Her stomach growled, waking her. She groaned, rubbing her hungry belly as she forced herself off the soft bed. She walked over to a nearby window and slowly opened it. It was still quite early; the sun hadn't come out but could be seen in the distance. She checked her phone, and it showed that it was 5:49 a.m., which was relatively early. Earlier than she had wanted to, she could only blame herself for falling asleep midday.
She grabbed a charger from her suitcase and set her phone to charge as she walked downstairs and went to the bathroom to wash up. She had also decided to do a slight makeover to her whole look, as she took some scissors and trimmed the hair covering her face slightly. Now, you could make out her appearance much better, and her emerald-colored eyes were all the more present. She also tied her hair up into a ponytail and snapped her fingers.
"Looking good, Avery. Now there won't be any confusion….hopefully."
She shrugged and went back upstairs. After checking her camera, I noticed it seemed reasonable and had plenty of battery. She changed into a sports bra with a tank top and shorts and slipped some sneakers on; she wasn't about to make the same mistake as yesterday and get fried by wearing a sweater. Besides, she was gonna be walking around town for a long while.
She put the camera strap around her neck and headed out. Her first step was to find a restaurant to get some food and then explore this quiet little town. She heard some whining behind her and caught the same dog the kids had before looking at her. She tilted her head and walked around her house; the other kids weren't there.
"Did the other little spies send you to keep an eye on me?"
The puppy didn't talk back to her or even bark, so she shrugged and headed towards the town. She didn't fail to notice it following behind her, but she didn't exactly mind. She was too hungry to care now.
As she headed to town, she was surprised to see how busy it was. People seemed to wake up early. The town seemed even more lively now than when she had barely arrived, and everyone was walking around without cars. Conversations were happening around her, making it hard to focus, and the foot traffic was wild as she tried to maneuver around the people around her. She squeezed past the crowd and entered a restaurant due to her thin figure. She made her way to an empty seat and took out her camera. She took a picture of the outside; it was almost like an ocean of people. She wondered where everyone was going so early that a few walked into the restaurant and waved at the cook and staff before taking a seat. Luckily, it seemed nobody had attempted to sit with her, as a waiter had walked over to her.
"What will it be, new face?"
He pulled out a notepad and flipped through it as he pulled out a pen. She quickly searched the menu and decided on eggs and bacon. God, that sounded delicious—especially the bacon.
"Just eggs and bacon…wait, how do you know I'm new to this town?"
He raised an eyebrow and gave her a look up and down. He seemed to laugh for a few seconds before responding in a sassy tone.
"Are you being serious? Look at you; I can tell you aren't from here. First, we don't get a lot of visitors…at all. So, as soon as one shows up, they become the talk of the town. Next, you look like a lost bunny. I could see you approach the restaurant from outside; you stuck out."
She blushed at being called a bunny, hiding her face behind the menu. She tried to wave him off, which made the man chuckle and walk off. She peeked out and saw a few people looking over at her. She hid once more and silently cursed to herself. She regretted changing her hairstyle and cutting her hair; now, she couldn't hide her embarrassment with her bangs. She kept her face hidden till her food arrived and tried to focus on it; it helped her relax as nobody seemed to be looking her way when she looked up again.
Once again, she was shocked at how many little people there were despite being smaller than her. She had the strangest feeling that it might be best not to upset them, not that she was going to. But part of her wanted to ask about the history of this place, and maybe they could give her answers she couldn't find online.
Sadly, she couldn't just ask; she had to be…subtle. Which was never her strong suit, so how about putting it off and exploring more of the town? Sounds excellent, Avery!
She walked up to the counter and set down the cash for her meal as she waved goodbye before getting away. She swore she could hear the waiter laughing again but couldn't dwell on it, mainly because she didn't doubt she would blush with embarrassment if she did.
Heading back out into the streets after a nice meal had some advantages. First, the sun had risen, and the roads weren't as crowded as before. She checked her pocket for her phone, realizing she had forgotten it back at home and left it charging. She facepalmed and shook her head; her phone would survive extra charging time…right?
Later, she would worry about her phone problems as she decided to walk toward the park she had noticed before. On her way there, she nearly collided with Maria. She was walking with a young boy with pale skin, short black hair, and the same amber-colored eyes. He wore a black buttoned shirt, shorts, suspenders, and boots. Maria was wearing a T-shirt, blue jeans, and sneakers. He must have been her little brother, and he looked adorable.
