Chapter 3: Fish and Worm

The evening went by quickly, and Jill was full of stir fry, baked yams, and chocolate cookies by the time she went to bed that night. Hardy stayed in for the rest of the evening, as well, and entertained her with some tales of his travels before he became a doctor. Apparently he had wanted to be a photographer, and had been on a hike taking some pictures of nature when he came across a mother wolf protecting her pups. That was when he lost his good eye. Thankfully, he survived the rest of his wounds, but his eye was never the same.

Jill was satisfied with this explanation, or maybe it was that she was too full and too comfortable to care whether it was legitimate or not. She later fell into another deep sleep during a tale about some sort of surgery he once had to perform with only a butter knife, and didn't wake up until around eight the next morning.

Once again, Hardy was nowhere in sight. Jill sighed, and then remembered she had never finished her journal entry last night, so at least she had something to do until he came back. She reached underneath the bed and felt around until she found her rucksack, and then pulled it up onto the mattress next to her. After a few seconds of digging around, she found the journal, which she had buried deep in the contents so Hardy wouldn't see it and get any ideas while she was sleeping. Then, she grabbed the key that hung from her necklace, undid the lock, and opened it to her previous entry:

27 Winter

I passed out again yesterday. A man named Marlin found me, and brought me to Doctor Hardy. He seems trustworthy enough, but I'm keeping my eyes and brain open and working still. It's been a while since my last entry. I just finished my longest chase with the Pigs yet. They just didn't seem to want to give up. I came out of it with a pretty major head wound and some typical scratches, but other than that I'm doing okay, just a little tired. My next idea is to get as far away from here as possible, so I'll probably leave sometime tomorrow.

Jill scratched her head a bit, and then wrote down a new date and some new words.

28 Winter

Hardy has convinced me to stay in Forget-Me-Not Valley for a while. If the Pigs find me, though, I'm leaving. I'll only stay for a season, long enough to make connections but no ties. I just want to start feeling like a somewhat normal human again, and then I'll leave. Maybe being in one place will even throw the Pigs off, but I can't get my hopes too high. Until next time.

Satisfied with the short but to-the-point entry, Jill closed the journal, locked it with the key, and then tucked the necklace underneath her ripped-up shirt again. She always kept the key around her neck, because everything she had worked for in the past year was in that journal. Every secret, every experience, and, most importantly, the thing that had triggered it all: the flash drive. Early on in the chase she had cut out a square of leather and paper from the front of the notebook, and the flashdrive, the one that had nearly killed her, was tucked away there, hidden from all others who didn't know the secret and didn't have the key.

Jill shook her head to clear her thoughts. She didn't want to think about the flashdrive, and she certainly didn't want to think much about anything before the flashdrive, either.

As soon as Jill shoved the notebook back into her rucksack, the door opened, and in stepped Hardy with a yellow plastic bag with a somewhat familiar logo on it. It took Jill a few seconds to realize that it was full of clothing from one of her favorite places to shop. Well, at least in the old days.

"Morning, miss Pony," Hardy chuckled. "You look like you slept well, judging by your bed head."

Jill smiled shyly and ran a hand through her hair. It had been at least a week since her last dip in the creek, so maybe it wasn't just bed head making her look so rough. She'd have to ask Hardy about someplace to take a bath...

"I bought you some new clothes," he continued, and put the bag on the bed. "I don't really know your fashion tastes, so I can always take them back, but I asked Muffy, a local around here, for some tips, and she suggested this store."

The bag contained a pair of black sweatpants, a blue sweatshirt, five different colored t-shirts, a pair of jeans, two pairs of jean shorts, three tank tops, socks, new shoes, and, much to Jill's embarrassment, some undergarments. Jill was too shocked at Hardy's generosity to even say anything at first. A new outfit was one thing, but this basically replenished her wardrobe. She wouldn't even be able to bring all of it with her once she left, unless she brought a whole suitcase along. She felt something strange rise up in her throat, and swallowed immediately, not quite used to the feeling of getting choked up.

"Thank...thank you very much, Doctor Hardy. This is plenty, and it's all wonderful...really, no returns will be necessary at all...this is...well, thank you so much." She wasn't exactly sure how to say anything other than that, but she hoped Hardy understood her appreciation.

Hardy smiled a bit, and replied, "Consider it a token of my appreciation for being such a great patient." He winked at her, and continued, "I figured that you probably wouldn't want to head back to Mineral Town to get your things, and any clothes you had in your rucksack were probably soiled or just extras."

