The day after meeting Leona, I stood within the fields right on the edge of the village. I had just finished gathering up the cabbages from my section, and was taking a break while basking in the sunlight. In the chill autumn wind, it was easy to see nearly all of the village helping out with the year's harvest. Deep into the dirt they delved, plucking potatoes and carrots out of the umber soil. From the corner of my vision, I could see James struggling as he carried a pumpkin almost as big as his body to the nearby cart. From the sidelines, his lackeys cheered him on in his efforts, not giving even the slightest impression of lending a hand. It didn’t seem like he minded though, as his face glowed with satisfaction as the others watched. From what I’d heard, that was the pumpkin he had cared for all summer. Not a day went by without him checking on it. Any worms he saw nearby got chucked from his beloved pumpkin… with me often being the target.

  But outside of him, everyone seemed to be doing their part. Michael was off hunting some meat to preserve for the winter, the elder was tallying the year’s harvest, and even Ol’ Rick was putting his strength to use by pulling carts around to put the gathered crops in. Even my parents were leisurely tossing carrots into a pile while flirting with each other, seemingly unaware of the annoyed looks they garnered from their surroundings. Outside of Yulia who for some reason was exempt from fieldwork, and the guards keeping the roads under watch for bandits or monsters, everyone of the village was there. All except a certain few individuals.

  The Fictor family was seemingly nowhere to be seen. According to their speech, they were here to “manage” the village, yet during the harvest they seemed to be hard at work on the exact opposite side of town. The rumor mill said they were building something big, but I didn’t exactly trust rumors I didn’t get myself. Whatever was happening over there, it was far more interesting than the common fieldwork we were handling. Maybe I’d go over and take a look once the day’s work was done… I wondered if I’d see Leona there…

  The prior day’s events were still fresh in my head. It was rare that anything big happened around here, so that was pretty normal. But in particular, my mind dwelt solely on the radiant girl I met near the end. Her presence was like that of the angels taught about in the church. She emanated a sort of warmth that drew you in, her smile captivating like a sunset after a day’s hard work. Yet all that grandeur could disappear in an instant, as if she never existed in the first place. No matter how much I asked around, nobody seemed to have noticed or even caught a glimpse of her luscious golden locks. Nor a trace of her honey-like voice ingrained itself in their memories. As if a ghost, she seemed to only be seen whenever she wished. But if that was the case… how did I even see her in the first place? We hadn’t met, and she wouldn’t have had the time to hear any rumors about me to know of my existence. So why was I the only one to see her?

  As I thought on that idea, I got back to work, plunging into the leaves of the cabbage patch around my feet. One cabbage plucked. I was thinking the wrong way. Two cabbages. She obviously wasn’t a ghost, right? I held her hand after all. Three cabbages. Maybe instead, she just lacked much of a presence? Four. So if that was the case… she’d be noticed if she was with someone else? Five. But she was with her family, yet nobody noticed her then. Six. There had to be a reason. Seven. Could it be magi- “Are you even listening?” My hands stopped moving, and the reality around me faded back into focus. I was deep into the cabbages, having worked without much thought about the task. Normally, I’d have just stayed in that state until I was done, but something had broke my trance. I could feel the gaze upon my back, but couldn’t identify what it was. But I didn’t dare turn around. There had been occasions where this had happened before, only to get a face-full of worms or dirt. I don’t think any normal person would turn around with that sort of threat looming behind them, right?

  “What did you say?” I responded, intending to gauge the situation. I brought my hand in front of me, secretly clenching it, intending to give James a good wallop. Yet the voice that responded was not the snarky voice of the little brat.

  “I said: Don’t you ever get bored?” Her voice cut through the humdrum of the field around with the grace of a bird’s song. It was a voice I recognized, despite only hearing it for a few minutes at most. No longer fearing an assault by bugs, I took a glance behind me. Crouching by the edge of the field, dressed in boy-ish attire with a tight fitting tunic, pants, and a cap, was just the girl I had been thinking of. It was easy to find her really, she wasn’t really hiding at all. Despite her clothes being a lot less flashy than when I first met her, she still stuck out like a sore thumb. The long and flawless golden hair tucked under her cap still managed to peek through. Her clothes were obviously high quality and well-kept. Not a single torn edge, stain, or speck of dirt. All of this, in the midst of a field of dirt and veggies. Yet not a single person was looking at her, almost as if they didn’t even notice she existed. Even I didn’t notice her till she called out to me!

  “Eh?” My mind blanked at the surprise, and I tumbled over into the dirt. I hadn’t noticed her approach in the slightest, yet there she was all the same. I blinked, rubbed my eyes, even pinched myself, but she was still at the edge of the field watching me. “H-How long have you been there?”

  “What, is this the first time you’ve ever been snuck up on?” She giggled, standing up and patting down the creases forming in her pants. After successfully removing the wrinkles, she walked over and held out a hand to help me up. “If you really want to know, it’s been only a couple minutes.”

