Chapter Four: A nightmare and a bad stom

"Lenka. LENKA!" I round the corner into the shop. "Yes, Dad." "I need your help. Can you try to start the car? "Okay, Dad." I walk over to the driver's seat and take a seat. I'm not tall enough to see over the steering wheel, but I can still reach the pedals with my feet. "Okay, Lenka, go ahead and start it."

I push the clutch down and turn the keys. The car cranks loudly but fails to start. I can hear Dad messing with something in the engine. "Try it again." I try it again, and after a few loud cranks, the car starts. "Hey, Lenka, come over here." I leave the car and head over to him. He puts down a stool so that I can see into the car's engine. "Lenka, take a look right here," he said as he pointed to a part of the engine. "This is the reason why it wasn't working. You see, when..."

Wait, haven't I done this before? Why am I here again? Wasn't I preparing for something? What happened to the manor and the maids? "What's the matter, Lenka? What, you don't want to watch me die again?" That's right, he's dead, so I must be dreaming.

"I can't believe that you joined those terrorists who killed me." It's not like I had a choice. I close my eyes. This nightmare just needs to end already. "Why? Are you too scared to face your own actions?" Another voice echoes out to me. I open my eyes to see a black, foggy void and a figure approaching me.

"Who are you?" I call out. "What? Never looked in a mirror before." I looked at the figure more closely, and sure enough, it was me, or should I say the past me from Dustka. "What's wrong? Is what our dad said wrong?" I can't deny it; what he said is true, but I...

"You what, you didn't have a choice? Then what about the people you killed?! Did they have a choice?!" She grabs me by the neck and drags me to her. "Look at them!" She grabs my head and forces me to look in a direction.

All I see is an endless horizon of corpses and a sea of blood. I try to turn away, but she grabs my head and forces it back. "Actions have consequences, but you never faced your consequences, have you? Well, it's time you face them." She shoves me down into the sea of blood. I stand up and see that my hands and body are covered in blood.

"Do you not hear them? The cries of the ones you killed." I hear a bunch of screams and cries. Some of them are calling out for their mothers. While others cry because they won't get to see their children again.
"What do you have to say? Do you even feel any sorrow or regret?" I... don't know. I... don't know if I can anymore. This place was just another day for me in the past. "Then what about the future? Aren't you preparing for some new war?" I am speechless. I can't deny what she is saying. She lets out a sigh.

"I guess I expected too much from us. We were given a new life, but in the end, we will end up in the same place. War is all we know and we have a habit of leaving bodies everywhere we go, and this new world won't change that." ......... "Nothing to say? That's right, talking wasn't really your style. This is something that better suits you." She pulls out a handgun from her holster and points it at me. "Until us monsters meet again." I saw a bright flash and heard a loud thunderous sound.

I woke up to the loud sound of thunder echoing throughout the manor. My heart was racing, and my body was completely drenched in sweat. Another nightmare. They are always so vivid and detailed. Most people would be scared of nightmares like that, but to me, it was just like revisiting the past. That scene wasn't anything new in my past, and I can't tell how many times I have seen dead bodies.

There were nights after the military bombed the city when you couldn't walk a few feet without seeing a dead body. The worst times were the ones when you would find people alive and critically injured. There was no help for them, no one was coming to save them, and the only thing I could do was end their suffering.

Killing and death are nothing new to me; the military even gave me the nickname Angel of Death, because I would be the last thing they saw before they and everyone around them died. As for the other me, I don't have an answer for her. I can only plan for the wars that will follow. I don't have the power or influence to avoid them. I cannot change the future, but I can, at the very least, plan for the worst. A loud crash of thunder echoes out, and I walk over to the window. I look out and see large dark clouds covering the horizon. It seems like there's going to be a bad storm today.

It's been a few months since I awoke in this world, so I have already started to get into the routine of this life. Though I've only learned a few things about this world. Like the geography of the human kingdom, and how the city I live in is a major port. This city is also one of the major producers of wheat and flour, which may have something to do with that letter my father received from the elves. Well, making guesses without any information won't get me anywhere.

