Chloe Mallory - Chapter 2

I began to softly giggle to myself as I burrowed my head into Gil’s broad shoulder, thinking of the possibilities. If this were my new life, it was starting well! We continued our walk until the sound of various child-like voices approached us.

“Miss Luisa!” one called out, before others joined in and surrounded us. Various children, differing in age and size, began to spout different things to us. Some tried hugging Luisa, in which she returned their progressions, while Gil lifted some of the boys, grabbing onto his arm as he flexed his muscles. “You’re all so energetic today, that’s great! But be careful, I’m still holding precious cargo,” he mentioned before letting them down. The children stared at me, who’d been holding onto Gil securely, trying to avoid the gaze of the other children. One of the children who’d hugged Luisa pointed at me quickly.

“You’re Miss Luisa’s little sister. You don’t come outside often!”. The other children’s attention fell onto me as I tried to face them with a smile of sorts. One of the other children chimed in. “Chloe, you snuck out again, didn’t you?”. The boy's voice came from beside me. I turned my head over to look at him. My wet hair shifted from my eyes as I stared at him. He was smaller, yet he looked similar to Gil; maybe he was his younger brother? My head tilted, looking over his body. He was far more petite to say the least, but I had no sense of knowing who he’d be other than my assumption. Before I realized it, I’d begun to speak.

“Who are you again?”

His face changed from one of indifference to one filled with fluster. His eyes darted away as the other kids laughed. Luisa and Gil joined in the laughter as it felt like I was the only one left out of the joke. “Sorry, champ, it seems the little lady here may be a bit hazy from her little swim,” Gil said, as he then let me down from his arm. I was able to feel the ground with my feet as Luisa kneeled and took what seemed to be larger boots and placed them on me. They fit snuggly, pressing into the soft dirt surrounding us. They seemed a bit oversized, but maybe they were hand-me-downs. I didn’t mind too much; better than having my soaked feet all over the ground, collecting all sorts of dirt.

The boy glanced at me once more. I noticed our height was way more similar than I’d imagined. His nose flared as he stood proudly, as if to make a declaration. “My name is Lance, don’t you forget it this time! I know you don’t get out much, but it’s best to remember the names of those around you!”. His voice yelled proudly, seeming as if he’d been lecturing me in the moment. I couldn’t help but laugh as another small giggle left my mouth accidentally. His face grew red after the remark, and his frustration seemed to boil over.

“Hey! W-what’s so funny about that!?”

“I’m sorry…it’s just that—”

“It’s just that what!?”

“It’s just that—pff!!”

My laughter couldn't contain itself as the others joined in. I didn’t know that kids like this could make me genuinely laugh. It felt natural; I wasn’t putting on a face to fit in with others. It felt genuine. As the laughs continued, a bell chimed from the allotment of houses nearby. The children began to disperse, filled with laughs and goodbyes. They all seemed to have begun to head home, seeing that the sun had finally set.

Gil and the younger boy bowed their heads and waved to us before taking their leave. Luisa took my hand and waved with her other hand, seeing them off. I watched as the smaller boy glanced over his shoulder numerous times, staring daggers into my soul. Maybe I did upset him by what I said, but I didn’t mean to. Though you can’t blame me, I don’t know much of anything about this world, much less the names of the people here. I felt a squeeze on my hand as I looked up to Luisa, who wore a soft smile on her face. “Let’s head home now, shall we?”. Her glimmering amber eyes shone brightly as I nodded, following beside her. We walked for some time until arriving at a smaller home, located closer to the center of the village. A larger sign was posted over the main doorway.

“Mallory’s Maven,” I whispered. What sort of name is that? Is this a business or a home? Is that our family name here? The dots began to connect within my mind, as before I’d been called Chloe, so my name must be Chloe Mallory. Before I could continue to ponder, Luisa suddenly lifted me in the air, spinning me quickly with an excited exclamation. “You were finally able to read out the words on our board! It seems you’ve been learning a ton during your sick days!” she said, smiling from ear to ear. Her earnest reaction confused me; more questions flooded my brain. Was reading that a big accomplishment here? What were the norms established within this world in terms of education? Why would she act as if this is something to celebrate? I knew the answers I wanted wouldn’t come as I’d hoped, so it’d be better to wait and figure things out one step at a time.

Luisa held me in her arms, much like Gil’s treatment of me. I’d come to realize that the cause was one of two things. Either the fact that I was small would make it easy to scoop me up in an instant. Or that in this world, the others were secretly superhuman. Though given that I felt smaller than I’d ever been previously, it had to be the former. She opened the door with her free hand, as the bell chimed above head. We walked in, and I looked around the building for new details, seeing many different knick-knacks covering the walls. From what seemed to be inventions to different goods. There were far too many to count. A voice suddenly called from behind a door.

“Coming! Let me just—” the voice called before Luisa interrupted, “It’s your beautiful daughters!” she motioned, as she looked at me and tilted her head towards the door. She whispered. “He’s finally back in town from a long trip, I’m sure he’d be happy to see you out of bed.”. Her words sat with me as I wondered who this person behind the door could be. She mentioned us being their “daughters”, so that would mean—

A man opened the door abruptly, his hair seemingly misshapen and wild. He wore goggles on his eyes and seemed to have been covered in some sort of soot, noticing the black markings on his face and clothes. His dingy appearance surprised me to say the least. Though his demeanor shifted heavily once he laid eyes on us.

“Is that…”

“Mhmmm…she finally wanted to step out today!”

He removed his goggles, revealing the same amber eyes that Luisa carried. They began to water as he approached slowly, bearing larger gloves. He slowly reached out as Luisa seemed to hold me outwardly to the man, as if I'd been a prize won at a carnival. I hesitated before the man grabbed me gently and held me close, much like Gil’s grasp. I felt an unimaginable sense of comfort as I looked at the man, his eyes firmly placed on me, before he began to tear up and let his joyous cries out. Rubbing his cheek against mine ferociously.

“My beautiful Chloe has returned to us! It truly is a blessed day! Thank the heavens above for my daughter's health. Thank you so much! I missed seeing her while I was gone, but I’ll make sure to keep a good eye on her when I’m around, you hear me!? Though I do wonder why she has returned to me in damp clothes…but it matters not!”. His wails continued as I couldn’t fight off his strength, and I placed my hands on his face to push him away. The sudden closeness and possibility of the soot getting on me grew higher with every passing second.

“Please, you’re going to get it all over me!” I protested, trying to push away his tearful face. I have personally never experienced such a thing from anyone before…at least I think…? His face finally moved away from mine as Luisa held her hand up to her cheek and giggled, seeing the man’s reaction. “You seem to have come back a lot earlier than planned, Father. What’s the occasion?” His face brimmed with excitement as the words left her mouth. Holding me and walking towards what seemed to be a table of different ideas, scratched onto rustic paper and scrolls. “You see, many ideas came about on my last trip around the kingdom. I couldn’t bear to let them sit within my mind and had to return home! Seeing as Chloe had finally been released from her bed, I see it as divine intervention that I must return and create a new product! Isn’t that riveting?”

His words stirred in me, seeing the different ideas planted amongst the many scrolls laid onto the table. My head began to swirl, seeing just how much he’d written. Yet, this felt familiar. It was faint, but as I looked over the different scribbles upon each, another voice entered the room with the chime of the bell once more. “You just got back, you better not be making a mess of things again—” An adult woman appeared in the doorway, carrying what seemed to be a basket of goods. The aroma of the air switched from the smell of soot to one of warm baked treats. The smell wafted in the air, catching my attention quickly.