Chapter Four: Questions

With Every Legend, There's a Beginning

It all happened in one instant. Fire lit up around me. Alarmingly, I couldn't feel the heat. Why, of all things, was I worrying about that, at this particular moment? And the thought of death never crept into my mind? It didn't matter, I suppose.

My eyes were pried open, even though debris was flying everywhere and there was fire around. My hair was blown away from my neck, and I started falling backwards. Mineworkers around me dove to the ground, I saw some of them opening their mouths wide; screaming, I assumed, but I heard nothing. Forcing my eyes to quickly scan around—it wasn't an easy task, even though that seems like it should be—I didn't see Ellena anywhere. She had shot off.

Next thing I knew I was on the ground, my back and head ached for only a second, and then I started slipping into a sleep I didn't want to be in.

Hearing something, I woke up. My eyelids were too heavy for me to open them, so I started to try and get comfortable in the bed to go back to sleep. When I started to stir, aches and pain shot through me so I winced. Why do I…Right, the mines. The memories flooded back, and I quickly opened my eyes to figure out where I was. I was in a small bed, wrapped in soft sheets and quilts, and I quickly realized I was in Sake's house. The dull-colored walls, empty except for one window covered by a colorful quilt—with light seeping in wherever it could—and the two old, matching tan sofas in the far corner, and countertops with an old stove in the top right corner. My bed being in the top left, closer to the stove for warmth, and the remaining corner had a small closet, a hutch, and a large trunk. I examined everything, making sure this wasn't a dream. It felt like a dream.

Sake sat on her sofa, and when she looked over at me she hastily was on her feet and next to me. She reached for my elbow and simply wrapped her hand around it, and pain wrenched through it and I made a face.

"I think it's broken." She said. "Could just be a bad sprain, though. Take it easy for a while."

There was a pillow under it, and leaves—leaves, of all things—expertly wrapped around it, with string tying everything together and cotton poking out of the sides; a genius makeshift bandage.

The feeling I got when I was laying in the Center bed, just a few days ago, came back. I did not want to feel helpless again, so I summoned all my energy and sat up. "How's everyone? What's going on?"

"Ellena is at her mom's, Esmeralda is her name, and…She's alive, but…" She sighed, "that's about as good as it gets for her. She'll live, no doubt, but things are rough at the moment. She got it worse that you."

As she spoke, I tried to move my body around to find my weak spots so I could soon get out of the bed. "When we got into the mine, I stopped and she sprinted away from me. Before I could react, the bomb went off. She was farther than I was. Closer to the blow." Sake didn't say anything. "So, do you know who did it?"

She shook her head, "no, that sick person is still out there somewhere." She walked over to the kitchen and opened up a drawer. She took out a handful of leaves I didn't recognize. "Want some?"

"Yeah." My stomach answered for me. "What is it?"

She laughed. Her laugh was a wild laugh; loud and obnoxious, but good-hearted. "Mint leaves. I was going to put them in hot water, still want some?"

"Yes, please." My stomach grumbled loud. Sake laughed again.

"Hungry?" I nodded. "We'll eat over at Esmeralda's. I'll fix some food over there in a bit."

Sake put the leaves in the big pot of boiling water and stirred it with a stick. Then she came to my side and examined my elbow. "New leaves…" She muttered to herself. She walked to the foot of the bed and fumbled around the large trunk. "Where could I find more cotton?!" She continued muttering things to herself as I lay back down. The smell of mint flooded the tiny house. I had only smelled mint a few times before. The shop owners, Abe and Lilliana, had brewed some mint water for the adults one time when we went over there to eat on a holiday. Other rare times, I had eaten different flavored mints. Spearmint was my favorite, if I was remembering correctly. It almost lulled me to sleep if a few big bangs on the door didn't make me jump up.

Sake had a frightened look on her face. "Hide! Hide! Hide!" She whispered frantically to me. I started to climb out of bed when my back stopped me. It felt like someone had shot me through the back. She darted over to me and yanked me up, causing me more pain, and pulled me over to the open trunk. She made wild motions trying to tell me to climb in while more knocks banged on the door.

My vision became blotchy as I climbed in. She shut the trunk gently, not making a noise while doing so, and I stayed completely still; clutching my elbow.

A deep voice said something at a low tone, and Sake answered: "Oh, no sir, I don't have any family." The man talked more. I wish I could have heard. "What?! But, but, I can hardly—" The man interrupted her, this time yelling. But his yelling sounded like gibberish through the trunk walls, so I couldn't understand him at all.

"Yes, yes sir." I heard two sets of footsteps, one light and graceful, and the other clanking of large boots. "Here you are." Sake said.

"Good day, ma'am." The man said, frighteningly close to the trunk I was hiding in. The door squeaked and slammed. He must have closed it. After a moment the light footsteps came in my direction and the trunk lid opened.

"I'm sorry, Cynthia, you must be in so much pain." She said sympathetically. She gently helped me out and back over to the bed. Yes, it was painful being in there, but luckily she had extra blankets and fabrics in there that supported my back, but my squished legs were pressed against jars and such.

