Chapter Text
Sam awoke sweaty and tired. Her dreams had been some disturbing nonsense she couldn't quite remember. It must have been a remnant of the unsettling experience at the wizard's tower.
It was quite early, but she couldn't get back to sleep, so she started to make plans about how to tackle the Junimos’ demands. The leaves and twigs certainly were the easiest, but how to get her hands on actual gemstones? This would prove quite difficult or impossible even, so it was a problem for later. She decided to start with the strawberries. The season was right to grow some, if she could get her hands on plants.
Despite the early hour, Joel was bustling around the kitchen, so Sam decided to have a small breakfast downstairs, instead of taking her food up to her room.
“Good morning.”
“Ah, lass. You're up early.”
“Some bad dreams. Couldn't go back to sleep again.”
“Pity, and on a Sunday nonetheless. Scrambled eggs?”
“I wouldn't say no…”
“Here you go.” He put a plate with a large pile of eggs, warm freshly baked bread and butter in front of Sam and winked. “I always tend to cook too much anyway.”
“Hi Dad, breakfast’s ready?” A lean, young woman with straight black hair that reached to her chin entered the kitchen.
“Good morning my dear. I just got your coffee going.”
The woman nodded to her dad and sat down beside Sam.
“Morning Sheila”, Sam said in between two bites. “you're up and running awfully early, too.”
“Up, yes. Running only after my breakfast. The buffalos need some tending before I open my shop, so I have to be awake around this time every day. You get used to it.” As if to emphasize her point, she yawned heartily.
“Sounds lovely.” Sam answered in a slight sarcastic manner, Sheila only shrugged.
“So, how was your date? Would have hated the chaperone though.” Sheila asked nonchalantly and caught Sam off guard. She choked and had to cough violently, before she was able to answer:
“I'm sorry, what date?”
“On friday, with the author. He's quite the hotty, dressed up like that.”
Sam relaxed. For a moment she'd thought the other women had seen them entering or leaving the tower together.
“Oh no, we aren't a thing. He's just a friend. I had a run-in with Leah the other day, so he tried to mediate.”
“You seemed awfully smitten by him, though.” Sheila mused.
Sam didn't bother to answer, but couldn't help but smile a little.
“Ha! I knew it.” Sheila exclaimed.
Sam grew a faint red tint around her nose. That was enough. She decided to turn the tables:
“And how about you?” she asked.
“What about me?”
“The blond boy, you've set your eyes on. Have you asked him out yet?”
Sheila grew red as a tomato in an instant, but kept her mouth shut. Joel sighed:
“See, you're not as stealthy as you think.”
“Dad!”
Sam snickered: “So, change of subject?”
Sheila nodded and shoved a fork full of egg into her mouth.
“So does anyone of you know where I can buy some strawberries or strawberry plants?” Sam asked.
“Pierre sells some on the day of the egg festival. I would start saving up if you want some, though. Strawberries aren't native here and Pierre takes off the living.” Joel answered.
Sam sighed. She wasn't going to admit it, but her stunt with the program had left her bank account dry. Maybe Gunther would let her put an extra shift in…
-
“It's so nice of you to help us, Samantha. Most newbies aren't this involved in our traditions.” The short sturdy woman with the thick brown side braid put down another basket full of freshly boiled eggs in the middle of the large table.
“I'd be glad if Abigail would participate more in the preparations, not just the egghunt.” Caroline said to the room at large and earned a few snickers.
“No prob. It's an opportunity for me to get to know all of you a bit better. And I've got to admit, I let myself be bribed.” She winked, the thought of not having to pay Pierres horrendous prices for the strawberries, elevated her spirits. “I prefer Sam by the way.”
“Oh no, you won't get me to call you Sam. I would have to think of Jodi's boy all the time.” The woman with the eggs replied. Jodi, a middle aged, slightly taller woman with long light brown hair woven into a thin braid, snickered. “Marnie, I think we can tell the difference between these two. This Sam is way more mature than my Samson.”
“Except for the taste in hairstyle, I'd say.” Caroline chimed in. Sam raised an eyebrow, looking at Caroline's bright green hair, tied back in two pigtails.
“Hey don't look at me that way. It's all natural.”