I got dressed and headed downstairs. Halfway down the stairs, I stopped. At the front door, there were several guards, as well as my father. "My lord, we made sure that all the equipment is put away and everything is tied down." "Good; make sure that the citizens know where to run to if the water level starts to rise too high." "Understood, my lord."

The man talking to my father was the head guard. I don't think I have ever heard his name, and I have rarely seen him. I think that he is probably just as busy as his father and only shows up to give important updates or documents. He had white hair, blue eyes, a small beard, and looked, kind of, like a stereotypical knight.

A bright flash shines through the windows, and then a loud crash of thunder. The storm is intensifying, and I can hear loud gusts of wind and rain pummeling the manor. Annabelle comes out of the dining room and looks at me on the stairs. "Oh, there you are, Lenka. Breakfast is ready."

We went through the normal breakfast routine, except for the loud howling wind and rain pounding the windows. Midway through, the head guard rushed in and interrupted. "Pardon my intrusion, my lord." We all look at each other and then at him. He is soaking wet and out of breath.

"What's the matter, Godfrey?" "My lord, there has been a shipwreck." My father stands up, and Annabelle runs to grab his coat. "Which of our ships wrecked?" "That's the thing, my lord, it wasn't our ship." Father stops dead in his tracks. "Then whose was it?"

"The beastkin's." The beastkins? That is a surprise, for sure. I read somewhere that the beastkins are somewhat isolationist and rarely leave their eastern empire, so why did one of their ships wreck here? "Are there any survivors?" "One, my lord, and we're not sure how many or what was on board." If one person lived, then maybe we could gather information from them after we've helped them. After all, it would be bad if some envoy or nobility ended up dying on our watch.

Then again, we don't know if they are an envoy. They could easily be merchants or even wanted criminals trying to escape the empire. Either way, this situation is pretty dire, and it seems Father is thinking the same thing. "Where is the survivor, and are they okay?" "Other than a few cuts and bruises, she is fine."

"Then bring her here at once." "Yes, my lord." Godfrey bows and then runs out the door. Annabelle puts the coat back on the coat rack while Father returns to his chair. He lets out a sigh. "Let's hope no one was important on that ship."

A few minutes pass by, and then Godfrey enters the manor with the survivor. "Here she is, my lord." He gently pushes her forward and removes the hood that has been covering her. The survivor was a child, and she looked around my age in this world. She had red hair and eyes, what looked like fox ears, and a tail that was barely poking out of her cloak.

"Oh dear, are you okay?" Annabelle runs over to her with towels and begins drying her off. "Mary, go get her bandages and some dry clothes." "Yes, mother." Mary then runs to the backroom. My father, just like Annabelle, quickly realizes that the questioning can wait and then walks up to her and kneels down to be at her eye level.

"Are you okay, child?" She doesn't speak and backs away from him, but then nods her head. "That's Good. You have been through a lot, so please stay here while we sort all of this out." She again nods, but still looks uneasy about him. Father then grabs his coat and starts heading to the door. "Annabelle, Lenka, look after her. Godfrey and I will go and see if there are any more survivors."

"Yes, my lord." "Yes, father." We both said in unison. Annabelle grabs a chair, and places a towel on it. "Have a seat, dear." She takes a seat and starts to shiver. Annabelle grabs another towel and wraps it around her. Mary enters the room with bandages and disinfectant and gives them to Annabelle, then goes to the side room to get some dry clothes.

"Show me your arms so that I can disinfect them." She hesitated for a little, then nodded and showed her arms. They were pretty cut up, so I grabbed some of the bandages and started helping Annabelle. She winces in pain when Annabelle rubs the disinfectant on her wounds, but she doesn't cry. Mary arrives with some old clothes, which look to be some of her old ones.