Lying back down in bed, a slight garble of pain slipped through my lips.

"Oh, Cynthia." She sat next to me and rubbed my shoulder. "I wish there was more I could do. Ready for some hot mint water?" I nodded. She walked over and dipped a brown mug in the water and brought it over to me. I brought it to my nose and sniffed. It was so refreshing and cleaned my senses so well. I took a sip, the hot mint was delicious.

"So who was the person at the door?" I asked once Sake had gotten herself a cup.

"A guard. Since I don't have any family here, that means I didn't have anyone injured, so I had to give him money. He says it's 'for the families who have losses' but I don't believe that one bit. Do you think Esmeralda will get any of that money? No. But Jubilife will." She shook her head.

"That's so horrible. Is anyone trying to figure out who or what caused this bomb?" Concern flicked in my voice. Genuine concern, of course, because even though I was only in this town for probably just minutes—until I got blown up—I felt sympathy. Everyone here was nice, no one deserved the mistreatment.

"Maybe… It's hard to tell." She sighed. "Ready to try and get moving again? We should head over to Esmeralda's." Nodding, she helped me to my feet. My head felt stuffed full of cotton, much like my makeshift bandage, and my vision blotched again. You're not helpless, you're not helpless. I repeated. After a few moments I could see again, and forced myself to walk, with little help from Sake, a few houses over.

She helped me up to Ellena's front door and knocked. Esmeralda opened the door. She was wearing the same thing as yesterday, a tan colored outfit and apron. Her hair was a mess on the top of her head, and her bangs looked glued to her forehead with sweat. Her eyes were big and puffy; I assumed she had been crying. We stepped in the house. The first thing I saw was both twin-sized beds occupied by Ellena and young Essie. Essie was sitting up in her bed looking at us, her big brown eyes filled with so much sadness it hurt, and Ellena was sleeping.

Sake helped me get comfortable on the small sofa and went to the kitchen area to get to work. Esmeralda sat next to me.

"How's Ellena doing?" I asked quietly.

She shook her head and looked like she was fighting back tears, "well how do you think she's doing?" She whispered, "she was just in a bombing! Where multiple people died! So she's fine, right?"

"I'm sorry," was all I could say. She turned her head, assumingly to roll her eyes.

"The bomb…" she started, avoiding my eyes, "was so rough on her ears…She could possibly have lost hearing in both ears. The impact made her crash to the ground, and someone else crash into her, so her injuries aren't very good. We were afraid she had slipped into a comatose, but thankfully that's not the case. Others weren't that lucky, however." She shook her head, a look of anger crossed her face, but then she put her face in her hands. Sake came to her side and hugged her.

"It's okay…It'll be okay, Es." Sake said. Her tone said one thing, but her face said another. Esmeralda stood up and walked to Ellena.

Ellena awoke and looked around. She looked over at me but didn't do or say anything that made me believe she saw me. Her gaze landed on her mother and stuck there. No words were exchanged between them. They just looked at each other and held each other's hand. Esmeralda kissed her on the forehead before moving to Essie. Ellena's gaze rested on me again. I slightly smiled at her but she just looked up at the ceiling.

Leaning back on the aged sofa, I closed my eyes and the scene of Ellena and her mother played again. Things like this made me wonder what it would have been like to have my mother comfort me when I was sick. To have a mother who would just hold my hand and it would be all the comfort I need, a mother who would take me into her warm embrace, just like Ellena and Esmeralda yesterday, a mother who would kiss my forehead and tell me how much she loved me, a mother who would devote her time to me when I needed it and would care for me; but, my mother had died when I was greedy and took that for granted. She died before I could thank her for being there for me and loving me and taking care for me. Before I realized what her love was; before I even really knew her.

Grandmother did just as good of a job as she would have, although I still found myself wondering what it would be like if it wasn't Grandmother, but my mother instead. Frankly, it didn't matter.

Sake announced dinner, and I wobbled to the wooden table and sat. Esmeralda wouldn't meet my eyes, except for less than a second, but I knew it wasn't because of me. She was upset because of her daughters. Nothing that had to do with me.

After the three of us finished I helped Sake take the dishes to the 'tub,' as she called it. The tub was a large sink where they washed their dishes, since they didn't have running water. I was helping her scrub the dishes when Esmeralda walked over to her kids. I took this as an opportunity to talk to Sake.

"Sake?" She looked at me. "Do you think Ellena is going to get well? I needed to talk to her about something…"

She sighed. "Cynthia, it's hard to say. She could be permanently deaf. Plus she, too, has broken bones. Her left knee and possibly her leg, her left foot, and her hip are bothering her. When she was knocked down she basically tripped and landed roughly on her left side. She twisted her foot and ankle and her leg twisted underneath her. Plus she can't seem to hear! The poor thing."

Nodding, I muttered: "I guess I was lucky."

"Yes, you were very, very lucky." She agreed.

"It's a good thing you came to my rescue though." I said. "You let me stay over there and cared for me…Thank you."

"Oh, it's nothing. People tell me I have an instinct for these kinds of things, but I really don't."

