Chapter 2 "A new world."

Claire felt like she had the best sleep in ages. The kind where it was to wake up and almost feel like everything is alright. This time her mind was blank, no stress, no worry, no reflection on her relationship with Leon. She moved her body slightly and noticed a slow aching pulse at her head and chest.

Her stomach gurgled too loudly for her liking.

Claire's nose wrinkled to a strange aroma, incense? Who uses this around? As far as she knew, very rarely anyone in Washington. D.C. has this at their home.

The young woman moved her hand around and felt the sheet beneath her. It was not soft. They felt like linen sheets but ruined.

Finally, Claire cracked her eyes open, and the first thing she saw was an opened wooden window and a tree swaying in the wind. 'Wooden window?' She thought to herself. 'That's an odd decoration choice. But, unless this is some kind of a choice, the company made.'

There at the corner of the window, Claire noticed the incense. The ground was decorated with an old-fashioned damax tile rug. Another odd choice.

'What's the reason behind such decor?'

Her eyes focused on the wall, they were made of stone, and there is no paint to be seen.

Claire felt tightness in her heart, and the feeling increased with every second that went by. Like an elephant sat on her chest.

None of this feels right. The room had no electrical light, other than the sun rays sneaking through the window.

"Hey... are you awake?" A female voice spoke softly.

Claire pulled herself to a sitting position, tears were at the corner of her eyes, and her face turned red. "Who are you? What is this place?" She whimpered.

In front of Claire, there sat a raven-haired woman. Her hair was tied to a bun. She was wearing a dark-orange dress. The skirt of the dress, however, was not blown up. Just an ordinary dress.

The woman held her hand up and attempted to comfort her. "Milady, please don't panic. You are safe here, I promise."

The woman took a wooden mug from a tray with her and offered it. "Drink this, please. It's my special made herb medicine. It would help you relax and feel good."

Claire could see the whole house now. The place was tiny. The room she was in had another bed Claire assumed to be the woman's bed.

From the door, she could see a small table. It could be around sixty centimeters from the floor; she recognized wooden plates and mugs like the one the woman brought to her. There was another opened door with pans and kitchen necessities, a wooden table with three chairs on the other side. At a shelf of the kitchen, there were half a dozen ready candlesticks.

This can't be right. This is like an ancient era. Everything feels so real. She fainted and still opened her eyes to this place.

This does not make sense, not in the slightest.

"No, I'm not supposed to be here." Claire's voice broke as tears slid down her cheeks.

The woman placed the mug down and leaned forward. She embraced Claire in a hug and could feel Claire shake like a leaf.

"It's okay." The woman whispered in Claire's ear.

No one here can explain where she is and provide true solace.

Claire honed her thoughts. Just this morning, she was on the rooftop reflecting on how things are going in her life, and one of the last things Claire remembered was that building. Today, she started at a part-time job, serviceable payment until she found a better job. She laid down on a bed-table called the Animus, then something happened, she could recall the significant amount of pain.

The woman let go of her, and Claire could tell her smile was gentle and motherly. She is one of those women who have natural gentle natures, even at a young-unmarried age. Claire dreamed of being able to be such a source of emotional warmth and unconditional support.

"My name is Leah." The woman broke the silence. She touched Claire's cheek in observation. "You are not from around here, are you? You appear European."

Claire's mind reeled from the statement, still hoped this was a fever dream, and she is gonna wake up eventually.

That could be it.

"I'm... Claire," Her voice was still shaking, but she managed to speak nonetheless, "I'm not from... here."

Leah placed her hand on her heart, "You are in Masyaf Village. We have a good quiet life here, relatively safe."

'Relatively safe,' Claire wondered what she meant by the statement. Then, when calming down and collecting herself, Claire realized Leah had an accent. One that Claire did not come across much, but it sounded Arabic. Claire had a friend who had an Arabic accent in high school, but Leah's was definitely thicker in pronunciation.

Claire recalled some information she learned about such eras; girls are raped and sold in high numbers. It's cursed to be born a woman here.

"I…" Claire attempted to say something, but she felt her voice was lost. What was she going to tell Leah anyway?

Leah offered the mug again. This time, Claire accepted it and started sipping the water. Unfortunately, it tasted too sour for her own good. She almost gagged.

"Sorry. It is not nice. But what really matters is that it helps those who need it." Leah commented.

Leah was right. The moment she drank this, Claire felt her knotted muscles relax. An excellent remedy indeed.

"How come I'm here?" Claire said her voice is more transparent and easy to understand.

Leah retrieved the mug and returned it to the tray. Claire could see a plate with a simple bread.

"Altair brought you here. I am skilled with remedies. I work as a Chirurgeon here in the village. I am not the only one, though."

Another awkward silence consumed the room.

"I'm... sorry," Claire whispered. "You work as a what?" She never heard such a word before.

Leah looked puzzled for a moment. Claire felt like the look in her eyes was as if Claire has grown three heads.

However, Leah chose to be polite about it. She smiled back at her and answered. "I help the injured recover. I offer remedies to help with the pain, for better sleep."

A doctor, Claire realized. Unfortunately, this will not be easy to fit in, until she understands what happened and finds a way to go home.

"Did you say... Altair?" Claire asked. "That is a name, right? Pardon my ignorance. It just sounds strange."

Leah made a loud chuckle. She couldn't help.

