Chapter 4: Square One

"I need a bucket of water," her voice was soft, low, and calm. Her posture was relaxed as if she had all the time in the world. She gently shushed the little boy in her arms as he started to get agitated. The calmer you were, and the more you acted as if you belonged, the more people would leave you the fuck alone. She looked up to see the owner staring at her, his brows furrowed in confusion. She sighed softly. She was an idiot for not taking a translator with her. She could have learned this language so much faster.

Samaya looked around and saw a jug of water on the nearby table. She pointed towards that. "Water," she said. And then she pointed towards the wooden buckets in the corner. "Bucket." She then showed her pointer finger upwards. "One."

Understanding dawned on him. He gave a small chuckle before he pointed at the things she pointed in order. "Water," he corrected before moving to the bucket. "Bucket. Pail." She raised an eyebrow and stared for a moment before smiling. This man … surprisingly had a nicer side. She nodded and repeated the words. He nodded in satisfaction.

The man then shouted towards the back. "Get a pail… water!" She was sure she missed a couple of words there. She saw one of the workers take one of the medium-sized buckets and make his way out the back. He came back about five minutes later with the bucket almost filled to the brim. She wondered if she had to help. But then she saw the man lift the entire bucket onto his shoulder. She examined those bulging muscles before deciding that nope, he didn't need any help.

Shushing the child once again, she followed the man up the stairs to her room. He paused in front of the door and looked back at her. She understood immediately. Moving around him to go forward, she opened the door and walked inside before holding the door open for him. He quietly walked in as well and put the bucket down with a thud, making the water splash out a bit.

She expected the man to leave immediately. He didn't, however. Instead, he straightened and looked around. Samaya frowned and glanced around as well, looking for the way out in case the man tried something. She could usually handle a situation like this. But right now she was weakened and had a child to think of. He then looked at her for a moment before striding towards her. She tightened her arm around the little bun and grabbed the knife under her sleeve, ready to slit his throat if need be.

However, the man only walked past her. She turned around to see him grabbing the window doors and closing them before securing the latch. He turned around and then started to gesture toward the window as he spoke. All she got was "keep" and "close" but she understood what he was trying to say.

She tilted her head and made a questioning gesture. "Why?"

The man spoke again, slowly, so she would understand. "There is … house… cursed…. ghosts." Huh. A haunted house. To the south of the inn. She really should not be surprised. Haunted houses were abundant in modern times as well. She didn't believe in the supernatural but what did she know? After all, she was a person from another world.

She gave a small nod and smiled, indicating her agreement. His face showed relief as he nodded back. She waited for the man to go out before she sighed and closed the door. She then looked down at the boy and rubbed his head. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up."

Without waiting for an answer she walked to the bucket put in the corner of the room. She took off the boy's clothes - which resembled rags more than clothes - and then soaked a clean rag in the water to clean the boy. It took a long while. He was all dirty and matted. His hair took the longest time since she had to get all that dirt out.

After she cleaned him up, she couldn't help but be surprised. The boy was far more good-looking than she thought. His wild hair framed his face and his golden eyes were intense as they gazed at her. He was skin and bones now so she could tell that he would have one hell of a jawline when he grew up. She would have to beat the girls away with a stick.

She smiled at him. "Let's go to sleep, okay?"

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She looked down at the boy and sighed softly as she quickly but silently moved through the streets. Damn, she had hoped to have the boy asleep in that inn while she went to check out the place she landed on to get some clues. But it seemed that the boy had developed a sixth sense along with his abandonment issues. The moment she got up from the bed, he was clutching her robe and tugging on it. Though he didn't have enough strength to pull her down, he clutched tightly enough that she couldn't get it out of his grip without hurting him.

She had tried to placate him and tell him that she would come back in a while. The boy, however, just clenched tighter and shook his head. And then… he spoke for the first time since they met, "Won't leave… you… said…" The voice was hoarse and scratchy from the lack of use. She was stunned for a moment before she quickly tried to assure him that she wouldn't be leaving and she would come back. But he was stubbornly clinging to her. Finally, she had to acquiesce.

