It has arrived. The second chapter...


Freedom's eyes snapped open and she leapt up. Her vision blurred, but after a few agonizing seconds of dizziness her vision cleared up. She had gotten up too fast. Placing a hand on her throbbing head Freedom let out a hiss of pain. Where was she? Freedom examined her surroundings, a bit confused. She was in a small room that housed a bed, nightstand, and a small dresser. There was a small clock sitting on the nightstand; the time read 6:00 am. Her luggage was set off to the side, taking up most of the space.

In conclusion, Freedom had no clue in the heavens where she was.

With no choice but to explore, Freedom headed for the door. She slowly opened it, peeking outside. It was a normal hallway. Freedom didn't understand why, but she felt like she was in a horror movie, waiting for the killer to jump out and murder her. She slowly let out a puff of air and trekked down the hallway. At the end of the hallway there was a grand staircase leading down. Freedom strained her ears for any sound. There were voices, so Freedom continued her short journey. She was hoping that they weren't discussing the best possible way to kill her.

"-be fine. She was in good shape when Jin took a look at her. It was only a minor concussion and she's young. Just give her mind time to heal." Freedom examined her surroundings from halfway down the stairs. It looked like a diner or inn of some sorts. It was complete with a bar/kitchen, tables and chairs, and the staff. Well, what she guessed was the staff. Three people were sitting around a circular table, chatting away.

"I don't know Colleen. She's already been out for two days. Are you sure we don't need to ask Jin to examine her again?" The man speaking had slicked back grey hair and worried green eyes. He was wearing an ironed dress shirt with slacks and dress shoes. His red tie was hidden behind a button up green vest. There were two women sitting across from him. One had medium blonde boy-cut hair and kind sweet violet eyes. She was wearing a green dress, earrings, and light makeup.

The older woman sitting next to her had whitish-pinkish hair which was separated into two braids with a perfect bun on top. Her eyes were similar to the man's but they had a mischievous sparkle in them. Her top was bright yellow while her blue skirt was covered by an apron. A red handkerchief was tied loosely around her neck.

"Yer worrying too much. When I saw her for the first time I was wishing I had a body like hers." Freedom finally realized who they were talking about. With burning cheeks she descended the rest of the staircase. Thankfully these people weren't murders. Freedom needed to get control of her overreactive imagination.

"Thank you?" The three jumped when they heard her voice. Freedom stopped at the bottom of the stairs, wondering if she had given them heart attacks. The older woman was the first to react.

"Yer welcome. As you might have guessed we were just talking about you. I'm glad yer awake." The woman smiled; it was warm and welcoming. The man also smiled, standing up and offering a hand.

"My name is Jake. I'm the owner of this inn. It's very nice to meet you." She took his hand, and he game her a firm shake before releasing it.

"And my name is Colleen. I'm Jake's wife. How are you feeling?" The kindness never left her eyes. Freedom was instantly filled with warmth. Her mother wasn't lying when she claimed that Freedom would have all the allies she needed. She could instantly tell that these people didn't understand the meaning of strangers. They thought of everyone as friends, if not family.

"I'm feeling fine, just a bit confused."

"No kidding." The older woman snorted. "My name's Yolanda. You're in the Sundae Inn at Waffle Island. After the damage that storm did to you I wouldn't be surprised if you forgot your name." Yolanda paused, looking at Freedom with curiosity. "You do remember your name, right?"

Freedom raised an eyebrow. Of course she knew her name. "It's Free-"

Before she had a chance to relieve their stress the front door burst open and two girls slipped in.

"I've told you before! No, I have not gotten a letter from Chase! He's moved on with his life, I don't think he's coming back." The girl speaking had long cream blonde hair that was pulled up into a ponytail. She was wearing a black crop top a light blue jacket that reached her midsection. The collar of the jacket was pointed up, and the ends of the jacket were tied together in the front, creating a cute looking knot. Her short miniskirt looked like something a cowgirl would wear. It showed off her long slender legs that disappeared into cowgirl boots. Her evergreen eyes were filled with annoyance directed at the girl following her.

"But Kathy!" The girl whined. "He said he would come back. He promised!" Her eyes were a brilliant topaz blue that were starting to grow watery with tears. Her hair was a honey blonde and on the sides of her head there were two small sections of hair that were braided. She was wearing a pink frilly dress that poofed out near the bottom, which just reached her knees. A white apron was over the dress, and the back was tied to look like bunny ears.

"He only promised that so you would stop clinging to him when he tried to get on the boat. Jeez Maya sometimes you can be such a…" The girl, who Freedom now knew was Kathy, had finally torn her gaze away from Maya and made eye contact with her. A stunning grin broke out over her face as she made her way towards the group. "Well I'll be dam-" Kathy stopped herself when she saw Colleen glaring at her. Sighing, she corrected herself. "Darned. You're finally awake."

"I guess so?" Freedom was worried about the other girl, Maya, who was coming over more slowly wiping the tears from her eyes. Kathy didn't pay her any attention, keeping her gaze on Freedom. She stuck out a hand and Freedom couldn't help but notice the perfectly manicured nails.

"I'm Kathy! I work here at the Sundae Inn. I'm also the person you can come to if you need any favors or if you need to know any secrets for blackmail." She said it so sincerely that Freedom almost missed it. She did a double take at the last piece of information that Kathy shared with her. Kathy sighed, rolling her eyes after seeing Freedom's expression. "In other words, I'ma big gossiper."

"Oh." Freedom took her hand. "I'm Freedom." Kathy's eyes sparkled as she examined the girl before her. Freedom shifted nervously under her gaze. People from the city weren't really ones to stare, unless you were drop dead gorgeous, looked weird, or created a scene.

