AFK - Away From Keyboard

Chapter 4:

Emica's POV:

There had been one mat available in the cheapest inn. Two of the girls were gossiping all night, while another snored like thunder. The girl nearest me stared at me with a miserable expression I knew to be on my own face.

"Shut UP!" She yelled at one point. The gossipers lowered their tones for a while but soon forgot to keep their voices down.

Was it any wonder I was exhaustedly stumbling through the fields of Fieryn?

Maybe I should have stayed in Fieryn a while longer and asked Rey to teach me some of her medical techniques.

The girl from last night, Myra, wanted to come with me for a while. She was headed to Tesh and explained it was the closest town.

"So before Fieryn, where were you?" Myra asked.

"Well, it wasn't technically an actual town. It was more of a settlement." I replied. "I was training to be an herbalist there. The place was called Kedron."

"Oh that's so neat! I don't really have a job in this world. I sort of just go from town to town and hope I can find interesting things to inspire me." Myra got a dreamy look. She had explained earlier she loved to draw, paint, and sketch and that this world had beautiful landscaping that helped her with settings.

"I was inspired last night by how long you waited to attack those girls with pillows." I laughed.

"I was amazed that you just laid on your mat and suffered through it. I saw you and thought: Ah, I can take my anger out on them and then say I did it for this girl who looks as miserable on me. Then I'll be justified."

"Well thanks." I tried to quiet my laughter but failed completely.

"Yue, I'm going to paint you under a tree wearing a pretty dress I saw in the market that I KNOW would look amazing on you."

Myra and I walked on.

"You know Yue, you really remind me of someone I used to know." Myra declared at one point.

"I do?"

"Yes. For the life of me, I always forget things when I try to say or write them."

"Well...I know I've never met you before. I think I would remember that." I smiled. Although I knew it was possible that I had met her. Anything further back then two years ago dodged my memory.

Myra opened her mouth to say something, when something wrapped around my leg and pulled me back into the woods.

"YUE!" Myra screamed.

I was dragged quickly across the ground by my ankle and then the next thing I knew I was hanging upside down in a tree about five feet from the ground.

"You really think it's her?" Asked a voice.

"She looks exactly like the picture." Another voice growled. "We'll make quite a bit of gold just by letting people see her."

By that time I had taken my dagger and cut the rope. I landed awkwardly, but sprang to my feet and started to run.

Someone grabbed my arm. I choked back a scream and elbowed them in the stomach. The figure groaned and staggered back, while I wasted no time in sprinting off.

I found Myra, who was just entering the woods.

"Yue! There you are!" She cried.

"No-time-for-talk-just-run." I gasped and darted into the fields.

Myra ran beside me until we both collapsed in the tall grass.

"What just happened?" Myra asked shakily.

"I have no idea." I panted in reply. Then I started laughing. My eyes tightened, my brain clenched, and the emotion in control seemed to think everything was hilarious.

"Uh...Yue?" Myra looked at me worriedly.

I laughed so hard that I couldn't breath. These emotional things really are going to get me killed one day. Thankfully the strange emotion passed and I was able to sit up. "How much...farther to...Tesh?"

"We should get there an hour before sunset thanks to the run." Myra giggled.

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Tesh was a much bigger town compared to Fieryn. It could almost be classified as a city.

Myra gave me the address of an inn we could stay at, and then went off to buy some supplies.

I wandered about, confident that there would be no surprise kidnappings with so many people around.

The sun was just beginning to set when I decided to head back to the inn. I turned around and started walking back the way I came.

A hand grabbed my arm and started to pull me into an alley. This time I was prepared. I whirled around, pushed the figure against the alley wall and brought my dagger to their neck. "What do you want?" I demanded, trying to keep my voice from shaking.

It was Ren. He blinked in confusion at me.

I relaxed and stepped back. "Oh...I..."

He held a finger to his lips, indicating for me to be silent. Then he turned and peeked around the corner of the alley before turning back to me. "Okay you can talk now."

"I...thought you were someone else..." I stammered. "Why did you pull me into this alley?"

"Because some person was stalking you." Ren answered dryly.

"Huh?" It was my turn to blink.

"I was stalking your stalker." Ren smirked. "Pretty sure I told you traveling alone is stupid."

"I think I can take care of myself, thank you." I huffed, a wave of annoyance threatening to flood over me. "And you're one to talk."

Ren raised an eyebrow. I had the strongest urge to slap him.

"I don't need your protection. I can handle myself. So you can stop "stalking my stalkers" and leave me be." I turned and stormed out of the alley. Maybe I should stay in this town for a few days to ensure that Ren gets ahead of me in his travels.

My eyes tightened once again. My brain felt like it was being compressed. My heart started beating faster. Everything around me turned into a threatening shadow. Dark figures seemed to be waiting to pounce from every corner. I felt like a lost little girl walking through a living nightmare. What had I been thinking!? I turned and fled back to the alley, however Ren wasn't there.

"Ren!?" I cried, my voice coming out unnaturally high pitched and shaking with fear. I curled up on the ground as if that would hide me from the darkness.

I was alone.

I was afraid.

I heard a sound that caused me to shoot my head up. It was Ren. He jumped down from somewhere up high and landed smoothly in front of me. I jumped up and hugged him. The fear was still racing through me, but it was so comforting to see a familiar face. My eyes were starting to water from the tightness and I had a raging headache.

"Where were you?" I choked and gripped his cloak tighter.

"Making myself scarce. You know, like you told me to." Ren answered coldly. His remark made me flinch.

"I'm sorry." I whispered. "Please don't...leave again. I...I don't want to be alone."

Ren became less stiff and hugged me back. "Alright."