One year later
The cafe bar was as busy as usual. Reina looked at the men and women speaking over their mugs of coffee. It filled the room with a buzz of conversation and the often clink of cups and plates. Reina couldn't see an empty seat in the room. The bar's beverages and friendly atmosphere brought in people from all over the island of Windfall, and even more when sailors decided to dock for the night and wanted a bite to eat. It was the only restaurant on the island after all.
Her aunt keeps the place running. Every night you'd see her there, busy like always. Reina watched her from behind the counter, she bounded around the room, passing out drinks to her customers with a smile on her face, making sure to say 'thank you'. She was determined to make every customer feel welcome, even if it ran her into the ground. Reina didn't know why she did that to herself, maybe because she felt bad for never being there for her brother before he died. She wanted his shop to be special, a welcome place again.
Reina remembered the night her father died like it only happened a moment before. Her aunt shaking her awake and holding her in her arms, tears streaming down her face. Her aunt explained that there would be a funeral the next day and how she was welcome to come and stay with her if she wanted. She said everything would be okay, but it wouldn't. She lost the person that meant the most to her in the world, but she knew her aunt meant well.
Not a wrinkle could be seen on her aunt's round face. She was so young to have to take care of the bar with only a teenage girl to help out, but the money was a necessity. Reina's grandfather sat sick at home that very moment, like always. He needed all kinds of medications and potions and herbs just to get through the day, and not all of them you can get for just a handful of rupees.
"Gillian! Another round here, please!" a man's voice called over the noise, startling Reina from her thoughts. Her aunt hurried around the counter, pushing Reina to the side so she could fill three mugs with a thick black liquid. She set them on the counter in front of Reina.
"Reina, don't just stand there! Take those over to Kane and his friends, will you?" she ordered, wiping her hands on her white apron, "Hurry, other people are waiting."
Reina nodded her head silently, looking around for a tray to set them on.
"There are no more," Aunt Gillian said, seeming to read her thoughts, "You'll have to carry them."
Her aunt turned away from her as another voice called out.
"Wait, what if I drop them?" Reina asked nervously, trying to hold all three cups at once. It wasn't working.
"Don't," her aunt called out.
Reina sighed and slipped her fingers through the handles on two of the mugs and managing to grasp the third with her fingertips. Stop being stupid, she thought, Just bring them their drinks.
She padded carefully over to the men, making sure not to spill, and set the mugs lightly on the table. Kane wore his usual light green tunic over a striped blue one and looked up with his dark eyes. The other two men Reina didn't recognize.
"Here, Kane," she said, pushing the glasses to each person. They smiled and one tipped his hat at her.
"That's a nice necklace you have," one of Kane's friends complemented. Reina looked down at her silver necklace, the blue stone just as mysterious as it was the night her father gave it to her. "Where did you get it from?" he asked her, "I bet my girlfriend would want something like that."
"Oh, um.. just, someone gave it to me, like, a while ago, so..." she stumbled quickly, hiding the charm behind the cloth of her dress. She felt the old memories flooding back. Don't start crying! she yelled internally, Don't be a baby! If you cry in front of all these people, I swear...
"A while ago... so like a few minutes ago or something? Are they still here?"
"Ah...ah...Uh, no. No, it was a few years ago. A year, actually," they looked at her with confused faces.
"I- I have to go!"
She walked quickly back around the counter once more, and ducked down, letting the tears fall from her eyes like a flood.
Ever since her father died, she tried to stay happy. It was what he would have wanted, what her mother would have wanted, but she couldn't bring herself to. That's natural though, her aunt told her once when she explained how she felt. It's natural to grieve the ones you've lost, but she didn't even enjoy things the way she used to. She remembered the warm nights when musicians would play in the park. There were flutes, harps, and violins, she would sit with her father and listen for hours, but now she spent that time in the cafe bar, cleaning the tables and floors so she could help her aunt work the next day.
Reina eventually came out from behind the counter, once she was positive there wasn't a sign on her face that she'd been crying, and watched as the number of guests slowly went down as they left for their homes until it was just she and her aunt.
"Reina,"
Reina looked up to see her aunt with a small, sympathetic smile on her lips.
"It's late. How about we go home and just clean this up in the morning?"
"Um, Aunt Gillian, are you okay?" Reina asked, "That's kinda gross, and it'll be way worst in the morning to clean up."
"I know, but I'll worry about that then. We could come in early so we have time before anyone arrives," she reasoned
"Um..."
"You know what?" she said playfully, "We're leaving. Come on! I'm your aunt, no questions."
She quickly blew out the candles that were placed around the room and the two stepped outside of the cafe bar. Aunt Gillian locked the door up and stuck the silver key into the pocket of her blue dress.
"Good evening!" a voice greeted from behind them, and they turned around. A woman in an orange dress stood at the bottom of the stairs.
"Good evening yourself," Aunt Gillian replied, "I was just locking up the cafe, sorry"
"That's quite alright. I didn't come for a drink. I just wanted to have a word with you, dear," the woman smiled.
"Yes, of course," Gillian said, descending down the stairs to meet the woman. Reina stepped to follow.
The woman stopped her, "Uh, privately, dear. It's an important matter."
Gillian looked up at her, "It's fine, Reina. Just stay up there."
"Okay," Reina said. She watched as the woman in the orange dress stood on her toes to murmur something into her ear. Her aunt listened closely, and the expression on her face said that whatever the woman was telling her, it was shocking, but when her eyes met with Reina's, it quickly disappeared and her eyes flicked away.