Jill nodded, still marveling over the new clothes. How long had it been since she had new clothes? A few months, at the very least. She could imagine the warmth of the new sweatshirt just looking at it.

Hardy chuckled. It was hard not to notice the girl's astonishment over the new wardrobe. It hadn't even cost that much, as he was a smart shopper, but if he knew she would react like this he would have gotten her even more, just to see her smile a little wider. Poor thing had probably been through hell the past year and a half.

"Speaking of being such a great patient," Hardy eventually said, "how are you feeling this morning?"

Jill shrugged, began putting things back in the bag, and then said, "Alright. A shower would be really nice, though. Falling in a river isn't exactly the cleanliest thing to have happen to you, along with the bear attack and everything. And some food. I only woke up just a bit ago."

"I'll make some pancakes," Hardy said, walking toward the kitchen, "and I can arrange that you take a shower at the Inn. The river's too cold for you to take a bath outside, and Ruby lets anyone use a shower for free, so long as they check with her before doing so. Just to make sure no two people try to take a shower at the same time."

Jill knew he was smiling, even though his back was turned toward her. Jill smiled a bit, too, and found herself relaxing a little more than usual. The thought of a warm shower, an actual shower, was a pretty lovely thing to think about. She was feeling better already just thinking about it.

Her mind drifted to what kind of work she'd be doing for Hardy in order to earn her keep. What did doctors order their nurses to do? Maybe he'd assign her to find some of the herbs he liked to use on people's cuts. But could she even find them this late in winter? Maybe he'd make her tag along on some house calls, or assist him in surgeries, like the nurses in those movies. Then again, Jill was pretty sure that there wasn't often need for surgeries in this town. It seemed to be pretty small, from what Hardy had told her about so far.

Neither of them spoke until Hardy finished breakfast. Instead of bringing it to her bed like usual, he set both plates down on the table. "Let's see how well you can walk," Hardy explained after noticing Jill's curious expression.

She nodded, sat up, and then swung her legs over the edge of the bed. She could feel the aching soreness in her muscles as soon as she put pressure on her feet, but it wasn't too unbearable. Gradually, her top half left the bed, and then her bottom half, until she was standing.

"Nice and easy now," Hardy murmured. "You might feel a bit dizzy at first."

Jill nodded again, already feeling the familiar blur in her brain. She took a step, waited a few seconds for the stars to go away, and then took another few steps, being careful not to stumble on the patient robe that she had put on over her torn up clothes the previous night. Hardy pulled out her chair for her, and she plopped down less than gracefully after the last few steps.

"That's good!" Hardy smiled, and sat across from her. "You did very well, Pony. You're recovering much faster than I thought you would."

Jill nodded, and then put a forkful of pancakes into her mouth. Hardy had added strawberries to the side this time, and a glass of milk sat to the right of the plate, along with a napkin. Jill, suddenly feeling self-conscience about her appearance for the first time in months, wiped her mouth after almost every bite, worried that she had lost her etiquette skills along with her emotions and human-y-ness. If that's even a word, she thought, smiling a bit to herself.

"Right," Hardy pushed his plate forward. Jill's eyes widened only slightly when she saw that he had already finished the entire meal. "I'll go talk to Ruby about showering while you finish that up. I ought to be back in about ten minutes. It really shouldn't take that long." He grabbed his scarf, and then, just like that, was out the door, leaving Jill to her own thoughts for a few minutes. Well, and her food. Food was good, too.

She suddenly realized what a good mood she was in that morning. It had been a while since she had felt this good. Probably the last time was when she had received word from Jack that he was still doing well, and that had been a few months ago when she had stopped by her house (well, what remained of it) specifically for that reason. It had been a miracle that the letter hadn't been intercepted by the organization and used against her in any way, but the returning to her home had been extremely dangerous, so she was eternally grateful to the Goddess it had been worth it.

Jill shuddered as thoughts of her life began to seep in through the cracks of her brain, and decided to focus on other things. It would be a long time before Jill would be able to go a few moments without thinking about the organization...if it ever happened at all.

In the mean time, certain instincts were beginning to come back to Jill, some that she had buried deep within herself. The overall messiness of the house was beginning to get to her, as Jill had been a bit of a neat freak, but she didn't want Hardy to think she was going through his stuff, so she settled with simply clearing off the table and doing the dishes, instead. Things in her mind suddenly were popping up all over the place, resurfacing, breaking through the ice they had been trapped in for so long. How to make jokes, how to be kind, how to be polite, how to be cleanly, and, most important, how to act, well, human. The realizations were a little vague, and she still felt out of practice and numb to the outside world and her emotions (other than fear and anger), but she supposed that certain wires would connect in her head again once she was actually socializing and outside in the real world again. Hopefully a season would be enough to do so.

