What's yours...Is Mine [Erik x Oc]

Chapter 7 | The Ruins of Cobblestone

It didn't take long for Amara and Erik to make their way out of the Manglegrove's Heliodor exit, and even less for them to turn right to the Cobblestone road. As they were walking to Cobblestone, Amara felt a weird energy aura emit close to her hometown, but when they walked closer, and she saw her town still in peak condition, she didn't worry too much about it.

Amara smiled upon seeing all her townsfolk running around happily, although she could've sworn they were older than what she saw them as now. She walked past a couple that were intently talking, but they paid no attention to her, and when they did see her, they just gave her a confused welcome look.

"Ooh, we don't get new visitors every so often! Welcome to Cobblestone, stranger!" They say with a friendly wave. Amara raises her eyebrow.

"But don't you remember, I used to live here! I only left to go to Heliodor!" She says with a pleading face, gravely hoping they would turn around and say 'only joking', but no such reply came.

"Oh. We wouldn't know anything about it. Maybe go ask our lovely lady, Amber. She might know, she knows everyone in town." They say hopefully, to which the Luminary nods.

"Thank you." She says simply before walking up the white brick road, the road to her house on the hill.

She went up to the door, brought her knuckles up to the hard wood, but thought again. Surely Amber wouldn't demand her to knock before entering. It's her house, for god's sake. Amara brings her hand down to the hand, and wraps around the cold metal, pulling it down and opening the door.

The first thing she saw was her mother stirring a pot, hunched over her stove. She was humming an unrecognizable tune. Amara's footsteps alerted Amber of an unknown presence, causing the older lady to start speaking, as if she already expected Amara.

"Is that you, dear? I'm cooking your favorite—stew! It'll be ready any minute now. You'll be desperate to stuff your face as always, I'm sure. Well, set the table and I'll just give it a last little stir." Amber turns around to face her company, but when she sees Amara standing behind her, she holds a spare ladle up and points it at Amara in a threatening way.

"Eeek! Wh-who are you!? And what are you doing in my house!?" Amber shrieks on the top of her lungs, causing Amara to flinch. A wave of hurt wracks through Amara's body, as she immediately recoils, trying to find the right words to explain her situation... to her mother.

"M-mum, it's me... Amara. Remember? I'm your daughter!" Amara says, with a sort of desperation in her tone. She gave Amber her sincerest expression and had nothing but kindness in her voice. Sadly, Amara's statement just made the lady even more angry.

"What nonsense are you talking? My girl is six years old! Who do you think you are, waltzing in here and claiming to be someone you're not?" Amara feels tears in her eyes, and she looks down, away from the harsh glare of Amber. "Whoever you are, I want you out of my house this instant!" After a last scream, Amber turns and viciously points to the door, glaring at Amara.

Without a second thought, the startled teenager rushes out the door, with the door being swiftly shut and locked behind her. Amara sighs sadly walks down the white brick path, past the couple, and to the tree with the big green root wrapped around it. There, she saw a little girl with blonde hair, reaching for something stuck in the tree. The girl and her attire distinctly reminded Amara of somewhere.

Amara swiftly reaches up and grabs the red cloth that had become snagged on the branch easily, then turning around and crouching down to hand it to the sniffling girl. She wipes her eyes and whispers "Th-thank you, miss! My name's Gemma! Who are you?"

With her headscarf tied back around her hair, and her name now revealed, Amara almost stumbles back on the truth. How could her best friend, that was once her exact age, now be half her height?