"Come on, let's go get you dressed." Annabelle reaches out her hand, and the girl nods and grabs it. "Mary, please go fetch some water and something for her to eat." "Yes, mother." Annabelle takes the girl to the back room while Mary goes to the kitchen.

This situation could end badly. Let's hope that the girl and the others on the ship are unimportant to the Beaskin empire. That girl seems to be in a state of shock, which would explain her blank expression and her silence.
Judging by how bad the storm was, I could only imagine how rough the waves were and how much she got tossed around out there. She is probably still recovering from the adrenaline rush and is only now beginning to come to terms with what has happened. We should give her some time to wind down before asking her questions.

About an hour passes, and all of us are sitting in the living room across from the dining room. The Living room has several sofas, chairs, and a fireplace. This room is typically used for meetings, which is why it features ample seating and more luxurious furniture.

The storm was finally starting to die down, and the room was starting to warm up with the fire going. I glance at the survivor who is sitting across from me. Her arms and legs were covered in bandages, and the old dress she was wearing looked a little big on her, but that seemed like a good thing because it helped accommodate her tail.

Beastkin must have custom-fitted clothes that accommodate their tails. Her tail was red and fluffy, poking out from the bottom of her dress. She seems remarkably resilient, considering what happened to her and the others on board. Father returned earlier to give the bad news that no one else seemed to survive, but she didn't cry or get upset. I don't know if she is trying to hide her feelings or if she has already accepted what has happened and moved on.

We are all sitting here, passing glances at each other, not knowing what to say or do. Whenever someone asked her a question earlier, she wouldn't answer or would only give a nod or shake her head, fidget, and look away. Even Annabelle, who seemed like a very sweet and motherly person, couldn't get her to talk. Looking around, it seems that the others are at a loss. Fine, I guess I will try, but it's not like I'm great with words or sympathy. I do know a lot about loss, so, at the very least, I can relate.

I stand up, walk over to her, and crouch down so that we are both at eye level. We both look each other in the eyes for a few seconds before she turns away in embarrassment. Well, at least she isn't an empty shell like me and can show some emotion. "My name is Lenka. What is your name?"

She doesn't respond and just sits there quietly, trying not to look me in the eyes. I'm starting to think she might be hiding something. Could she have been ordered not to speak? I don't think that's it. It almost seems like she wants to, but doesn't know if she can trust us yet.

Well, if I can't get anywhere by playing nice, then I guess I need to try a different approach after all; subtlety was never my way of doing things. I reach out and grab her cheeks and start pulling on them. She starts to squirm and tries to pull away from my arms. "Lenka!" The others shout my name, but I ignore them.

"You would think after saving you, feeding you, giving you clothes and shelter, you would have the decency to at least give us your name." "Lenka!" My father and Mary shouted and quickly ran over and pulled me off of her. She rubbed her cheeks but then looked away and remained silent.

"Lenka, why would you do that?" My father scolds me, but I ignore him. This is starting to annoy me. If she wasn't an enemy, then she would talk, but for some reason, she willfully remains silent. Why is this child being so stubborn? I suppose I will have to be a little harsher with her and assume that she might be a fugitive or a political prisoner rather than an envoy or merchant.

"Beastkin, you are the only one who survived. Whoever you are, whatever you’re running from, you survived for a..." "Lenka!" My father had had enough and yelled at me, but that didn't stop me. I needed to finish what I was saying. "You survived for a reason. If you still have the will to live, the will to continue on, then join us so that you don't have to just survive but live, and honor those who sacrificed everything to get you here."

There was a moment of silence. No one knew what to say or if my father should slap me. I was taking a gamble on this, assuming she was a fugitive/political prisoner rather than an envoy, but it would make more sense why she was so silent. I will admit that what I said was stupid and cheesy, but the only person that it mattered to seemed to take it well. She was no longer averting her eyes from me, and tears began to flow down her cheeks. She wiped her eyes and looked at me with a smile. With a trembling voice, she said. "My name is Kate."