She wished she had made a better first impression as she nearly tripped over herself, trying to avoid running into them. She did a half-spin and grabbed onto the fence to stay on her feet. She tried to regain her footing quickly and leaned on the wall as she snapped her fingers.
"What's up, Maria? Are you and your brother alright? I didn't see you there."
Maria chuckled while her little brother just stared at her. Avery tried not to show her nervousness as she coughed and stood straight.
"You don't look like a guy at all. What was my sister talking about? You weren't being mean to her, right?"
Maria jumped and covered the mouth of her brother, nervously laughing. At the same time, Avery felt quite happy that her hairstyle and clothing cleared up any misunderstandings.
"I-ignore what he said, he is…very imaginative. So what are you doing here? Are you going on a run or something?"
Maria would stop covering his mouth, jumping a bit as she wiped her hand on her pants and gently hit him on the head.
"No, just exploring the town. I didn't get to do that yesterday cause I had to put everything away… and I was exhausted. I slept the whole airplane ride, so I don't know what happened to me."
She jumped slightly as she heard barking from behind her; the same dog as before had followed her, and she sighed and looked at Maria.
"Do you happen to know the kids that own this dog? I don't want him to get lo-"
A baseball would fly over the fence and hit her across the head as she yelped and covered her head. Looking toward the park, she saw one of the kids holding a baseball bat throw it down and run away.
"Son of a…who was that?"
She grabbed the baseball that hit her and tossed it back into the park. One of the kids walked over and grabbed it. While she kept rubbing her head, that kid had a strong swing, and she felt like she would end up with a bump because of him. She held back on cursing since she didn't want to influence Maria's brother badly.
"You were asking for it, you really sho-"
He spoke only to have his sister gently poke his ribs, making him jump and glare up at his sister. Maria's gaze seems to shift for a second into something akin to a glare. She couldn't exactly tell, but it seemed he had said something he wasn't supposed to. She would have loved to find out why, but the pain was making it hard to focus.
"How about you take care of him, and I'll help Avery get an ice pack for the pain?"
Her brother seemed to pout as he walked over and gently picked up the dog. The dog seemed to squirm in his hand, so he pinched the back of its neck for a second. This caused the dog to whine and lay its head on his shoulder.
"Come on, Avery, let's get you an ice pack."
Maria gently grabbed her wrist and pulled her along; Avery followed but decided to look back at the park. Most kids had returned to playing, but a small group glared at her. She wasn't exactly intimidated but curious about what exactly she did to piss them off. This town was starting to get interesting, and the mystery continued…god she wished she had brought a voice recorder to whisper her thoughts into.
Following Maria eventually led her to a small convenience store; as soon as the two walked in, Maria walked over to the store clerk. She explained what happened and headed into the backroom, leaving the two at the counter.
"So…how was I asking for it? Did I accidentally break some rule in this place?"
Maria sighed as she rhythmically tapped the counter. She seemed to be contemplating something. This only made Avery more excited about what she would find, and the pain of the headache lessened slightly as she focused on what she would say.
"Not a rule, but you should understand that this town is relatively small. So it's almost impossible for people not to know each other. The little pup from before is named Kayn and is quite loved in town. People would find it quite rude if you were calling him a dog; he is like family to many people."
So, it was a lack of manners on her part? Still, she didn't think she deserved to be hit across the head with a baseball if it was on purpose. The man arrived with the ice pack; Avery wasted no time paying the man despite Maria's attempts to cover the cost.
"So where are you gonna go now?"
Asked Maria as the two headed outside the store, and Avery held the ice pack to their head. Avery had no idea where exactly to go, so doing the smart thing, she confidently said.
"I-i dunno…"
She stuttered slightly and spoke with a complete lack of confidence, so it was close enough to her intention. Maria shook her head and smiled.
"Then how about I show you around? Hopefully, I can prevent more baseball accidents; this way, you will have a general idea of where everything is."
Avery nodded, and Maria immediately began walking off while Avery followed behind her. She planned to ask Maria to show her around, hoping to avoid disrespecting or breaking unspoken rules. Her intention was understood, at least, which was always good.
She was led around town for a few hours, and her legs felt weak. She wasn't out of shape by any means, but the constant walking and standing without breaks was doing her in. Maria didn't seem out of breath at all; she wasn't sure if she could even feel tired. The two stopped at the town center where a statue lay before them; it was carved out of stone, and it was a spear stabbed onto the ground with a strange flag on the butt of the spear. The plaque read, "To those who sacrifice their lives for us, Thank you."