Washing the dishes proved to be a little more difficult than she thought, because she couldn't find any dish soap for the first five minutes, and the constant movement was making her a little dizzy, but it was good practice for when she would have to stand up in the shower later.

Still, the distant threat of the Pigs finding her lingered in her mind, but she would not think about that unless absolutely necessary.

Hardy stomped in through the door just as Jill was drying the last plate from their past three meals, and Jill looked over her shoulder to look through to the outside world. It had snowed again last night, judging by the amount of white that dusted the ground, but the sky this morning was clear and promising.

"Are you...doing dishes?" Hardy asked, the hint of a chuckle in his voice as he hung up his scarf again.

Jill smiled a little and nodded as she put the last dish in the cupboard. "I figured I might as well start work as soon as I can."

"That isn't necessary," Hardy said, "but I can't say it's not appreciated. Thank you." He smiled that old-man smile again, and then continued, "I spoke to Ruby, and she said that you can come over whenever you want. Are you feeling up to it right now?"

Jill shrugged. "Sure." She walked slowly over to the bed, picked up the yellow shopping bag and her rucksack, and then began moving toward the door with Hardy. This time, he didn't take his scarf. Jill shot him a concerned look, and nodded at his clothing.

"It's not that cold out," Hardy chuckled. "Besides, I could say the same to you, Pony."

She felt her cheeks get a bit red from embarrassment, but pushed the feeling away. Hardy opened the door for her and gestured for her to walk through. She nodded, and took a step out into the world that she hadn't seen for about three days.

The fresh air felt glorious in her lungs. She couldn't stop taking big, happy breaths at first, and then she realized that she was blocking the doorway, and Hardy couldn't step out. Even more embarrassed, Jill stepped aside, and let Hardy lead the way to the Inn instead of trying to find it herself.

She couldn't help looking around, halfway nervous and halfway eager, to see what the rest of the valley was like. They were walking along a brick road that had only a light blanket of snow on it, and behind them, back by Hardy's house, were two other brick houses. The brick road kept going up a hill until she couldn't see through some pine trees. On the other side of the road and a little way back was what Jill assumed was the bar, and in front of them, the other direction, was a large building that, Jill guessed was the Inn. In the distance there were many dirt paths that lead to various areas she couldn't see through the trees, but she decided there must have been more residents or even shops tucked away in parts of the valley.

By the time she had finally soaked in the environment around her, they had reached the front entrance of the Inn. It was a large building made of wood, and she could tell it was old because the façade was cracking and turning a faded brown. Still, the building had a lot of charm, and a glowing yellow light came in through each window. The glow reflected off of the snow like beams of sunlight, and Jill smiled a bit at the feeling of warmth that radiated from the building.

Hardy led her under the Inn's awning, and commented, "Ruby is very good at making her guests feel welcome. If anyone was ever made to run an Inn, it would be Ruby. Not to mention her impeccable cooking abilities."

Jill smiled a little. More food? She thought. I'm going to get really fat. That's no good. Somehow, though, she didn't really mind.

Hardy opened the door, and Jill walked inside. The inside of the Inn was just as lovely as the outside: ply wood walls and floor, and a counter in the back-center of the room. Behind the counter were some build-ins that looked like they were made of bamboo, of all things. To her right was a staircase, and two doors that probably led to the kitchen and something else were on the back wall. To create a lovely atmosphere, pictures of beautiful sunsets and mountains hung on the wall, and exotic plants stood proudly in each corner of the room.

"This is beautiful," Jill said. "How does she manage to keep it so clean?"

"I have no idea," Hardy chuckled. "Especially because her lazy son Rock doesn't do a single thing to help. But don't tell anyone I said that." He winked at her again, and Jill felt herself smile without even thinking about it.

It was at that moment that a plump, short woman with black hair rushed into the room from the door Jill had assumed was the kitchen. A flour-dusted apron covered her red and yellow clothing, but Jill could immediately see that this woman was exactly the woman that Hardy had described. Her smile was gentle but radiant, and Jill couldn't help but want to smile back.