“No way!” Sam said
“It’s always looked this way. As long as I remember.”
“I can vouch for it.” Jodi said. “We have known each other since we were little girls.”
“So, you were bribed to help us? By whom and for what?” Marnie changed the subject.
“Pierre told me, you need a helping hand. So I asked him for some strawberry plants in return. Just a few to keep in a plant pot on my windowsill.”
“If it's so easy to get you to help, I may try it myself sometime.” Marnie mused.
Sam snickered: “I’ll hold you to that, if I need a load of fresh eggs.” She had a sneaking suspicion that Junimo’s list might have all kinds of stuff on it. However, the thought brought some other questions to mind. The wizard had told them to keep their involvement with the spirits a secret. So how much did the inhabitants of the Valley know about the magic around them? Jasper seemed to be quite knowing and the doctor at least knew about monsters.
Would they stand out with all the things they needed and all the time they would spend in the old building? She decided to test the water cautiously. The truth provided the best cover for her questions, not looking too suspicious:
“Have I told you why I'm here? I am writing my thesis about the history of the valley. So, can I ask you some stuff?”
“Sure”, Marnie said. “We're glad to help.”
Sam nodded: “So, what about the mines? Since when are they abandoned by miners and are there really monsters down there? The mayor at least hinted at that and Elliott said I could get seriously hurt down there.”
The three women exchanged a quick glance with one another. Caroline gave Marnie a barely visible nod and took the word:
“Yes, the mines are dangerous. Nobody from town goes there, only the lunatics from the adventures guild. But when it comes to dangerous…” she paused, trying to figure out how to go on. “We want to talk to you about your author guy.”
Sam raised an eyebrow: “What about him?”
“The thing is…” Caroline continued. “his reputation isn't exactly the best. He's been acting strange ever since he came here, keeps to himself mostly, but acts like he's better than us when he's out. And on top of that, nobody knows where he came from or even his last name. He won't answer any questions about himself. Just showed up one day. All high and mighty with this posh attitude. You should keep your distance. You heard what happened to Haley?”
Sam gritted her teeth. Here we go, she thought, he had warned you, but to achieve their goal she had to see it through:
“Yes, I know about the confrontation between Haley and him. He told me himself. Not cool how he handled it, but he was upfront about it, so I won't hold it against him.”
Hearing that the other women looked concerned, shaking their heads.
“Also not cool from Haley either to begin with.” Sam continued, “You can't just film someone without their consent and ignore the request to delete the footage.” Sam answered as calmly as she was able to. After she finished she took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. She could feel her voice getting shaky. Sam didn’t like being confrontational, especially about things she considered private affairs and she surely hadn't expected to justify her being with Elliott in her free time. Especially since the younger townsfolk were mostly indifferent about him. She could feel the anger growing in her chest.. She tried to calm herself down even harder.
“And about his past: Have you actually talked to him? I mean really talked to him and listened?” she asked a bit louder than necessary. “I know for a fact, we went to the same university.”
“But you have to agree he's kinda weird. Talking about nonsense all the time, putting strange ideas into our children's heads and acting pretty disconnected from the rest of us.” Caroline chimed in.
“What nonsense and what ideas?” Sam asked bluntly. Her hand, hidden under the table, clenched into a fist.
“Since my daughter bought some of his poems at the Ridgeside Gathering, she runs after castles in the sky even more as usual. Encouraged her to chase impossible dreams. All of the guys associated with the library are like that, I think. Head in the clouds, dreaming, telling others everything is possible, even if it's not…” Caroline stretched ‘everything’ like an over chewed gum, while talking, “And need I remind you, he has dragged you into the forest and both of you came back hurt.” she said. Surely some kind of ‘romantic’ endeavor that went horribly wrong.
All of the women were startled as Sam started to laugh:
“You know nothing! No wonder he’s not connecting with you. You assume and don't even have your facts straight…, but you're pretty quick to judge!”
Everyone looked at her eyes wide open, mouths agape, as she continued to laugh like a maniac:
“Here is something for you to judge: I dragged us into the forest! I wanted to explore the valley! He accompanied me. So I am responsible for getting us hurt… I broke his arm!”
