Rebecca's family found me to be…well let's be frank, a little crazy. I will always be grateful for how they took it all in stride that night, feeding me off their plates, seeing to it that I had blankets for my bed, and even the youngest of the family, Jonah, giving me a kitten to cuddle through the night.

I was adopted into the family, in a certain way, and they took it upon themselves to set me back on my feet.

As far as where my priorities were…we had different ideas…

/

I woke up the following morning, Shade curled up at my hip, a sweet little ball of solid black fur. There was a knock echoing up from the floor. "Wake up, Mirror, it's time for breakfast!"

"Coming!" I stretched, smiled and slipped out of bed. I tried to straighten my dress out, but after two days of travels, and two nights of sleep it was dirtied and wrinkled.

I was not able to do much else about it, and so scooped up Shade and descended from the attic, and into the warm, busy atmosphere of the kitchen.

"I hope you don't mind porridge." Caroline said.

"I'm sure it's lovely." I replied, already anxious to sample a new type of food.

"May I have Shade back, please?" Jonah asked for his kitten. I returned the soot colored fluff-ball to his master. "See, Michal?" Johan whispered to his older brother. "Shade likes her, so she's fine."

"I still think she's a little breezy." Michal replied.

"Shh!" Emilia hushed them.

Hans entered that moment with more firewood and soon we were all seated back at the table, filling out stomach with breakfast. Porridge proved to be a not as sweet, but still enjoyable, meal compared to sweet toast.

"Well," Hans said. "We'll see about getting you sorted out, seeing as it looks like you'll be staying with us for a while now."

"Thank you." I nodded.

"You can sleep in the attic, Caroline and I have agreed." Hans informed me. "We'll see about moving a trundle or a cot up there this afternoon." He began to count on his fingers. "We'll set up some work for you in town, I'll ask if anyone's seen a loose horse…"

"I don't have one." I repeated myself for the tenth time.

"A donkey then." Hans shrugged. "If there's something to be found out about you, I'll find it."

"Oh." I thought of news about me getting out, particularly out of the village, and to the Queen's ears. It was suddenly occurring to me now that the Queen would notice my absence, and had likely noticed it already. I suddenly stood up. "No, you mustn't say anything, or ask anything."

"Why?" Hans and Caroline asked.

"I…I'm afraid I…I think I was running away." I nodded, vigorously, for it was true. "Yes, I was running away, from someone, and I can't have them finding me."

"Oh." Caroline stood, only to sit me back down, gently, patting my shoulder. She was turning quite maternal. "You poor thing…" She gave her husband a look.

"I'll not breathe a word then." Hans said. "That leaves finding you some work and seeing about getting you some more suitable clothes." He glanced over my poor disheveled dress. "That has certainly seen better days by now."

"I've a bit of cloth stored away." Caroline said. "I can't promise they'll be very pretty, but they'll clothe you just the same."

I was fed, my measurements taken by Caroline, and soon Rebecca was leading me to her little bedroom. "You'll have to borrow one of my dresses until Mum can sew one for you." She said. "Go on and pick one, see if it fits." She then opened a dresser.

I stared at the neatly folded squares of fabric. "Well go on, try something." Rebecca urged me.

I had never worn anything besides my white dress for my entire existence. I didn't know where to start. Realising I was taking some time to choose, I selected the dress in the left corner of the drawer and dashed behind a curtain to change.

It was a blue dress, fairly simple but for a fine collar, and elbow sleeves, this time fitted to the arms, where at the corners were a pair of black buttons, and a tiny, delicately embroidered rosebud, a soft pink. The same rosebuds were stitched into the hem of the dress. I gently ran my finger over the patterns, smoothed the skirt a half a dozen times, and stepped out from behind the curtain to reveal it to Rebecca.

"Ah, lovely, it fits fine." Rebecca nodded.

"This is so beautiful, are you sure you want me to wear it?" I twirled, letting the skirt fill with air and float around. My face showed nothing but wonder.

"What do you mean beautiful? Sure it's nice, but it's no ballgown." Rebecca said.

"I think it's the loveliest thing." I complimented. "Oh…" I breathed seeing how lovely the skirt looked as I twirled around, giddy again. "Thank you, Rebecca!"

She sighed. "You sure like the simplest things don't you?"

