I gingerly began to sit up, taking it slowly so I didn't encourage the return of whatever happened to my body earlier. Eyes wide, I turned my head, looking in all directions. Nothing was familiar. Everything around me was foreign. My breathing began to intensify, coming in shorter, sharper gasps. My head began to whip around, more and more violent. My eyes couldn't manage to focus on anything and that headache from earlier was starting to come back with a vengeance, pounding and pounding.

Then I made eye contact.

My breath caught. Someone was walking past, watching me with judgemental eyes. I then noticed the various other glances I was getting from passers-by. With each person I noticed watching me, my face got hotter till it was practically burning. My head shot down, breaking all eye contact and preventing any more. I was living one of my worst nightmares. I needed to get all this attention off me.

Releasing the breath I'd been holding, I decided I had to get up and away from the centre of the road. That was the easiest way to make myself less attention grabbing and more innocuous. Resolving myself, with a deep breath in, I stood up. My legs trembled slightly, mimicking my stomach, but I pushed forward with my head down, pointedly making sure I did not make eye contact anymore.

Stumbling to the side of the road, I shuffled along the building fronts until I found a little alleyway I could fit down that wasn't filled to the brim with trash. Planting myself next to the least offensive bags of rubbish, I curled in on myself. Arms around my knees, I sunk my head into the crook of my legs and blocked myself off from the outside world. My warm, moist breath was the only thing I smelled, felt, breathed.

There, in a place where the battle between my instincts to panic and my analytical side to remain calm had reached an impasse, that is where I reached a dazed state that was almost meditative, almost delusional, not quite conscious. I stayed there. Don't know how long. Could've been seconds. Could've been minutes. I stayed. To try and calm. Contemplate. Reach a state where I could think. No longer feel like I need to eject my innards and rid my body of all moisture by way of tears.

It's different. I don't know this place. I've never- Never been here. It's just… I… Th-… Where on Earth am I? Why, no, what? I can't. This... Why?

Darkness and colours swirled, light pulsated and shrank in little rings like going through a tunnel backwards. Little sparkles appeared around the edge of my vision, and at this, I began to feel my body relax. This was familiar. This sight. The appearance when I closed my eyes was still the same as ever. Not everything was different.

My stomach began to calm, as did my thoughts. I clung to that one familiar thing like a lifeline in turbulent waters. It wasn't much, or really even anything that one would normally feel relieved about, but if it was something that I could steady myself with, then I'll damn well take whatever I can get no matter how silly. If my brain says this is good, then it's good.

Suddenly my entire body sprung open and tensed at the intrusion of a loud thud. A new bag of rubbish had joined me in the alleyway. Poking my head up over the bags around me, I looked further into the alley to see a man's back retreat into a side door for one of the buildings. I blinked, still in a bit of shock at the rude awakening from my trance, yet almost thankful for the wake-up call.

This was still a society. There were people and shops and jobs. That was also the same. Another thing.

It wasn't all necessarily "completely foreign." Just not exactly the same as what I knew.

I took solace in that.

Having been calmed by these pieces of driftwood, these life rafts in the ocean, I began to organise my thoughts.

Is it reasonable to be panicked? Abso-fucking-lutely. Do I have the time and energy to waste wallowing in this now? No. Not now. Later. Off to the side.

I whisked the thoughts of distress and panic to the very depth of my brain, moving them out of the forefront with a sideways push of my hand. A deep breath in, I slapped my thighs twice, brought my hands up in fists, and with a deep breath out, released the fists in a slow sweeping movement away from my body. To finally rid myself of the unproductive emotions and thoughts, I shook my body from head to toe.

Okey. Dokey. Let's get it.

I glanced around once more, deciding to make a little fort-like thing of the rubbish bags for me to contemplate in without worry of watchful and judgemental eyes. I stacked them up two-high either side of me, with single bags on the ground in front to fence my cross-legged self in.

First point of contention: where the fuck is this?

From the very narrow bit of the place I saw out the entrance of the alley, it definitely wasn't anywhere I recognised. The buildings weren't quite like what is usually around the area I live, but they weren't necessarily that crazy ridiculously different. Sort of a bit of an older look? More European? Or not. Maybe it's just one of the places that was built up a while ago, like those suburbs closer to the city, so they have older buildings.

That isn't truly too big of a matter, though. I'm still in a place where I can communicate with people so I can just ask for any of that information I need. Now secondly, and more importantly, how did I get here?

