The Moments In Between

Chapter 1

Author's Notes:

I don't own My Time at Portia or any of its characters. Credits to Pathea Games for the creation of this game and the adorable fictional community living in it.

This was beta read by the awesome Feldspaar, who was kind enough to spare her time.

I hope you enjoy reading this!

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Day 5, Spring, Year 1

Arlo didn't think much of the new builder at first. To be fair, he had had the commission to build the Amber Island Bridge in mind. But many years later, he would still remember a skinny, scrawny girl with tousled hair that looked to be brown, but had a red - and somehow, blue - shiny sheen when it caught the light, a yellow T-shirt and jeans, looking up at him with eyes of a strange shade - grey with a brownish tint? He told her as long as she didn't pull any funny business, everyone could be happy.

He might tell you that the second thing he remembered about her was a few days later, she already had a practice sword strapped to her back with a pickaxe in hand, running across Peach Plaza, running up to the Abandoned Ruins, running back to her workshop, running around her front yard to her worktable, feeding materials into her stone furnace, planting Emily's seeds.

He and Sam were at the top of the stairs in the morning one day, looking down at Central Plaza, which she was running across - again - with an axe strapped to her back, her hair pulled back by the breeze.

"It sure is nice to finally have a female builder around," said Sam, leaning on the railing. "No offence, Arlo, but all the other builders have been getting so cocky."

"Anna's a good kid," said Arlo simply, before climbing into the saddle of his horse.

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Day 16, Spring, Year 1

Then he might tell you that the third thing he remembered was her running up to him, asking to spar with him.

"I really need to be qualified to enter the Collapsed Wasteland," Anna had explained. He had towered over her with his arms crossed over his chest, one eyebrow raised over a blue eye.

Of course, because she'd just started practising, she had lost within seconds. "Come back when you've grown up," Arlo had laughed, as he had helped her up from the ground.

"I guess that industrial engine will just have to wait," Anna had smiled, dusting her hands.

And he would add that even though she could shrug it off, her chin had been set.

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Day 4, Summer, Year 1

Arlo gave a low whistle as he looked around the cavern, the bodies of Bandirats strewn all over.

"No one left alive," said Remington, shaking his head as he walked back towards Arlo.

An hour before, Anna had staggered through the unused rusted doors, breathing heavily as Arlo, Sam and Remington stared at her. Her bronze sword was smeared with blood.

"I was fixing the cave power generator," Anna began. As she hesitantly told them about the stolen items and the battles with the Snaillobs and Bandirats, she kept touching her knuckle to a bruise on her cheek. She never looked them in the eye.

"The cave complex extended all the way to here? And you defeated them all?" Sam had said. "Wow."

"Yeah..." Anna had nodded, then suddenly sank to the ground. Her bronze sword clattered on the ground. "I'm sorry... but I need a moment..." she murmured as Sam quickly knelt down and put an arm around her.

"I'll give her some help," Sam had said. "I don't think she should be by herself right now. Why don't the two of you go on to the cave and see if there're any stragglers left?"

Arlo kicked the limp body of a Bandirat over. Anna had been fighting for her own life - was it her first time fighting monsters? Even out of desperation, she had done so much damage for so slight a person. No mean feat for a scrawny kid he'd told to grow up only a couple of weeks ago. He didn't say so to Remington, but it made him the slightest bit uneasy.