Coming Home

Coming Home ~ Chapter 4

When I wake up, I wait in bed for a minute or two, trying to remember where I am. Maple Beach. I'm going to Blackshore. I tell myself. After getting my wits together, I climb out of bed, and hurriedly put on a set of clothes. I go back downstairs to see a few people in the lobby, and the woman, Helen, at the front desk.

"Arika!" She exclaims, waving to me. "Come on, you were going to tell us what happened in Icewood, weren't you? I hope you don't mind that I invited some of the customers. We don't get out of town much, so I was hoping you could show them a glimpse of the world."

"Oh, no I don't mind." I say nervously. I sit down at one of the larger tables, and the villagers sit near me. I explain everything I can remember from that day so long ago. After I finish, I cough, sitting back in the chair.

"How do you know all of this?" One of the townspeople asks me. I fidget with the tablecloth a little, not meeting anyone's eyes as I answer.

"I-I was there. I'm part of the Guild back in Icewood. Or, I used to be, at least." I say softly. I'm surprised they heard me at all.

Instead of the usual monster and freak that I'm used to receiving upon my confession, I was surprised to hear them congratulate me.

"Really?" Helen asks, the surprise evident in her voice. "That's amazing, Arika! Did you really do that?"

"Um, yeah. I guess I did." I respond. Pride is a foreign feeling to me. Nobody has ever really told me I was good at something or anything like that. It's always been, you could've made more money or why did you have to mess up so badly?

"Oh, don't be modest, dear. You saved all of your friends." Helen waves off my embarrassment.

"I thought they were my friends." I mutter bitterly, looking at the floor. Helen looks at me curiously, but doesn't mention anything.

"So, if you're an Elemental, what do you control?" One of the men asks, clearly trying to get my mind off of the Guild's betrayal. I give a small smile and hold out my hand, palm up. The water in the kitchen flows out under the door and into a ball above my hand.

"Water." I reply, sending the water back where it belongs. They look at me in shock, some had their mouths open. "I take it you haven't met an Elemental before, have you?" I ask with a small laugh, tilting my head slightly to the left.

Helen gives a full laugh, before standing up to go back around the counter. "Breakfast is on me, boys, as long as you spread the word of our friend here." She says, bringing a tray full of food in front of us. I have a stack of pancakes and some syrup, which I quickly dig into. I didn't realize that I hadn't eaten since yesterday at noon.

I stand up from the table, after several more retellings of the story and a few more plates of food, and walk up the stairs to my room. I double check to make sure everything is in it's place, and in the process, notice how little money I have left. Making a quick decision, I leave my things on the bed and go downstairs. Staying another night or two won't hurt. I think to myself.

"Helen?" I ask, approaching shyly. "Do you know if there are any job openings nearby?"

"Well," she answers, looking around her. "I've got all the help I need here...blacksmith is apprenticing his son...oh! The pub, down the street. The owner, Jack, is looking into a new bartender since his son left to go adventuring. It's not the best, but..." Helen trails off. I smile and shake my head.

"It sounds fine. I just need to make some money before I hit the road again." I say, smiling a little. Waving to Helen, I walk out the door and down the street. At the end there was an old-looking building with a sign that read, 'Johnson's Pub.' "Guess I'm in the right place, then." I mumble to myself.

I push open the door, which surprisingly made no noise. My first step inside makes a small squeaking sound, which brings the old bartender out. "Sorry, lass." He says kindly through his thick accent. "We don't open for another half hour."

I shake my head. "Oh, I'm not here for a drink. I heard you have a job opening."

The man looks up and smiles a bit. "So we do."

-----

I stayed much longer than expected. I was there for almost three weeks, working at the pub and staying at Helen's inn, exploring in my free time. It is a nice town, and I definitely wouldn't mind coming back. For now, though, I need to find my family.

I walk down the steps, my bag over my shoulder. Hugging Helen goodbye, I whisper "I'll try to come back soon."

She pulls away, tears in her eyes. "I'll have your room ready when you do."

I hug her again, and she hugs me back. Helen was more of a mother to me than anyone else was my whole life.

My goodbye to Jack wasn't as teary, but just as emotional. He was family, too. Unintentionally, Maple Beach had become my home. I had made some friends with the younger people, became a regular at a small pawn shop near Helen's, and had made myself part of the town. I was a friendly face at the pub and around town, despite them knowing about my powers. Leaving would hurt me as much as the people in the town. It was the first time I have ever been accepted, and I swear to myself it won't be the last.

Teary-eyed, I go outside and hop on my bike. I sped out of town, going at top speed. I will come back. I think. I will.