Chapter 2
"You wish to open a shop in Castle Town?" I swallowed nervously, hoping I had misheard the great witch's words.
"Yes. There are just not enough customers around here." Syrup then pointed to the full shelves. "The shelves are about to fall from the walls, there are so many potions. All that hard work will go to waste if they sit and gather dust."
"But..." I stopped, unable to voice my fears. Castle Town was crowded with people. If they were anything like the villagers, then my life would be even more miserable then it already was.
"Eivie, not everyone is the same," the witch said knowingly. "The only reason the villagers avoid you is because you had a Poe scare those children. When you meet new people, you will have a chance to make some friends. There are plenty of children your age in Castle Town. I'm sure you'll find someone to be friends with."
"I do not like children. And I have friends here."
Syrup shook her head at this and scoffed. "You're a child yourself, you know. And Poes are no substitute for a human friend." She paused, waiting for some response from me, but, upon receiving none, she decided to continue speaking. "I already have a shop bought and we will be moving to Castle Town in three days. We have a lot of packing to do, young lady."
"Understood, but I still do not want to go."
"Eivie, give it a chance. I'm sure you'll like it when we get there."
The walls that surrounded the city were like nothing I had ever seen before. The gray stones may have weathered with age, but remained strong and imposing, barring monsters to the great fields. Only now, as Syrup and I walked alongside the cart of our belongings, would the walls fail to keep the city monster free. I would soon be calling the town my home, inviting my ghostly friends in with me.
As we entered through the gate, the next thing that drew my attention was the famous castle. At the front, a fountain sprayed water into the air, creating a rainbow over the gate leading into the castle grounds. Behind the gate, a courtyard with brilliant flowers and vibrant grass grew. The castle itself rose high into the sky; the trees in the forest offered little comparison to the grandeur of the rising towers of the castle.
"Do you like the castle?" Syrup chuckled and shook her head at me. It was only then did I notice I had stopped walking. "Come on, we can tour the town after we get settled."
"Yes." I nodded, following Syrup down the streets, past the crowds of people. "Where is this shop?" I had not bothered asking earlier because of my opposition to moving, but my curiosity had finally found me.
Syrup seemed to ignore my question and kept walking at a brisk pace. For an old witch she enjoyed walking quickly and purposely. Admiring the scenery seemed a foreign concept to her. I could not help being distracted by all of the people, buildings, and whatever else we happened upon. I was dawdling a ways behind her when she suddenly stopped in front of a building. Knowing this must be my new home, I ran to stand beside her.
"This is it!" She quickly opened the door to the small wood building. "With a little work this place will be perfect. Come along, Eivie."
I stared at the entrance for a moment, unimpressed. The outside was in poor condition; the window shutters were crooked, the door was partly off of its hinge, and the remnants of paint was peeling away from the wood. When I made my way inside, I was met with an equally dingy interior. There was little lighting, which was actually pleasant to me, but the light filtering through the filmy windows revealed how much dust was floating in the air.
"It is filthy," I commented as I slide my finger along a table, leaving a defined trail in a thick layer of dust. "I do not like it."
"Oh, it just needs a little attention, is all. But, before we clean up, we should move our stuff in. Go help that nice man bring boxes in, would you?"
I nodded and went back to the cart. A man had helped us earlier by lending us his cart and pulling it through town. Syrup had been talking with the man for a while before, but I had ignored the conversation. He would be gone soon enough; why bother with names and pleasantries.
"Are you ready to move stuff in?" He asked cheerfully, a broad smile on his rounded face. He had a box in his hands already.
"Yes." I quickly took a small box and walked back into the house. The sooner the boxes were inside and unpacked, the quicker I could go look around the town. If I was forced to live here, I might as well learn what the place has to offer.
The crates, boxes, and bags of our belongings were soon piled on the floor of the storefront. Much of the items were potions, bottles, kettles, and ingredients for the business; we had few personal items. I had one small box that held everything I owned. When Syrup gave me permission to go upstairs to one of the tiny rooms, I happily went.
The room was not as disappointing as I thought it would be. There was a window that sat above the ledge of a nearby building; it would be simple for me to jump down and climb back up when I inevitably sneaked out at night. The window was the only aspect I appreciated fully, though. The bed was likely covered in dust that would cause me to sneeze every time I tried to lie down. A small table was pushed up against the wall opposite of the bed, leaving little room to walk. It would be livable, I settled.
I sat my things down on the desk, lining up my belongings. I took a tattered blanket and threw it over my shoulder on the bed. My night gown received the same treatment. The brush and mirror Syrup had gifted my remained on the table. Next I looked around the room for a place to hang my prized lantern that I had been given by Meg, the purple Poe sister. She and her sisters had given it as a sign of their allegiance to me.
