Chapter Song: Hint of Hope

“You only have one day Eris, one.” The short woman held a high stance over Eris. Her shoulder length hair was riddled with gray hairs that flowed over her forehead, nearly covering her dark blue eyes. She pointed at the windows with a stern voice, “ When the moon rises again, time is up. You best be home before this time, or that will be the end of this. Do you understand?”

Eris was neither disinterested nor excited, by her caregiver's words. She knew this was a golden opportunity to make more progress with her plan. Eris looked up at the woman, she stared directly into her eyes, “Yes, Valyn.”

The caregiver, Valyn, turned away from Eris and walked over to the dining room table without a word. A cardboard box with a shop stamp rested on top of the table. She grabbed the box and walked back over to the blank-faced Eris.

“You can take the jacket, it was your money after all.” She handed the box to her, but as Eris tried to pull the box, it wouldn’t budge. “Just know, if I catch you trying to pull a stunt on me like that again. Confinement won’t be your only punishment.”

Valyn let go of the box slowly while Eris maintained Eye contact.

“I understand.”

“Good, your time starts now. You can do as you please.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“Be careful and be on time.”

Eris bowed her head slightly and turned away from the woman who was basically her third mother.

I can’t believe it worked.

Her joyous thoughts of finally being let free, if only for a little while, made her ecstatic. Her demeanor was only on the inside, she needed to keep her face stoic.

Finally. Finally. FINALLY!

Eris walked up to the flight of stairs that lead to the upstairs hallway. Once she was out of sight from the stern Valyn, she gave a hard sigh. She didn’t need a hand to her chest to feel the race of her heartbeat, it was loud enough that she thought she would have to breath heavier to dampen it.

I lied to her. If she finds out that I’m not visiting a friend, I’ll probably be locked in the room forever.

By room, she meant the attic, which she was ascending a step ladder to get to. A wooden door she had a key to, blocked her way until she unlocked it and slid it to the side.

Her large but dusty room was a place only for her, no other items or areas were taken up by anything other than her belongings and trinkets. The reason being, the attic was old and unstable as a storage place but had enough strength to withstand one girl and her small assortment of items. Eris estimated the house was made a few hundred years ago, though that would be impossible. No matter how old it was though, she had four years of failed plans saved up within her room.

Moonlight shined through the small oval window, over the various handcrafted knives, small crystals, and other discards. Her small white padded bed lay near the window, ready for extended actions of sleep and rest. She could finally smile with no regard of who might be looking. This was her place of solitude.

Eris set the box with her jacket down closest to her bed.

Just in case that deviant decides to try and sneak in here.

Her bed was soft enough that she could fall into it without upsetting the family below with the creaky floor. She didn’t need to deal with the Son or his fathers yelling.

I was given this chance out of pure luck. I can't waste it. Eris rolled over in her bed, Only a day though. So short. Yet her stupid son can be out for much longer…

She rested her hand on the box next to her.

That's fine though. I have enough time, I know I can make it back.

Eris closed her eyes and let the darkness wrap her in slumber.

Eris had awakened to the unfamiliar sight of maple walls. Rays of sunlight brightly shined in her face, taunting her for not keeping her promise.

What a reminder. I didn’t make it… Valyn will probably never let me leave town again.

Eris sighed as she sat up in bed. She looked to her left to see if Zeais was still in the room. Its sheets were ruffled and the tray that Anya had brought was gone as well. Her gaze petered down to her toes as she wiggled them.

Having to meet with the Chief of this place doesn’t help either. This is the worst. I couldn’t get the weapons smith to get me a gun, I’m more than a day late getting home and I have a headache. I’m so stupid.

She clenched her fists as she hugged her knees to her chest.

I don’t want to go back. I’m sure she will-

A sharp pain near her heart made her clench her chest, she clamped her eyes shut to keep tears from escaping.

I’m somewhere I don’t know. Surrounded by people I don’t know. Even now I’m alone. What do I do now? Maybe I can just leave? No. That would be rude, especially after last night. There’s also Nova too… I wonder if he’s alright?

Eris released her legs and let them touch the floor. Her feet felt as if they were touching snow.

This reminds me of Seresa. It was snowy then though. The floors were cold, but her body was so warm. Soon it will be the same around this time too, huh.

Eris looked toward the window. The sunlight was prominent, yet condensation fogged the windows, telling her of what she can expect outside.

What would Seresa be doing if this happened? Would I even be doing this?

Her gaze was fixed to the floor for a few seconds until the distant clatter of something far away in the Inn resounded through the walls.

If I’ve already broken the rule, I may as well get the most I can out of it. Before I go back, I need to find more things that will help me.