I simply nodded, twirling more and entering the kitchen to do it again. Rebecca had some difficulty getting me to stop flitting about like a fairy and follow her out the door.

"If we could find work for you at the mill, we would." Rebecca said. "But you seem to be a bit…new to some things." She smiled. "But luckily, bookkeeping is fairly easy stuff." She glanced over me. "You know how to read and write, yes? Mathematics too?"

I had never attended a school lesson in my life, but had helped countless royal children with their sums and letters. I had picked up a few things. Testing out my knowledge I looked at a nearby sign: 'General supply; new glassware in stock'. "Yes." I answered. "I can do all that just fine."

"Good, I was hoping you hadn't forgotten your schooling." Rebecca sighed with relief.

"Where are we going?" I asked, as she led me down a path in the village. I eagerly eyed the shop windows, and fronts of houses closer to the center of the town.

"To the carpentry shop." Rebecca nodded. "My older brother, Elias, is apprentice there. If father says so, he'll give you work, and he always needs someone to check over the books. He can afford to pay someone to do it now." She sighed. "Your first few days are going to be a handful…Elias always leaves the bookkeeping to the end of the day, and half the time he tells himself he'll do it in the morning."

"Work?" I asked.

"Yes." Rebecca smiled. "Good thing we have some ties around this old village. The bookkeeping will keep you busy most hours. If you have any spare time, you can try braiding rugs, that's what lots of ladies do when they have the time. Baskets and rugs and sewing…anything to earn a little extra money."

"But I have a friend that I really must be looking for." I said. "I can't work."

"What do you mean?"

"I only have so much time to find her, and she may be in trouble herself. I don't have a clue where to go on looking, so I need every moment I can get."

"You won't get very far without a horse, or a donkey or something that can carry you on it's back."

"Perhaps I'll borrow one?" I suggested.

"Good luck, everyone here uses their horses for work, ploughing and traveling and pulling carts." Rebecca told me. "You won't get anyone to give you their horse for an afternoon without paying them something for it, and you won't get any money to pay for anything without working."

"But I only have so much time…" I tried to explain.

Rebecca quieted me. "I understand, you want to find your friend, but there are some things you really must deal with first." She smiled. "I understand you don't think you need the money, and maybe your right, maybe you are well off, but my family isn't as well off as some. If anything…maybe you'd find it in your heart to pay back my parents for their kindness?"

I sighed internally. How could I argue with that? I really couldn't. Snow White, if she were here with me, would be the first to tell me that the right thing to do was repay Rebecca and her family for all their generosity. She would say that she could wait until another opportunity presented itself. So until then…

"I will." I said. "Why, of course I will. All that I owe you and more if I can."

With that, my words sealed me to the role of bookkeeping.

The carpentry shop was a very busy place, ruled over by an elderly man, with a grey beard. The place smelled of pine and other freshly cut wood. Shavings of wood flew from workbenches, and the place was heavy with dust. Half a dozen younger men and boys were seated at various tables, cutting and sketching and sanding down almost completed items.

Rebecca bid me to wait outside, venturing into the midst of the workshop and tapping the shoulder of one of the young men, who I assumed was the older brother she had spoken of. I could not hear much above hammering and sawing, but he looked surprised to see his sister there.

With the dust tickling my throat I stepped away from the doorway. Within a moment Rebecca and Elias appeared. Elias looked me up and down, and I felt the need to stand a little taller, as though I was being evaluated on the spot. "Where did you come from?" He asked.

"The castle." I replied shortly. Now did not seem like a good time to bring up the whole 'out of a mirror' situation. That would come later.

"And you left because…?"

"I ran away."

"Ran away?"

"Yes."

"Were you a servant there?"

"Well, sort of." I responded.

"Have you ever done bookkeeping before?"

"No."

Elias turned to Rebecca. "Never done bookkeeping in her life." He seemed to almost snort out a laugh.

"Father said-"

"Father doesn't understand that I don't own this shop." Elias argued back. "We can't just bring someone in from the streets."

"But she's a lovely person."

"I'm sure she is, but that's not a good enough reason to give her work here." He looked over to me. "Not that we wouldn't if we knew a bit more about you…?" He asked for my name.

"Mirror." I admitted, a bit quietly.