The cat was out of the bag. Let these women think of her, whatever they liked. She stood up and began to pack up her things.
The women looked at each other, then to Sam as if she had lost it.
“We just want you to be careful, that's all.” Marnie tried to salvage the situation after an uncomfortable amount of silence. Before someone else could say anything, Sam rushed out of the door…
-
“Then she laughed as if we said the funniest thing in the world. It's unbelievable how delusional this girl is.” Caroline uttered. “She even defended him. Like how in the world could she be responsible for their injuries?”
Pierre chewed and swallowed the piece of pork roast he had just cut before answering:
“He must have manipulated her somehow. Have you asked her about the thing she had to sign? Maybe she isn't allowed to say something bad about him?”
“Or maybe, you’re demonizing an innocent guy?” Abigail, who normally kept out of her parents' discussions, suggested.
“It's none of your business. You lack experience with such things anyway.” Pierre warned her.
“Haley's waving her phone into everybody's faces these days. She even filmed that poor woman. Just sayin… “
“We didn’t ask for your opinion, Missy. Are you finished…?” he gestured to her empty plate. ”Go to your room and study. Let the adults talk.”
“Hrmpf.” She rolled her eyes, got up and left the kitchen.
“That's what I'm talking about. What's with that attitude? It has to be that romantic nonsense she read in these poems.” Pierre said.
“Anyway, where were we? Ah, the signature… Have you asked?”
“I hadn't had the chance and I think she won't tell me now, not with how she stormed out on us.” Caroline answered.
“Not good… Can you at least try to rope her back in and keep her occupied with the festival?”
“I'll take a strawberry plant to her, as an apology and see what I can do. And you’ll talk to Lewis again?”
“A nice bottle of wine and a few discounts and I bet he will leave a few papers in the open for me to sneak a peek…”
-
The week went by and the egg festival was almost upon them. Elliott had seen Sam only once, when she brought a strawberry plant Caroline had given her. Something had conspired on her first meeting with the women. Leah had told him she had seen her walk away angrily from Marnie’s in the middle of the afternoon, but Sam had not told him and he would not pry this time. Eventually she had rejoined the women and they had finished the preparations. All in all she seemed to like to work on the festival, even though it had her busy up to her ears. He sighed. She was a lot braver than him and already fit in a lot better than he ever would. But maybe, just maybe he could change that.
The talk with the golden Junimo had made him think. Could he be the person he longed to be, not just the coward he was now? To ignore consequences was easy, if you were not aware of them. Knowing what you have to face is a whole lot different. And without any incentive to stay and fight, he had chosen to bail more than once in the past. University, the move to the valley… Hell, he had chosen to keep separate from the townsfolk instead of standing up for himself. It was high time to do something about that.
At least his story was coming along. Working with the program got easier every day and he was proud of his draft so far. The last days had his creative juices flowing and he had filled page after page. A sudden thought made him smile. He fetched his phone and clumsily typed with his left: “Are you free tonight? I want to show you something. Come around by 8pm”
He tucked the phone away and got up from his desk. It was almost midday and the sun was shining through the small window into his cabin. The day was too nice to stay inside. Wistfully he grabbed his notebook and ran his thumb over the worn out cover: “Soon, old friend…” he whispered under his breath and put it back down.
When he left the cabin the familiar salty smell of the sea greeted him. He took a deep breath taking it all in and took a few steps down to the waterline. The water reflected the sunlight in a million sparkles. Seagulls screamed high up in the air. This was the reason he chose to live here. He loved the sea with all its sounds and smells. Treacherous and beautiful sea…
How could he have forgotten?
Elliott took his shoes and socks off. The cold water washed around his bare feet.
He walked around in the wet sand, leaving footprints only for them to be washed away with the next oncoming wave. A piece of ocean glass caught his eye and he picked it up. Holding it up against the sun, the milky blue glass caught the light and seemed to glow from within. When was the last time he had been able to enjoy one of these small moments? A smiling face flashed before his inner eye.
“Thank you.” he murmured, while pocketing his little treasure.
-
“Thank you for coming.” Elliott greeted a yawning Sam, as she entered his home.
“You look tired. Are you alright?”
