Chapter Text
The sound of crashing nearly made me jump out of my skin, and I turned, wide-eyed in alarm at the sound of a shout from the bottom of the stairs.
It was midday, and eleven-year-old Gabby had been in the midst of washing the lunchtime dishes when the commotion had jarred me from my work. Everyone else was supposed to be outside, but I feared the worst, and I hurriedly wiped my hands on my dress before abandoning my post and running towards the stairs.
When I arrived, I found not a child who had slipped and fallen, but a semi-transparent man laying flat on his back on the floor.
Entity stood at the top of the stairs, a wicked grin on his face and his scythe poised to attack as he stalked his way down the steps one at a time. The other man, unfamiliar to me, scrambled back as Entity approached, and I shrieked, “Entity, stop!!”
Both men froze, turning to me, and I realized abruptly that the newcomer had blank, white eyes, like pale marbles set in his eye sockets. I shivered.
“Gabby,” Entity’s voice was half whining, half pleading. “He started it.”
“No!” I set my jaw, fixing him with a glare and stomping my foot. “No fighting in the house!”
“Hello there, little lady,” the new man greeted me, pushing himself up to sit on the floor. “You’re a character, aren’t you?”
“Um,” I wasn’t sure what that meant, so I just turned my attention back to Entity. “What are you two doing, anyway??”
“It’s fine!” Entity leaped the rest of the way down the stairs, giving me a sour look. “He’s already dead anyway.”
“Still!” I wrung my hands, looking back at the new man in concern. “What if you knocked something over?”
“Yeah, you’d get the little lady in trouble,” the newcomer chimed in. “We can’t be having that.” He hauled himself to his feet, towering nearly half a yard over my head. “I’m Herobrine. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Gabby, isn’t it?”
“A pleasure,” I repeated automatically, sticking out a hand for him to shake. The man grinned at me and gave my hand a pat, which of course I couldn’t feel. “Why are you two fighting?”
“He said-“ Entity began, but Herobrine cut him off.
“I may have said something rude,” he offered nonchalantly. “About his mother.” I wrinkled up my nose.
“So he attacked you?”
“He pushed me down the stairs!” Herobrine glared fiercely at his white-robed opponent, who stuck his tongue out at him. I pinched the bridge of my nose, amazed that these fully grown ghost men acted exactly like eight-year-old boys.
“Alright,” I finally said. “If you’re going to fight, then do it outside, okay?”
“Understood, Madam Gabby.” Herobrine bowed low in deference, then slipped through the wall and vanished. Entity bared his teeth and lunged after him, then they were gone, and I stood silent for a long few moments before I retreated back to the kitchen to finish with the dishes.
I hugged my coat tight to my body, keeping my chin lowered and my knapsack straps clutched in white-knuckled hands as I made my way down the cobblestone road.
“Little lady!” A voice shouted, and I started to turn, only for Herobrine to hiss in my ear,
“ Don’t look.”
“Mmh.” I obeyed, keeping my eyes forward as I walked.
This was the largest town that I had been in in my entire life. The streets were filled with people, some of which moved with purpose in their step while others seemed to be as lost as I was. There were carriages and wagons making their way down the centers of the roads, and I even caught a glimpse of an automobile. I had tried not to stare, but I had never seen one before, so I was sure that my eyes had been bulging out of my head a little bit.
I could tell that people were watching me, and I couldn’t blame them. My clothing was drab and dirty compared to their garments, which were of a slightly different style. My own dress was a hand-me-down from someone in the village, as were most of the clothes that made their way to the children’s home, so it didn’t surprise me that I was behind the latest fashion trends. Not only that, but I was sure that I looked just as exhausted and frightened as I felt.
“Where’s Jade?” I mumbled, hoping that my voice would be lost in the hubbub of the people around me.
“No sign of him yet,” came Bane’s response from my left. I squared my shoulders and pursed my lips, pressing onward. It was growing late, and Jade had volunteered to try and seek out a safe place for me to spend the night, as none of the ghosts were keen on me curling up in an alleyway. I couldn’t blame them.
