NightHare

Year 0 & Beginnings (1.1)

It was evening, a few hours past dusk. Lexi had spent the past hour or so staring at the ceiling. Soft snores echoed around the rooms as she contemplated. As thoughts occupied her mind, a sigh escaped her mouth.

What happened?

Six months have passed since she woke up in this church. She had arrived in the middle of summer, and now it was the midwinter. Her first week was spent in the medical room. The nuns kept moving in and out, constantly checking on her recovery progress. They asked if she needed anything... Information would've been great.

The nuns had said that she looked eight. She couldn't remember. Didn't even know she was a harpy before Nun Fauna pointed it out.

Is anyone looking for me?

Occasionally, she spotted other kids by the doorway. Like the nuns, they were from various races, and most of them looked young. They're probably around my age.

Their heads would peek around the corner, eyes glimmering with curiosity. But they never entered. Sometimes they stood by the door and stared. Their gaze felt unnerving, so she would pull up the blanket and hide from them. Why do they just watch?

After a week in recovery, she spent the next two learning-relearning the common language. Nun Fauna and Nun Rose took turns teaching her the different characters and how to recognize them. She reviewed the lessons every afternoon and quickly grasped the basics in two weeks. They told her she probably recognized the language subconsciously-that her memories weren't lost. Just hidden, buried in the depths of her mind.

That she would soon remember. She hoped so too.

But there's been no information. No reports. No accidents. No fire. No missing child.

Afterward, she started learning the continental language, Lucinic. She definitely found it more difficult than common, and that meant she was actually learning something new. Knows common. Doesn't know Lucinic.

Since Lucinic gave her trouble, she spent more time reviewing in the library. During this period, the other children began approaching her. They were somewhat cautious around her but the company was nice. One of the older kids, June a merfolk, helped her review. She was a few years older, had lived in the church since she was three, and didn't ask for her name.

So... what happened? Why was I there? And why was there fire?

She lost hope after a month of silence.

Everything was quiet. Like none of it happened. Like everything was a figment of her imagination. Like it was just a bad nightmare.

It didn't help that her memories blurred with time. Eventually, she resigned to her new life. She accepted. She accepted the new identification, new name, new home, new everything.

Lexi, eight years old. Creta.

She attended Lucinic lessons while reviewing diligently. It took over five months to grasp the basics of the language, but that made sense. She was starting from scratch, needing to learn both speech and writing. As she studied, Lexi grew closer to June and the half-orc Inu. June helped her practice and corrected any bad habits. Sometimes they would talk for hours. Or June shared the latest news while Lexi listened. Occasionally, Inu barged into the library and interrupted their study sessions. He would plead for help, but it helped their relationship grow.

When Nun Fauna introduced her name to everyone, the entire group rushed to greet her. Their grins were wide and full of genuine happiness.

She stiffly smiled in response. She didn't know how to feel-didn't know how she felt.