ghostly shade of white, making her complexion look even more ridiculous.

“N-No, ma’m!” The brunette stammered. The other just shook her head, as she was too scared to even speak.

“Leave. Now.” Emily growled, and two did as they were asked. I watched them scamper down the street. Who knew Emily had it in her to be so threatening? She definitely didn’t look it with her height—she was about to my shoulders—and kind eyes.

“Emily, what were they-“ I began. Emily shook her head and walked away. “It’s nothing; they’re just Sykes. Bunch of gossiping cads, the lot of them!” I followed behind her with wide eyes. I think I was starting to understand how she and Diana had become friends.

A/N: Dear lord, it took me a long time to write this. Hopefully the next one doesn’t take as long; I’ve already got an idea for it. Sorry about how boring this chapter is; it’s just that it’s mostly explaining things. Hopefully things will spice up around chapter five or so. Anyways, leave feedback, and comment and vote. It would mean so much to me <3 That’s about all I have to say for now; it’s late, and I should be getting some things done. Thanks for taking the time to read this chapter, and if you’ve made it to the end of this author’s note as well…well, I’m not sure what you win, but you’ve won the prize!

P.S: A name for the title would be greatly appreciated. Thanks <3 Oh, and listen to the song it the sidebar. It's stuck in my head, but I don't mind XD 

-Julia