Chapter Five: In Which She Wears Out Her Little Legs
"I think I brought too much…" Mabrey whispered to herself along the passageway. The backpack pulled her down, bringing an uncomfortable twang to her body each time her left foot hit the tiled ground. "At least everything is going according to plan." She muttered. As Mabrey said, her plan was working perfectly. The everyday college routine was graced upon her as she went from class to class nonchalantly chatting with her friends and being incredibly bored in chemistry just like she normally would.
Mabrey took pride in her miniscule acting skills, but she preferred to be the "Props Mistress," and behind stage. Her excuse was that she was always casted as a little child and nothing serious, though her lack in social skills also came to account in such cases. Said recluse activity was Mabrey's advantage, since her current get away plan was to use the underground facility she uncovered under the stage during one performance. She never would have dreamed to explore the vicinity, but now it was her only chance for freedom. Right after chemistry she took out her props list for the next play, strolled into her familiar props hallway, conveniently planted that list on a cluttered makeup table, and slipped into the well hidden underground heaven.
It must be a place for people to go for a natural disaster, but since there are hardly any tornadoes or other such disasters here, people probably forgot about it. It's not uncommon, really. My old high school had the same kind of area that the kids used to sneak out to in order to smoke. Mabrey thought after examining the tiles on the floor and what seemed to be dirt covered white washed ceiling and walls. There were old hanging lights that revealed how decrepit the place really was. Mabrey severely hoped that her knowledge of where she might end up was correct as she desperately tried to shake off a feeling a foreboding the area seemed to emanate.
Marak ground his teeth together in frustration. He could feel his eyes narrow as he tried to keep a calm composure to avoid frightening his guest, but to no avail.
"What do you mean, you can't find her?" Marak repeated once more to his royal guard, Shamus.
"She's gone, sir. Simply vanished." The mostly human goblin repeated as well. One might have remarked that this strapping young goblin were human enough to go out into the world without a disguise, if it weren't for the tuffs of brown feathers that replaced where human ears ought to be and the eerie brown bird eyes. Shamus's feather ears fluffed up after speaking in a natural defense to scare off predators. Marak felt horrible for treating his friend as such, yet still continued angrily.
"She's not in her apartment, the posted day guards last saw her enter her theatre, and anywhere she could be, she's not. The clever girl also withdrew all of her savings and canceled her accounts. Perfect. Now I know why my predecessors preferred to just take their Brides and be done with it." Marak paced around his tiny hotel room, now dressed in court clothes just in case another dream or flesh and blood visitor decided to suddenly appear. "I did not want to tear her away from humanity so quickly, but what possessed me to give her leeway?"
"If you don't mind me interrupting, my King, but I believe you chose the correct course. No King's Wife produced an heir within ten or twenty years when they were completely forced, shoving and pushing, into our Kingdom. That also resulted in terribly weak Kings. I'm sure your actions were wisely made."
"You're right. Of course. I'm simply overacting." Marak sighed and sat on the edge of his bed. His once hidden sleek black panther tail curled around his legs freely. Marak glanced at Shamus standing near the closed exit. "I suppose that two insubordinations, two new goblins, two human brides, topped off with wife hunting have gotten the better of me. I've only ruled for a year, and all this bleeds into the last couple of months of that year. But you are right, it's a mere matter of time until nightfall, and there's only a limited distance my little cat can scurry off to."
"Especially if we both track her, my King."
"Yes, indeed." Marak cracked an evil grin. "Let's get ready."
Mabrey, completely unaware that she was now the center of some kind of new sport between two goblins, had just approached the underground passageway's exit. She had been walking for the better part of two hours, which left her with three hours left until sundown.
"Why couldn't this all happen during summer time? That way, the sun would be down at nine, not five. I'd be both warm, and able to properly see." Somehow, Mabrey knew that if Marak was involved, then nothing could be that easy. To brighten her sour mood, Mabrey unfastened the latched opening directly above her and was greeted with a blast of bitter wind and snow instead. She had to duck back down to search for gloves in her bulky pockets. When she was properly clothed with gloves and a hat, Mabrey stood on her tip toes and heaved herself out of the passageway. The wooden opening fell down with a thunk.
Snow already recovered where Mabrey popped out of the ground. If she didn't know any better, Mabrey would have never guessed what lay hidden beneath the freezing participation. Above, the sun was temporarily covered by a dark, threatening snow cloud, snapping the girl out of her ridiculous trance.
All right. I'm the furthest south of the town I can be. The cornfields were covered with coats of shinning ice, and the nearest road glimmered dangerously. There were a few spread out houses dotted among the fields. A bus sign with a snow covered seat was only a short distance away from those houses, and it became Mabrey's new destination.
I'll just go the farthest south I can go by bus. I'm pretty sure that if I attempt to move by plane, I'd be tracked. Bus is the way to go. She trudged through the ice covered snow while her boots broke through the thin, non slippery layers. If she was lucky, all of this nonsense would be just a memory away.
Mabrey finally approached the bus stop and actually slipped into a seating position on the freezing bench. The overstuffed backpack plummeted to rest next to her, and she threw herself over it. Exhaustion poured into every joint in her body like a constant evil stream. The pain pulsed angrily every minute Mabrey waited, and the cold forced her weary eyelids shut. Before she knew it, sleep clawed itself in and took hold of her consciousness until sundown.
"Hello, are you waiting for the bus?" A pleasant voice asked. It brought Mabrey from the threads of slumber. She stared blurry eyed at the open bus doors, but she could not distinguish the owner of the voice. Mabrey rubbed her eyes and dawned her backpack. She had to respond now, or else the driver could leave her on the road during this awful night chill.
"Yes. Yes I am." Mabrey quickly scurried up the bus stairs and paid the driver. He nodded and tugged his blue hat down to cover his face. Don't worry, I know how it's like to avoid people's stares. I'll leave you alone.One doleful passenger shifted in his seat. The highly pregnant woman sitting next to him curled up closer to his side in her sleep, and he wrapped his arm around her sweetly. Another couple, the woman also transfixed in a deep slumber, huddled tightly together. The man held a bundle in his arms, cooing at it with baby talk. The hairs on Mabrey's neck rose. She had caught a glimpse of the child's features.
"Wait, no, I'll take another bus." She backed up, her attention now directed to the back of the bus. It was shadowed and eerie. It also contained a dark figure, busying itself with standing up. "P-Please, let me out."
"I'm afraid I cannot. You'll have to wait until the route we've taken is finished." The driver unveiled his face and smiled politely at her. It wasn't his short blonde curls, or the smooth tawny skin that produced a gasp from Mabrey's throat, but his dark bird eyes and the feathers on either side of his head.
"See, Shamus? She already packed. How thoughtful of her!" Marak grinned maliciously.