  “Do you make it a habit of watching people unannounced?” I growled, taking hold of her unblemished arm with my own dirt-caked hand. She didn’t seem intimidated in the least. Rather, it seemed it only egged her on.

  “Not particularly, but I just couldn’t help it!” Her grin glowed in the midday sun, almost radiant itself. “The look of your eyes as you plucked the little veggies out of the field, it wasn’t too different from the gaze of a master artist upon his canvas!”

  “...Thanks?” I couldn’t quite tell if it was a compliment or not. That was the thing with her, I just couldn’t seem to gauge her at all. Weird.

  “Ah, and that’s why I was wondering, aren’t you bored?” Transitioning quickly from a thinking pose to wagging her index finger, it was almost as if her body spoke with her movements along with her words. I had really never met someone as vibrant as her.

  “It’s not like there’s anything else to do.”

  “That’s not an answer you know,” She leaned in close to me, her eyes staring into mine. It was almost like she was peering into my soul. And honestly, I was starting to think she actually was…

  “But it’s the truth. Trust me, I’ve tried.” From grinding herbs, hunting, to even woodcutting, I just wasn’t really fit for anything else. And while some passing merchants have said I had talent in the world of trade, I didn’t really have the funds to strike out on my own. I was pretty much stuck.

  “But are you really satisfied with this?”

  “There’s not really any-” My reply was cut short, as she placed her finger over my lips. Her emerald eyes were not just gazing, but glaring into my own. The sun’s light dwelled within her pupils, almost as if they were glowing in tune with her annoyance.

  “No more excuses, just answer the question.” A chill ran up my spine at those words. Her presence, easily dismissible before, was now simply overpowering. I unconsciously gulped in fear.

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  “...if I were to say farmwork was entertaining or not… it’s not,” I murmured, lowering my head to evade her gaze. Even if I could still feel her eyes boring holes into my skull, I would not raise my head. There was an awkward silence for what felt like minutes. Was the reply good enough?

  “Hmm…. I’ll give that a seven out of ten.” As if it were all a figment of my imagination, the threatening aura subsided to near nothingness. Similar to a cool breeze easing the heat of the summer sun, I felt a sort of peace lull over the surroundings, as if the world was melting away. Hesitantly looking back up, my eyes were met with Leona’s usual smile. Just as when we first met yesterday, it was like she got away with a prank of sorts. “Now, let’s go!” With those words, she grabbed a hold of my left arm, dragging me behind her as she attempted to rush out of the field. I didn’t resist, and let her pull me along. Would I get a stern talking to later? Probably. But I honestly couldn’t resist this girl’s enthusiasm.

  The other villagers just watched with odd looks as Leona raced past them with me in tow. Some gave warm smiles, others seemed annoyed, but nobody really cared about stopping her. James in particular seemed miffed, but the collective yells of him and his cronies simply fell upon the deaf ears of the wind. I didn’t even know if Leona knew of the boy’s existence yet, let alone name. Even as she flew past my mom and dad, they simply laughed and waved me off. They were probably just happy I had gotten a new friend or something. Seeing that, I let out an inward sigh of relief. It’d be fine to slack off just this once… probably. So, I turned my attention to the one leading me, who was simply grinning wildly as she ran. The cap ensnaring her hair broke free, releasing the brilliant locks into the wind. With my free hand, I caught the hat as it fell.

  “So, where shall we head?”

  “Wait, didn’t you have a plan?” My feet stopped moving, and I just looked at her.

  “Nope! I didn’t know if I’d be able to snag you after all!” She replied happily. “So, any recommendations, my wonderful guide?”

  “Is there something specific you’re looking for?”

  “Wherever you think would be interesting!” Great, a completely useless response. Yet I stifled my criticism regardless. It was kinda pointless after all. Instead, I glanced around the area I had been dragged to. We were a small village, so no matter where I was brought, it gave me enough of a vantage to see everything we had to offer. To put it bluntly, we had basically nothing. An old church where the Elder slept most of the day away, a town hall that mostly stood vacant, a well where the housewives gathered to gossip, and the large field we were just at. That was it. Well, there were also the houses, but it was kinda rude to barge in without a reason. Oh, there was also a pub, but it wasn’t exactly open in the middle of the day. Ol’ Rick’s antics made sure of that…

  Really, there was really no need for me to even give a tour. Anyone could see everything the village had to offer in just a few minutes of walking. Honestly, it would probably be the right call to just go back to work in the fields. Yet as I glanced back at Leona, I thought again. Her eyes were sparkling with wonder, just like when the little kids see a rainbow for the first time. Full of curiosity and a thirst for adventure, she patiently waited for my answer. I didn’t have the heart to say no, so instead I decided to look at the situation from a different perspective.

