"Aurora" Annika called as she waved her hand in front of her face.
"Huh," Aurora jerked.
"What's wrong, you have been staring at the backyard for quite some time now" Annika informed.
"Oh, it's nothing" she lied. She was actually thinking about those ghosts and that scary grim reaper.
"Are you done?" she asked.
Annika nodded, "Aye, we are ready to go" she answered.
Aurora looked at the three baskets filled with her bakeries. It has been a while since her friends started to sell her bakeries at the market place, because she couldn't do it herself - if any of the villagers were to sight her anywhere near the market, she will be surly embarrassed. When the villagers deemed her and her papa as cursed people, they chased them down at a cottage, that was at the edge of the village, so that they could live away from them.
And now Aurora has never gone far from that cottage, for nine years she has been confined to that small cottage and it's environment.
When Annika saw the uncertainty in her face, she smiled and said "Don't worry we will make great sale"
Aurora smiled back, "I know" she whispered.
"Can we go?" Amberly asked as she stood at the door with only one basket in her hand.
Annika went at the table and carried the remaining two baskets. "Bye," she told Aurora.
"Bye" she said as she watched them leave. Then with a heavy sigh she closed the door. How she would love to see the world, the beautiful things out there. But unfortunately she can't - the villagers loath her and her legs were broken. Even life itself hates her.
With a sullen face she went inside the kitchen, and slowly she started to clear up her work space. They were still some butter cakes left, and they were still hot - but she was not in the mood to eat. So she covered the cakes neatly in a white cloth. And just when she was about to close the windows - she heard a sound.
She turned, glancing around - where did that sound come from? She asked herself. She listened carefully, and it came again, it sounded more like footsteps. Carefully and slowly she opened the kitchen door and then she saw someone - a male, walking around in the living room, his back was to her, so she couldn't quite see his face. Then he picked up a certain book that was on top of the shelf.
Aurora gasped quietly - was he thieving? She asked herself. Perhaps this was a thief. She closed the kitchen door slowly.
'There is a thief in your house, Aurora' she told herself in a whisper. 'What do you do? What do people do to thieves?' she pondered panicky, her eyes glancing around, then it stopped at the frying pan. With a heavy breath she picked the frying pan up, and held it tightly.
Then she opened the door again, and walked slowly to the thief, who was still facing backwards. Aurora raised the frying pan up, and just when she was about to hit him, he turned.
Aurora froze. Including her hands that held the frying pan, her eyes widened with surprise. "You!" she uttered.
Zander looked up at her hands that held the frying pan, "Were you going to hit me with that?" he asked gesturing to her hand.
Aurora brought her hand down, "You looked like a thief from behind" she said.
"Really?" Zander asked with a smile.
"Aye," she answered, even though she knew that it was false. He looked too style worthy to be a thief - his black attire was very impressive. What was she thinking to think that he was a thief. "You can't just walk in people's houses like that" Aurora said.
"I can't?" he asked as he kept the book back on the shelf.
Aurora looked at him weirdly, stunned by the question. "You have to knock, first." she answered.
"Oh, I see" he said.
"Are you here to track down another beast?" she asked, astonished by how small she was near him. That night that they had met, she was on the ground, so she didn't quite notice his height. He towered her by a lot.
"No, am not" he answered - remembering now that he had actually told her that he is a hunter. "Am here because am famished" he said.
"Y-you are famished?" Aurora repeated with perplexity. "I'm sure there's a lot of bake houses and taverns in the village. But I can't direct you to any" she explained.
"I know." Zander said.
He was getting her more and more confused. "Then why are you here?" she asked, because apart from her friends no one else knows that she bakes.
"Because you are a baker" he answered.
"I am not" she said.
"There is flour on your face" he said, as he shoved his hands into his long jacket.
"What?" Aurora said as she quickly used her apron to clean her face. Then she said, "This is not flour"
"Really? What is it then"
"It's ..umm it's nothing ..." she trailed off. Lying just wasn't in her nature.
Zander smiled - watching her trying to lie was adorable.
"Cute." he said as he stared to move around the room.
"I am not lying" Aurora said at least.
"I really think you are" the great impaler said as he picked up a certain symbol - he was familiar with it because it is the god's symbol, that connects them to the messengers.
Aurora still can't understand why he was here, she was the cursed lass, and no one ever comes to her cottage. And besides the scent of her cottage was starting to change, ever since he came. The scent was wonderful and Aurora had to admit that she liked it.
"Fine. I do bake" she admitted.
Zander turned to her. Aurora's heart skipped a few beats - seeing his face in broad daylight was even more breathtaking.
"But...I'm not a very skilled baker" she said, but the war god knew that it was another lie.
"I am having a hard time believing that." he said as he came closer to her. He stood in front of her and their gaze held for sometime, before Zander smiled and said "So, which way is the kitchen."