Eris slipped on her boots that were hidden underneath the bed. She looked for her coat but came to the realization that it was no longer with her.

Ah, that's right. It’s with that man still.

After she stood up and stretched, she grabbed her knife from underneath her pillow and tried to store it somewhere on her person.

This dress still feels wrong. I don’t have anywhere to put anything. It doesn’t have any use other than being cute.

She placed the knife underneath the mattress.

Guess I'll just have to leave it here instead. I'll just try and make a sheath later. For now, I can see what's in this town.

Eris left her belongings and headed for the door. She slipped into the hallway and closed the door behind her. The cool draft was not comforting for her exposed limbs.

It’s so cold in here.

With her arms held together, she walked down the hall and out into the lobby.

Which way was the kitchen? Hmm, this way I think.

Following her fuzzy directional memory, she headed down a familiar enough hallway. The smell of food and the chatter of dishes were a good sign of her intuition.

This smell almost makes me hungry again.

As the smell got stronger, the clanking of kitchen ware got louder once she turned into a familiar corner. She met with two large open doors that said Kitchen.

Several wooden countertops littered the space. Bountiful sets of utensils and cooking ware were strewn about. Within the well-organized kitchen, the large Yale was putting away large pots into the cryo space. The doors to the cooling cell were wide open and bellowed out plenty of feet chilling.

Anya was working right behind him, putting small portions of food into containers and storing them. Eris didn’t need to make a sound as Anya had noticed her presence near the door and looked right at her.

“Oh! Hi Eris! Sorry, but breakfast ended a while ago.”

Eris glanced back at the windows behind her, “Has it been that long already?”

“You look like you just woke up, you’re eyes are kinda hazy.”

“Mmm, I did.”

"Hehe, I see. Well if you came for me, I can't right now. I need to clean up first, but after this, I can take you around the Inn! Where is Zeais?"

“I don’t know, he wasn’t there when I woke up.”

“I see. Maybe he’s walking around or something. Or maybe he’s lost, we’ll have to find him before we walk around!”

Anya happily put away more food as she spoke to her.

Eris tangled her hands together, "Before that, I wanted to take a look around town really quickly. There's something I'm looking for."

Anya sat down what looked like a heavy bag of fruit, "Oh. Um, what are you looking for in town? I know most of the town stores."

“I’m looking for hunting shops or traders. I want to find a new weapon.”

Anya's face suddenly brightened, "You do hunts!?". She looked like she wanted to sprint over at full speed, but instead, she raised her body over the closest counter, "That is so cool!".

Eris tilted her head, “Really?”

"Yes really! A lot of kids here do it too, but adults are usually the ones going out instead."

“Ooh? That’s so strange.”

“I know right? I would love to do the same but,” A brief downcast look appeared on her face before being replaced by a light smile. “I can’t. Anyways. I know of some places you can go Eris.”

Anya was nearly laying flat on the table with excitement until Yale walked by and pulled her back.

Yale picked up more objects off the table Anya was previously resting on, "Anya, you're in the way. Help me out or go talk in the hallway quickly."

Her choice was set in stone as she ran up to Eris and left her father to continue his work.

Anya grabbed Eris’s hand and pulled her down the hallway, “Come with me quickly! I’ll point you in the direction.”

Her grip was rather forceful but Eris didn’t object to her excitement.

The two walked through the Inn, straight to the front entrance. Anya opened the Inn doors, bringing in a fresh blast of cool air. The Sun was shining brightly aside from the occasional patch of clouds. The sky was a mix of gray and blue and almost looked like it would rain at some point in time.

Without skipping a beat Anya pointed in the direction of distant buildings, “You see that brown building with the metal line on the roof thing?”

“Mhmm.”

“You want to walk down that street for a couple of minutes, you will find all kinds of shops you’re looking for.”

“Oh?”

"Yup! There aren't any I can say are good for what you're looking for, since I don't go out into town much, but I think you can try your luck there."

“Great. Are there any more?”

“Mmm, I don’t know, but there are always new shops opening around here. So I’m sure you can find something.”

"Okay, thank you, Anya. I'll go check them out, I'll come back soon so we check out the Inn, okay?"

Anya gave a wide grin, “Of course! I’ll even show you something really nice! I hope you look forward to it.”

Eris raised her hand in a departure gesture, "I do, see you in a bit, Anya."

Anya as always was smiling as she mimicked Eris, “See you later!”

Once they finished, Eris turned around to leave and Anya slipped back into the Inn.

She walked down the stairs and head down the stone path that leads to the archway.

Well. Let's see what I can find here instead.