  “Alright then,” I clapped my hands against my face, and took a fresh look around the area. For me, everything would obviously be boring. I already felt like I knew all there was to see around here. After all, everyone knew everyone around here. If a single rumor was spread in the morning, you could bet that everyone would have heard it by midday, and learned the truth by sundown. This was the case whether you had friends or didn’t, it was really just inescapable. But it wouldn’t be the same for that person. She neither worked in the farms, nor lived in the middle of the village. Though her shop stood near the center of town, her house lay on the outskirts. Having just settled in not that long ago, she likely wasn’t finding the village completely normal yet too. In simpler terms, she probably was the perfect person to satiate Leona’s curiosity. “Follow me!” That time, I grabbed onto her arm, and pulled her behind me. I didn’t even bother checking the woman’s store, she wouldn’t be there. At this time of day… she’d be asleep.

  “Yulia, you in?” Standing before a moss-covered mass of wood, nails, and the various plants that have made their home here, I called out. The building almost seemed to tremble from my voice alone, letting out creaks and groans of pain as it settled back down. A group of squirrels, seemingly startled by the shakes, clambered down the vine-covered walls to escape the structure.

  “Wouldn’t it be more courteous to knock?” Leona's eyes gleamed with fascination, seemingly observing every inch of the hulking heap that she could see.

  “If you want to, be my guest,” I extended my hand forward, beckoning her to the doorstep. She did not act upon the suggestion, instead she simply gazed at the building. Soon after, a wooden board fell to the ground from near the roof with a clatter.

  “Can this even be considered a dwelling?” A hint of worry invaded her curiosity, and I couldn’t help but silently agree with her. The ramshackle construction before us was definitely not something I could ever rest easy in. And who would? It smelled of dirt and wet clay mixed with the aroma of a dense forest. With broken boards, nailed up windows, and a foundation coated in moss, it was the kind of place that seemed like a single mild storm or a particularly angry donkey would knock it to the ground. Couple that with the eerie feel oozing off of it, and even the most brave of kids stayed away from it. In other words: it was a dump.

  Yet such a dump, a person called home. Not too long after I called out, the tremors began once more. As if the occupant was a giant, every step sent the house into a fit of shaking. Clumps of moss rained from the roof, wooden boards rattled, and even the bravest of the squirrels finally fled. But soon, the quaking subsided, and the plant-coated wooden door creaked open, revealing the figure within.

  Inside the door was not a dreadful monster of any sort. No red eyes gleamed from the darkness, nor were there fangs glinting in the sun’s rays. Instead those rays fell upon the fluffy yet messy cream-colored hair of a girl slightly older than myself. Her soft locks, similar to Leona, fell all the way down to her ankles. A small sprig of lavender was stuck in the mass, almost like a hairpin of sorts, while her bangs nearly covered the right side of her face. In her arms she hugged a pillow in the shape of a baby chicken, something she seemingly sewed herself. Her half-closed amber eyes lazily watched us, as if trying to understand why we were here. After a time, however, she seemed to grow tired of that. With a yawn, her voice rang out with a soft tone not too dissimilar from talking in one’s sleep, “Belle… can’t it wait for night?” She didn’t seem to register Leona’s presence. I didn’t think it was a case of her lack of presence this time though, but rather the sleepy woman’s laziness.

  “But weren’t you interested in the daughter of the Fictor’s?” My words seemed to take a minute or so to register in the mind of Yulia, but on the other hand, Leona looked to me in a rather confused state. It made sense, but I didn’t bother explaining it to her. She’d learn soon enough.

  “Ah…” Yulia’s mouth opened with a gasp, but her eyes didn’t really show any sense of shock. Slowly, she stepped down from the decrepit structure she lived in, till finally reaching a few paces distance from the both of me and Leona. “I should… introduce myself then.” While still hugging the chick-shaped plushie with her right arm, she extended her left. “I’m this village’s… Apothecary and Witch, Yulia. Nice to meet you.” Leona wordlessly took hold and shook, to which Yulia gave a slight nod. They then stood there in silence, their eyes in a fierce match of some sort. This quietness lasted a few minutes at least, before Yulia blinked.

  “...Seems I lost that round…” she sighed, her cheeks gaining a hint of pink. All the while, Leona started to grin widely, for a reason I just couldn’t understand. “Let’s not… linger out here. We have much to discuss… no?” While attempting to hide her embarrassment, she escaped back into the shaking mass she called a house, leaving the door open for us to follow.

  “So… is this interesting enough for you?”

  “Undoubtedly.”

  The Sleeping Witch Yulia. Despite how she acted, she was the sole survivor of a monster raid that slaughtered a nearby village. They were malnourished due to the army taking all their food, and could barely put up a fight. Yet by the time an army came to their rescue, all of the monsters were dead, with one girl sleeping in the midst of the carnage, completely unharmed. When asked how a young woman survived an event that slayed men of great strength and youths of great speed, she simply replied with “Magic.” At least, that was what the rumors said.

  If there was anything in our village that could be considered interesting, it’d be her.

  It feels like there's a major lack in action and tension, even if this is only the second chapter.