The Water's Den

Himari cried until she could cry no more. Her strength faltered and she collapsed on the shore.

-

The next thing Sachi knew, she was flailing about in the air again, until she soon met the cold ocean. The cold reached her insides fast, but she was able to swim herself up to air. 

Sachi gasped for air, looked around, and swam to the closest form of land. 

Sachi grumbled as she coughed water out of her and tried to catch her breath. "Couldn't the labyrinth at least return me on the land?"

She laid down on the cold shore, looking up at the dim cloudy sky. "I wonder where Himari and Nobu are..."

Once Sachi's breath stabilized, she picked herself up and tried to dust the dirt off her wet clothes. "I guess I better start looking."

Sachi wandered the shoreline looking for any signs of Himari or Nobu, but no matter how far she walked or for how long, she couldn't find them.

Sachi's mind couldn't help but drift. What if they left me behind? What if they forgot about me? Maybe they didn't like having me around to begin with. Maybe I was just in the way. Maybe they're better off without me... Sachi shook her head. "I shouldn't be thinking those things, what if something happened?"

-

The faint sound of a bell.

The faint sound of a crack.

-

The wind started to pick up, its harshness chilling Sachi in her drenched clothes. She shivered as she continued to walk along the shore as the sky grew darker. In the distance, she saw smoke and with hopes of there being a fire to warm her, she made her way there. 

Sachi followed the smoke, and it led her to a quaint village near the ocean. There were docks and boats, horses and carriages, rustic buildings and empty streets. The village was quiet, scarcely quiet. Sachi noticed the smoke was coming from a tavern looking building. She hesitated. Fear seeped in. She remembered how the people from the sky reacted when they saw her. She didn't want to be looked at with those piercing eyes. But Himari and Nobu were missing, she couldn't find them on her own, and especially not with night approaching and her clothes still wet. She threw the damp cloak over her head, took a deep breath, and went inside the tavern.

The interior was dim and earthy, the air warm and dense with the scent of charred incense and singed herbs, the weathered wooden floors and walls creeping with ivy. Customers were few but engaged amongst each other and the staff - travelers, mercenaries, hunters, fishermen, and the out of place looking scholar. The short-staffed workers moved briskly to serve, cook, and clean with tired efficiency. It wasn't loud, but the place felt alive. 

One of the workers noticed Sachi's presence. "Welcome to The Water's Den, I'll be with you in a moment." The worker took off carrying trays of food to the other customers. Sachi quietly made her way over to a table in the corner, hoping no one else would notice her.

Before long, the worker approached Sachi. "What can I get for you?"

Sachi panicked. She didn't know what to say. She wasn't here for food, she was here for help but when she finally thought about it, who would want to help her. One look at her and people would be running. How would she even ask for help? How would she even start to explain? 

The silence between Sachi and the worker grew louder and longer causing Sachi's chest to tighten. 

Sachi took a deep breath and kept her head lowered. "I'm sorry. I've got no money and I'm not here to eat. I'm looking for my friends who I got separated with and I just didn't know where else to go..."

Sachi worried her words sounded too clumsy and her voice too stiff. 

The worker stayed silent, looking over Sachi's appearance. "Were you by any chance in the ocean?"

Sachi's head rose slightly. "I was. How did you know?"

The worker laughed. "Obviously because your clothes are drenched silly."

The warmth of the tavern made Sachi forget her clothes had yet to dry. Her head lowered again in embarrassment. Ah, how foolish I must look.

The worker continued. "Come follow me."

"Huh?" Sachi looked up, finally seeing whom she was speaking to. The worker was a tall girl who looked around her age. Her disheveled short light brown hair barely stayed together in her ponytail. Her emerald green eyes shone brightly on to Sachi. Her smile even brighter. 

"Quickly, before anyone notices." The girl started for the hallway near them. "Follow me."

Sachi hesitated in fear for a trap. But something about this girl made Sachi feel like it was safe to trust her. She followed the strange girl down the hallway behind the kitchen and up a flight of stairs, which led to another hallway full of door leading to more rooms.

The girl opened one of the doors and gestured for Sachi to enter. Sachi's body froze, she couldn't move, she didn't want to move. She couldn't help but remember the last time she followed someone blindly into a room. Her chest tightened and her ears began to ring. I shouldn't have followed her here. What have I gotten myself in to?

-

Sachi sat alone during the morning break. It was rare for her to be left alone and not pestered by her classmates. 

"Hey freak!" One of Sachi's classmates called from the door. "The teacher wants to see you in the gym!"

The gym? Why would a teacher call me to the gym?

"Hurry up freak! You're ruining my break time!" 

Sachi reluctantly followed her classmate to the gym. The girl opened the gym door and gestured for Sachi to enter. Unsuspectingly, she did. The girl kicked Sachi hard from behind, forcing her onto the ground. When Sachi looked back, the girl had locked the door and stood in front of it. "Hey! I brought the freak!"

The group of her bullies turned and noticed her presence. 

"Can't believe she actually came."

"How stupid can she actually be?"

"Well now that she's here, we can finally have some fun." The boy walked over and grabbed Sachi by the hair, dragging her over to a wall. "Anyone want to play soccer?"

The other kids snickered, each grabbing a soccer ball. 

The boy that had dragged her over ran back to the crowd to grab a ball. Quickly he kicked it right into Sachi's stomach. Sachi winced in pain, the bruises from the last time they wanted to play some cruel game still not healed. Each bully took a shot, some missing, some landing. They laughed in unison at her pathetic sight. She didn't know what was worse, the anticipation of the hit or the hit itself. The only silver lining was that it was break time, not lunch time. 

"It's getting boring that she doesn't move."

"What if we get her to run?"

"Hey freak show! Run for us!"

Run? Were they serious? There was no way Sachi was going to run after taking so many hits from flying soccer balls. Her skin was still bright red and the bruises already forming. She didn't even know if she could get up, let alone run.

"I hate when she doesn't listen. Always acting like she's better than us when she's nothing but some sick loser." A girl scoffed.

"I have an idea to get her to listen." The boy grabbed a baseball bat from the gym closet. "You better start running!" The boy came towards Sachi swinging the baseball bat in his hand with a smirk on his face.

She knew he wasn't playing around, but Sachi couldn't move, her body frozen in pain and fear. 

The boy got closer and was about to take a swing at her-

The bell for class rang.

The bullies groaned.

"Can't we just skip today?"

"Can't. My parents are on my back about my attendance."

"Mine too."

The boy dropped the bat, the echoing thud rang in Sachi's ears louder than the bell.

The bullies headed back for class. Leaving Sachi to lie down in agony.

-

Sachi didn't take another step. 

The girl noticed Sachi's hesitation. "Well, I really need to get back to work. This is a spare room. There's a bathroom, towels, and clothes in there. You're welcome to use it. You should really get out of those wet clothes before you get sick. I'll be back to bring you some food when I have time."

The girl's words brought Sachi out of her head. "But I don't have any money..." 

The girl walked back the way they came, passing Sachi and giving her a pat on the back. "It's on the house."

"Thank you..." Sachi's voice barely a whisper.

The girl disappeared back into the tavern. Sachi stood there in the hallway trying to calm her heart.

When she felt ready enough, Sachi entered the room. There was no trap, no hostility, no malice. She sighed a sigh of relief and sunk to the floor.