Disclaimer: see previous also, check out the chapters where I talk about the boys' ages. I still want that to be abundantly clear

Ch6

Before Will and Jake even really knew what was happening, they were being lifted and heaved to the other side of the room. They were placed into chairs in front of a sizzling fire and in instants the crowds receded. A young woman rushed forward and kissed their cheeks. She smiled broadly on them.

"Thank goodness you've returned!" Just as quickly as she had appeared, she was picked up by the hips and moved aside.

"Please excuse my sister." It was Robbie and he was drawn and looking tired. "We're all very glad you're back. You were gone over a week." Jake and Will exchanged looks of surprise. Robbie took a seat next to them. "I'd bet you two are starved. Lisa!" He called to his sister who a standing sulkily with a group of women. "You feed these two!" She stuck her tongue out, but strode off to the kitchen.

"Thank you so much." Will gleamed. "I didn't really feel hungry at all until you mentioned it." Jake nodded.

"Well!" The Mayor strode forward cheerfully. "I wondered what the hubbub was about! Welcome back boys!" He slapped Jake roughly on the back. Jake cringed in spite of himself. "Well…" He stared at them. Will shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Aren't you two a mess?"

"Are we?" A mirror was produced from the crowd. Jake recoiled from it, subconsciously uneasy. Will took a comforting hold on the back of Jakes arm, where no one could see. He felt it was important to keep up solid look about them in front of the villagers.

Their appearances shocked them. Wills face was gaunt, emaciated almost, and dirty. His usually light hair was dark with dirt and muck. Slightly disgusted, he pushed the mirror towards Jake, who didn't look much better. His eyes were rimmed in dark circles, along with a nasty bruise on his forehead. There was a tiny crack in the lens of his glasses.

"How did we not notice this?" asked Will, stunned. Jake shrugged. It did seem odd.

"Why don't you two go wash up, and when you get back, we'll have dinner for you." Robbie interjected, smiling.

"Sure. Yes, sounds great." Will took Jakes collar and dragged him off. They stepped into the room they had slept in the night they arrived and found it completely untouched. Jake fell back happily onto the bed while Will moved over to the bucket of water placed conveniently out for them. "It's like they expected us back…" Will mumbled to himself.

"How do you mean?"

"They've got water set out for us. Clean, clear water too…" He paused, thinking. "Where do you suppose they got it?"

"Good question…" Jake pulled his spectacles off his face, wretched himself off the bed and went to stand by Will. Though he was intrigued by the water, his curiosity was not enough to keep him from his need to be clean. After dipping his hands in the water they came out remarkably clean. Will gave him a significant look. Trying to ignore the uneasiness that was growing within him, Jake washed and dried his face. He sighed blissfully. Will stared at the water, nervous, before scrubbing his own face clean, and running a wet hand through his hair.

"Yuk….We ought to ask them about that woman."

"Yes. We should, but for now, let's just go eat and relax for a bit. I think we've had enough stress for today." With that, he smiled in a nonchalant way and opened the door for his dear brother to go through. Through reluctantly, Will did go out, closely followed by Jake.

They were greeted by a hot meal and what seemed like hundreds of people all wanting to talk to them. Wills anxiety was quickly forgotten in light of beautiful women and decent conversation. Jake, meanwhile, hung back from all the attention, knowing his brother was much better suited for it. Robbie and his sister, Lisa, sat with Jake, watching the festivities quietly.

"Listen, you two," Jake began. He honestly did not want to start this conversation, as it could only lead to unpleasantness, but he felt now was the time. "While Will and I were down on the lake, we encountered, more than once in my case, a woman. She was… well, let's say she accosted us underwater, just about drowned us both. She was charming; or rather… she was entrancing…You wouldn't happen to have any ideas as to who she is, do you?"

Lisa, who was a bit inebriated and red in the face leaned in close to him and whispered, "was she dead, d'you suppose?" giggling drunkenly, she leaned back in her chair. Jake rolled his eyes. After a brief moment, Robbie leaned forward.

"Was she though? Honestly, do you think this woman was dead?"

"Well….yes, I suppose she must have been. She was talking underwater, and, as my dear brother Wilhelm so gracefully put it, 'has no torso.' Curious thing, that. It was like all there was was her head, neck, shoulders, and an arm… and the rest was swallowed up by her hair or something." He glanced darkly around the room, keeping an eye out for Will.

"There are…stories…"Robbie looked around the large room, and when he spoke again, his tone had changed dramatically. "But that's nothing." He spoke lightly, with a false laugh tingeing his words. "Perhaps we'll discuss it later," He smiled. In an instant his face darkened and his voice lowered. "Not everything here is as it seems. People are dangerous and tricky. You and your brother would do best to watch your backs." Before Jake could question this, or even really respond to it, Robbie and his sister had disappeared into the crowds.

Jake glanced miserably around for Will. Finally, sick of waiting for Will to notice him, Jake stood up, walked to Will and wrested him free of the hoards of women around him.

"Thanks Jake," Will smiled. "You know just how I hate being surrounded by beautiful women." Jake sighed and pulled Will off to the side of the room and shoved him roughly into a chair.

"You have to listen to me, Will. For once in your life, I need you to listen to me and don't interrupt," Jake said firmly, taking a seat himself. Will was a little taken aback, but nodded and leaned back in his chair. Jake went on to explain about everything Robbie had just told him. When he was finished, Will didn't say anything, but just sat there with his mouth half open.