Sam nodded: “In between work and the preparations for the festival I've got almost no time for myself. It was a hard bit of work to convince the women that I wasn’t going to the saloon today. They wanted to have a drink together, even though we're supposed to be in the townsquare by 5am tomorrow.”
She watched Elliott nod once and decided not to tell him of her suspicions. Instead she looked around.
It was the first time she actually set foot inside the cabin. The small space was cramped. Barely any light shone through the small old, almost blind windows. One back corner was occupied by a desk with his laptop and a printer on top. Pens and single sheets of paper were strewn across. In a small pot a single rose was planted. A lot of crumpled paper in and around a bin underneath the table gave evidence of his failed writing attempts. Next to the desk, an old upright piano was placed against the wall, a picture of two young, smiling, red-haired boys standing on top. A small shelf running over with books spanned the distance to a dresser protruding into the room, acting like a partition wall. Behind it, his bed stood in the corner farthest from the entrance. A door in the short wall beside the bed presumably led to a small bathroom. In the last corner sat a kitchenette consisting of a small portable stove with two hotplates, a small fridge and a countertop with a few cooking utensils and an electric kettle. Every free space on that side of the room was also packed with shelves of books. Every part of the room could be reached in a long step or two.
“Cozy.” Sam uttered while she looked around. Her view lingered on the photo. “You?” she asked.
Elliott followed her gaze.
“Yes, the one with the broad tooth gap. The other is my younger brother.”
“You could be twins from what I see.”
“He has more from our mother’s side. It became more obvious the older we got.” Elliott said with a hint of bitterness in his voice. Sam raised an eyebrow, but let it slide. She laughed a bitter laugh instead.
“What did I say?” Elliott was irritated.
“Nothing, or rather… you have. That's the point… You know, the women tried to warn me about you and your strange ways. Being all secretive. Acting high and mighty… I think these were their words.”
“Figures. I hoped they would have gotten over it by now, but alas my dream is still to come true.”
“They tried to convince me that you're a dangerous predator.”
“But I am, have you not figured that out by now?” He held his good hand like a claw and pretended to jump Sam. “Rawr!”
“Stop it, tiger!”
“I prefer lion. Have you seen my mane?” He shook his hair dramatically.
“Ah, the lazy cat who lets his women do all the work and steals prey and carrion from others…” she laughed.
“Damn it. I should have known better…” he laughed too. After a few moments he got serious again:
“I am not sure I should show up tomorrow. Friday night in the saloon is one thing. Tomorrow the whole valley is supposed to be here and they clearly still hold my mistakes against me.”
“You're overthinking. I'd say most of the people here aren't even remotely interested in you or your mistakes. Sheila, the daughter of the owner of the boarding house even told me how nice you looked in your red dress coat.”
“Really?”
“Not her exact words, but down that line, yes.” Sam blushed a little and hoped he wouldn't notice. A little smirk on his face showed her, he had not only noticed, he had understood.
“So, why did you invite me?” She quickly changed the subject.
He smiled, walked over to one of the shelfs and grabbed a binder sitting in the top row.
“You wanted to read my stuff. Do you remember?”
Sam nodded, now grinning.
“This is the outline of my new story. With a few chapters, little parts, the characters and scenes throughout already done. I know it is not much at the moment, but I got there and I want you to look through everything and give me your honest opinion.”
He held out the binder to Sam, who took it with a little hesitation.
“Are you sure?” She asked, touched by the trust he’d just shown her. “I mean, you said, you're private about your unfinished pieces. Wouldn't it be better to show it to Leah?”
“I need a pair of fresh eyes on my writing. Leah likes everything I write by default.” He snickered. “She can not write prose and is therefore afraid of having an opinion. I…
I hope I can count on your honest critique?”
“Absolutely!”
“It is a deal then.” he held out his hand. Sam shook it.
“Deal!”
“Then I will not keep you any longer. We will see each other tomorrow…” he opened the door for her.
“Oh, wait! I almost forgot.” he fetched something small from his pocket and handed it to her.
“What is this?” Sam asked, looking at the milky blue, translucent stone in her hand.
“A piece of ocean glass I found earlier today, which I find particularly beautiful. I want you to have it.”