Everyone appeared to radiate happiness more than usual in town today. Not because of a marriage or anything like that, though we are expecting a certain Frenchman to propose to Kooky Kirkland's daughter someday soon. No, today was Market day! The event that takes place every four months where literally wagon loads of traders and foreigners visit the town and stay for a few days. The residents of my town have this weird tradition of picking random visitors and having them stay with them during their time here, since they're no hotels or temporary residences. I'm sure we totally freak them out sometimes, though, since there were several occasion where neighbors would have spats about who would have a certain person, causing them to either leave earlier or escape to someone else's home.
I was tidying up around me and Mattie's house when there was a knock at the door. Unfortunately, I was the only person since Matt left to go help Ludwig with random jobs getting the town ready for the flood of people we were expecting, so I had to get the door. Praying under my breath it wasn't the person I wanted to see the least at the moment, I yanked open the door, revealing a small blonde with green eyes.
"Oh! Hello there, Alice! Come on in!" Maybe it was the energy that was buzzing around the town, but I felt like I must've looked extra happy when I smiled today. Apparently, Alice thought the same thing since she commented on it as she was entering.
"You must've had a dream about hamburgers again. This is the second time I saw that smile on you." Alice said as she passed through the threshold, and entered the foyer. I pouted at her retreating figure as she walked towards the drawing room. I told her about that dream once, and she held it against me forever now. Excuse me for liking that bizarre dish that Gilbert introduced me to a while ago. Briefly entering the kitchen, I brought out cookies Mattie made earlier, and put them on the little coffee table in between me and Alice. Sitting down, I grabbed a handful of the cookies and started working on them. Alice looked at me with slight distaste before softly smiling. I was on my fourth cookie when Alice finally started talking.
Looking out the window, Alice remarked, "This year feels different somehow, Amelia. I get an odd feeling that something big is going to happen this year, but I'm not sure what exactly." I followed Alice's gaze out the window to a little bluebird perched on a branch looking at us and slightly tilting its head as I finished off the sixth cookie. Apparently, that wasn't all that Alice had to say, though, because she turned to look at me with her mesmerizing, pretty, green eyes with a solemn expression about her face, and added, "Amelia, this event that's about to happen definitely involves you. I'm not sure why, or how big of a role you play in this, but you're there. Be careful today when you're in town, okay?"
I stopped eating when Alice said this, her face becoming deadly serious, and I stared into her eyes wondering what she was talking about because it was really freaking me out. The silence continued for a little longer until I burst out laughing. Alice, seemingly frightened by this sudden, loud noise, jumped a little before scowling and demanding just what was so funny. I continued my obnoxious, false laugh and started speaking with laughing fits between every few words.
"Oh god, Alice!" –laughter-" You!" –laughter- "You actually made me believe I was in danger just then!" I managed to squeeze out the rest of the sentence before continuing to laugh because by now, the laugh stopped being fake, and I actually believed Alice was just being silly. Alice frowned at this and opened her mouth to say something when the cuckoo clock cut her and myself off. I sat in shock for a minute as the coos of the false bird echoed around us ominously. Finally, the tolling stopped and I realized it was twelve, which meant I had to get to the town square to help out Matt and Luddie.
After apologizing to Alice, I rushed around the house looking for my shoes, eventually finding them in the backyard from when I was weeding earlier. After grabbing my hat, I went to the front door where Alice was still standing. She smirked while saying, "It's so you to forget you had to be someplace. It's a good thing Matthew is a forgiving gentleman." I tossed a scowl at Alice as I fixed my hair with the mirror that me and Matt had deliberately placed here for moments like this. Satisfied with my appearance, me and Alice exited. When I started down the path to the center of town, I stopped and noticed something. Alice was still walking with me, and even more awkward, she was being quiet.
"Hey. Are you going to the plaza as well?"
This seemed to bring Alice out of her private reverie and she blinked a bit before responding.
"No. I actually have to help my father with something before I go. I only came over so I wouldn't miss you." Alice stopped walking and looked at me, and gave me a sudden bear hug that was actually pretty good. After a few moments of this, she let go and, standing on her tippy toes, kissed me on the lips real quick before excusing herself with a red face. I stood dumbstruck by the advance, then internally shook myself to get a move on. I turned east and started trekking towards the general store where Matt said to find him.
When Alice reached the door of her house, she turned and watched Amelia's fading figure walking along the beaten down path. She didn't know why, but she suddenly felt overwhelmed with melancholy and felt her face go wet a little. She didn't tell Amelia, but she actually did know what was going to happen more or less, and she had a pretty good idea of how Amelia was going to react to the chain of events that would start today. Her heart clenched as she thought about the predicament, and wiping her face off and inhaling deeply, she opened the door and went to find her father to help him round up the fairies.