Kidnapping was definitely the first thing that came to mind. But if I was kidnapped, then why would they just drop me in the middle of a random street and leave me there? It doesn't make any sense. I'd mentally almost crossed that option off my list entirely.

I had no blindfold, no gag, no restraints of any sort on me (rope or otherwise), so there was no way I was kidnapped and accidentally dropped here in the process of my translocation. There was no dull feeling of having recently had something tied around my body, so it wasn't likely I'd been kidnapped and released here for some reason. Even the stupidest kidnapper would want to make sure their charge was restrained in the event they woke up before they reached their destination and tried to escape.

There was the possibility that this was a prank that's gone a step too far, but who the fuck would see a person who's just passed out for reasons unknown and think "this is a great opportunity to fuck with them."

If this really was a prank, I might murder the person who orchestrated the whole thing.

Once again, though, I had almost entirely crossed this off the list of possibilities purely because it seemed far too outlandish. Some pranks take things too far, but I don't think I've ever seen someone transport a person who's unexpectedly fainted or passed out for the sake of their prank.

Maybe amnesia induced by the headache? That seemed a bit out there to just lose your memory from a headache that wasn't even head trauma-induced, but I guess still a possibility. I ain't no med student so don't know for certain, but I feel like intense pain could potentially have that effect.

The only other possibility I could think of was that I was dreaming. Lucid dreaming, specifically. Everything was from my perspective and too cohesive and clear for it to be a normal dream. Plus, I was consciously controlling things within the dream and sensations were very clear.

I mean, there's also sleep walking, but I've not been known to do that before so don't think that's really an option to consider.

So, from that deduction, I'm probably dreaming. It doesn't really make sense, but it makes the most sense of the options available to explain my current predicament.

It truly is odd how vivid every sensation is, though. I've felt sensations within dreams before, but never with the crispness and abundance that is present here. I've never had a lucid dream before so have no point of reference on that front, but maybe that's at least how my brain is?

Thinking about that anymore will get me nowhere. Let's just decide to assume that this is a dream but treat it like the amnesia scenario just in case it isn't. I don't feel like making a fool of myself anymore today.

Okay, next then. What do I do now? I guess I should just… explore and look around? Attempt to gather some information? If this is a dream, I could use the weird shit my brain comes up with to create a setting for a story or something. 'Cause we know the weird shit my brain do can be very fascinating at times. And then if this is in fact the amnesia scenario, the information gathered through exploration will help me get home.

I think I'll just have to take it as it comes. It's not like I can really plan things out with the current situation. I don't know where I am. I don't know how I got here. I don't know if this is a dream or not.

I just have to wing it.

I had walked around town for a few hours, making sure to be extra aware of the turns I made in case I needed to return to the location I woke up in. I don't know why I might need to do that, but I still made sure to be attentive to that on the off chance it became important.

The buildings definitely gave me a slightly more European vibe overall, yet looking up over the rooftops, I could see buildings much more reminiscent of skyscrapers. It felt a bit odd to see those more modern towering shapes in this port town where among the newer motorised boats, classic old wooden sailing ships docked. I glanced one such ship come to port earlier and watched in fascination as the sailors disembarked.

The men were all dressed in typical fictional sailor get-up with bandanas and ascots. They unloaded massive wooden crates and barrels as a gruff older man, undoubtedly the captain, barked orders at them, puffing on a pipe all the while. A younger man stood next to him, seemingly the second-in-command, marking things off on a clipboard and occasionally mentioning something to the captain.

They hastily unloaded all the cargo and upon confirmation from the captain and newly arrived client, the sailors hurried off with a cheer, likely on their way to get plastered at a local bar. It felt like I was watching a fantasy show.

I'd entered some local stores earlier, perusing the available wares. The more knick-knack and souvenir-centred stores held a lot of nautical-themed products. Ships in bottles, anchor paperweights, imitation sailor hats and bandanas. The classic collector's spoon. I felt bad entering these stores and giving the employees hopes of a sale when, in fact, I had no money on me, but I was too curious not to enter and have a look around.

I'd also snuck a peak in the window of a café down one of the many streets. It was a quaint and homely little mum and pap's shop. I had chanced a look at the signboard out front featuring their opening times and daily specials, and it seemed apple tart was their most famous dish.

At least, I'm pretty sure that's what it said. It wasn't actually written in English.