I never understood why they gave me it or why they allied with me, a child. Somehow they were convinced that I would be powerful one day. I never asked what they meant, simply wanting to believe that perhaps I could obtain power and be acknowledged as more than an orphan child raised by a witch. Whatever they had sensed about me must have inspired our continued partnership. Monsters had no need to be allied to the weak; the weak were hunted and inevitably destroyed. The Poe Sisters actions made little sense to me, but why question it? If they intended to kill me at some point, then so be it.
With a sigh, I sat the lantern back on the table next to the mirror. I could find no proper place to hang it from at the moment. Later I would have to find a nail to create a place for it. Leaving it on the table unlit for the rest of time seemed wrong.
With nothing else to do in the room, I wandered back downstairs. I could hear Syrup and the cheerful man chatting. He was rambling on about how convenient it would be to have a potion brewer in town again. Syrup had a smile on her wrinkled face and acted to be quite flattered with the man's enthusiasm. Their conversation bored me after a few seconds, sending me out the front door into the streets. Syrup noticed and shouted "Don't get lost or into trouble." I nodded even though she could no longer see me.
There were a few people across the street from the shop, gawking at the sign and whispering to each other. When they saw me take a few steps away from the door and past the now empty cart, they beckoned me over to them. With a sigh I went to them and stopped a few paces away, standing straight with my hands behind my back.
"Such a proper little lady," an older woman in a brown and green dress commented, smiling at me.
"Is that the new potion shop?" the younger lady asked, pointing across the street. She had a face similar to the other lady; most likely they were mother and daughter.
"Yes." I looked over my shoulder, back at the storefront. I could see Syrup behind the counter beginning to place down bottles of various potions and ingredients. Pointing to her, I said, "That is Syrup. She owns the shop and brews all of the potions."
The older woman nodded. "And what is your name, dear? Are you Syrup's granddaughter?"
"My name is Eivie. Syrup only looks after me." I quickly turned away and took a few steps forward. "I have something I need to go do; if you have further questions concerning the shop, speak to Syrup tomorrow."
I quickly walked around the side of the shop and to where my room's window was. The overhang of the neighboring building was double my height and there was nothing nearby to help boost myself up enough to reach it. While climbing out of my window and jumping to ground was well with in my ability, climbing back up would be impossible, ruining my plans for late night outings until resolved. In other words, finding a solution took priority over anything else.
"Amy, do you see some way to get up?"
The green hued Poe became visible and floated above me to the edge of the building and back down. She swayed back and forth, her eyes showing disappointment. With her torch, she pointed back to the window and then at me.
"No," I sighed. "I cannot float up there like you do. I need something to stand on or climb up, Amy."
She flew into my face, her eyes narrowed. She had not appreciated my sarcastic tone.
"You could try carrying me up. Would that be better?"
Amy moved away from my face, turned her back on me, and crossed her arms. After a moment of silence, she hovered back to my side, fading away until she was no longer visible.
"We can go look for something together," I said to Amy, knowing she was still near me. One of the sister's always seemed to be at my side when I lived in the forest. When I told them about moving, Meg had told me they would stay in the woods. Amy had been allowed to accompany me to Castle Town, but was to return when night fell.
Meg and her sisters lived in a temple of some sorts. The ghostly sisters never told me much about the place they lived other than it was their duty to watch over it. Meg made it clear that whatever it was that they were to protect in that old ruin was important. She had threatened to attack me if I placed one foot in the entrance, in fact. And now that I moved, I would no longer have the chance to find that temple and investigate what secrets the Poes were protecting.
With my new mission in mind, I walked back to the front of the building and continued my way down the street, backtracking along the path Syrup and I had taken earlier. The closer I got to the castle, more people crowded the streets, visiting various shops in the center of town. I considered looking what the shops and stalls had to offer, but remembered I had no money to spend. I never had use for it before, so carrying any of my limited supply never occurred to me. Also, considering that I needed a ladder or something of the like, I did not have enough rupees to purchase one any way. I would have to be creative to solve my problem.
"Amy, do you see anything I could use?" I whispered quietly, trying to avoid any questioning stares from people nearby.
A sudden tug on my hair was her response. After the initial pull, she loosened her grip and gently pulled me to the right and down another street. I let her lead me through many twists and turns, trusting that she would show me to something useful. I doubted it was to anything ladder related, though. Amy always did what she wanted and usually ignored what I asked her to do unless she had personal interest in the matter. Beth was the one who followed orders the best out of the sisters, especially considering how Joelle ignored me and how Meg ordered me around.