That was how she found herself clutching a three-year-old tightly as she jumped off the window and onto the ground before she weaved through the streets. Thankfully, said streets were mostly empty as it was almost approaching midnight. She still had to move silently though. Whatever granted the people their strength and power here also granted them keen senses, it seemed. Samaya had noticed quite a few people reacting to the slightest of sounds within a certain radius around them. She moved as if she were on a mission to assassinate some politician in a tightly secured mansion, her footfalls softer than the summer breeze flowing around them

The boy was peacefully sleeping against her shoulder. She shook her head in amusement. This child. He had been practically in dreamland when he stopped her from going out and passed out like a light the moment he secured him in her arms. She had no doubt he would wake up if she even let her arms loosen from around him. He had claimed her as his haven. A warmth started to grow in her chest at the thought and her arms tightened just a bit as she walked along the side of the road.

She finally came to a stop in front of a dark alley. This was the place where she had fled from when she woke up. She looked around for a moment before tightening her grasp on the child and entering the dark alley. She pressed a hand along the wall as she walked, trying to find any clues that might help her figure out this mystery. Truth be told, she did not have much hope. But she still had to try.

She pressed against the walls of the small alley and then walked barefoot on the ground, hoping to feel those vibrations. She even pressed her ear against the walls and the ground. The result was the same regardless of what she did. Nothing at all.

She sighed softly in disappointment. Though she had somewhat expected this result, it didn't mean that the disappointment she felt was any less strong. Suddenly, she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand. She straightened, her eyes darting around before her head snapped up towards one of the roofs.

"Who's there?"

A cold chuckle reverberated throughout the alley. And a dark figure seemingly came out of nowhere, standing on the roof. A male voice, deep and slightly hoarse, spoke then. All she got was, "I … not think… you… sense … my … fast…" it was just enough for her to understand what he meant and understand that this man was extremely dangerous. He had completely concealed his presence from her.

She secured her little bun against herself as she glared at the figure. There was a moment of stalemate before the figure … jumped down from the roof onto the street. She reacted reflexively, jumping two steps back. She knew … she just knew …. She was no match for him. She could barely survive against him at her best. Let alone in her weakened state.

She was so absorbed in trying to find an escape that she missed the look of surprise on the man's face, as well as the soft, murmured "quite fast" that came from him. It was only when the man stepped forward that she snapped her attention toward him once again. The wariness in her eyes was that of a prey looking at a predator. It had been a long time since she'd been in that position.

"Alone?" The man's chilling voice echoed in her ears and, as he took one more step forward, she finally saw his face. Raven-black hair, dark attire that flowed and danced around him, and deep-set, cold blue eyes.

Yes. This man screamed danger. And as he raised his hand to make a beckoning gesture, Samaya did not bother to listen to the murmured words that accompanied it. She swung on the balls of her feet and sprung forward as fast as she could.

Even she was not ready for how fast she reached the man. What would have normally taken her a second or two took only a fraction of one second. She reacted immediately, taking advantage of the surprise and swinging her right leg upwards as she aimed for his jaw. He dodged, of course, despite the look of surprise that flashed across his face. Unsurprising. Samaya ripped off her outer robe and threw it onto his face before turning around and bolting. Again, her speed surprised her but she did not let that surprise consume her even for a moment as she escaped from that man as quickly as she could.

Behind her, the man slowly took off the coarse cloth covering his head and looked toward the direction the petite figure disappeared into. His lips hooked up in a smirk.

"What an interesting creature."

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She was back in her room at the inn, with the child safely tucked in bed and herself sitting beside him.

That… was close.

She wished she would never run into the man again. She sighed softly and rubbed her temples. She was back at square one. No clue at all about the portal or even those strange vibrations. She hadn't had much hope but it was still disappointing.

It seemed she would be staying here for a while. She looked down at the child and stroked his hair. Taking him along wasn't the wisest decision, she knew. But she couldn't bring herself to regret it. She would have to take care of him until she found a way back. And then… then, she would cross that bridge when she got to it.

First, though, she would need a place to stay. Though, she didn't know where she could get some accommodation here. It wasn't like she had money on her that she could rent a house. And she had no delusions about exchanging labor for food and board. She knew exactly what kind of labor people would expect her to do.

She sighed. If only there was an empty place where she could stay without rent…. Wait…. Her head turned towards the open window.

Haunted house, huh?