It was written in some language I did not know, yet I could inherently understand what it said. Like a language I never knew that I knew. It was the same with the spoken words. It was not English, yet I could speak it. I heard it and my brain understood, verbally responding in kind. I guess that's a feature of this dream world.

The sun was now beginning to set, blessing everything in a beautiful golden-orange glow. It truly was a beautiful town. The reflection off the water of the vibrant sky and burning sun was exquisite. Silhouettes of ships were darkened by the brightly shining light from the horizon, creating a stunning stark contrast, almost seeming like a shadow puppetry performance of 'an evening in the harbour.'

The foot traffic changed with the setting sun, reducing around the shopping districts. Instead, bars and restaurants were bustling with rowdy patrons, abuzz with excitement for the night ahead. The smells of various foods wafted through the air tantalisingly, enticing hungry wanderers to enter and engorge themselves.

I found myself drifting closer to these establishments until my brain kicked in, reminding me of my lack of money.

I then found myself puzzled.

It wasn't simply the delicious smells and promise of yummy food that made me want to eat. I was actually hungry. I could feel my tummy rumble and growl like a chained beast waiting to be fed.

Just as before, though, I still had no money. No money meant no food. And seeing as I decided to treat this as if it weren't a dream world on the off chance it wasn't, there's no way I was going to risk stealing in this new place. So hungry I stayed.

The sun had properly, well and truly disappeared below the horizon, covering everything in darkness. The streetlamps lit along the piers, some more dispersed ones lining the inner streets accompanied by wall lamps.

My stomach had not settled like the sun had. It grew more and more impatient for input, but I had nothing to give. I was also really starting to feel the bite of the chilly ocean wind. My jeans and t-shirt weren't gonna cut it if I wanted to stay warm, but once again: no money.

It was starting to sink in that it was night-time. I was hungry and cold and tired. And I had nowhere to sleep.

Wait… I had nowhere to sleep. I didn't have a home or a room or any form of shelter that existed in this town.

…How was I going to survive?

All the inns would probably be full or not open for check-in this late (plus I don't have a wallet). I needed food (but I don't have a wallet). I needed a jacket for warmth (but no wallet to purchase it).

I wandered mindlessly, unsure really of what to do next or where to go. I couldn't browse any shops because they had shut hours ago, but I didn't have a home to return to. I could look out at the water, but with no jacket to keep me warm? I'd freeze.

With no other destinations in mind, I returned to where I found myself earlier in the day. The street was empty, the watchful eyes from before all cosied up in their abodes. I walked to the middle of the street and stared at the ground, long and hard, examining each and every speck of the paved street I could see in the dim light.

Slowly lowering myself, I lay just as I had prior. On my back, in the middle of the road, I gazed at the stars. The section of sky I could see was framed by buildings, yet the sheer number of stars visible within that restricted area was incredible.

I stayed there, simply being present in the moment.

…for about a minute and then got the fuck out of there 'cause the streets were damn breezeways for the cold ass ocean wind.

With little effort, I found the alleyway I had holed up in immediately after waking up. I had found cleaner and nicer alleyways during my earlier exploration of the city that I could have used instead of this one, but I held some attachment to this location. Plus, the only things in those alleys were boxes. I couldn't very well attempt to keep myself warm with a box, so here I was.

Entering, the rushing breeze disappeared, cut off from this small space. The air may still have been nippy, but at least I wasn't being pelted with cold air every other moment. I shimmied towards my mini fort from earlier, finding it was still mostly intact save one stray new garbage bag that had infiltrated the stronghold. Going to move it out of the way, I discovered the bag's contents was surprisingly soft and squishy in a comfy way. It wasn't a pillow or anywhere near as good, but it was better than hard pavement.

After examining the remaining bags, the least offensive ones were collected. I laid down, placing the bags around my curled-up form like a wall. The squishy one went under my head as three got placed on top of my body—a makeshift blanket, that while inferior to any proper blanket, was the best I could do in these dire circumstances.

My bedding arranged, I relaxed into the cold pavement and closed my eyes.

If this was a dream, then I shouldn't have even needed to sleep, but I can tell you that I definitely needed sleep 'cause I was now real damn tired. I barely slept a wink.

The combined discomfort of the hard ground and cold air had me yearning for my warm cosy bed back home and kept me from being able to find any comfortable position. Even when I finally found a somewhat pleasant position to lay in, the emotions and thoughts I had swept to the dark recesses of my mind began to bubble up to the surface as soon as my grip on consciousness loosened. I had to stay conscious to keep them subdued.

