I’d get back to Fiella’s shop whenever I had the time. She would be fine as she always was. She was tough, even if she did cry sometimes. That didn’t erase her strength.
I shook my head to scatter my thoughts, as they had begun to settle on Fiella. I didn’t want to think about the infuriatingly lovely vampire any more than I already did. Her scent haunted me every time I worked beside her; I didn’t want the idea of her to haunt me in her absence as well.
The next few days blurred together into an endless cycle of working, sleeping when my body gave out on me, and eating when I could spare a moment for it. I was so busy that I hardly had time to think, let alone do anything else. It seemed that every single folk in Moonvale needed assistance in one way or another. If there wasn’t something to rebuild, there was a mess to help clean, or heavy things that needed moving, or cats that needed help getting down from trees. Not many folk here were tall enough to reach, apparently.
I was guzzling down animal blood beverages every chance I could, but without the sense-dulling properties of a thirst tonic to sooth the flames in my throat and the aching in my fangs, they hardly took the edge off.
I had to get some thirst tonic in my system soon or I would be in unbearable misery, worse than I already was. I was hanging on by a thread.
I’d stopped by Kizzi’s yesterday when I had a moment’s reprieve, but the witch had seemed so busy and flustered and she hadn’t had the chance to mix up any more tonics. If she didn’t brew any soon, I would have to travel somewhere else. I was getting desperate.
I was becoming extremely familiar with this town, as my work had taken me down every single street. I felt like a bee, buzzing from flower to flower on an endless cycle. Except I wasn’t even serving a queen, I was serving Mayor Tommins and the mess that was Moonvale.
A few days had passed before I heard back from my family. The letter left a sour taste in my mouth and an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. My Ma had ignored most of my questions and instead just asked again about when I would be home. That wasn’t like her. I had immediately penned another response, but I couldn’t help but worry about them in the meantime.
Hadn’t things gotten better once I left? Surely, they had–everyone would certainly be doing better now.
Right?
A few months ago, bad things had started to happen in Sunhaven. Tools would go missing. Orders would get misplaced. Wood beams would splinter in half without explanation. Then bigger things started happening–a fire at the bakery I frequented, my friend Brale falling ill immediately after seeing me, and my family's carriage breaking down. Somehow, it all seemed to be connected to me. I convinced myself that I was the cause. That I was cursed. That I was bad luck.
So I fled. To save myself, and to spare everyone else.
I wouldn’t be able to get my family off my mind until I heard back again–until they reassured me that everything was fine. I had a bad feeling that something big was going on, but I wasn’t sure what. And I didn’t know how to fix it without admitting to everyone that I was somehow at fault.
CHAPTER 17
Fiella
The next letter found me in an unexpected place–tucked under the water jug I used to water my plants.
Dear One,
You can call me whatever you’d like.
I am glad that things have been getting better for you. Very glad, actually. You deserve peace and prosperity. Happiness, too.
I am holding up. I am tired, always, but the work I do is important. I’m needed here, and it is a good feeling to be needed.
I am conflicted, though. I don’t belong here.
I have been trying to avoid tonics recently, but I might consider it. I’m used to aches and pains, though. It comes with the territory.
Your friend,
Two
I placed the letter back where I found it, making a mental note to respond later, when I wasn’t quite so busy.
Days went by without any appearances from Redd, and I hated to admit that a small part of me missed his presence. He was grumbly and annoying, but he was strong. And having an extra set of hands around made the cleanup effort go by so much faster.
I had spent an entire five days just cleaning up beetle carcasses from every single nook and cranny in the shop. It was almost as though they were multiplying–every time I felt I had made progress, more appeared. I purposely avoided counting them (because I was protecting my fragile sanity) but there werea lot.
Sookie was around to keep me company, and she even brought in a few of the other local cats with her from time to time. She always seemed to be hanging around with a huge orange tabby and a smaller striped cat. I could just tell they were the cool cats in town, they were better than all the other cats. It was possible that I was biased.
I had left my windows and doors open for as long as I could stand it, but the cold air was relentless. I could’ve sworn it was getting colder instead of warmer, but that must’ve been my imagination. According to the calendar, Moonvale was rapidly approaching the mild season, so warm sunny days were only a few weeks away.
For today, though, it was gods damnedfrigid.