"I'm sorry I wasn't in to see you immediately," she said a little breathlessly. "I've been working on a new type of curry, and I didn't want it to burn." Ruby walked over to the pair, ran a quick eye over Jill, and gushed, "You must be Pony. Hardy told me he had a guest, he didn't tell me she was pretty!" She then proceeded to say in a more hushed voice, "Just stay away from my son Rock. Believe me, it's for your own good." Ruby laughed a hearty, motherly laugh, and Jill, again, couldn't help but smile. This woman wasn't just a fake mother. She was a real mother, one that genuinely cared about everyone. Jill could see this right away, and it made her miss her own mother for just a second. But that was a painful thought, so she quickly ushered it back into the depths of her mind.

Ruby turned to Hardy, and said, "I've got some coffee, tea, and hot chocolate going in the kitchen. You can choose what you want to drink. I'll show Jill the shower room, and get her all set up with some toiletries, and we'll be back in a jiff, okay?"

Hardy nodded. "Thanks, Ruby. It's much appreciated, what you're doing."

"You're welcome," Ruby smiled. She then put a hand on Jill's back and gently guided her toward the bamboo build-ins behind the counter. As Ruby pulled out a few drawers and gathered some basic toiletries, she explained, "I always have some extra on hand, in case a guest forgets them. Hardy informed me of your situation." She frowned and looked at Jill, and then said, "I'm so sorry, dear. It must have been terrifying."

Jill felt a stab of guilt, because she knew Ruby was referring to her made-up bear attack, but nonetheless, she nodded. "It was kind of scary, yeah," Jill replied.

Then they were walking again, toward the door on the left. It was indeed a bathroom. Nothing too fancy, but not unsanitary, either, just like the lobby. Ruby handed her the supplies: toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, soap, deodorant, a hairbrush, and some hair ties.

Ruby gestured toward the shower, and said, "Pull out the knob to get the water going, turn to the left for hot water, and to the right for cold water. The rest is pretty self-explanatory. When you're done, just push in the knob, and the shower will turn off. I see you have clothes," Ruby nodded toward the yellow bag and Jill's rucksack, "and there's a towel and a washcloth hanging on the hook on the back of this door."

Jill quickly processed this information, and then said, "Okay. Thank you very much, Ruby. Really, it means so much to me."

"It's no trouble, dear," Ruby smiled. "Oh, and there will be a second breakfast waiting for you once you're done, but feel free to take your time!"

With that, she was out the door, leaving Jill to try and process everything she had just learned in a matter of maybe seven minutes. Oh, and clean up. Cleaning up was going to be necessary, too.

• • •

About half an hour later, Jill was feeling the best she had felt since this whole thing started. She hadn't taken an actual shower for weeks, as she had grown accustomed to bathing in streams, and only when she had time. Her hair was tied back up in its signature ponytail, and she was feeling clean and squeaky. The clothes Hardy bought fit her perfectly, and some color was returning to her cheeks. Even her mouth felt cleaner, and she had shaved for the first time in a long while, too. After checking herself over in the mirror, she was almost unrecognizable. Her scars and wounds were still present, of course, but her body itself was cleaner, and her soul was happy.

After showering, Jill had joined Hardy and Ruby in the kitchen for a meeting of sorts. They had been planning ways that Jill could earn her keep and houses she could stay at during the season, and they would start tomorrow, as long as she was ready. Jill explained that she was feeling great after the cleanup, and had gotten fairly used to standing and moving around, so she would be more than happy to start the next day.

Hardy noted the change in her attitude, and was feeling very happy that Jill seemed to be doing so much better this morning. He almost regretted what he knew he'd have to ask of her in seasons to come. But at least she could enjoy herself until then.

The day went by fairly easily, and the only other person Jill met was Rock, who, indeed, was a little strange and seemed something like a play-boy, but he was decent enough. He had come down from his room to complain that his white socks had turned pink and how this clashed with his hair, until he realized Jill was standing there listening to the entire conversation, at which point he introduced himself semi-politely and then bounded back up the stairs to his room. Hardy and Ruby shook their heads at this exchange, and then went back to telling Jill little bits and pieces about the villagers and places in town. Everyone seemed so nice from their descriptions that Jill was wondering if she had dreamt the whole experience up and had actually drowned in that river and was still in a coma. A little unlikely, but still, she couldn't help but feel nervous.

