Young Writers Society

Evaline bit back her tongue, deciding to let this one go and not say anything she may regret. They walked in relative silence for the rest of the morning hike, but it was calm and peaceful, especially as the views of the town became clearer and closer.

Eventually they both reach the town, and James started walking towards a back alleyway full of food stands. She did find herself having to catch up with him sometimes because she kept gazing around, wide-eyed and curious.

Growing up, Evaline loved reading fiction. Even though the library seemed old and outdated, she used to love sneaking in with her friend to take extra books home with them, one time even staying up late in the library until they fell asleep reading. Most of the books were written hundreds of years ago, but as long as she was still able to turn the pages, she still lived through the adventures—even if she had no concept of what it was like. One of the books she still remembered vividly was called Wild Wild West.

James did not tell her that this was a Western or cowboy town.

Some men who looked frail and a bit sickly passed by her, but she couldn't help but ogle a little because they were wearing cowboy hats. Skinny horses with old wooden carriers crossed by a few times, with men whipping them to go faster. A few women passed by, some looking stern with a metallic beltbuckle, and others wearing a tattered dress while keeping her head down. The ground was lightly paved, but sand was already eroding it away. It smelled of fish and dust.

Evaline felt like she had stepped into a page of the book, but she had to hold back all her thoughts and emotions as she didn't want to draw attention to James or herself. Instead, she loyally followed behind, glancing around her shoulders until they were out of view in the alley.

She tried not to stare at the shopkeepers too much, but it was a bit hard not to, especially since she hadn't been this close to other people in Nye before. Still, she looked away every time they started to notice, instead directing intense focus on the fruit James was picking out before staring back.

James could tell Evaline was trying to take it all in subtly, but she still looked like a foreigner, with the awe and interest she was taking in the new environment. If they were walking into a bigger town, or a city, it might not have been as noticeable, but he could tell the woman running the fruit stand was seconds away from asking if they were new around here.

"Just these, please," he said, offering her a few copper coins as he held up the bag of peaches and pairs he'd picked.

The woman smiled, taking the coin without trouble.

"You have a nice day, now," she said politely.

"And you as well," he said with a nod, before walking a few stalls down, where there were a few vegetables.

Carrots were pretty dependable, so he grabbed about a pound of those. And zucchinis. Those were on sale.

The man behind the vegetable cart was looking him up and down with curiosity, but his gaze landed on Evaline, wearing a man's clothes - that were baggy on her - and with her hair tied back loosely with a torn piece of cloth.

Evaline wasn't trying to draw attention, but she was, and mostly for reasons out of her control. James wasn't sure if he was grateful for them being distracted by her or more worried. He didn't want anyone to take advantage of her wide-eyed wonder.

It was a good thing he was with her. Not everyone was trustworthy, whether you were wanted or not.

He made the exchange quickly and stashed the food away in his pack.

"Hey, Eve," he said softly, with a nod of his head down the alley. They were good on food. That was all he could get right now. Foraging, soon, would actually become a necessity. There was a shop on the corner - the only one in town - that had a quilt out on display, and a simple dress in the little display window. It was a small store, but they would hopefully find something.

"Hmm?" Evaline responded as she peered down the direction James nodded towards. There were a few dainty shops, but one in particular was a fabric store. She had noticed that she had been getting some stares as the shopkeepers were waiting for James to pick out the food and pay, but Evaline wasn't sure if it was because of her or the clothes she was wearing. Maybe both.

She nodded as she followed his lead. "So how is this going to work?" she asked quietly. "Do I pick something, or are you picking it?"

She briefly imagined James having to pick out clothes for her or really any woman. It didn't go over well.

James started toward the shop. The faster they moved, the sooner they could leave.

"You choose, I'll pay. As long as it fits, but keep it simple." He paused, deciding to be frank. "I'll let you know if I can't afford it," he said quietly. "But otherwise, I'll leave it to you."

Evaline walked in the store as James hung back to tie up Elliot. As she walked in, she was greeted with the smell of old textiles and the sound of accelerated sewing. The wall was lined with various fabrics, and on display were some nice-looking dresses and jackets that she could only assume were expensive. At the back of the store were a few sewing machines and looms. An older woman who she assumed to be the shopkeeper looked up from the loom.