"But…I thought he didn't like us."

"I know! When we first arrived, he was so… quiet and suspicious…" Will nodded in agreement.

"Why do you think he told you that? I mean, I don't understand. What're we supposed to think of all this?" Jake shrugged and in the awkward silence that followed, the brothers looked around the room, finding it curiously empty. "Well, let's head off to be-…" Will trailed off in the middle of the word, staring at the space behind Jakes head.

"What? What is it? What are you staring at?" Frustrated, Jake turned around in his seat, following his brothers gaze to a dark corner across the empty space of the inn. In that corner, lit by the warm orange light from the dying fire was a pale face encircled by dark hair. "Oh god!" Jake leapt back, tipping over his chair and falling ungracefully to the ground. Will was suddenly grasping his shoulders and pulling him to his feet in a sloppy way that meant Jake fell back down a couple times. Neither of them took their eyes off the woman in the corner.

"He left me…" came a quiet voice from all around. Will looked away for half a second and when he looked back, the woman was inches from his face. His body stiffened and next to him Jake jumped about three feet in the air. "Don't leave me again. I won't let you…" She whispered and took his face tightly in gentle, thin hands. A horrible cold feeling over took him, and the room began to fade, and all Will could see was this beautifully frail and terrifying woman before him.

Jake, though he wanted badly to rip that woman off Will, he couldn't move. His body was aching to move and save his brother, the only person in the world he could really depend on, but he couldn't. He couldn't even speak.

Will was beginning to feel exhausted, but he was so cold it hurt.

Her face was slowly getting closer and closer to his, but the world was getting darker and darker through Will's eyes. Finally, he passed out, and as he fell harshly to the ground, the woman gave Jake one dark look and disappeared.

XO

When Will awoke about ten minutes later, Jake was leaning over him with a look of dire concern on his face.

"Thank god…"he breathed. "I thought- we thought, she'd killed you." Will had never seen Jake looked more relieved in his life. Will sat up, propping himself up on his elbows, he noticed Robbie was crouched next to him, looking grim.

"No…I…I'm fine…"

"Well of course you are!" Jake laughed mutedly. Will shivered; he hadn't felt cold until that instant. Jake noticed and the trio moved to sit in front of the warm embers still glowing in the fireplace. Will wrapped himself up and Jake casually tossed an arm over Will's shoulders. Robbie tugged off his boots to warm his feet. They sat quietly by the crackling coals for a few long moments.

"Robbie…will you tell us about her now?" he sighed miserably, frowning.

"My sister and I… A few years ago, more than a few I suppose…I was about 14 at the time, we fled our hometown due to it's infestation of…well, in any case, our mother made us leave. We rode for days to end up here. At first, I thought we'd found the perfect place to live, everyone was nice and caring and kind to us. Lisa was so small, I don't think she really remembers much… but after a few months of living here things got…. quite strange. People stopped talking, stopped laughing…" His rough voice faded into the quiet of the inn. "I asked around and…and I heard this story. In bits and pieces, mind you, but still…

"It was the story of this woman, this beautiful young woman who met a handsome young man who was from another town. She fell in love with him, and he loved her too. He wanted to marry her, but he didn't have any money, so he decided to… leave the town to go find his fortunes or… what not. And he told her, 'I love you, wait for me. I'll come back.' And he took a boat, and he left. She loved him so much; she sat by the edge of the lake waiting for his return. She waited for months, wasting away until she died. Even in death, though, she waited by the lake, haunting travelers…."

"But, that doesn't explain the fog." Will interjected quietly.

"No… no it doesn't. There must be something… upsetting her or something. But I can't imagine what."

"Has anything changed over the past month or so?" Jake said, tiredly. He leaned his head against Wills shoulder and closed his eyes. It had been a horribly long and stressful day.

"I… can't think of anything… This town has been very…xenophobic for as long as Lisa and I have been here to notice. "

"But you said they were kind to you two."

"They were!" Robbie cried defensively, "But we were children. I'm surprised they were even so kind to you, they were so reluctant to even ask for your help, but we couldn't go outside…" he sighed. "Things were bad…" He sighed sadly and stared into the orange glow from the fire.

"That's… very odd." Robbie nodded.

"You two ought to get some sleep." He said suddenly. "I'm sure you'll want to solve all our problems tomorrow." He laughed forcefully, stood up and strode off. Will sighed and dragged himself to his feet.

"Come on Jacob, let's get to bed." Jake looked up at him from the floor.

"But… what do you think of all this?" Will glared at him, exhausted.

"I'm too tired, Jake. We'll talk about it tomorrow, alright?" Jake sighed sadly. His curious side was dying to discuss it now. "Come on… You've got to be exhausted too." It was true. His eyes hurt even in the dim light that filled the inn. He thought about how to answer Will until his pounding head decided for him.

"You're right." He grinned softly. "You're always right," he added almost silently.

"No I'm not." Will breathed, almost as quietly. And just then, something clicked.

XO

I just realized I've had this chapter done for just about over a month. Dayum. I've been so busy lately, what with school and I was in a play that just finished. Ack. So. I'm hoping to finish this story up soon. It's kinda dragging. Thanks for sticking in there, and REVIEWING! Lol. Yea. Wuve-Kagii