"If I had a drink for every person who called that name weird. I would perish."

Claire wanted to smile at that moment, but she couldn't do it.

Leah noticed her reaction and stopped. She stood and heaved a sigh. She just cannot pressure the girl into laughing.

Who knows what kind of horrors she witnessed?

She went through the front door, and the very moment she opened it, the house groaned as a gust of wind bombarded it. Right outside stood a man in a white hood. He had tanned skin and a hooked nose. Most of his face was hidden within the shadow of his hood.

"How is the girl?" He asked. His voice was calm and collected.

Leah shook her head, sorrow evident on her face. "She seemed to be apprehensive. I wonder what she went through before she ended up here."

The man crossed his arms, and he was in deep thought for a moment. This mysterious girl could mean troubles would befall them soon enough. Or he could be wrong about this, and she is an innocent victim who was just able to escape from the enemy camp, wherever it was.

One of the thoughts that crossed his mind. Maybe her home was attacked?

"I have spoken to the master about her. He would like to meet her the moment she feels well."

Leah did not like the idea one bit. The girl's mental state is not good, from what she saw. The girl needs a day or so to recuperate and feels safe.

"Please, Altair, not right now. She is not injured, but at least wait for the girl to feel safe enough."

Altair was silent. First, a trait Leah is often mocked with. 'You are creeping me out when you do this.' However, it is his strange way when he feels confused about something. He is usually more talkative than that.

"I am just wondering if we should be careful if someone would come looking for her," Altair replied.

Leah frowned and placed her hands on her hips.

"Altair, son of Umar," Leah spoke, and anger was evident in her voice. "Are you implying you would exile a girl who sought help from us?"

Altair shook his head and raised his hand to stop her, "Understand me, I do not wish to leave her in harm's way." He paused for a moment to think of the following words. "But sometimes, we need to make tough decisions. For the sake of everyone else and the Creed."

Leah closed her eyes. "But Altair..."

He cut her off again. "I am a master assassin. I understand better than you."

There it is, the words Leah hated to her core. This promotion had gone to his head way too much, "I cannot believe you would throw this on my face." She replied. "Forget it. I will let you know when the girl is doing well."

With that, she went back inside her house, and she did not wait for him to answer.

Altair rubbed his temples for a moment. For a while now, he had a migraine. The failure he endured in his recent work had weighed on him. How could he explain this? There is no way he fails. It just can't be.

The moment Leah returned to the house, Claire was hiding behind the wall. A great deal of fright was evident in her face.

"Do not be afraid. Altair can sound intimidating. But he means well, and he will not harm you." Leah held her hand and lead her to the table and gestured for her to sit down.

Claire had no choice but to obey her. Nothing else could be done.

Leah placed the plate with the bread in front of her. "Go on, eat."

Her hands were shivering, but she reached for the bread and touched it. Although the bread felt rough, she brought it close to her nose. Despite its rough texture, it smelled good. She munched on a piece. It was not easy to chew. Maybe she was hungry more than she realized or the bread was well made.

Within seconds, Claire devoured it. Leah offered her a drink again, and she gladly accepted it.

Claire felt like she has not eaten anything for a hundred days. For a moment, she forgot about her problem and just enjoyed the meal before her.

Until she realized Leah was watching her in silence.

Claire stopped chewing on her food for a moment and gazed at her. "Sorry." She whispered.

Leah shook her head. "But, please, don't worry about it. Enjoy your meal. You need it."

After she finished her meal, Claire excused herself. "I just... want to sleep."

Leah wished her sweet dreams and didn't speak of this any longer.

Something Claire appreciates. She needs to be with her thoughts for a time.

She laid down on her simple bed and covered herself with the blanket.

'Alright, Claire, you need to relax. This must be some kind of a fever dream. I will wake up in the company animus room.' She encouraged herself and closed her eyes. However, sleep avoided her. For her mind was stressed.

It took her an hour to finally fall asleep.

She felt the cool air kiss her face. It reminded her so much of the air on the beach. The scent is there. Claire opened her eyes, and she saw herself in a green field.

Something screeched right next to her ear, and she flinched. She fell on her back and saw an Eagle fly from her shoulder, it dived down to attack snakes in the grass.

The hissing sound increased, and Claire counted at least ten surrounding her.

Then, confused, she dusted herself and watched the scene before her.

That Eagle was saving her life.

"Huh?" Claire noticed her own belly was big. Like a baby bump. She was wearing a grey dress and a dark green cloak.

Claire's breath quickened like someone was suffocating her. Painfully slow. Just when she thought she couldn't take it any longer.

She let out a loud gasp and pushed herself to a sitting position. Her vision was blurry at first. But slowly, she realized where she was. The incense was there in the corner, just like before, but it longer has smoked.

The window was closed. There is no light but one candle left outside of the room.

Claire assumed it was nighttime.

She was still there. In Masyaf... something.

"No... why?" She whispered and tugged at the necklace around her neck.

She pulled it from beneath her shirt and gazed at it. Purple jewels glittered ever so often, and it graced the middle. This was a gift from Leon for their five-month anniversary. Claire felt a sharp twinge in her chest the more she looked at this.

This necklace had a tracker in case of trouble. Maybe Chris would contact Leon when he sees she did not return from work.

"Please, guys, find me." She murmured. "And sue the company for all its worth."

Thank you for reading.

Thank you The95Will.