Plus, every little sound had me flinching and looking around, keeping watchful eyes on my surroundings for my safety. I was constantly aware of the fact that I was a young girl, sleeping outside in an alley in a completely unknown place.

I didn't get zero sleep, however. I passed out a couple of times from exhaustion which made the transition from conscious to unconscious almost instant, not allowing those buried feelings to resurface before I became fully unconscious. I don't really know if "passing out" counts as sleep, but at least my brain was allowed to rest for those spans of about 30 minutes that I was out for.

The light of the sun was beginning to penetrate the alley with a soft glow. I sat up, wiping my eyes as my trash blanket fell off and around me. Suddenly curious, I gripped the bottom of my t-shirt between my fingers and brought it up to my nose. A couple of sniffs later and I shrugged.

I've smelled worse.

Registering that I was up and moving again, my stomach restarted its yelling contest with a vengeance. The presence of the night and fact that it's usually when I sleep caused it to go into hibernation, but my stomach was an early riser and awakened with the sun.

I really wanted something to distract me from my intense hunger. I needed to keep my mind off food before I said fuck it and went cannibal. At this time of morning, all I, a homeless penniless child could do, was either go for a stroll or sit and be an onlooker to nature and the activities of others. So sitting it was.

I walked a few blocks from my home base—the newly dubbed Trash Alley—quickly reaching the bay. It was a large harbour, the land curving almost like a crescent moon to create this port town. The town was concentrated in the middle of the curve, while forests surrounded the town. At each tip of the crescent that enclosed the bay was a lighthouse, guiding the ships that ventured into these waters. I had decided then and there that if I got the opportunity, I needed to experience the view from the heads, preferably at dawn or dusk.

Finding a piece of pier that was unoccupied, I sat down and basked in the rising sun's warm rays as I watched the sailors ready their ships. Many had risen before sunset to load their vessels, some ships already having set sail and become ants on the horizon.

My body tingled as it absorbed the well-missed heat of the day. I could feel life being breathed back into me. My body was still burdened by the lack of sleep and food, but at least being cold was no longer one of my concerns for the day.

Leaning back, using my arms as support, I contemplated. I have been in this place for about 15 hours now. I have experienced hunger, cold and exhaustion. This couldn't be a dream.

Yet it also couldn't be reality, because I could understand the words of a foreign language.

If this wasn't a dream or reality, then what the fuck was it? Thinking further on it will not help me achieve an answer though, so while still highly curious about the final verdict, I pushed this aside to join my panic from yesterday in a deep corner of my brain.

No matter what this is or where I am, I'm hungry. I'm tired. I need shelter. And a job will help me satisfy all my issues. I guess it's time to go job hunting.

Waiting for the sun to properly rise and the town to awaken, I tried to straighten out my hair somewhat. I'd slept among trash, for god's sake, and my hair hadn't seen a brush in over a day, so it was in dire need.

I removed the hair tie from my ponytail and released my brown hair, now hanging down to my shoulder blades. Inserting my fingers into my hair, I massaged my scalp to readjust the resting position of my hair follicles. A tingle ran across my scalp and down my spine from the pleasing sensation. Beginning on the knots, I ran my fingers through the ends of my hair, starting at the very bottom so I hopefully didn't accidentally create super knots that would be impossible to remove with fingers alone.

I used this time I spent sorting out my hair as a bit of therapy. Being meticulous and concentrated on this single task helped take my mind off the more pressing and concerning issues, allowing me to be more singly present and calm.

Seeing it was about time for people to be opening shop, I ceased my therapy session. I grabbed all my hair save two small locks either side of my face and threw it up into the usual high pony. The everyday routine of doing my hair being a familiar element within this unknown space was another thing that made me able to relax.

I stood up from my position at the pier, dusting off my clothes and attempting to straighten my crumpled t-shirt somewhat. Sleeping in it hadn't done my outward appearance any favours.

I gathered up my courage before walking off down the streets, in search of any store that had 'now hiring' signs out front.

I quickly found one after a short walk down a retail street. It was on the shop front of a quirky little souvenir store with a variety of unique items displayed in their windows. The sign said, 'No experience necessary, immediate start,' which is exactly the thing I was looking for. The bell on the door rang as I entered.

"Welcome!" the shop attendant called. I heard some movement further in the shop before quick footsteps resounded. As she rounded the corner, she beamed a cheery smile and asked, "Did you need help with anything today?"

