'Mmhm!'
The sky was slowly glowing paler and the first glimmers of gold and red were chasing away the darkness of the night along with its forbidden secrets. It was still early but not a single cloud was covering that red fireball.
Aylin sensed the warmth of the golden sunlight through her closed eyes as she opened her heavy eyes slowly, blinking a few times. Instinctively, she raised one hand and touched her throbbing forehead.
"Ughh! My head is aching…"
—--
Pushing the mahogany door of one of the most famous herbal stores of Arcelia Kingdom, Aylin entered inside with her cheerful smile. Though she was looking slightly exhausted, in her dusty blue, plain gown, she was looking enchanting and pure like always.
Flashing a warm smile towards a middle-aged guy with a round spectacle, Aylin wished cheerfully, "Good Morning, Mr Dercy."
The store was filled with medicinal plants, rare and medicinal spices, essential oils, flower essences, tinctures, elixirs and many other medicinal kinds of stuff as a strong medicinal scent was lingering in the air.
Mr Dercy was reading an old book very attentively. Hearing Aylin, he looked up instantly as he wished back, returning her smile, "Good Morning, Lin. Why are you late today?"
Aylin sat down on a particular chair, placed at the corner of the store, next to a rectangle table, filled with numerous glass jars with colourful liquids. Yawning sleepily, Aylin mumbled in her silvery voice, "I am sorry, Mr Darcy. My head is throbbing today and I am not feeling well today. Aunt Mable also hasn't returned yet…"
Closing the old and heavy book in his hand, Mr Darcy got up instantly as he asked in a concerned tone, "Why didn't you take a rest today? You mustn't force yourself, Lin."
"No no… I am totally fine. It is just a headache."
"Hmmm…"
Mr Darcy searched for something from the nearby selves, frowning his eyebrows. After a few seconds, he pulled out a tiny vial, filled with a green liquid. Then approaching Aylin, Mr Darcy advised, passing her the vial, "Drink it. You are looking exhausted too. I think that you have caught a cold."
While pulling out the cork of the vial, Aylin answered thoughtfully, "Yes, it was raining last night. I think I got drenched in the rain while returning home."
Mr Darcy was still standing near Aylin's table. Looking at her puzzled expression, he asked again, "Where are the plants? Have you found them?"
Aylin already started to drink the bittersweet liquid. Hearing his question, she stopped abruptly as she murmured in an embarrassed tone, "S-sorry… It is kinda weird. I actually managed to collect all the plants yesterday but I couldn't find them today morning. I can't recall where I kept them last night."
"Huh! That's weird."
Aylin murmured again in a worried tone, "Exactly, all I can remember is that I collected the plants and it was raining. So, I slept early and it was very warm last night as if I was burning. Is it possible that I had a fever?"
While scratching his messy beard, Mr Darcy answered in his heavy voice, "Possible… I am sure that you had a very bad fever, Lin. You should just go home and take a rest today. No need to work today."
Aylin gulped down all the green liquid. Then wiping her lips with the back of her hand, she answered instantly, "No no, I am fine. Aunt Mable is also not home still now. I will just get bored alone."
"Are you sure?"
Shaking her head assuringly, Aylin answered with her warm smile, "Yes yes, Mr Darcy. Can I go to the forest again today? We need those plants urgently…"
Mr Darcy responded, still in a worried tone, "That's true. We need them but I don't think that you should go alone today."
"Exactly. Aylin shouldn't go alone. Can I go with her, Father?"
Before Aylin could answer, a demanding and overexcited female voice interrupted them as a chubby girl with a pair of bright hazel eyes just like Mr Darcy and tan skin, entered the store with a bucket in her hand. The bucket was covered with a velvet cloth.
Aylin and Mr Darcy instantly looked in her direction as a warm and delicious scent of sweet bread hit their nostrils. The girl placed the bucket on Mr Darcy's table as she asked again in her demanding tone, "Father, can I go with her?"
Frowning his eyebrows, Mr Darcy asked, looking at his daughter, "Aren't you going to help your mother?"
The tween girl pleaded again while approaching Aylin, "No, I helped in making the breakfast so I can stay here now."
Aylin's face also lit up in glee, seeing her childhood friend. Turning her head in Mr Darcy's direction, she also requested politely, "If Jane is free, can I take her with me, Mr Darcy? I mean that it will be easier to find the plants…"
Thinking for a moment, Mr Darcy agreed. Looking at Jane, He advised in a serious tone, "Jane, don't cause any trouble and listen to Lin… Don't touch any unknown plants. I hope that you remembered the last time."
Jane danced happily, hearing Mr Darcy's answer. Then grabbing Aylin's wrist and almost dragging her along with her, she answered excitedly, "Yes yes, Father. I will be careful. See you later."
Mr Darcy screamed from behind in an annoyed tone, "You little Fool! Don't drag, Lin. She is not well."
But, turning her head, Aylin answered, assuringly with her usual warm smile, "Don't worry, Mr Darcy. We will be careful. See you soon."
Jane pulled Aylin along behind her while half dancing and half running. Jane was always an over-excited girl but Aylin was feeling slightly down that day. Though the herbal medicine gave her a slight relief from her headache, her mind was still in a mess. She was still trying to recall the incidents of last night.
But, no matter how hard Aylin tried, she couldn't recall anything except for returning home in the rain and going to bed instantly. Nothing about the herbs! Did she even find all the herb plants last night!
"Lin, what's wrong? You are looking pale. Are you feeling sick?"
Jane's concerned tone pulled Aylin back to reality as she looked in her direction. Smiling cheerfully, she answered in her friendly tone, "Just a little headache but I am better now after drinking the medicine."
"Are you sure?"
Winking playfully at Jane, Aylin answered while walking towards the forest, "Yes, Madam. Nothing to worry about. But, you better be careful and don't touch any other poisonous plant this time."
Jane answered excitedly, "Sure sure. Do you know what happened today…"
From the herbal store of Mr Darcy, the forest was only twenty minutes away. So, soon enough they reached near the forest while chatting casually. Jane was talking about her new recipes as always. But it was quite interesting to learn cooking from Jane.
But, suddenly turning her head in the direction of the forest, Jane declared in a curious tone, " Oh! Lin, I forgot to ask you something. Have you seen anything suspicious last night?"
Frowning her long eyebrows, Aylin asked in a puzzled tone, "Suspicious? What do you mean?"
Jane mumbled, shrugging her shoulders, "I am not sure. But, my brother left so early today and he was talking about some kind of ruckus in the forest. So, I thought that you saw something suspicious last night."
"I can't recall anything precisely. Is it something serious?"
Jane was about to answer when a sparkling voice interrupted them.
"LIN! Why are you here?"
A young boy around the age of eighteen or nineteen screamed again a little far away from them. His cheerful voice was warm and fresh as the summer breeze as his light hair was a stark contrast to his deep tan skin.
Taking long steps, he approached them with a friendly smile as he asked again, looking at Aylin, "Haven't you slept well last night? Why do you look so pale?"
"Brother Rio!"
(Tween means- a youngster between 10 and 12 years of age, considered too old to be a child and too young to be a teenager. Aylin and Jane are both around 12 years old.)