Elvirund | ✔️

Chapter Fourteen

We arrived safely in Chesapeake, thankfully. Fay immediately jumped out and turned full circle, absorbing the new sights and smells. Cas and Chip began to unpack the little that we had brought. We would have to procure furniture somehow while we were here. I just hoped we wouldn't leave so soon like we did New York. Usually we stayed for a couple months, but even a week in New York had been too much for me. I suspected Chip felt the same way, though I doubted I would ever ask.

"You doing alright?" Chip rested a hand on my elbow.

"I think so."

"Relax. It's fine."

He gave my shoulders a squeeze and I nearly caved right then. I wanted him to let me cry on his shoulders. I wanted to be weak, like the foolish humans. I wanted to just go back home and never have to deal with this again. But I couldn't. So I didn't.

"Sure. It's all fine."

I reached up into the truck bed and pulled down my medical bag, checking that all of my tools were intact. The new building stood slightly behind the trees lining the road, partially hidden by the sprawling half burnt branches and sparse leaves. I cringed to myself and walked up the driveway to inspect the exterior further. I was immediately impressed by the clean repairs that had been made. It was obvious an entire section of the wall had been torn out in my destruction. Instead of trying to find the exact same materials, they had instead split the design into two parts and improvised accordingly. I quite admired human taste, at least in their creativity.

"Well, let's check out inside."

A bronze key was thrust into my hand and I looked down, taking a quick breath. My hand shook as I turned the key in the lock, making opening the door a much longer task than it should have been. As I eased the door open, my instincts told me to shut my eyes and a handful of glitter and confetti peppered the air in front of me.

"Welcome!"

I slowly opened my eyes to see a small group of people I assumed were of the town. They stood in the small space, smiling happily and chuckling at our faces. I blinked and, with the fastest reaction time, managed to thank them, a blush rising to my cheeks quite quickly. Nothing confounded me more than humans and their traditions.

"We figured you'd need some information on the town, so we thought we'd introduce ourselves in case you needed any help. I'm Heather, the owner of the general store in town center."

The woman in front beamed and looked me up and down.

"Here on my right is Garrick, our living breathing town almanac. Anything you need to know, and he'll tell you."

Garrick smiled tightly and whispered something into Heather's ear. She sighed fussily and shooed him off.

"He doesn't enjoy being outdoors. Sensitive skin."

"Well, he might not enjoy it but I certainly do. I'm Jennie, the flower girl. I sell all kinds of gardening materials."

Jennie held out a hand and I shook it; she was young, vibrant, energetic. It was intimidating.

"Now, I suppose we'll let you settle in. Don't be afraid to ask us for help. All of us here live right down the road."

"Of course," Jennie cut in, "there's so much more to this town, which is more like a city, but you can explore on your own, right?"

I nodded, still more or less speechless, and proceeded to tour myself through the building. The ceiling was rather low, although even Beckett would have stood comfortably under it. The walls were painted a light shade of blue and the windows let in more sunshine than I would have expected. The little furniture there was clean and well matched, despite my suspicions that the townspeople couldn't have given us everything we needed right away. Although the corridors were narrow, the rooms were spacious and I found myself enjoying the cozy feeling of the place.