Across the Deadzone

Chapter 14: Ophelia

My day was going surprisingly well; Timber had followed me from Wystan's flat, where she lounged around on her dog bed in Cleo's bake stand. I had arrived right on time, seconds before the second bell went off. A surprising amount of people had made their way passed us, so we never had a moment of downtime. I guess Wystan wasn't the only thing keeping her in business after all.
Light and heat filtered into the cavern from the hole drilled into the ceiling. A bead of sweat dripped down my temple, but my hands were too preoccupied with kneading dough to wipe it away.
"Wystan told me it was your last day here, lass," Cleo said after a long while of silence.
My hands stilled for a second. Guilt wriggled through my chest. I hadn't gathered up enough courage to tell her.
I started, "Cleo, I-" but she cut me off with a reassuring smile and a wave of her flour-covered hand.
"Just know that if ya don't find what you're lookin' for out there, you're always welcome to come back to Hemmington." I nodded slowly as she opened her mouth to say something else, but she stopped herself with a subtle shake of her head. She went back to braiding her pie crust.
I wondered if Wystan had told her why I was leaving.
As I went back to work, Timber wandered over, licking my pant leg as she sat down beside me. I let myself crack a small smile in her direction, realizing how much I was going to miss them. Cleo, Timber. Especially Wystan. Being here was... comforting. And therapeutic in a way.
Maybe once I found my sister I'd come back here. For good. And we'd be happy. I'd have to put up with my dad but if it was for my sister, then it would be worth it.

The last bell of the day rang, so loud that it made me flinch. I turned to Cleo with a sad smile on my face. She was already shuffling over to me with a bag full of the days' rejected pastries.
I found myself shaking my head before she even opened her mouth to speak.
"For the road," she explained, ignoring my protests. I glanced into the bag, catching a glimpse of the raspberry tarts that we'd made, at least six muffins, and two loaves of bread, both packed with nuts and raisins.
I knew by now not to argue with her, so all I said was, "Thank you, Cleo." The action brought me close to tearing up. I blinked the moisture away.
"Of course, lass," she said, smiling widely, which ended up deepening the creases and wrinkles in her face. It made her look kinder, somehow. Her green eyes twinkled.
She moved in for a hug. My body tensed. It was the first one I'd had in a while. After a moment, I got used to the sensation, and tentatively squeezed her back.
I was the first to let go. If I held on any longer I might've ended up staying. Her hug was so warm. It reminded me of my mom's homemade cinnamon rolls. "I, uh," my voice cracked. I cleared my throat and tried again. "I hope I see you again soon, Cleo."
She smiled, patting my hand in a grandmotherly fashion. "Haste ye back, as they say," she told me. I chuckled, looking down at my feet before the woman gasped, hustling toward the back of her stand.
"I nearly forgot." She came back to me, shoving a cluster of dice into my hand. I glanced down, counting them out.
"Wait," I started, eyebrows lowered. "You gave me twenty dice again. That brings me up to fifty-five" She just smiled mischievously.
"You've earned it. Go buy something extra before ya leave." I frowned, weighing my options. I could use a new knife. And Cleo's bake stand seemed to be doing fairly well despite the circumstances.
Eventually, I nodded, muttering out my final thanks, before slipping under the table with Timber right behind me. This time I didn't protest. I merged into the thick crowd of people with the dog on my tail.
"I haven't been to a party in years," I told her as we made our way back to Wystan's flat. She just wagged her tail and gazed up at me with her big brown eyes. "Yeah," I went on, "it can't be that bad. Especially if there's alcohol involved." Her tongue rolled out of her mouth and I took that as her way of saying she agreed with me. I sighed, realizing that I was talking to a dog.
We veered away from the main cavern. I felt like I finally knew where I was going. On my last day here. Very helpful, I chide myself. A little voice in the back of my head was telling me to forget about my probably-dead sister and stay, but I forced it away. If there was even the slimmest chance that Thalia was alive I was going to search for her. It didn't matter what the cost was. 
I was going to find my sister.