“Look at them.” Entity swung his massive scythe idly, and I flinched despite myself as it passed through the head of a woman making her way past me. “Scuttling around like ants. What a depressing place.”
“I think it’s nice,” Lick countered, and I turned to see him eying a shop window in which a young woman was modeling a slinky dress. Bane smacked him in the back of the head. “ Ow. ”
“Either way, it’s safer than the open road,” Herobrine pointed out. “Why don’t you two go out and help Jade find a safe inn?”
“No need, I’m here.” The voice had you turning to look, and you found the green-skinned ghost phasing through the passerby to get to you. “There’s an inn down the road, I’ll show you.” Jade stepped in front of you, pointing straight down the cobblestone road. “It looks pleasant enough.”
“Okay.” I nodded, my spirits raising slightly as I quickened my pace down the road.
It wasn’t a long walk, and in the waning daylight nobody bothered me despite my obviously foreign appearance. Soon, Jade was leading me up the front steps of a building, emanating from which was the appealing scent of fresh-cooked food.
“Now go up to the counter and say you want a room for the night,” Bane instructed as I pushed my way through the heavy door. The front room was filled with tables and chairs, some of which hosted men and women who were in the process of eating their dinner. It wasn’t too crowded yet, which I was thankful for as I made my way up to the counter.
There was a man behind the counter, facing the other way as he attended to something in the kitchen. “Excuse me,” I tried, fumbling in my pockets for the bag of coins that Marjorie had given me.
“Not yet,” Bane hissed in my ear. “Wait until he tells you the price until you show him how much you have.” My hands stilled obediently.
“Yeah?” The man turned, dark eyes passing over me once before he met my own. “What do you need?”
“A room.” I felt a little cowed under his gaze, scrambling my mental script. “Um, I’d like a room for the night, please.”
“Alright.” He dipped his chin in a nod, ambling over to the counter and resting beefy forearms on it. “Three silver.” I nodded, shaking the contents of the bag into my hand and counting out the three coins. That left me with five left… hopefully I’d be able to get some hot food as well, but if I needed to conserve them for a safe place to sleep then so be it.
The man took my coins, sliding them underneath the counter. “Room comes with dinner,” he said before I could say anything more, sliding a key with a number imprinted onto it across the counter and intro my reach. “Have a seat.”
“Oh.” I perked up at that. “Thank you.” I hurriedly turned on my heel, seeking out an empty table in the corner and making my way over to sit down closest to the wall.
As I waited for the server to make her way around to me, I looked around the room, observing the inn’s other patrons. There were more coming in every minute, it must be nearing supper time. The inn was filling up fast, and I caught more than one curious look sent my way. I fervently hoped that anyone with ill intent would consider the other people to be too many witnesses.
Entity sat in the chair to my left, glaring down anyone who looked in my direction. “I don’t like this,” he muttered, echoing my own thoughts. “If they make a move…”
“I turn out the lights, and you pummel them,” Herobrine chimed in. I gave him a wry smile.
“Why don’t you just take your food to your room?” Villainsbane suggested. I glanced over to where she stood on my right, then faked a cough to hide my mouth behind my hand.
“I can do that?” I muttered.
“You can ask,” Bane offered. “Here she comes.” I turned, and, sure enough, the server was making her way over to my table.
“Good evening, dear,” she greeted me cheerfully. She looked a few years older than me, maybe in her mid-twenties, and was dressed in a black dress with a trimmed white apron. “What can I get for you?”
“Just…” I glanced over to a nearby table, making out a bowl of soup. “Just some soup, please. Can I take it up to my room?”
“Of course, what’s your room number?” The server asked, scribbling something on the notepad in her hands.. I looked at the key in my hand.
“24.”
“Alright, if you’d like to go up and wait there, I’ll have it up for you in a few minutes.” The server bobbed a curtsy, then turned and went on to her next table. Relieved, I quickly gathered up my possessions and hurried for the stairs on the far side of the room.
“Over here,” Lick called from the second hallway as I reached the top of the stairs. I let out a quiet sigh as I stopped in front of the door, fumbling the key into the lock and letting myself inside.