Jill and Hardy went back to Hardy's place at around two o'clock, at which point Jill fell asleep on her bed rather quickly. Hardy watched her rest with an observant eye. She seemed happy. That was good. But he was really starting to dread and worry over things to come. He needed to talk to someone and explain what was going on. Could he sneak over to the bar and discuss things with Griffin before Pony woke up? But that probably wouldn't accomplish anything; after all, Griffin didn't need to be brought into this so soon. He hadn't been through the same things that Hardy and Trent had gone through, he didn't need to carry the burden. At least, not yet. But maybe soon.

Hardy settled with mulling over his thoughts while preparing some more herb concoctions. Maybe thinking things through would keep him sane a little longer. Besides, life in the valley wasn't going to stand still and wait for Pony to leave. If anything, life was about to become a lot quicker paced, and in case any...accidents, happened, he would need to have his doctoral equipment ready.

And so, he set to it, while Jill continued to sleep for a few hours. As she slept, she dreamt of something very different than her previous dreams. It was a happy dream, one of brightly colored flowers and lots of plants, with crops growing on the vines, and then there was a field, a huge, huge field, with animals grazing on the grass. A small, cozy house stood at the front of the field, and a barn and coop stood at the very back. And there she was, right in the middle of all of it, smiling in a way she hadn't smiled in a long time, laughing, and waving to someone whose face she couldn't quite identify, but she knew it was someone that she loved very much and wanted to share home with. Home. What a good feeling it was.

The dream ended when the sun set and the animals went inside, and Jill woke up at this point, looking around a little frantically only to realize that she was still in Hardy's house.

"It's around six o'clock," Hardy said, answering her unspoken question. "I've already got dinner on the stove, so you can eat, and then you may want to rest some more." He smiled, and continued, "You've got a big day tomorrow. Excited?"

Filled with a new light from the whole day and her dream, Jill smiled and nodded. "Yeah," she answered. "Very."

• • •

Hawk was not pleased. Not pleased at all.

"What do you mean, you lost her?" he growled.

Hawk, Kyle, and Thomas were all in Hawk's office, along with two body guards that had been commanded not to speak. He had called the two maggots down for a late-night meeting, so that no one knew the results of their mission except Hawk. No one needed to know that Hawk was losing this battle; no one needed to be inspired by Jill Knight's escape. No one dared talk about her inside these walls. She had betrayed them. All of them. And for that she would pay a hefty fee. Considering, of course, that they ever caught her.

Kyle was the first one to speak. Hawk eyed his stomach, which was as big as ever. You'd think that with all the running those two did, Kyle would lose a little weight and maybe be as thin as Thomas, but no, he ate more than anyone in the entire organization and wasted himself with alcohol almost every night at the basement bar.

"We almost got her," Kyle explained, his voice thick with anger, "an' then she disappeared. Like the Goddess herself swooped down from the sky and picked 'er up. I dunno where she went."

Hawk drummed his fingers on the desk, and used his other hand to rub his chin, deep in thought. Then, he turned to Thomas, the scrawny one. He was quiet most of the time, but also smart, and Hawk knew he wouldn't serve in the organization if it weren't for the fact that his family was in debt to Hawk, like a good portion of his agents were.

"Thomas," Hawk sighed, "Where do you think she would have gone had she found a spot safe enough to hide until you two ran away?"

Thomas hesitated, not really wanting to answer the question, but knowing he had no choice. "Probably one of the nearby towns," he answered. "Like, Mineral Town, or Forget-Me-Not Valley, or maybe she backtracked further and went to Kingsly. But who knows. She's pretty sly, and pretty clever, so she could be anywhere by now."

"Yes," Hawk hummed. "Yes, I suppose you're right, she could be anywhere."

Hawk thought for a few more moments, leaving the two agents to worry about their mistake. This cat and mouse game obviously wasn't working. The girl was too quick, too clever, too...evil, in a good kind of way. Hawk had trained her too well, she had outsmarted him, he hadn't kept a good enough hold on her. She didn't even have the physical skill of most of his workers, but she was one of the most quick-thinking and clever agents he had ever had. Maybe it was time to try a different approach. Maybe it was time to stop playing cat and mouse, and start playing fish and worm.

Hawk's lips curved up into a sickening smile, one that Thomas and Kyle knew very well. He had a new idea.

"Thomas, Kyle, leave. You're dismissed. I'll keep you for another mission, just don't mess up next time." They left in a hurry after that, before Hawk had time to change his mind.

Next, Hawk grabbed the sleek black phone that rested on his glass desk, and punched in a few numbers that were written on a sticky note nearby. If this didn't work, then he didn't know what would.

• • •

A/N: Ahh, foreshadowing. How I love thee. :)