After a few minutes of walking, I found myself standing in front of a spiked metal gate. I rolled my eyes when I noticed where Amy had lead me.
"And what are we to do at a cemetery, Amy?"
A rough shove urged me to enter.
"Fine, I will go look." I sighed as I pushed open the gate, closing it after entering. There was no one around, as far as I could tell. It was a cemetery after all. Not many people willingly went into cemeteries, even during the day unless it was necessary or for a short visit. Well, in the village it had been like that because Poes would occasionally cause havoc there.
Castle Town's cemetery was more kept and actually looked pretty considering rotting corpses were buried there. Along the paths there were white and yellow flowers that looked trimmed and well cared for. Bright green grass covered much of the area, excluding the white and gray stone paths and grave markers. It almost seemed like a cheery place, making me wonder why Amy wanted to come here. She hated flowers and anything "cheery." I bet she detested this beautiful cemetery that made a mockery of the typically gloomy location.
Amy tugged at my hair again, trying to direct me forward. She continued to pull even after I had begun to walk, keeping a lock of my hair captive. Near the back of the cemetery, I saw a stone building with a large mural depicting knights in battle. The mausoleum's stone door seemed closed tight when I pushed on it. I stood back and stared at the sealed door.
"What is it you want to show me, Amy?"
Her response was a phantom giggle.
"Well, open it then." I crossed my arms over my chest. "Don't just tease me."
The heavy stone door slowly grated open, leaving just enough room for me to squeeze inside. I glanced at Amy, wanting to know what was inside and hoping she did not plan on shutting me in. She pushed me forward gently and I willingly stepped inside the dark, cold tomb. Amy decided to close the door, causing the small sliver of sunlight to disappear, leaving me in total darkness. Eventually my eyes adjusted enough to see faint outlines of objects, but I wanted to see more. Amy became visible and brought out her torch, showering the room in green light.
"Amy," I began, only to whip my head in the opposite direction. Briefly, I swore I had seen movement on the other side of the room. I straightened my back and looked around for the animated object.
I flinched and stumbled back a step when a creature suddenly flew in front of my face. After the initial shock and recovery, I could see a strange Poe hovering a few feet away from me. It wore a golden yellow robe that was tattered at the bottom. Its face was covered by a grated metal mask, a faint glow showing from the cracks that told where the eyes were. It held a lantern in its hand, the gold light mixing with the green of Amy's torch.
"What is this one called?" I asked confidently. No matter the slightly strange appearance, a Poe was a Poe, and I did not fear them.
"Hue," it responded in a low, resonating voice. He was louder than any other Poe I had spoken with. It was strange to hear the words so clearly. "And you, who disturbs my grave, are?"
"Eivie. And," I pointed over my shoulder, "Amy, one of the four Sisters of the Forest."
Hue studied us for a moment, his gaze focused mainly on me. He scoffed before turning to Amy. "What is it you want from me, Forest Keeper?"
Amy moved closer to Hue, whispering to him. When she finished whatever she was telling him, she let out a giggle and floated back to my side.
Hue sighed, rolling his eyes behind his mask. "Very well then. If that is what is required, I will watch this one called Eivie."
"Watch me?" I raised my eyebrow as I waited for one of the two to explain. Neither made a move, causing me to frown. "Fine, then. If I am not meant to know, then so be it. I will find out your motive eventually." I straightened my back and clasped my hands behind my back, looking at the yellow hooded Poe. "Hue," I bowed my head slightly, "I will be expecting to see you later when Amy departs, then."
Hue snorted in annoyance, but nodded his head.
"Amy," I turned to face the door, "we will be on our way now."
Amy narrowed her eyes at me before fading into the stone door. Light quickly flooded the room. When I felt I could bare the brightness, I left the mausoleum and Hue behind. Once outside, I walked down the dirt path back to the entrance, ready to resume my mission for a ladder. While meeting another Poe was always interesting and Amy's departure was soon, a ladder was still top priority.
Monsters and humans do not get along; that is fact. Humans only befriend other humans. Monsters only associate with other monsters. Humans listen to those they trust and to reason. Monsters obey those more powerful than themselves. We are different from each other and friendships between us cannot exist.
A/N- I hope you enjoyed. Reviews and constructive criticism would be much appreciated. On a side note, the italics are a future Eivie reflecting on the events and there will likely be a similar section in each chapter. If even one person tells me to continue it would motivate me greatly! Thank you for reading!
-AwkwardBlackCat