"Hello!" the shopkeeper greeted warmly. "How can I help you today?"

Evaline did her best to not look around in awe like she had been doing so far today, but she still gave a glance behind her as she saw James through the window still typing up Elliot. He told her to let him do the talking, but it was probably fine if she talked to the shopkeeper instead.

"I'm looking for a new outfit," Evaline responded plainly.

The shopkeeper paused, giving her an understanding look. "I see," she said, standing up from her seat to approach her. "Anything you're looking for in particular?"

"I don't have too much money," Evaline admitted. "Anything simple is fine." She began to rifle through some a shelf that looked like it had simple shirts and pants.

The shopkeeper looked her up and down and nodded. "We have a fine selection of women's clothing. If you'd like to wear pants, I'd have ta fit it to your size. Not too many skinny lassies of the adventurin' type 'round these parts."

Evaline was about to interject that a skirt or dress wasn't particularly going to be useful while living outside, but the shopkeeper spoke again before she could.

"How about this?" the shopkeeper said, holding up a long, plain, brown skirt with an adjustable lace around the waist. "This ought to be rugged enough. You can even wear your pants for added comfort. It'll hide it real well."

Evaline lightly narrowed her eyes at her, not sure if that was a subliminal way of saying her pants were weird, but she decided to accept the skirt anyways. "Thanks," she said, but the shopkeeper was already rifling through the shelves again.

"And this," she said, handing her a long-sleeved shirt. It was thin and dark gray; nothing too exciting. "This will fit you. Simple, and affordable."

At this point, James walked in the store and lingered by the doorway.

Evaline accepted the shirt from her and looked down at the selections she held. James told her that she could pick out her outfit, but it seemed that she had let an old lady pick it out instead. "Well, okay then. Looks like I have my new outfit."

The shopkeeper smiled warmly and gestured to a small dressing room in the back, only separated by a faded curtain. "You can change in the back, miss," she said, making the assumption that Evaline wanted to change right away. "And how will you be paying today?"

Evaline looked back at James before proceeding to the dressing room. "You can ask that guy," she said, closing the curtain.

James put on a warm smile for the old woman and nodded, walking towards her and reaching in his pocket for his few remaining coins. A few silver, a few copper.

"How much will that be?" he asked.

The woman smiled in return. "15 silver."

James could feel the pain of spending money. That was all the silver he had, minus one.

He walked with her to a small counter and placed the fourteen coins down, and added five copper coins. They were equal in value, but some sellers were picky. "You don't mind --" he started to ask.

"Oh, no worries, dear. Money is money," she said, scooping the coins away. "You two take care."

James nodded and smiled once again, politely, taking back his small pouch of money, that had only two copper coins remaining.

He was glad Eve was busy changing, so she wouldn't notice. She had no concept of money, so hopefully, she wouldn't fuss over it. He just wanted to get out of there once Evaline was ready.

This was the first time Evaline was able to see herself in the mirror since coming to Nye, and she looked wild. Her hair was messy and still had some specks of pink on it, and she visibly saw how unflattering James's clothes were on her. It amazed her how far she had traveled while dressed like this, but she knew that she'd still stand out more if she wore her original outfit.

She finished changing into the new dress and skirt, and she was pleasantly surprised to see how well it fit. The shopkeeper must have helped so many customer in the past if it only took a quick glance to determine someone's size and style.

Evaline stepped out of the dressing room and started to walk towards James with an appreciative smile, his shirt and pants still on hand. "Thanks for this," she said to him, giving him an appreciative smile, but also glancing back at the shopkeeper with a nod. "Ready?"

James took the shirt and pants and tucked them under his arm.

"Yes, let's go," he said with a nod, briefly looking back at the shopkeeper and waving goodbye. "Thank you, again!"

And they were out of there. He opened up his saddle bag one last time before they would be on their way, rolling the shirt up against his stomach and then slipping it in. He took the pants, which Eve had folded, but unfolded on accident in his hurry, almost dropping to the ground.

He caught them and sighed, but stopped when he noticed a piece of paper flutter to the ground.

