Chapter 5

So, We Meet Again

Her eyelids lazily drifted open, her body hot and stiff. She lay on a rather comfortable bed. Creaking her limbs straight, she streched widely with a jaw-cracking yawn, then relaxed her body. Her head lolled to the right, eyes scanning the room; Claire was nowhere to be found. Her eyes drifted toward the side table, falling on an old leather journal. A yellow square of paper sat on top of it. Althea forced herself to rise, albeit slowly, and gingerly plucked the note off the table.

I'll be out in the fields when you wake up

- Claire :)

Lovely. She really needed to break the habit of sleeping for fourteen hours straight. With a glance at the clock, her brain woke in a flash. "Five thirty?!" she shouted in despair. How could Claire even wake up before six? She could only watch and wonder...

Well, there was no way she'd fall back into her world of dreams, so she might as well drag her arse out of bed and make herself useful.

She slid off the bed, her feet meeting with something soft and squishy. A sleeping bag. Her heart sank as she realized Claire had slept on the floor to accommodate for the fact Althea occupied her own bed. She silently cursed herself out. She'd apologize later, she decided, straightening up and moseying toward the wall, swooshing the curtains open.

On the table rested a plate with remnants of a hastily eaten omelet and half a glass of milk. She pursed her lips. If Claire had kept up her usual appetite, then Althea figured she hardly ate much. She sighed with a shake of her head, and scooped up the dirty dishes. She'd give her friend a good talk about it later.

The kitchen, though cramped, had full functions to it and then some. "Beautiful!" she exclaimed. She'd be able to teach Claire a few good recipes using vegetables and fish later. With that thought, she cautiously placed the dishes into the sink and set about washing them. She absentmindedly hummed a pretty tune as her hands motioned through scrubbing and drying with a towel. "I wonder where Claire is right now," she voiced. She had to be just starting work by then, tending to crops or brushing fur-coated animals. Perhaps collecting eggs from her chickens? All these thoughts casually crossed her mind until she looked down, realizing she'd finished drying.

The dishes sparkled with cleanliness. She swiftly exited the kitchen area and up to the cupboard, opening the antique furniture and placing the dishes inside.

"Now then," she murmured, clapping her hands together and trotting to her suitcase, bending down, flipping the latches up, and cracking it open. It swung down, revealing rows of neatly rolled up clothing. Tucked in beside them sat a lovely leather violin case, supple and glowing. A soft smile graced her features. Her fingers glided along the edges of the casing, caressing it lovingly.

What would she do? She refused to bother Claire, for she knew nothing about farmwork. Her gaze suddenly fell on her running sneakers. Though old and muddy, they got her through all sorts of slumps; grinning, she snatched them up along with a lightweight top and mesh shorts. She glanced at the window, catching a glimpse of the bright, cool morning. "Perfect."

Her feet pounded away dutifully at the dewy grass. Her shoes, saturated with the moisture from the emerald blades, squelched in protest. Hair pinned into a golden bun and tamed by a cloth headband, the mountain air pushed and pulled at her lungs.

The weather was absolutely pristine for running, really. Althea thanked everything wonderful in life that she discovered the path behind Claire's farm. An insane grin painted her exercise-reddened face as she plodded forward around the path to her right, deciding to leave the curious log house behind for later exploration.

Trees bordered the path, ominously arching overhead, like lavishly crowned sentinels. The familiar croaking of summer cicadas already pierced the quiet air. The buzzing accompanied the loud, clear twitters of friendly avian creatures, and small animals skittered across the beaten path. Old leaves and rotten acorns sprinkled across the dirt.

Althea temporarily shut her eyes, drinking in nature's whimsy. The place felt like home. Yet, it couldn't be home for her. She'd never set foot in Mineral Town in her entire twenty-two years of life. But here she stood, undeniably feeling like she'd run the same path day, after day, after day.

She spied light filtering in around a bend in the path. As she drew closer, the forest gave way to an incredibly spacious clearing, opening up to the slowly brightening sky. A shimmering lake filled most of the clearing, topped with a few jutting rocks. A tiny island sat atop the surface toward the middle of the lake. A chilly wind swept over her as she crossed the threshold from forest to clearing, sending exhilarating shivers dancing down her spine.

