Souls Engulfed.

Chapter I. Blueberry Bagels & Strawberry Donuts

Chapter I.                  ╱ Blueberry
Bagels & Strawberry Donuts.

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            It seems clear that up until this point, this entire town had thought Marleigh Kellen a tourist. At least, that's the only explanation she can come up with as to why the startled-looking blonde a few feet away from her in the bread aisle of the local supermarket continues to gape after practically shouting 'You're still here!' in a tone so high it echoed around the otherwise empty aisles.

She couldn't hold the assumption against them, if that had been the case. She had moved into my little cottage right at the start of the summer, and subsequently, tourist season. Plus, it's not like she had went out of my way to introduce herself to the locals. It hadn't seemed necessary. They'd find out her stay was longer than the summer that stretched past them, and that would be that. Only now, as she watches the woman in front of her flounder for movement in her frozen state, it's impossible not to reprimand herself harshly over that train of thought.

The pack of Wonder Bread crinkles hand as she raises it, almost as if to salute her with it, and an amused smile stretches across her lips. "I'm still here."

The words seem to do the magic trick, and the girl starts up again. Her hand━━━which had been reaching for a pack of blueberry bagels at the end of the aisle━━━drops against her thigh as her full pink lips stretch to show dazzling teeth.

"Hi!" She exclaims, making quick steps down the linoleum floor to meet Marleigh. The basket in her left hand bounces against her thigh harshly, and the teacher winces for pain she doesn't even feel.

For all she was thinking of the blonde having frozen, it was easy to now see she had done the same. Something only remedied when she finally drops the bread into the basket digging into her arm and turns on her heel just so.

Whiskey-brown eyes shine visibly as the two sets of orbs clash, and Marleigh blinks a little. "Hello," she returns. It was impossible to ignore the urge to mirror the smile of the woman in front of her, but it was the least she could do to keep a chuckle at bay.

"Late vacation?" Her hands are clasped behind her back, and she almost looks like she wants to bounce on her toes. The excitement radiating off of her makes her look younger than she presumably is. It's almost endearing.

"No," Marleigh answers. Shifting weight from one foot to the other, she points over my shoulder with her unoccupied hand. "I moved into a cottage over on Birch Street back in June."

"You're who took over Ms. Delgado's lease?"

Despite being phrased as a question, it didn't feel like much of one. Nor does she wait for an answer in response.

"I'm Emory," she offers. As she does, her hands drop from behind her back, and her smile turns warmer. "Emory Ellis."

Fluorescent light bounces off her porcelain skin, and in the back of her head, she can almost recall a sight like such on the beach a while back.

"Marleigh Kellen," she supplies in return when her thoughts shake away. "It's nice to meet you."

Neither of them offers up a hand to shake, and silence envelopes the aisle once again. Emory doesn't seem affected and only continues to smile from her spot a few steps away. Marleigh tilts her head, eyes flickering between those in front of her and the time displayed on her phone.

In the past few months, she's set up a pretty stable and, in her opinion, good routine. Part of that routine has been doing my grocery shopping every Saturday morning. A purposeful choice made because no one else seems to do their grocery shopping at the same time. This pattern seemed to only last the past ten weeks, and Emory looks delighted to have broken it.