He looked at Rebecca again, this time with disbelief in his eyes. "I don't know what sort of joke you think you're pulling, but it isn't funny, Rebecca."

"I'm not trying to trick you, you can ask father later today if you need anymore proof." Rebecca said. "But she needs help, and we've taken her in. Give her a chance, at least. Surely you remember all that father said about being a good person, and doing the right thing?"

He sighed, gave one last look over me, and sighed again. "Fine." He seemed to grouse. "I'll talk with the Master right now."

She smiled as Elias disappeared into the back of the shop again. "Works every time." She smirked. "Just bring up something father said about doing right in life and he'll walk in a straight line and do as you ask."

"Is that not like manipulating someone?" I asked.

"We're siblings, such things are allowed from time to time." Rebecca shrugged.

Elias returned, this time with the carpentry master, who looked me over in much the same fashion, if a bit more open-minded. He paused looking at my face. "I don't see why not…she looks to have wise eyes." He nodded. "You can read and write?"

"Quite well."

"Perfect." He concluded. "Can't say the pay will be anything exceptional, but at least Elias won't have to tire himself out over the papers now."

Rebecca then saw fit to leave me, as the Master showed me a sectioned off corner in the front of the shop, in which the finished products sat, looking brilliant. I was placed at the desk, where he placed the largest box I had ever seen, over stuffed with papers.

"The records have been…sporadic at best." He said, patting my shoulder a little gruffly. "See what you can do."

"Alright…" I said, perhaps a little weakly, as I eyed the enourmous task.

"There's a few more boxes when you finish that one." The Master called back as he re-entered his workshop.

I groaned. This would take me hours, and it looked to be just the start of correcting months of someone else's procrastination. I was almost afraid to see what the next box would look like. Left to my own devices and expected perform magic that seemed beyond me (and I was a magic mirror, so that's truly saying something), I sat down and pulled the first wad of papers sitting at the top of the box.

Hours went by as I made slow progress, trying to sort everything out. By the end of a very long morning, I had made my way through a dozen wads of folded paper with orders and numbers scribbled casually around them, and two full journals. My head was full of words and numbers, and there was dull but persistent ache at my temples that was becoming unbearable.

"Oh Snow White," I sighed to myself as I slumped back in the chair. "If you were here you could hear me cursing the names of all those children who are responsible for me learning letters and numbers."

There was a knock at the partition that sectioned off the desk, and I turned my head, probably looking like I had fallen asleep with my eyes open.

It was the Master, whose short words were "Getting along with the books?"

"As well as can be expected."

"We did let them fall behind, admittedly." The Master nodded. "Keep it up then."

He left and I heaved another sigh. I would never find time to search for Snow White at this rate…not today or for many days to come. Time was so precious, yet so fleeting…

There was a second knock at the partition, and Elias poked his head in. "Any progress?" He asked.

I waved my hand over the work I had done, too tired to speak.

"Good." He nodded, with a small smile. "It's nice to see I haven't placed my faith in the wrong person." He said. "Honestly, I didn't know what to think of Rebecca dragging you in here. All I could do was pray that it would all work out."

I simply nodded along, too tired to be annoyed that he hadn't trusted me to be hardworking.

"Well, I'm off now." Elias said. "Someone has go out and check on our supplies."

"Supplies?" I asked, wearily.

"Yes, someone has to go and see that the foresters are going to fill out their orders, so we can fill out ours."

The forest…and a very devilish idea occurred to me. I could go. It would be a great excuse to leave here and do a bit more searching. If I was quick with the work then no one would suspect. If I returned a little late, I could just say I got lost, being new in town.

But Snow White would be mortified to hear of my trickery…

But I had to find her…

But I had to work…

But the Queen had to know I was gone by now, and time was very important.

Just as Elias was about to leave out the door I shot up from the desk. "Wait!" I stopped him. "I could go. I don't mind leaving. It's more of a bookkeeping thing anyway, that way I can write the numbers down directly."

"Are you sure?"

"I wouldn't mind at all."

He paused, and I felt he could see plain through me, and knew I was deceiving him in some way. "I suppose you could use a change of scenery." He said. "Go on then."

"Oh, thank you." I sighed.

"That anxious to leave?" He seemed amused by me.

"Oh, very." I replied honestly. "The numbers are beginning to make my head ache."

