Awoken

Bastian:CH2: Imminent Part 2

Having spent the night on the second floor of the three-story building, right by the spiral staircase, it's only a short descent from my room until I'm in the empty foyer. Tables and chairs surround the bar which sits in the middle of the room, while couches that are more like booths are stationed against the walls and a tiny stage accompanies a grand piano in the corner. Like in the room dark red walls pair nicely with the slightly darker aubergine satin curtains and tiled floor and matching dark oak wood furniture finishes off the elegant theme.

"Bastian," a voice calls as my hand grasps the door handle. I know I didn't cheap on the bill.

"Yes, madam," I turn on my heels.

The proprietor of the business and owner of the building struts towards me. It's a rare sight, to see her only covered by a black satin nightgown although this one isn't sheer.

It's impossible to guess her age, these days if a legacy takes care of their skin, they can look half their age, but I get the feeling she is much older despite looking to be in her forties.

With the creamiest while complexion I've ever seen, her red curls glow like fire in comparison. Despite the time of the morning, her face is contoured, her cheekbones spattered with glitter, lips painted a vibrant red, her brown vibrant eyes glowing.

She takes a puff of her cigarette and exhales, balancing the gold cigarette holder between her long fingers before grabbing something from her pocket, "your girlfriend left you a note, with a woman like her you are wasting your time here."

Outreaching my hand I grab the folded piece of paper, "thank you, madam," I nod my head slightly before exiting through the front door.

At the crack of dawn, the farmers are beginning to make their way to the fields obvious by their sun-safe attire; long brimmed hats with a flap at the back to protect their neck, thin long-sleeve cotton shirt, lace-up boots and pants that are tucked into their footwear. Some are riding their bikes on the road while the rest pass me by on the pedestrian path. The traffic will pick up soon when the morning markets begin trading.

I wonder who the note is from. Before even trying to make sense of the words I recognise the handwriting. It's not from my girlfriend, I don't have one.

Bastian,
Meet me at the training room, we're skipping breakfast.

Uh-oh. That can't be good. I fold the paper back up and place it in my pocket. Kal seems to be in a mood. I better hurry or I'm going to be limping out of that room when she is done with me.

The town itself is a small one. If you picture the continent as a huge mass, Hopetoun is situated at the very bottom corner. To state it simply, and not bore myself to death, the continent has nine regions and this one is Saint Ives- neutral territory. It's the smallest and least populated because of The Barrens.

The Barrens is a no-go zone and has a tall wall surrounding the large area keeping it contained. If only monsters hadn't gotten past before it was finished. The wall is guarded twenty-four hours a day, seven days of the week. Hopetoun's headquarters is right next door to the wasteland.

Kahlinda is waiting there for me right now. Empty streets are making it easy to weave about and I take every short cut I can down darken alleyways until I eventually reach the edge of the town and its stables. Having purchased my emu Samson his own spacious room I don't need to wake the head groom to retrieve the key, it's attached to my key chain.

Click.

"Hey buddy. How's the best boy in the world?"

Opening the door, Samson doesn't hesitate before he begins to rub his face against mine. He can be a bit of a sook sometimes. I saw him last night, even brought dinner and threw on his favourite blue fleece blanket.