The lady in the orange dress backed away, gave a quick goodbye and a nod to her aunt, and walked along the dirt road, not bothering to spare Reina another glance.
Reina descended down the steps and stopped next to her aunt, "What was that all about?"
Gillian met her eyes, "Oh, nothing you need to worry about right now. Let's just get you home."
Her aunt began quickly striding along the road, away from the woman and towards the docks. Reina ran to catch up with her.
"Well, obviously it's important if I couldn't even hear what she said, Aunt Gillian!"
"Reina, we're not going to talk about it anymore. I already told you, it's nothing you need to worry about."
Reina shut her mouth and followed silently as the docks came into view. A little white sailboat with a blue star on the sail bobbed in the water at the end of the dock. It was the only boat still there with the exception of the ship shop that sailed around the island about this time every night. Her aunt stood by the boat.
"You hop on," she said, "I'll untie the boat."
Reina obliged, stepping over the side and onto the boat. Her aunt untangled the rope from the pole and followed, and once the sail was up, began moving toward a little island on the horizon.
Aunt Gillian tapped on the wooden door with her knuckles. They just tied up the boat to a small dock only a few feet away from the house they were facing. It belonged to Aunt Gillian and her father, or in other words, Reina's grandfather.
It was the only house on the island, but there wasn't room for another anyways. The home was literally only a yard or so away from the rock edges on the island on three different sides. In the front there was only a small walkway and a dock with just enough room for their sailboat on the very end.
The door in front of them opened to reveal a short man with a gray beard and a pair of glasses covering his crinkly eyes. A tiny smile formed on his wrinkled face and he waved them inside with a happy chuckle, making sure to give them a hug before they stepped inside the dwelling.
"Hi, grandpa," Reina greeted the old man, bending down to give him another hug while Gillian closed the door.
"Hey, girly! You're here early tonight, was the cafe bar not as crowded?"
"Just as crowded as usual," she told him, pulling back from the hug, "We didn't clean the bar after everyone left. Aunt Gillian said we're gonna clean up early tomorrow morning."
He looked to where his daughter was standing by the door, "What's the reason for that nonsense?"
"Dad, I need to talk to you," Gillian stated bluntly, giving him a look.
"Okay."
"Alone."
They both looked at Reina.
"It has something to do with that lady that talked to you earlier, doesn't it?" Reina mumbled.
Her grandfather looked worried, "What lady?"
"No one," Aunt Gillian told him, her eyes flickered to Reina for a fraction of a second and then back to her father.
"Why don't you get ready for bed, Reina?" he suggested, turning her around to face the direction of her bedroom, "I'll tell you a story tonight about my sailin' days."
Although hesitant, she entered her room, and after closing the door, she leaned heavily against it. It was so obvious they were talking about her, so why was it such a big secret? She was about to make way to the brown chest in the corner to find her night gown, but stopped when she heard a murmur in the room outside her door.
"Have you heard whats been happening?" she barely made out her aunt say.
Reina pressed her ear closer to the door, trying to hear the conversation. Maybe now I'll find out what's so important.
"What do you mean?"
She sighed, "The kidnappings! You really haven't heard anything about it?"
She let out another sigh. He must of shook his head.
"These...monsters kidnapped Mila and Maggie. You know, the girls that live near my shop?"
She paused, then continued, "I don't know if it could happen, but what if the monsters kidnap Reina too?"
"That won't happen,"
"Well, she's almost been kidnapped before! If it wasn't for Tod, she would have been! My brother, your only son, was killed by those monsters. I think it's possible it could happen again!" her aunt explained.
Reina sucked in a breath as she remembered the night.
"She's thirteen now. She's much stronger and can take care of herself. If..."
"Those other girls are the same age as her! Reina would never stand a chance."
Reina flinched at the harsh words, and there was a long silence. Her grandfather was thinking.
"We'll leave. Leave this island. We bring all our rupees and anything else we need, and when the attacks stop we'll return," he told her simply, she even heard him grabbing stuff off the counters.
"Dad, you're ill! You can't go around traveling to different islands! Besides, you don't understand. These attacks are happening all across the Great Sea, not just on Windfall! We..."
"We do what?" he asked angrily, "If there's no way to escape it, then what are we supposed to do?"
Her aunt stopped talking, taken aback.
After a few moments, she spoke again, "I think she should stay here with you," she told him, her voice much calmer, "She'll be hidden, and you need someone to be with you during the day."
"I don't need someone to watch me..."
"Then I need you to watch her," she said, "Please."
"Fine," he agreed, "I'm gonna check on Reina. You should probably go to bed yourself."
Reina peeled herself away from the door and threw her nightgown over her head. She had just got it on when he knocked on the door.
"Come in," she said, and he opened the door.
"All ready for bed?" he asked, acting like nothing happened.
"Yeah," she replied, going over to give him a hug.
He hugged her back, "Guess what? Tomorrow you get a break. You get to spend the day with me,"
"Okay," she answered and climbed onto her bed. Her grandfather pulled the dark red blanket up to her neck and kissed her forehead.
"I've got a good story tonight," he said, "About the time I defeated the largest squid in the Great Sea,"
"That's alright grandpa," she said, and a sad look crossed his face, "I'm kinda tired tonight, so I just want to go to bed."
"Well, alright," he said, standing up, "Goodnight, girly."
"Night grandpa," she replied, nuzzling her head into her pillow.
When she heard the door shut, she closed her eyes, a million questions running through her mind.
Big thanks to Ten ways to spoil dinner, Sale el sol, and hollychristina for reviewing the last chapter! :)