Changed

Rejected By Trees

As we made our way through Lanid, I marveled at all of the different people walking about. Many looked no different than humans, but others were creatures that seemed almost impossible to exist. The shops themselves were like any other town layout. All of the shops were old brick buildings side by side with people going in and out of them constantly. Everyone walked along the busy dirt road as they went about their business and bought what they needed. They were dressed with things I had never imagined or things that didn't seem suitable at all for wearing. Some old women an men wore old rags, whereas younger women and their families wore plain dresses styled like those in the medieval times. I couldn't help but notice in one corner, there was a group of men clad with human clothing. Luca pointed something else out before I could stare at them for too long and worry about what was going on.

As we passed a shop filled with broomsticks, I stopped walking to catch a glimpse of them all. "Wait, so you people really do ride broomsticks here?" I stepped closer to the glass and watched as brooms flew back and forth throughout the shop. The shop appeared small on the outside, but looking in I could see a long hall with high ceilings. Broomsticks lined the walls all the way to the top.

"If by 'you people' you mean us witches and wizards, then yes. We do. They happen to help with travel. They are fast and come in handy every now and then. Especially when I want to chase a few kids away from my spooky castle. Now, Hedrick's shop isn't too far away so just stay focused and then I'll show you around all you want. Okay?" Luca grabbed my shoulders and slowly pulled me away from the window my eyes were glued onto.

I sighed as we walked away from the broomstick shop and down the street crowded with people. "Luca, this place is amazing." I felt a smile tug at the corner of my lips and he shrugged.

"You think this place is amazing? This is nothing." He shrugged and I watched his face for a moment.

He seemed so at home here. Everything around him was like a new reminder of who he was and what he could do. What could he do? I still didn't know everything about him, even though he had told me so much about himself. Was he hiding anything from me? Well, there was the time when he said he had been nearly dead once, yet he never elaborated. I would find a way to make him tell me. Then again, he wasn't mine. It wasn't like he was obliged to tell me everything. I wasn't his girlfriend.

Did I want to be? The thought hit me and I looked away from him. No, I didn't think so. Luca was nice, but someone else had already caught my attention. Someone I knew I shouldn't be giving the time of day considering who he is.

Luca stopped. When I came back to reality I noticed that we were standing in front of a dark shop with locked doors. "That's weird. Hedrick said he would help us."

"Is there a back door? Maybe he had planned on only helping us, and didn't want to see anyone else so he closed the shop." I peered into the window, eagerly wanting to see some form of life walking towards us to welcome is inside.

"Maybe. Come on," Luca grabbed my hand and led me down an alley. "There should be a back entrance somewhere down this way..." As Luca was looking around, I heard a scuffle behind us.

"Luca," I started with a gasp as I turned around and found the group of men wearing human clothes walking down the alley toward us. "Luca." My voice cracked as I hit him in the arm.

Finally, he looked up and his entire body tensed. "Just stay back." He pulled me back from the guys, who were now a few feet away, and I allowed him to step forward.

"You two lovebirds enjoying your stroll?" One guy looked at me and I felt the blood leave my face. He had crocodile skin beneath his hood.

"We were, actually. Thanks for asking. Now, if you wouldn't mind us while we head on out, we'd be-" Luca grabbed my hand and tried to step forward. But, one of the men stepped forward to meet him and looked down at him as if he were a child. Of course, compared to him, he was a child.