Shanoa awoke the next morning in a brief daze. Where in the world had that woman been? The room she dreamed of was like nothing she had ever seen before. It was the sort of thing you saw in a mansion. Or a castle.

She sat up and shook her head to clear it, her messy hair flying every which way. Then she had an idea. She rolled over onto her side and began to rummage through the table by her bed. The small drawer of the table had been mostly empty, she had little possessions to bring along with her, but during her time in the village, it had begun to fill up. She found what she was looking for at the bottom, a strip of paper that she could write on along with a nubby little pencil she had received from Daniela. After she got dressed, she would ask around for a ledger and better writing supplies, but for the time being, these would have to do. She needed to record everything she remembered from the dream before any detail slipped away from her.

That woman appeared to me again, in what appeared to be an ornate study or library. I did not notice her at first, I was too busy taking in the surroundings of the room. She did not hear me at first, either. She was too engrossed in a book in the far corner of that library, kicking her foot and humming as she read. What caused her to look up? Was it just knowing someone was with her or had something else alerted her to my presence?

She accused me of trying to frighten her, but she did not seem furious, only stunned at first to know she was not alone. She relaxed after her initial shock and gave me her undivided attention. She stood from the couch where she had been sitting and offered to show me around the room. "I like it here," she said at one point, "it is so open. I hate enclosed spaces." Those were her exact words.

She walked around the room, pointing out rare books by various authors and sometimes even her favorites. The various trinkets throughout the room also had stories, she said, but she did not know them. She said she just came to read.

Was there something else Shanoa had missed? No, she did not think so. After the woman mentioned her desire to just sit there and read undisturbed, she remembered nothing more. Her dreams might have changed, but that was the last thing she recalled. She held onto the paper for a little while before she decided to tuck it away in the table's drawer for the time being. She dressed slowly, her mind on other things.

When she was ready, she stepped outside. The first thing to hit her was the smell of fresh baked bread. A meal might help her think more clearly. She followed the scent to Irina's home. The older woman greeted her warmly and told her the bread was nearly ready if that was what brought her there.

"I won't lie," said Shanoa. She liked Irina and her family, but it was the smell of food that caught her attention. "It smells delicious," she added, hoping her praise would make her words sound more kind.

"I can assure you it is. Go on, have a seat."

Just as Shanoa took a seat, Irina's children raced into the room, followed closely by their cat, Tom. The two children stopped when they saw her and greeted her warmly. Serge begged for Shanoa to play with them. "Just one quick game of hide and seek, Shanoa? Please!"

"After you eat," his mother told them, "and that's only if Shanoa wants to play."

"I don't mind," replied Shanoa. As long as she made it to Jacob's shop later. She had no other plans for the day.

The three of them, plus Tom, sat around the table talking as Irina finished their morning meal. When the food was placed before them, Irina allowed Shanoa to help herself first, as she was their guest. Shanoa thanked her and filled her plate. She also pretended not to notice Anna when the girl slipped a piece of meat from her own plate to Tom on the floor.

"Are you going outside the village today, Shanoa?" asked Serge. "There's a lot of possible hiding places out there! It could make hide and seek a lot more fun!"

"You're not going outside the village," his mother scolded, waving her fork at the boy for emphasis. "You'll stay here where it is safe!"

Serge's face fell, but he agreed with his mother. Shanoa mentioned she had little plans for the day in the hopes it would make the boy feel better. He did perk up, but he took her words to mean that Shanoa would be playing with them all day. She immediately regretted saying anything, as that was not her intent.

Irina shook her head and came to Shanoa's rescue. "I am sure Shanoa has more she wants to do today, whether or not she's leaving the village. You can play for a little while after you eat, but you can't keep Shanoa busy all day. You two also have your studies," she added.

"I hate sums," the boy complained. His sister agreed.

Shanoa tried her best not to laugh. Breakfast with Irina and her family warmed her heart but also left her lonely. She did not really have a relationship like this growing up. Her relationship with both Albus and Barlowe was different. Barlowe took them in, but he was not a parent or a replacement for one. Albus, as her adoptive brother, looked out for her and took care of her and even sometimes teased her. She could not remember playing children's games, though. Nor had they ever had a pet. Irina's family made her long for such, and she often wound up leaving them missing Albus. Her life had mostly been studies and work, with Albus being the one normal part of everything.

She fell into a silence and only listened to the conversation as Irina and her children talked. She finished eating, though not as quickly as Serge. He was excited to play and hurried his sister along as well. Another piece of meat "fell" from Anna's plate onto the floor for Tom.