As he rolled the pants up, he bent over and picked it up.

He hadn't put anything in his pockets that he could remember.

He stowed the pants away and paused to unfold the piece of paper, and quickly realized that it wasn't his.

There was some kind of poem written on it, and he read it quickly.



Eve was close behind him, and he looked over at her, with the paper still in hand. He could feel the gears in his mind moving as he connected the dots.

She'd used some of the poem's language before.

The heart. Staying lost. And the first line - being from a different world- that had to be referring to her.

"...What is this?" he asked.

Evaline stood close to James, waiting for him to pack things up and untie Elliot. She was watching the lull of the alley while also brushing her skirt a few times.

Suddenly James turned to her with a piece of paper on his hand, asking her what it was.

She looked at him then the note, and for a moment, her mind completely blanked. She had planned on revealing it to him later tonight while slowly building up to it, but in the midst of changing, she had completely forgotten to transfer it out. Why did she change out of the pants? How could she let this slip her mind?

"I..." she began, trying to find the right words to say. "I was going to show you."

She looked around.

"Let's talk about this somewhere else," she said, voice steady.

That, James agreed on.

"Take it," he said, putting the note in her hands. "Come on."

He led them back down the alley, past the fruit stalls, and back into the forest. He started them on the road but branched off of it when they were out of view of the town, taking them deeper into the forest. He kept up a brisk pace until the town was no longer in view, and finally came to a stop, looking to Evaline expectantly.

Evaline crumpled the note into the tiny pocket the skirt offered, making a mental reminder to ask James for her original pants back. This was affirmed only when he started to speed walk out of the town and back into the forest as taller underbrush started to snag on some of her open skin.

By the speed of his walking, he seemed miffed. She didn't blame him.

Finally, they came to a stop, and he turned to look at her unexpectedly, not even saying any words. She was glad she at least had a little time to think through what to say.

"All I know is that I woke up in Nye with this note," she defiantly. "I was going to tell you. It just hadn't come up yet."

James took in a deep breath, trying to think about this rationally. To put himself in her shoes.

She had woken up on a different world, lost, alone, with no idea where she was and only a riddle on a note as her guide. She had no reason to believe anyone on Nye would believe her story, or hear her out, or even help her. It would make sense to keep something like that to herself, and he could understand how it wouldn't come up.

They had talked about her being from another world, just last night, but she just admitted that she didn't plan on keeping the note a secret forever.

He took in another deep breath, and looked down and closed his eyes for a moment, shaking his head.

"Okay. So you woke up with this note," he said, repeating her, mostly. He was trying to understand. "And somehow-" he laughed, but it wasn't mirthful "-it's avoided water damage. Among other things."

"That's right," Evaline said, but she couldn't help but shoot James a glare. This all sounded so bizarre, and she could understand why he'd laugh about it, but this all actually happened. She had no rebuttal.

"Okay, hear me out."

She did not plan on revealing this so soon, but now was as good of a time as any.

"I woke up in Nye, not knowing what was going on. I find the note. I don't know what it means, but I figured I should find my way out of the forest, especially since I didn't even know I was in Nye. I follow a path, but it just kept going! It kept looping itself, and I had no idea what to do, so I turn the other way, and then everything was fine. So I keep walking, following the path, nothing was looping, and eventually night fell. I walked around to forage food, and then wolves came out to attack me. But they weren't attacking me. They were herding me."

She talked fast, words falling out of her mouth like vomit. She had gone over what to say to him in the little time she had to prepare, but not exactly how to say it to him.

Evaline turned to him, giving him a look like she was asking with her eyes, 'Great, do you see what I'm saying? Are you following along now?'

When James looked up, Evaline glared at him, and then spilled. Rapidly.

With his eyes slightly squinted, he tried to catch everything she was saying.

"So you think whatever forces of nature, or magic, or science, I guess - wanted you to find me. Specifically."

"Yes!" she exclaimed with a slight smile, glad that he caught on. "I mean, that's what I think. We haven't really tested theory by separating. And also, I don't think this is is science, per se. I think it's closer to whatever weird magic is in this world."

She was rambling again, trying to find the right words, but instead saying all of them.