It was all exciting and worth asking about, but she couldn't be bothered. She found the nearest bench and sat down. She had the melted ice pack in hand and tried to rest her tired body. Maria stood a few feet away, stretching and looking over at Avery. She was still smiling the same as ever, not a hint of exhaustion on her face. What a monster…or maybe this was her wake-up call to get into good shape? Or at least work on her stamina.
"Want me to get you some water?"
Avery gave a half-hearted nod, and while Maria was gone, she tried to catch her breath and focus on what she wanted to ask. The flag was a good one to ask about; it didn't look like any flag she had ever seen or recognized. It was divided into three sections: colored red, yellow, and white from left to right. The red had a dragon in the middle, or at least she thought. The yellow was a Feather, and the white had a golden dot in the middle. Quite the strange thing, as for who the plaque was. Thanking for service was also a good question. Her guess was maybe this town used this to honor war veterans, but why a spear with the strange flag?
Maria tapped her head with the water bottle. Avery practically snatched it from Maria and quickly began trying to open it. Avery is embarrassed to admit that it took her a few seconds to open it before taking a drink. Meanwhile, Maria was trying not to laugh, the occasional chuckle escaping her lips.
"Thank god, bless you for the water…and thank you as well, Maria."
She nodded and sat beside her, opening her water bottle and drinking. Now was the perfect time to start her questionnaire. You were caught the moment you sat down, Maria. You didn't know it.
"So Maria, what's the statue for?"
Maria didn't seem rushed to answer. After drinking her water and closing the cap, she looked up at the flag.
"We lost people and left behind many more. They sacrificed their lives for us; you know how war is…they do still teach that in the big city, right?"
Avery nods her head, quietly writing everything down mentally for later. Maria chuckles slightly, her gaze moving back to the statue.
"To honor and remember them, we created this statue in their honor."
Avery photographed the statue with her camera. Her words were insightful but didn't explain why a spear or flag was used.
"If that's the case, why this flag? I haven't ever seen it being used, and why a spear to represent them?"
She tried to check her pocket for her phone, only to remember she hadn't gone home to pick it up yet…she wasn't used to not having it around.
"The flag is simpler to explain than the spear; the spear has history, and there isn't enough time in the day to discuss it. The flag is something we made, although the US flag is quite nice. We didn't feel it was personal enough to represent the losses we experienced. So, we created our flag to honor them and remember them. It must be quite weird, huh?"
That was a beautiful way to honor them. She had no experience with mourning, so she had no right to judge them.
"Don't worry. I think it's pretty beautiful and very personal to you all, so who am I to judge? I haven't ever lost someone close to me, so I don't have the first idea of what I'd do to remember them or how to honor them."
Maria turned to her and looked at Avery with what she thought was pity. She couldn't tell, but it made her feel embarrassed and nervous.
"What's the look for?"
She asked, unconsciously glaring at Maria, feeling almost like Maria was looking down at her.
"Sorry, just be ready. It's easier to deal with loss when you're younger. Surprisingly, when you're older, you can easily blame and get angry at yourself for not doing things differently. I wasn't trying to offend you; I'm just worried about you when you experience that loss."
Maria got up and finished the rest of her water. She threw her bottle into the trash and returned to smiling again. At this point, her constant smiling was making her feel slightly uncomfortable.
"I think I've taken enough of your time. I'm sure you have more to do than explore the town. If you do need any help, ask around. We don't bite."
She left soon after, leaving Avery alone to rest on the bench. She needed it; her legs didn't feel like jelly, but they still hurt. A few people passed around, some waving at her while others acted like she didn't exist. They weren't exactly cold, just indifferent and focused on whatever else they had to deal with. Still, this town had a clear case of dwarfism; she had seen more than a fair share of little people. This felt more like fifty percent of the people she saw were little people, which was…no, it felt impossible considering how dwarfism was considered rare.
A few people she looked at gave her a very ominous and dangerous vibe, like a couple of older ladies. One had a graying perm, the other bangs. They both passed by and seemed to be talking about their children, yet she felt scared when she looked at them. The one with the perm seemed to feel her gaze and turned to look at her. She quickly averted her gaze, but the feeling of danger grew. She felt the moment the lady looked away and took a deep breath. She hadn't noticed she was holding her breath and felt like a weight lifted off her back.
