The Bruised Mate | English Version | Slow Update's

5. 'Stranger'

Chapter 5

| Melody Hill |

I lost track of time, while walking. At least four hours had passed, and the sun would rise any moment now.

The eerie sounds of the night fall into silence, which is soon followed by the sound of birds chirping.

A smile appears on my face when I see a small village at the end of the road. It was at most a mile away, and then I could hopefully get me a cup of hot tea somewhere, since it would be noon soon.

I walk a bit faster, but the blisters on my feet were sending painful signals to my brain.

Great, something I could really use right now; blisters.

With a heavy sigh, I continue walking towards the small village, where the people were already awake.

Flags were hanging out and about, and other decorations – like balloons and other items – were spread throughout the village by means of decorating it rather cheerfully.

I keep walking and eventually reach a plaza. It's filled with all kinds of stands, where women are crowded together, eyeing the items that were on sale there. Every now and then, I could hear a small kid scream, before running away from another child because they were playing tag together.

I look around, amused by the sight of everything, enjoying the fact that the people here seemed to be content with so little.

"Miss, could you maybe stand here for a while?" a small girl suddenly asks me, clinging to my leg.

I just nod at the girl, who seemed no older than six years old. Her dark red hair was tied in two braids, and the freckles marred her innocent face.

I hear the girl gasping for breath when three older kids walk towards us. She grasps my leg tightly and looks at the two boys and girl with wide eyes, as they come closer.

"Miss, I'm not here!" the redhead says with a soft giggle in her voice.

Again, I nod.

"Miss- "

I look at the girl, waiting for her to speak again, and give her a smile.

"I'm not small."

I roll my eyes and look at the girl who was clinging to my leg. The only thing I do, is nod and smile.

The girl giggles again, but immediately falls silent when the three people stand in front of us.

"We found you, Lottie," the girl laughs, standing in between the two boys.

"B-but that's unfair!" Lottie yells, a bit frustrated."

There's three of you!" she says, and starts crying softly.

One of the guys, the one with the dark blonde hair, sighs heavily and shakes his head as he walks towards Lottie.

"Want to play again?" he asks her as he gently lifts her up, and walks away with her in his arms. The other girl, who seemed like the ten-year-old version of Lottie, skips after her brother, while the last sibling remains on his spot.

"I apologize, Miss, if Lottie has bothered you," he says, and I just shrug it off and smile at the teen in front of me. He squints at me, but eventually shrugs it off as well, turns around and finally follows his brother and sisters.

I sigh, and resume my way towards the market. People who walk past me greet me, or just give me friendly smiles. My eyes glide over the items for sale on the stands, and an older salesman finally notices me. "Can I help you with anything?" he asks me.