I fidgeted nervously, never having encountered a situation where I was asking for a job before. I'd never applied or even looked for a job, concentrating more on my studies and hobbies while I still could. Being my first time job-hunting in addition to this whole 'asking for a job in-person' thing was making my stomach do flips.

"Uh, well," I began, fiddling with my fingers, "I actually came to inquire about the job availability from your sign out the front."

Her smile immediately changed from a bright smile to a smaller, curated business smile. She eyed me up and down, her smile diminishing with each inch she observed.

"I am currently in dire need of a job," I added, wondering if maybe she'd take pity on me and just hire me.

Mouth now set in a line, firm gaze upon me, she held me in place with her expression.

"Do you have any work experience?" she suddenly asked, breaking the silence.

"…No, I don't." I felt meek in front of this lady. She held my ability to live within her hand, so I didn't want to seem unfit for the position, but I couldn't lie when she looked at me in the eyes with such confidence and knowingness.

"Do you have a home or place of residence?" she continued.

"Uh, no, not really." My eyes wandered down to the floor. I was a bit too ashamed to look her in the eye. "I was hoping the money from working could help me afford a place. Or that maybe," I looked back up at her face with a small nervously hopeful smile, "there would be board available. Even at the cost of my paycheck is fine, I just need somewhere I can stay."

"I'm sorry, but there is no board available for this job."

I immediately deflated.

"And we will not be hiring you."

My body sagged. All hope in my face gone.

"We cannot risk the possibility of you harming our shop's image with your unkempt appearance and odour. Having that physical presentation with no way to rectify it and being unfamiliar with the work is too many negative elements to possess for us to consider hiring you. If you manage to obtain a place of residence, then we can speak again if the opening is still there." Her cheery smile from before returned to her face in a blinding rush. "Have a nice day!" And with that, she turned on her heel and returned to the back of the store where she had sprung from earlier.

I held too many hopes for my first job inquiry. I walked out of the store feeling completely and utterly defeated. Everything she said made perfect sense. Who would want to hire a smelly, crumpled, homeless teen with no work experience?

The negative thoughts swirling about my brain made me want to return to home base and just wallow for a while, surrounded by the trash bags I had become acquainted with.

But I couldn't. I had to get a job. I was starving, and the only way I could see myself getting food was by working to earn money.

I worked up my courage again, but this time made sure I kept my hopes as low as I could. I'd have to be persistent to be able to find a job in the state I was.

Five shops later and still no luck. They all refused, quoting the same core reasons as that first lady had. My spirits were damp. But I had to keep searching. Changing tack, I decided to go and attempt to find some lower end shops that looked like they were a bit worse for wear and hopefully less picky about employees.

I did eventually find stores matching my mental image and description. None had hiring signs out front, but I decided to go in and ask just in case. As expected, though, I once again returned empty handed.

These shops had quoted some of the same reasons as prior ones, but they also noted they didn't have the money to be able to hire more people. And so jobless I remained.

All the rejection had me feeling really dejected and worn down. I had to stop and restore some of my energy. I went back to the pier and simply sat for a long while, watching the goings-on of seamen, travellers and locals.

Somewhat recharged, I changed my strategy again, now entering all the shops I found that seemed busy or like they were potentially understaffed. I tried store after store. Street after street. Nothing.

Dusk began to fall again after my third break, bringing an end to my attempts at getting hired. And there I was, the hungriest I had ever been, still homeless, still jobless.

The rejections hurt less now that I had become accustomed to them because of the quantity I'd experienced today. I was more easily able to keep my poker face on and exit with grace, hopefully leaving better impressions upon those later stores.

I returned to Trash Alley, stomach loud enough for a noise complaint. I now also registered how parched my throat had become from the lack of a drink of any sort in over 24 hours, previously too distracted by all the other stimuli to notice.

Trash properly rearranged to match yesterday's configuration, I laid down and covered myself in garbage bags once more. Tears tried to well up and burst forth as I recalled the events of the day. I'd had to relieve myself in an alley earlier, and it was the most humiliating experience of my life. It made it truly dawn on me how bad my situation was. Even still, I blinked back my tears.

I can't very well be losing more moisture when I don't know the next time I'll have a drink.

I chuckled at that, but it came out strangled, sounding sad and morbid. My small smile fell into a sad grimace as I closed my eyes, my brain attempting to push the thoughts away. Like that, feeling nothing good, I tried to sleep.

