Paige and the Quest for Truth: Book 2 in the series

6

Chapter 6

Paige opened the door of the cottage to see that they were in the run down side of town. She wasn't sure what town exactly, and really, it didn't matter anyway. Boarded up shops stood next to empty lots, dead grass poking up between the broken sidewalk. Across the empty lot in front of them, across the next street, stood a house. An old, two-story Victorian, complete with a tower and charming stained glass windows. It looked as if it used to be a deep royal purple, but time had faded her color, and tall green vines hugged her tightly, blending the house into the non-existent nature before them.

She looked around carefully, before stepping across the threshold. To an outsider, it would have appeared that they came out of an abandoned factory. Maude closed the door behind them, and strode forward purposefully, leaving Paige hurrying to catch up with her.

They climbed the short set of stairs and crossed the porch to the front door. There was a stained glass window in the center of the door, with a delicate infinity symbol in the center. Hesitant to knock on the glass, Paige searched around for a doorbell. Finding one behind a cluster of particularly feisty vines, she gently pushed it in with her finger. Bells rang out across the house, reminding her of the way Billie spoke to her portal key. The air in her lungs escaped her, and her legs, at that moment, refused to hold her up.

Maude caught her, mid collapse, and held her up. "Woah, careful there. Told you to eat more of that sandwich. Can't have you quitting on me now babe. Are you alright?"

Maude led her to the cement railing, and she leaned against it gratefully. She wasn't sure how much to say. Maude was helping her, yes, but she barely knew her. She decided on honesty, well a simplified version of it, anyway.

"Little things, seemingly innocent things, like that doorbell. They shove Billie's memory in my face unexpectedly. I'm going along, surviving, with my walls intact, when suddenly the world has the audacity to floor me."

Maude sat next to her on the porch railing and placed her arm loosely around her shoulders. She took a deep breath like she was considering her words very carefully. "Grief is wild, like nature. It is unpredictable. It may not be fair, but it is the price we seem to pay for love."

Paige cautiously leaned her head on Maude's shoulder. Closing her eyes, she did her best to get a hold of herself. She took a few deep breaths to try and control her emotions. She was shaken from her respite when the door whipped open suddenly. Jumping off the railing, she peered into the now open doorway but saw no one.

"Please quit dusting my railing with your butt, are you trying to fall and raise my property insurance? I don't even know if they would cover that."

Paige followed the sound of the voice, looking down until she saw a man. Well, he appeared to be a man. A very short man. She might even call him a goblin, but wasn't sure if that would be an insult. He was no taller than the doorknob, with a time-worn face, and very pointy, very hairy ears. He was dressed in a black graphic tee, a grey hoodie, and blue jeans.

The man was holding the doorknob with one hand, and what looked like a hot pocket in the other. "Well, come in if you must. Quickly, quickly, what were you born in a barn? I'm not heating the whole freaking town." He grumbled under his breath.

Maude stood up, dusted herself off, and stepped inside the house. Paige hesitated a moment, taking in her surroundings. Nothing should surprise her at this point. But for some reason, this goblin/elf man did. The contrast between the rundown city and the elegant victorian, between the fantasy creature man and the fact that he was dressed like a college student and eating microwaved food just struck her as funny. If she wasn't so depressed, she might even have laughed out loud. Smiling to herself, she followed Maude inside, and the man closed the door behind them.