"Yes you do, Sake, you have tons of instinct. You have been amazing to me. I swear my elbow feels ten times better." I slightly wiggled it, but pain shot through it and I cringed. "…Well it was feeling better."

"Just don't move it. Once we get back to my place we'll fix up a new leaf and I'll try to find some cotton somewhere." Giving up on washing dishes, since I was just making a mess, I sat back down. My eyes moved to Ellena, who was looking back at me.

She kept her eyes locked on me. I didn't know what to do. It didn't seem like a glare, but it sure wasn't a 'let's be best friends' look. I was giving her the same look back; an unreadable one. I wasn't mad at her, by any means, I just didn't know her. And I needed to talk to her. Maybe she knows who Pete is. She pulled the blanked tighter around her and hid her eyes.

Sighing, I focused on the ceiling. Does she know anything? Is all this a complete and total waste of my time? I thought. It doesn't matter. Who knows if she's even able to help me, we're not even friends. I don't know this girl. It dawned on me that, not only was it a risk for me to be here because it's illegal, I had no business being here otherwise. Imposing on another family like this, no wonder Esmeralda wouldn't give me the time of day. I just need to ask about Pete and get out. Or maybe just leave…No, not without asking about Pete. That was my goal since the beginning. Admittedly, I was very curious. Why would Hilbert make me go through this, if it wasn't for something important? I would find out.

Back at Sake's house, she tried to settle me in her own bed, but I refused. I could sleep on the sofa just as easily as she could. So I lay on the sofa, another mug full of mint water warming my palms, and Sake sitting at my feet. Now was the perfect time to talk to her.

"So Sake…Are you sure everything's going to be alright at Ellena's? It just seems…" I trailed off.

She thought for a moment and then sighed. "Well…I suppose I should tell you…Her father, Es' husband, was a miner…He worked in the far ends, right where the bomb went off…" She didn't continue, but I knew.

"So that's why she took off, to get to the back." I said mostly to myself.

She nodded. Her eyes started to water. "Oh Cynthia, they're all heartbroken. Poor Es is all tore up. She told me she's been having delusions and… And…" She started crying. "He was such a great guy, you know, he was the best dad—better than my dad." She snorted. "Well, that's any dad… Anyways, he was always cheery and joyful, and such a funny guy too. It's so terrible. Only a few people worked back there. Most people mine for coal or gold in different sections. Everyone from his section was killed along with a bunch of other people. Thankfully most of the workers just are banged up but, still, who knows what Lea will do to us if only a few of the workers can go back to work? If we don't have enough coal, gold, jewels, anything by the end of the week Lea could take everything! He already has taken our electricity, money, and freedom." Tears of sadness, and possibly anger at this point, strolled down her cheeks. Her teeth were clenched together as she spoke.

"That's so..." I couldn't think of the right word to express how awful it was. "I thought things were bad in Celestic, but, they're not. Not at all."

The tears had stopped by now, just as quickly as they came, and she gave me a look. "You're from Celestic, not Solaceon?" Her tone was odd.

"I'm…Yeah, I'm from Celestic, Town of The Ruins. Near Solaceon."

"Yes, I know where and what it is, but I just… Don't you know Hilbert?"

How did she know Hilbert? How did she know I knew Hilbert? Why did she think I was from Solaceon? Alarms started going off in my head.

Sake noticed my pause. "Do you know Hilbert? The Day Care owner from Solaceon?" She repeated. This time it was more forceful.

"Yes I know him, I also know Hilda. They are family friends, why are you even asking?!" I regretted answering her. It was none of this ladies business.

"Well he had said he was sending someone here, and I don't know, I guess I thought it was you but…I'm…"

"Sorry, maybe?! Look, I know Hilbert, yes, but I'm not going to tell you every inch of my life! Stop prying!" I yelled. She flinched.

"Shh." She said gently. "I am sorry. Very. I didn't realize he wasn't talking about you. At first I didn't think you were anything but a traveler until Ellena told me about Hilbert's note."

Intently I listened. My eyebrows had ruffled together. This lady was insane, and honestly, it slightly scared me. I just wanted to stomp out and run away, but I knew I couldn't do this. Why would Ellena tell her about a note from Hilbert and then she would assume it was me?

"Why would you think I was from Solaceon? Why would you think Hilbert was talking about me?"

She thought again. "Well…We got a letter from him, and he said a young lady was coming our way. But you're not her, I guess. Kind of a coincidence, isn't it?" She said as she walked to the kitchen. She grabbed a bowl and brought it over to me. "Berry?" She held it out to me. I shook my head. She then walked over to the trunk and started muttering about cotton again.

This was…Weird. Hilbert said he was sending a letter to Pete, why would this family know about it? Then it hit me: What if Pete was killed in the bombing? But then, why would Ellena know about the letter? This was too odd.

"Sake," now I was the one who sounded forceful. She stood up and came to my side. "Do you know a Pete?"

She paused. "Of course, he was Ellena and Essie's father."

*This chapter has been hardcore edited\rewritten