Adeline and the Ovunque's Key || Ongoing

032

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝟐 — 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫?

The sun was blindingly warm. Looking down at us with a smile. Lucian wanted to send me back but I insisted that he stayed because I had another matter to attend to. Or more specifically a plan with a certain, emerald-eyed male.

As I walked downtown, I pulled some straps of unused cloth out of my pouch and wrapped them around my palm. I must have scratched myself somewhere while playing around with Lucian a moment ago.

With each step, I can feel my stomach grumble in disapproval. Maybe I should've at least eaten something before. I'm pathetically starving now. The sound of my stomach was much quieter than it was before, but still, it churned and twisted, mixing as if it was batter. I felt sick. If I can diagnose my condition right now, I'd say I'm having a horrible case of seasickness on land.

I felt my body grow paler. I don't know how I had managed such an active hour with Lucian, when the moment we parted, I started to feel the weight of ignorance towards my lunch, almost immediately. I gazed down into my pouch, trying to see if I had any shillings on me.

Something glimmered almost immediately as I peeked and upon seeing it, I lifted my head up, a grin formed on my face while I strode towards a bakery.

"I'm not going to die of hunger today," I said in a sing-song manner.

Upon approaching the shop, a lady smiled warmly at me. "What do you wish to buy today, sweet bean?"

I craned my neck over behind her figure, trying to see past her, at the display of bread. "Just one rye bread, please."

Her eyes size me up and with a tight smile, she nodded. "Of course, dear. Do you have anything to pay me for it?"

I nodded. "Yes, I have a few shillings on me."

Her tight smile loosens up as she heads towards the display of bread, taking one dark-coloured dry bread and wrapping it with some sort of waxed fabric. Smiling ears to ears, the lady approach me again, placing the wrapped bread in front of me.

I shuffled through my pouch and gave her 5 shillings for it. Taking the bread in my hand, I left the bakery as soon as possible. I know I feel this often, but something was definitely off about that lady. It might just be because of her forced smiles, making her seem unwelcoming. Or maybe, I'm just too hungry to the point that I grew delusional.

I mean, how harmless can a baker be? — it's not as if she would drug her customer and cook them after. I shook my head at that thought. What a ridiculous picture, Adeline, I thought to myself.

The bread was rough and flatter than the one I'm used to in the future. But it's still edible and delicious. It tastes just how any cob loaf would taste, but it's a bit dry for me. Consuming such dry food, I can feel my need for relief in my throat growing.

I walked with my eyes down on the ground, watching fallen leaves under my feet as I hop on each and every one of them. A small smile crawled up on my face as I keep going, ignoring the glances everyone gave me for my bizarre act. It was fun while it lasted.

But glancing up again, I can see the vibrant fiery trail already seeping out of the majestic ball in the sky. It reminded me that I had to hurry and arrived right this instant in front of Pierre's doorstep. It reminded me of the urgency to quickly find out about the Alderidge. It reminded me that I had something I desperately need to warn Odell.

I ran along the way, almost tripping and slipping a few times. My clumsiness was that of a child trying to chase the ice cream van with their small chubby legs. I bumped past shoulders, and slid past working men, trying my best to not stop at any obstacle. It was a hard task to do. Almost impossible not to ruin anyone's hard work; almost impossible not to bump into them and leave their stuff scattered in a heap of mess on the ground. A mess, for which, I had no time to care for. I kept running and didn't turn back once, not even when they were a lot of shouts behind me, I merely shout countless apologies back to those people as I ran.