As she drew closer to the water's edge, something moved, catching her eye. A man (quite possibly a woman) was kneeling down in the sand, hunched over and gazing into the water. Wait... Definitely a man. He sported dark hair, a thin khaki vest over a clean white shirt and black slacks.

Althea halted when the realization hit her. The man was Trent. Not wishing to break into his clearly deep, troubling thoughts, she almost turned to leave when he spoke.

"You do realize I know you're there?" he remarked placidly. When Althea turned once more to face him, his head was turned directly toward her. "What brings you here so early?" he questioned.

She stopped herself before attempting to read his expression. "Uh... Running," she replied awkwardly. Of course he knows you're running, you dope. She dipped her brow in an attempt at confusion, hoping he wouldn't think her incompetent.

His face seemed to relax. "I see," he sighed. He stooped his head back over the sparkling waters. "I was just here... reflecting," he said quietly. His chiseled jaw clenched at the last word.

"Oh really? About what?" she inquired lightly. Her heart rate began to slow as the serene atmosphere kicked in. Her eyes widened at the probability that he wouldn't want to discuss his troubles. "Oh, uh, I mean, I don't intend to pry, I-"

"About my parents," he said simply, tugging at his shirt cuffs, "They always seemed to be too busy for me. Always studying, always researching and discovering new ways to aid patients. They both worked in the medical field, you see."

She gave a sluggish nod when he glanced cautiously at her.

His mouth tugged at an almost bitter smile. "I understand now. They really were amazing people, always reaching out to their patients, never taking a moment to think about themselves. I strive to be like them every day," he continued. He ran a hand through his coal dust hair, ruffling it lightly.

She stood awkwardly in the grass as the sun rose over the horizon in glorious fuchsia hues."Well, I," she stumbled over her words, reaching for the right ones to say, "I haven't been here long. But, I have a feeling you're every but as great as they are, just because you worry about it." The words seemed to jump out of her mouth. She was unsure why she even said them, but concluded that they were the best she could offer at the awkward moment.

A silence ensued between them when even the blare of cicadas seemed to dim. Althea stared at Trent, who directed his gaze into the lake.

"Still, I... I can be a but intimidating," he breathed.

She frowned. "Try reading into ways to connect with people. I know it's hard for me to do so, but a good way is to keep an open mind. And to smile," she replied slowly, speaking like an adult to a curious child, "Part of being a doctor is connecting with your patients. A big part, actually. Just... We can all work on something, you know? Make that something to work on."

Then, all at once, a lovely smile graced his features. He stood up, strode over to Althea, and began speaking, "Thank you! You have no idea how much that encouraged me. I just... Thank you." He took her hand in his, giving it a hearty shake.

"Oh, no problem!" she laughed nervously, eyes drifting to the ground. Trent seemed like an interesting guy. A little weird, but still interesting enough. She returned the handshake with all due energy, giving a quick nod and a smile.

Once their hands parted, he gave her a friendly nod and stalked away toward the path back down the mountain.

"Hey, wait! Where are you going?" she yelled after the man.

"Back to the clinic!" he shouted, "It opens at nine!" He started quickening his pace at his last words.

She gazed after Trent, a look of bewilderment etched in her face. If everyone in Mineral Town was like this, it'd be a rough road to friendship with others. Unless, you know, she kept meeting people in random places every day. Like this. She chortled and shook her head. Another path, a ways down her left, lead seemingly more up the mountain. She could wrestle with another path and back.

Just then, a trio of people came hiking down the same trail. A sigh puffed from her mouth, and she quickly retreated to the path leading back down to the village. She'd had enough early morning chatter already.

Hello, readers! This week is the last week of weekly updates... School is starting for me next Wednesday, and things are gonna get BIZ-AY. I'll try and slowly chip away at the HM works I have up, bit Chasing Wind might be the only one you see regularly. I hope you can understand...(ﾉಥ益ಥ）ﾉ ┻━┻ Anyway, this was a bit of a weird chapter. Weirdness happens when two socially awkward people try to converse. Lolol.