"Your quite pretty, you know that?" A tint of red dusted Freedoms cheeks as she took the compliment. First Yolanda then Kathy. The standards must be different at Waffle Island because back in the city Freedom was average if not below. She had dark brown hair that sometimes looked red in the sun or certain lighting. Her eyes were a warm chocolate brown and she had a heart shaped face. Her hair just barely reached her shoulders and had more than enough split ends.

"Thank you." At that time, Maya sat down next to Jake, still pouting. Kathy noticed her and rolled her eyes. Maya caught it, and her cheeks puffed up in anger. It was adorable to Freedom. It reminded her of her little sister when she got angry. Maya turned to Freedom.

"I'm Maya. I'm the daughter of Jake and Colleen." Her eyes lit up. "You're from the city right?!" Surprised by the sudden change of mood, Freedom nodded quickly. Maya's eyes grew wide and she leaned over the table. "Have you ever met a young man named Chase? He's got peach blonde hair and beautiful amethyst eyes. He's a brilliant cook and is so handsome that you can't miss him. He's charming too. Oh! You have to see his face when a dish turns out well! He smiles just a bit and his eyes light up and-" Maya's excited rant was cut sort by Kathy's hand clamping her mouth shut.

"Darn it Maya, you're overloading the poor girl's systems." It was a bit more information than Freedom could handle, but she still racked her brain, trying to find the person Maya described. When nothing came up, Freedom bit her lip, giving a sympathetic smile.

"I'm sorry. I'm afraid I don't know who your describing. Even so, I'll ask my parents and my sister if they've seen him." Maya's spirits had dampered, but when Kathy's hand released it's hold a smile still graced her features.

"Well, now that everyone is acquainted why don't I fix everyone some breakfast?" Yolanda announced. Freedom's eyes widened, but before she could protest Kathy spoke up.

"Don't try to deny Yolanda's cooking. She'll just make you some anyway." The cream blonde smiled, and Freedom decided to trust the taller girl. Maya brightened and shot out of her seat.

"Can I help?" Colleen, Jake, Yolanda, and Kathy paled at the words. Freedom was confused; most people would enjoy every ounce of help they could get.

"Not this time. Maybe later." Yolanda choked out. She stiffly walked to the kitchen while Maya sat back down in her seat. Pouting once again. Kathy came close and whispered into Freedom's ear.

"Ever since Maya was a little girl, her cooking has been terrible. It's always too sweet. She once made a mud pie and forced Chase to eat it. No one knows how, but he claimed it was sickly sweet." Maya heard Kathy and shot out of her seat again.

"I'm trying to get better!" Kathy laughed and nodded. Freedom took a seat next to Colleen, feeling a bit nauseous. The woman's worried eyes met hers.

"Are you feeling sick? We can call Jin if you need us too. Or maybe your just feeling overwhelmed." She put a hand on Freedoms, trying to offer comfort.

"She won't feel sick after she eats!" Yolanda yelled from the kitchen. Freedom smiled weakly.

"A little bit of all three. I'll be fine after I get accustomed to the changes." Colleen bit her lip, still looking worried.

"If you say so dear. Just tell me if you need anything." Freedom nodded and Colleen took her hand away.

In no time at all Yolanda walked in carrying a serving tray. Everyone sat around the circular table, drinking in the smell and the sight. The dish was omelettes, and boy did they look good. They were perfectly wrapped and puffy; it was a golden brown color, and small wisps of steam wafted over the top. There was one for everyone, and Freedom was glad that Yolanda had offered food. Her stomach growled, and Freedom wrapped an arm around herself trying to quiet the little beast. Embarrassment washed over her as Yolanda let out a loud hearty laugh.

"Sounds like someone's hungry." Kathy smirked as Freedom tried to make herself smaller. Why did this have to happen to her? Yolanda served everyone up and took a seat herself. She turned to Freedom expectantly.

"You have the honor of having the first bite." All eyes on the table were on Freedom and she wanted to shrink away. Usually she was not a shy person. In fact, when meeting new people Freedom was hard headed and opinionated. She was the ice breaker in the group. Then again, that's when she was in her own environment. Somewhere she was used to and comfortable with. She would have to get accustomed to the changes in order to break out of her shell again.

Slowly, Freedom cut a small piece off of the omelette. The fork sank right through and as she tore it away from the larger portion, strings of cheese protested. They stretched until Freedom managed to break them. Blowing on it softly, she brought it to her mouth and quickly ate it. The burst of flavor surprised her. The egg was perfectly cooked and the cheese was, well, cheesy. There were a few spices that added to the effect that was taking place in Freedoms mouth.

"Well?" Kathy prodded. Freedom turned her wide eyes to the girl, then to Yolanda.

"It's wonderful!" She exclaimed. Yolanda let out another hearty laugh and the rest of the table joined her.

"Then I guess we all better dig in." Colleen smiled. Everyone around her agreed. The circular table broke into chatter and Freedom listened to it all.

It was strange. Within the few minutes Freedom had been conscious, she already felt like she had been here a week. The people in the inn were accepting and didn't leave her out. The atmosphere was completely different from what she was used to. She had definitely had similar experiences in her life, but there was something special here that she couldn't place a name to.

Whatever it was, Freedom was glad it was present. A grin was plastered over her face. She wasn't feeling nauseous anymore. The food had definitely helped calm her nerves and her stomach. She looked up when the door to the Sundae Inn opened again. Bright sunlight filtered through and a head poked through the crack. He made eye contact with Freedom and a wide grin broke out across his round and pudgy face.

"You're awake!"


It's obvious who it is.