Same as the night before, I was unable to properly do so. It was cold, it was uncomfortable, and my brain refused to shut up with the depressing thoughts. Even better, in the darkest hours of the night when not a soul was awake and the weather became its coldest, the rain began. It wasn't a lot, and it wasn't for long, but it was far more than enough for a homeless person.

At first, I huddled into a ball and held a bag over my head like an umbrella, attempting to wait out the rain, but my body was getting soaked to the bone. I then abandoned the alley and curled up at a storefront under their awning, shivering.

I watched the rain shower down a metre in front of me, larger drops dripping off the edge of the cover. There were also a few constant streams that flowed off the awning, enticing me with their watery goodness.

Thinking why not, and especially seeing as I didn't know when the next opportunity for hydration would arise, I took this chance and drank from the flows. It didn't taste good, having a particular taste of dirt and dust, but it was water, and it quenched my thirst. It also drenched my shirt, there not being a particularly easy way to go about drinking it. The splashing caused from impeding the collected water's fall made my wet shirt even more so.

Satisfied, I returned to being huddled under the shelter, shivering more violently than ever.

With the appearance of people on the streets in the early hours, I returned to the alley to relax a bit longer. It was hard because of the damp ground and wet rubbish bags, but I still tried to lay down even for a little bit.

Shortly after, the sun rose once more. I didn't repeat my actions of yesterday morning, too exhausted from the sleep deprivation to manage anything more than laying down right now. The sun rose and rose in the sky, eventually managing to beat down on my damp self that was hidden away in the alley.

I basked in the brief warmth it provided, allowing it to dry my clothing. Once the sun moved further, it could no longer manage to reach the floor of the alley. I took that as my signal to restart my job search.

Like I had finished the day with yesterday, I looked for stores that seemed like they might need more hands on-deck. And just as yesterday, I got rejected. Due to the rain and another day passing without a proper shower, I smelled far more pungent and looked even grottier, so the rejections I received were harsher.

"Young lady!" a voice suddenly called out as I was walking along a street after my 6th attempt today.

Assuming it was for someone else, I continued walking, my eyes down on the road ahead.

"Young lady!" the voice called once more. Curious about the situation at hand, I looked up and around in search of the voice in question. I turned around to find an old lady a short distance away, speed walking as fast as her old body would allow towards me.

"I was right, it was you, dear!" she exclaimed as she came closer. I was a bit flabbergasted, unsure why she was approaching me with such vigour and tenacity.

Once she was close enough, she grabbed my shoulders, turning me one way and the other as she looked me all over.

"How did you manage to get yourself in such a state?"

I just stood there frozen, unsure how to respond to this old lady, feeling very overwhelmed thanks to the sleep deprivation.

"Dear? Is something the matter? Are you alright?"

Within my foggy brain, those words rang familiar. I tilted my head, scrunching up my eyebrows as I attempted to rack my brain for why that felt familiar. And then it was as if the fog cleared.

"Oh, you're from yester- I mean two days ago," I fumbled out.

Her expression brightened with my recognition. "Yes, yes, that's right, dear. Are you alright? You don't look too well, and your clothes are a mess. Did you not manage to make it home?" she asked, clearly worried for me. Her hands began to pat my body around, examining my sad state.

"Ah, ahaha, funny story…" I trailed off, looking away from her eyes, contemplating how to phrase that I was homeless and without a job without burdening her with the information.

"Don't tell me…" her expression darkened as she paused. "Did you run away from home?"

"Hah! I wish," I blurted out, not being able to filter my thoughts as well as usual because of my tiredness. I immediately shut my mouth tight, staring directly at my shoes.

"Wait, are you homeless?"

My shoes were looking very interesting today.

"You should have told me earlier, child. Here, follow me." She grabbed my hand and began to lead me off in the direction she had come from.

Panicked, I dug my feet into the ground, trying to stop her from continuing forward.

"Oh nono, I can't. I can't make you do that for me," I mumbled out, shaking my head furiously.

"You're not making me do this, I want to do this," she countered with a harsh look. "You don't seem like you'd last more than a couple of days after this."

Attempting to remove my hand from her iron grip to little avail, I weakly muttered, "It's fine, I'll figure it out. I can't let you just take care of me."

"So, it's okay if you do something in return?"

I blinked a few times, stopping in my escape attempt.

"Excellent, that seems like a yes to me."

Still in shock, she proceeded to drag me off presumably towards her house while I stumbled after her, trying to recollect myself and my balance.