"This town is just one surprise after the other…"
She sighed and finished drinking her water bottle, tossing it in the garbage only to hit the edge and fall onto the ground.
"How so?"
She jumped and turned around to find Maria's brother looking at her. She hadn't even heard him approach her. He didn't look at her long as his gaze wandered around.
"Where did you leave, my sister? Last I heard, you were heading this way together."
He asked curiously before suddenly it moved over to stare at a distant tree. A small dog was peeking out from behind the tree, looking at them. Avery hadn't noticed yet, and she was still surprised at how sneaky he was.
"Y-yeah, we were together, but she said she had taken enough of my time and decided to leave. What are you doing here? Weren't you going to give the…give Kayn to their owners?"
She asked curiously. As she was about to follow his gaze, the kid grabbed her head, and he held it. He had quite the strength behind him as she struggled to pull her head away.
"Don't move or look that way. The pup looks this way; I don't want you to alert him."
He whispered. The pup slowly emerged from behind the tree and crouched on the grass, almost as if attempting to hide. He slowly crawled over to the ground to get closer. As soon as it got close, he let go of her head and ran at it.
"Stop right there, you little runt!"
He ran off chasing after the dog that seemed to take off as soon as it heard his voice. She didn't manage to answer his question, but she did notice his shirt had holes on the forearms, almost as if from a bite.
She wanted to ask if he was okay, but the two had already left the park and slipped into the crowd, so she got up and threw away her empty water bottle. Her next goal was to get some groceries for her new home. That way, she won't have to go to restaurants…and have the waiters or waitresses embarrass her anymore.
It took her some time to find a grocery store, mainly because it was easy to get lost. She had gotten a bit mixed up and almost returned to the restaurant. She picked up a cart and began walking around. She needed eggs, bacon, and maybe some coffee grounds for her nightly escapades. Cheese was also good; she could make Quesadillas with it. There was a lot to get, so she kept her mental list to herself.
While walking around the store and getting everything, her mind wandered slightly, and she remembered the chauffeur. It was a shame she had failed to ask him his name. She would have loved to ask how he did that trick of talking before moving his lips…his what?
She froze in the middle of an aisle, her hands tapping the handle as she tried to recall their conversation. In her mind, she remembered his lips moving alongside his words and his lips moving after he spoke. Which was the truth? Was that the reason she felt he was off-putting?! She was so stupid she couldn't recall which was the right way. Maybe he was a ventriloquist, and that was a trick; still, even if that was the case, why would it bother her so much…was there perhaps a supernatural spotting she had just let pass?
She shook her head, and she had to speak to the mayor. She might get him to contact the man because she was not walking a few miles to visit him. She wasn't ready to abuse herself so much. She didn't have time to waste, and the mayor walked around the town at night, perfectly aligning with her nightly escapades.
Avery excitedly began running down the aisle with the cart. When nobody was looking, she would put both legs on the bottom of the cart and ride it down the aisle. She might have nearly crashed a few times, but that did nothing to lower her enthusiasm.
Carrying the bags back home eventually killed her enthusiasm; she had to stop every few minutes to rest. A few people passed by, watched her, and laughed. Some offered to help, but she was too stubborn to accept. She was running on spite and anxiety, and she would be damned if she wouldn't get these things home on her own.
When she finally got home, she almost collapsed at the doorway. She made it to the kitchen and began putting things away, leaving the bags on the floor. She could clean that later anyway; her phone had been charging practically all day. It was getting close to sunset, and she had to plan for tonight; her phone was about to combust, or at least she felt it would, considering how hot it felt.
Avery decided to let her phone rest in her pocket while she got to work on cleaning up the mess of bags. When she finished, her phone didn't feel like it was about to combust, so she decided to pass the time by watching some videos. All the while, she prepared a cup of coffee for herself.
Nighttime would arrive soon, and so would her espionage mission. She needed to prepare accordingly! She ran upstairs to change into an all-black outfit, and she had some black jeans and shirts she could wear, so she wasn't exactly worried.
That's when she realized she might have memory problems, as she opened her phone after putting on a black t-shirt with a tiny neon pink bunny. She found the number of the chauffeur and called it. The phone rang three times before saying, "Sorry, the number you dialed is out of service," the mystery grew! She tried multiple times to call him and never got anything different. Now, she had to meet this mayor and question them.