Irina stood when she finished and started to clear the table. Shanoa offered to help but Irina brushed her offer aside. "You're our guest. I won't have you cleaning. When Anna's finished, the three of you can go play if that's what you want."

"Hurry up, Anna!" begged Surge.

Anna, whose plate was nearly empty, popped the last piece of bread into her mouth. "Let'th go!" she said, her mouth full. Neither child caught it, but Shanoa noticed their mother sigh and shake her head. She had heard Irina scold them before about talking with their mouths full, but they hardly listened.

The two children each took one of Shanoa's hands and tried to pull her outside. She followed along, pretending they were leading her. Tom meowed and followed. His handsome jeweled collar made a faint tinkling sound as he trotted along beside Anna. "Shanoa, will you be it first?" asked Serge.

"Sure."

They picked the side of their home to be base. Shanoa leaned against the side of the building, shut her eyes, and began to count loudly. She did not mind being the one to seek out the hiders. She hoped she made it fun for them. She could hear them racing away as she counted, both of them giggling loudly. When she reached twenty, she called out that she was coming to look for them.

The first thing she saw when she looked away from the house was Tom. The cat had stretched out on top of a crate, giving away Anna's hiding place. She smiled at the cat, who meowed at her, and acted like she had not seen him. She walked past the crate completely and stopped a few feet away. "Hmm," mused Shanoa as she glanced around, "there are so many places to hide. I wonder where Anna and Serge are?"

She ignored a giggle behind her. She could find the children easily, but she liked to draw out their little games. It would be no fun for them if she admitted she knew where they were so soon. She went around to places she knew where the kids were not and said things like, "Serge, are you behind this bush? No?" and "How about behind this chest?" She also openly stated that she hoped the children had not ducked into anyone's home. It would be unfair to the seeker.

A barrel near her trembled. Barrels were Serge's favorite place to hide, and Shanoa made sure she did not acknowledge them for a few minutes. "Oh dear," Shanoa called as she stopped in front of the barrel, "Irina will be distraught if I lose her children." She heaved a loud, obvious sigh and was rewarded with laughter from the barrel this time.

She started back the way she had come and acknowledged Tom for the first time. "Tom, have you seen Anna or Serge?" she called to the cat. He meowed and swished his tail. "I know you wouldn't leave Anna alone," Shanoa said as she stepped closer to the crate. When she reached the crate, she placed both hands on top of it. Tom began to purr loudly. He was in on her little game. "Is she... here?" Shanoa leaned over the top of the crate and spotted Anna.

"No fair!" cried Anna as Shanoa found her. "Tom, you can't give away my hiding places!"

"You can help me find Serge."

Anna's eyes lit up at the chance to find her brother. She grabbed Shanoa's hand and pulled. "Come on! I know exactly where to look!" The girl made a direct line to the barrel and tipped it over. Her brother spilled out of it.

"Anna!"

"You always hide in a barrel! You make it so easy to find you!"

"Tom always hides with you! He should stay at home if you don't want to be found!"

Shanoa put her hand to her mouth to muffle her laughter. Their bickering was adorable. She let them quarrel for a little while then said that since she found Anna first, Anna would be the seeker, then Serge, then she would take another round if that was what they wanted. The two of them stopped fighting and agreed. Anna returned to their home to count and Shanoa and Serge ran off to hide.

Shanoa allowed herself to be found very easily, hiding in easy places such as behind one of the buildings, crouching behind a bush, or even picking a place she was too large to hide in. After their fourth game, Shanoa gently reminded them they had studies. She also mentioned she needed to visit Jacob. She made sure they went home, patted Tom on the head, and then walked the short distance to Jacob's general store.

"Shanoa!" called Jacob as she entered the shop. "Always a pleasure. What can I do for you today?"

"Do you happen to have a ledger perhaps? And something I can write with? I only have a small pencil. It does not have to be fancy, just something that would get the job done."

Jacob nodded and disappeared through a door behind the counter. She walked up to the counter and waited by the register. He returned shortly with a small box. Inside were four ledgers of different colors. She picked the deep blue one. Jacob also offered her a fountain pen and ink. She paid and thanked him.

"Going to write of your adventures?" asked the shopkeeper.

The thought had not occurred to Shanoa, but perhaps it would be something she would be open to doing in the future. She shook her head and said, "I just have some things on my mind. I think I should write those things down to better collect my thoughts." He agreed with her and said it was a good idea. He also added that she should feel free to call on him if she needed someone to listen to her. Again, she thanked him before leaving his shop.

Later that night, before going to sleep, she transferred her recollections from the scrap of paper in the bedside drawer to her new ledger and added a description of the woman from her dreams. She then stretched out and stared at the ceiling and waited to fall asleep to see what sleep would bring her.