The afternoon sunbathed the buildings in its warm lights. Kensington high street was overcrowded with people, especially at the shopping district. She and her best friend Renna were out to get some supplies in one of the department stores. It was quite common to see people out on a Saturday. However, it genuinely surprised her to see these many people out and about when the economy was literally crashing from Britain's great depression. The wealthiest people were clearly unfazed by it to say the least.

As they walked down the cramped sidewalk with their arms interlocked to not lose each other inside the massive crowd. Until they arrived at their destination at the department store which specializes in drapery. Both had taken tailoring classes in their early teens and had been creating their own clothes since it was cheaper and convenient. As they set foot inside, they were instantly giddy and began to rummage around the place for specific pieces of fabric, such as linen, dimity and voile.

With summer right around the corner, it was essential that they'd purchase these types of fabrics before they eventually sell out. Soon they paid for their supplies and then had wandered around the sidewalk and that's when they stumbled upon a small vintage shop.

"Let's go inside, Renna." She suggested which earned a wary glance from her friend.

"I'm not sure, Laura."

"Please, just this once?" She sent her a pleading look, with her lips curling down and her brows were furrowed too. It wasn't long before Renna groaned whilst rolling her eyes.

"Fine, fine. But if the manager does anything shady, I'll be leaving you behind!"

Laura celebrated her victory with a quiet 'yes' before entering the store with her unhappy friend following behind. They were greeted with a soft jingle just above the door and there was jazz music in the background. The overall atmosphere of the shop was still with a hint scent of Lavandula lingering in the air, there was no person in sight, not even the cashier.

She didn't mind the stillness of the shop, in fact, it's relieving than the loud chatter from the outside. Then Laura wanders around looking through various antiques that were on display until she reached the book section. Her green eyes scanned through the dusty books when her attention was drawn to a lone necklace in between two books. She steps closer and reaches out to grab the necklace off the shelves before holding it up to her face. It was a green crystal pendant with an antique textured gold brass chain, with a toggle clasp.

Laura held on to the necklace as she made her way towards the front desk. "Hello?"

There was no response from the back room of the store, it's as if the store itself was deserted apart from Renna and herself. Unsure of what to do at first until she heard light footsteps approaching. She perked up to see a middle-aged woman with long gray hair which was neatly combed into loose curls.

"Sorry for not coming sooner. What can I help you with?"

She then holds out the necklace to the owner. "I'd like to purchase this lovely necklace that was on display."

Once she purchased the item, Laura walks out of the shop and sees Renna leaning against the plexiglass from the store she was in. Renna glances over to her a wave of relief flashing across her brown eyes as she pushes herself off the glass.

"Took you long enough!"

Laura sent her a sheepish smile. "I still don't understand why you hate vintage stores so much. The lady didn't mistreat me."

Renna huffs and pushes back a loose strand of her auburn hair. "I don't dislike them, but I've seen some items inside the shop that are just… questionable."

She hums in thought. "Like what?"

"Items… that are used in… rituals like witchcraft…" Renna trails off, clearly uncomfortable just talking about the topic itself. Her posture tense and her eyes nervously darting around.

Laura knew of Renna's overall disdain for magic and anything that revolves around fairy tales. Renna was never like this, however. She used to enjoy hearing about folktales and the potential proof of magic existing. But something had happened when they were in their teens that changed Renna's mindset and now she heavily disapproves of it altogether.

"Are you sure? It could've simply been ingredients lying around that were used for medicinal purposes in the Middle Ages." Laura gently reassured her and was pleased with herself when Renna had begun to relax.

Renna smiles gratefully to her. "Thanks, Laura."

"What are friends for, right?"

...

Night falls, the darkened sky is dotted with countless small stars and nocturnal critters of all shapes and sizes are now active. They roam out in the open searching for food and fighting for their territory. There was soft rustling of the leaves, however there was an unusual sound that stood out, it was soft thuds of items being thrown from inside a house.

"Where is it? - I can't find it anywhere!" Laura exclaimed as she stumbled out of her walk-in closet which was in disarray.

She has been searching nonstop since her return from her outing with Renna. It was just like any other day when she would come home. Laura would head upstairs to her room and organize her purchases right on top of her bed. When she had accidentally knocked over her violin case and went to pick it up only to find out that her violin was absent inside its case. In a state of panic, she had quite literally turned her house upside down in less than an hour in search of her instrument but turned up empty-handed.

It was already half past ten and she was unsuccessful in finding the violin. Laura stomped down the stairs until she reached the living room and then threw herself on the couch. Her face was pressed up against the cream-colored square pillow where she proceeded to groan loudly in frustration. She felt utterly exhausted before carelessly removing her shoes and allowing them to fall off the edge of the couch with a light thud. With her left arm dangling off the couch and was greeted by a soft sensation grazing against her forearm. Laura lifts her head and turns to see her ragdoll cat staring directly at her with his large blue eyes.

"Hey Tiger…" She greets her feline friend with a smile and then gently rubs her index finger on the side of his cheek, to which he purred in delight.

She continued to pet him for a bit longer until she was too tired to do so and was slowly falling asleep. Then there was a light tapping sound coming from her glass door. Not thinking much of it and attempting to fall back asleep when the noise became quite persistent to gain her attention.

Laura huffed, pushing herself off the comfort of her couch and then walked over to the glass door. She unlocked it and slid the door open where the chilly breeze of the night pricked her skin with light kisses. Her tired eyes looking around her small rectangular yard, it wasn't much but she made sure to add in some appeasing plants into her garden.

There were harebell, chicory, and foxglove flowers which are about to bloom in the summer were inside used and old glass containers. Off to the side were a variety of pots for different vegetables she was growing for the summer. Around her space there was a thick layer of shrubbery and finally a singular apple tree in the middle.

She was deeply confused. What even made that noise? It was probably just a rat—

MEOOW

Laura instantly yelped and hugged the side of her door for dear life until she glanced down. The culprit was Tiger who simply stared up at her. "JESUS—Tiger, you scared me half to death!"

Then her eyes moved to see an item that Tiger was sitting right next to. It was her violin!

Her face lit up before she bent over to pick up her violin eagerly. The violin was made entirely out of iridescent glass with golden brass designs around the front of the instrument. In between the strings there was a neatly folded letter attached to it. She removed the letter and then unraveled it, reading what was written inside.

"Dear Miss,

I apologize for giving you a scare the previous night. But during the scuffle, you left behind your instrument and had left in a hurry. I attempted to follow you and return it but lost sight of where you'd gone. To my luck, I stumbled across you today and decided to follow you home and return what rightfully belonged to you. Again, I humbly apologize for following you in advance. Please tread carefully next time you decide to wander around in the late hours of the night, especially within the woods.

Sincerely,

Sir Daniel Fortesque."

Laura pulled back and scanned her yard with wide eyes for any signs of her savior but unfortunately there was none. She didn't notice this up until this point, but she could feel her saviors gaze watching her from afar. Perhaps she had misunderstood him during the attack, I mean he did save her after all.

She smiled gratefully, her green eyes still searching for him in the dark. "Thank you, Sir Daniel Fortesque."

Suddenly a gust of wind sweeps right by her sending chills down her exposed skin. She didn't want to catch a cold, so she ushered her cat inside before following suit into the warmth of her humble abode. Unbeknownst to her, Sir Daniel Fortesque had been watching her as she went inside to ensure she was safe and sound. His cheekbones were raised indicating that he was smiling before eventually taking his leave into the night.