This seemed to be a valid excuse, because he stood back so I may exit the shop. "You can take the mare." He said.

"The mare?" I asked. "You mean you have a horse?"

"The Master does, he let's us ride her when we need too." He pointed to a building close by. "She's in there, just be careful, she known to throw some fits if you're harsh on her, and she startles easily."

There was a horse in the small building as promised, thankfully saddled already, for I had no idea how to put anything on the creature, and had a very basic knowledge of riding, most of which came as stories from Snow White of her childhood.

I was off, and I felt both free and guilty. "No one will know…" I repeated to myself in a whisper. "No one will know."

The mare was tame, if one used a gentle hand, and knew the road well. I did not have to guide her at all down the forest path. I glanced at the cottages as we passed by, knowing we were getting closer to the last one. We pasted the tiny home, and true enough, the road ended soon after. The mare fidgeted, and I gave her a little nudge with my knee. "C'mon now." I whispered to her. "It's just grass, and you've surely walked on that before."

She did continue her walk, if a bit cautious.

To avoid getting lost, I let her only wonder in straight line. It wasn't the best way to find Snow White but until I could bring string or something with me to tie around a few trees, well it would have to do.

I pasted meadows, ponds, a few babbling brooks and countless trees of different shape and color. But there was no sign of another cottage. "The witches the old woman spoke of must be hiding…" I mused.

The mare fidgeted again, and I glanced around us. A snake on the ground perhaps? There was no serpent, but in the distance something stirred. A thin trail of smoke. A witch's cottage? A gypsy camp? Snow White? It could be anything or anyone. I gave the mare another nudge forward. The only way to find out would be to see where it was coming from.

It took longer than expected to reach the destination, as shallow river, nestled in a few hills was placed between us, one that the mare did not want to cross at all, and required much encouragement to do so. By the time we were close to where I suspected the smoke was rising from, whatever fire had produced it was dying.

The mare was quite unhappy by this time, far off from her comfy stable, and with wet legs. "Easy…easy." I hushed her. I slid off her back and took a closer look at the dying embers. "Odd…surely someone was here a moment ago."

A thin and brittle twig snapped somewhere to my right and I gazed up in that direction. "Hello?" I asked. "Snow White?" I dared to ask. "Is that you?"

There was not an immediate answer. "It's me, Mirror." I went on, gently. "You don't have to be afraid, you can come out."

There was a rustle in the thicket, and then something moved and bolted away. It was an impossible creature, with a great hump on it's back and fur of every color and kind. Multitudes of browns and greys, with black and white, even streaks of bright red, like a fox. It's departure was echoed by the calls of crows, which it startled from under the bushes.

I froze up, and the mare started to stamp about in a frightened way, her eyes rolling back in her head. I practically leapt over her back, managing to place my foot in a stirrup and clamber back on. There was no controlling her after that, and she ran around in circles for some time before finding her bearings and racing right back to the carpentry shop, not stopping until she was back in her stable.

"What was that?" I asked. "I've never heard of any creature that looked like that before."

"Where have you been?"

I glanced up to see Elias who looked as angry as a hornet shaken around in a jar. "What?" I questioned.

"You've been gone for hours." He snapped at me. "What took you so long?"

I suddenly remembered that I had not stopped on my return at all to see if the lumber would be arriving on time. "Oh! I'm so sorry." I apologized outright. "I meant to stop on my way back, but the mare was frightened and wouldn't stop running…I wasn't thinking of stopping her either, you should have seen-"

"You didn't even do what you were supposed to?!" I swore I saw a bit of steam coming out of his ears.

"I forgot." I apologized again. "You see I'm missing a friend, and I needed a horse to explore farther into the forest." I tried to explain my case.

He sighed, aggravated. "I should have known…I should have known to not trust Rebecca so quickly…"

"I'm sorry, I'll apologize to everyone." I said. "I owe them that."

"You'll have to do it tomorrow."

"Why?"

"Because they've all gone home!" Elias snapped. "It's nearly evening."

"Why are you still here then?"

He frowned. "I had to finish up the bookkeeping."

"Well, I could at least take the saddle off the mare."

"Just go." Elias dismissed me.

I wished more than ever that I had found Snow White that day. I needed my friend back .

Slowly getting into the 'Catskin' plot more.