InsaneJournal

WHO: Bella Swan and Willow Rosenberg
WHEN: Day six, evening
WHAT: Walking home after dinner
WHERE: Just outside the city
RATING: PG
STATUS: Incomplete



It was still raining come nightfall and Bella really didn't want to go back outside. She'd spent the morning out in it, talking to Eragon, and had returned to her room looking like a drowned rat. She'd immediately gotten into a steaming hot shower and stood there until she'd warmed herself to the core. Wrapping herself in one of the thick towels provided for her, she wanted nothing more than to crawl back under her blankets and never come back out. What stopped her was the realization that in the 24 hours she'd been in the strange land, she hadn't stopped to eat. Whenever she was anxious, stressed or depressed she had the tendency to lose her appetite and since the small city far from her family and friends seemed to evoke all three emotions, it was no wonder that come mid-afternoon she still hadn't gotten herself something to eat. She resolved to do the responsible thing and head out to the food tents, but found herself dawdling because of the rain. It wasn't until twilight that she finally headed out, rain jacket back on, a fresh outfit in place of the one she'd muddied that morning.

She found the food tent after a careful amount of searching and even though the smells did little to arouse her appetite, she ate a plate full of eggs and potatoes anyway. When she was done she zipped up her coat reluctantly, and headed back out into the cold rainy night. She kept her head ducked, her hood doing as much as it could to keep her dry, and trudged in what she thought was the direction of the dorms. Darkness proved challenging when coupled with the unfamiliar landscape, and when she'd walked for what seemed like a full 10 minutes, she finally noticed that she'd moved past the buildings of the city, and away from her desired destination. Looking up suddenly, she groaned...she would have to turn around, which meant more trudging. She looked around her, hoping that maybe she'd be able to stop and rest somewhere, but there was only a forest to the left. "When did that get there?" She wondered aloud. Was it possible she'd just completely missed it in her stupor the day before?

Thinking about her arrival brought her thoughts to other arrivals--Eragon and Saphira this morning. She wondered what Saphira was doing now, whether the giant dragon was settled in for the night or had gone out to play in the rain. She pictured Saphira splashing around in the puddles again and it brought a smile to her face--a smile that soon faded. If Saphira, a dragon, had been brought to this place, then what else had? Buffy had mentioned vampires in her journal and suddenly Bella wished she'd payed more attention to where she was going. She threw a cautious glance toward the woods beside her and the started waking toward the lights of the city again. She walked faster than was probably safe, but slower than she would have liked. She watched the ground as she went, feeling tense and uneasy, and yet she still managed to miss a large rock embedded in the ground, only finding it when her toe collided with it violently. She stumbled, yelping loudly in pain, taking a hop step before managing to save herself from falling. She whimpered, holding her toe, jumping in place. She was close enough to the town that someone could have heard her, and embarrassment replaced nervousness when she realized how foolish she must look to anyone who might have heard or seen her. Instinctively, she looked up and around to see if anyone had seen her, and oddly enough she was sure someone was out there. "Hello?" She called out, before thinking better of it a moment later.