The room was dim, even when I flicked on the light, about three yards by three yards with a neatly-made bed taking up the majority of that space. I locked the door behind me and set down my knapsack in front of it, a halfhearted attempt to protect myself from any would-be intruders before I slumped down onto the bed.
“Oh,” I breathed as the mattress sank underneath me. This was so much nicer than straw.
I lay there in silence for a few moments, my eyes shut, listening to the sounds of voices muffled through the floor below me and the footsteps of the ghosts as they made their way into the room. Eventually, I opened my eyes and sat up, ensuring that all six of them were there.
“Hey, Null,” I greeted him, and got a nod in response. My shadowy playmate had been in and out of view all day, having frequently disappeared while I made my way through the town to the inn.
“Well, this isn’t too bad.” Bane patted the mattress before sinking down to sit beside me. “For three silver, anyway.”
“Mm.” I let my shoulders slump, resting a hand over my empty belly. I was really looking forward to that soup.
I stayed quiet until there was a knock on my door, and I peered through the peephole to ensure that it was the uniformed server before I opened it to accept my meal. I was handed a tray that contained a hearty bowl of soup, a piece of warm bread, and a cup and pitcher of water. I had gotten it safely to the tiny table beside my bed and locked the door once more before sitting down and allowing myself to breathe.
“Okay,” I began quietly as I heard the server’s footsteps descend the creaking stairs. “Do you all have anything else you want to tell me?”
“Else?” Bane echoed where she sat on my right. “What do you mean?”
“I mean-“ I stole a glance around at the room, which felt rather crowded with seven occupants. “I mean, you all never told me that I was being hunted by mad ghosts. Is there anything else that you think might be important?”
“Ah.” Bane made a face. “I’m sorry, Gabby. We just didn’t want to scare you.”
“It’s fine,” I brushed her off. “I just want to know if there’s anything else I should be worried about.”
“Well…” Bane looked over at Herobrine, who shook his head. “…I’m afraid not. Not anything that can explain your connection to us, anyway.”
“Ah.” I picked up my piece of bread and took a large bite in an attempt to hide my disappointment.
“Where are we going from here?” Entity asked as I dunked the rest of my break into my soup. “Down the road to the next town? We don’t know if it’s under a day’s journey or not.”
“If not, she’s survived a night in the woods already,” Lick pointed out. “She’s a smart cookie.”
“Maybe so, but it’s only going to get colder,” Jade muttered. “And I’m not exactly keen on letting our girl sleep alone in the middle of the woods.”
“I’m not alone,” I muttered around my bite. “I have you guys.”
“That’s right, she has us guys,” Entity said gleefully. Jade gave him a flat look.
“We’re dead. ”
“But not forgotten,” Herobrine chimed in. “And we may not be able to rip and tear like we used to, but we can still do some damage if the situation calls for it.”
“Let’s just hope the situation doesn’t,” Bane cut in. “And keep our girl out of trouble.” In the corner, Null gave a quiet nod.
The food was a welcome treat after several days of traveling in the cold, and I had to restrain myself from eating too quickly. By the time I had finished, I was ready to take advantage of the plush mattress, and I stacked up my dishes on the tray and left it outside in the hall before turning out the lights.
Despite my sleepiness, I laid awake for some time, listening to the ghosts as they murmured quietly to one another. At one point, Lick and Herobrine slipped out into the hall, having agreed between themselves to keep an eye out for anyone who might mean me harm. I wasn’t sure what exactly I would do if someone did… maybe get out the window, I was only on the second floor.
I wondered if the children had reached the capital by now. Today had been the fourth day, hadn’t it? Or the third? I was already losing count. Madam Agatha and the children’s home seemed like a distant memory now, even though it had only been a few days since I and the rest of the older children were stolen away.
If they truly wanted to provide aid, why take the older children, I mused as I stared up at the ceiling. Wouldn’t it be better to take the younger ones, who require more care and supervision? Or did the capital simply only have the resources to take those that they could treat as adults? It made little sense… and it continued to grate on me.
Eventually, my exhaustion claimed victory over my thoughts, and I nodded off.