Chapter Fifteen
"Hey! Raina! I'd like you to meet someone!" Juniper was pulling me over. Everyone was in the tavern and it was filled with singing and drinking men and women alike. I cringed as a man to the left of me, smiled an almost toothless smile and chugged yet another pint of ale. I'd been eyeing him carefully because he'd almost fallen on me once, and the pint he held in his hand, was to say the least, not his first.
Juniper tugged me over and I followed obediently. She came up to the counter and gestured to the bartender. "Lucious, please meet Raina."
"Why hello there!" This was a large jolly fellow of a man. He was smiling kindly and I kindly smiled back. I was in no mood for any of this. My head kept attempting to tilt over, but the noise, bounced my mind right back into semi-focus.
"Nice to meet you!" I yelled over the noise.
He laughed a low rumble of a laugh. "So this is the Raina that Junipers been telling me about all night. I hope you enjoy your stay!"
"Thank you!" I answered. I heard something fall to the floor. A shattering of glass filled the air and there were cheers. Lucious cheered as well. Everyone was in a such an amazing mood and it sadly made everything more depressing for me.
"I'm afraid I'm quite fatigued!" I said over everything, hoping they would hear.
"Oh, of course you must be!" Juniper answered as though regrettably forgetting that I was new at all of this. "Here, if you take this upstairs," She pointed the direction towards it, "you can find your room. It's the third on the right1"
I nodded in thanks. I was extremely relieved. After saying goodnight to Lucious, I made my way through the crowd, and up the stairs.
There was a door at the top of the stairs. I think it was because of all the noise that acculmulated downstairs and as soon I closed it behind myself, I instantly felt the noise go down, as well as the ringing in my ears.
I walked across the wood floors. A few creaks in the wood, reminding me of my home back with mother and my wretched tutor. I found the door and walked inside. My eyes, barely able to see, still located the bed at the other end of the room.
A step. Creak. Another. Creak. I gained more confidence in the dark and began walking a faster pace across the room. Suddenly, something caught my foot in mid-motion. I heard a groan and I gasped, knowing I was about to fall. I tripped and and stumbled completely to the ground.
"What the…" I heard someone mumble, half-conciously.