Page 17 of Finding Her (Lore of the Fields #1)

“And that is why I have a chunk of my ear missing.” Graysen finished the story he had been telling over breakfast with a finger gun and click of his tongue.

Graysen’s tone was particularly cheerful that morning, although lacking some authenticity.

Maybe he could sense that I still felt off.

I had woken up with a headache, some mild nausea, and a general sense of having overslept.

A two-day hangover seemed excessive to me, but my body had been through it recently.

I didn’t have much memory of my night out, or the day after.

What a shame my accelerated healing in this world didn’t seem to be applying to my Drooler recovery.

“Oh,” I snorted at the unexpected answer to “ what happened” . “I thought Thornians were more docile than that.” Who takes a bite of someone’s ear while they’re being helped up?

“They’re peaceful, but they’re the least developed species of our world. I think he was drunk and got confused while hungry.” He squinted as if pondering the idea. “He did apologize profusely and buy me a drink once I was off my shift.”

“Your world certainly isn’t boring.” I tried to remember if this kind of thing happened on Earth—without the involvement of hard drugs. “You know most days I think I’m dreaming, but I find it difficult to believe that my mind would make up some of this shit on its own.”

I shoveled the last bite of breakfast into my mouth. It was comforting that, despite a wealth of alternative preparation methods, eggs could just be regular scrambled eggs here. Sure, they probably came from a weird chicken alternative, but it was the closest to Earth food I figured I would get.

“Well, prepare to be even less bored.” His eyes moved uncertainly to a zoned-out Mykie. “I’d like to take you exploring somewhere magical. Maybe it’ll help with recovering your memories to have a change of scenery.”

“Where’s that?” I couldn’t help but be intrigued.

Well-rested from two days without troubled dreams, I was excited to see what else Trebianna had to offer.

After our day of somewhat mandated bathroom small talk, I was starting to feel more relaxed in Graysen’s presence.

I got a glimpse into how he interacted as a normal person.

Not a hero dragging an injured woman from the woods.

Not a chef. Not a self-appointed caretaker.

Just Graysen. A man with a history of depression, friends, and a job.

It provided a much-needed breather to settle into our dynamic.

“Eitrea Island,” he said, standing up to clear my plate.

“You’ll love it,” Mykie cut in the conversation unexpectedly; she had been stewing in thought by the sink window silently for almost an hour. Graysen had unconvincingly assured me it was normal when I asked if she was alright under my breath.

“Are you coming with us, Mykie?” I wanted her to. The more people I had to talk to, the more I could learn, and the less I would fixate on my own predicament. Mykie was a little rough around the edges, but I didn’t mind that so much. I wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, either.

She huffed out a subdued laugh and began shuffling through the fridge, “Me being there would completely ruin your outing, babe.”

“That’s not true,” I objected kindly. I hoped she wasn’t still feeling bad about the Drooler situation.

Now hyperaware that Graysen had blamed it on her, I worried about the words I was forgetting from their argument that night.

There was no way to be certain, but I suspected today’s silence might be related to whatever had gone down.

“Actually, she’s right, my dear.” Graysen shuffled Mykie to the side, grabbed a gray carton from the fridge, and handed it to her since she seemed to be lost amongst the shelves.

Mykie poured the familiar silver liquid out of the carton into a glass.

She replaced the cap and rested her elbows on the marble countertop to support her head with her hands.

Her heart-shaped cheekbones smooshed up into her eyes from the press of her slim fingers.

“It’s not exactly a hospitable place for me.

Arielnas visited a long time ago, and they weren’t at the top of the food chain. ”

“What was higher on the food chain?” I tried not to look straight at her razor-sharp row of teeth.

I remembered the woods I’d been lost in, and the menacing cacophony that reverberated through its trees.

This planet was feral. Surely Graysen wasn’t about to sign me up for round two of running from beasts.

I didn’t think I would be lucky enough to survive the second time.

“It’s a surprise!” Graysen less than subtly elbowed Mykie in the ribs behind the countertop.

“I don’t think I want to go somewhere I can be eaten.” I was honestly quite surprised he was suggesting this. Since finding me, he had been nothing if not overly cautious and attentive. This was out of character.

“Mykie can’t go because her species is on the dinner menu. You and I won’t be of any interest whatsoever in that regard.” He locked eyes with me and spoke smoothly, trying to assure me of his certainty. It was concerning how effectively it worked.

“Graysen…” I began to protest despite my resolve being ready to give in to my curiosity and his velvet-toned promises of security.

Getting out of these brick walls was exactly what I wanted, and this was the most positive he had been since my arrival.

If we were going to be stuck together indefinitely, it might be nice to make a good time of it.

“Trust me?” he beseeched.

“It’ll be fun,” Mykie droned factually. “Eitrea won’t beat the pub, but it’s a close second.” What was up with her today? She sounded so distant.

“Alright.” I looked away from Mykie and back to Graysen, allowing myself a hesitant smile. “Let’s do it.”

His eyes lit up, and his hands clapped together victoriously. “I packed for us already. We’ll be gone for a few days.” Graysen nodded his head to the large, hefty bag slouched against the wall.

He already packed? I understood now. He wasn’t asking me if I’d go… he was telling me we were going. Couldn’t forget to bring his pet, I guess. Dick move to assume my compliance.

I huffed out a frustrated breath. I’d been thinking day trip, not a complete side quest. Surely, he knew my priority was getting back to Earth.

Not that I was making any progress towards that at the moment, but the option would be nice.

I pivoted mentally. I was going whether I wanted to or not, might as well make the most of it.

The more I could learn the better, and it would be hard to do that from the couch.

A little worldly immersion and bonding might get the wheels turning if I were lucky.

“This seems fairly sudden,” I remarked, voicing my hesitation a final time before standing up to commence my unexpectedly eventful day. “I’m taking a bath before we leave.”

“Have some faith, Faeryn.” Mykie patted my back. “You’ll love it. I’d be thrilled to go if I could.”

“I won’t let you down.” Graysen’s face was beaming.

My desire to bathe wasn’t exactly hygiene-related, but rather motivated by an obsession with my own reflection.

I’d miss having access to a mirror for a couple of days.

Turning the faucet on and slipping my clothing to the floor, I stood in front of the sink as I had done compulsively since my arrival.

I would grip the counter edge and gaze into my own eyes, asking them about what they had witnessed before I forgot everything.

I knew the truth lay somewhere within them.

I relished discovering any new, unique features. The most recent was a birthmark on my left thigh. Yesterday, it was the faint freckles on my shoulders. Today’s body scan was sure to turn up something else.

My hips were wide and shapely, with dimples spotting the backs of them.

I cupped under each of my breasts and lifted, finding them to have weight but still fit mostly in my hands.

My neck was slender compared to my rounded cheeks, flushed pink with life.

Conceited as it may be, I felt as though I could fall in love with my own body.

It was like a different person who I was meeting for the first time and I knew I would have a meaningful relationship with forever.

There were no memories of bullying or societal expectations to dampen my self-image, just a female form whose flesh told stories I hoped to one day relearn.

Knock knock .

“Who is it?” Pulled back into reality, I realized the tub had been filling for quite some time and needed to be turned off before it splashed over the sides.

“It’s me,” Graysen’s voice answered. “I bought you some new clothing yesterday while I was out. I thought you might prefer them to my button-downs or Mykie’s tramp shorts.”

“I heard that!” Mykie’s voice shouted distantly from downstairs.

I cracked open the door, and his large hand pushed through a cotton bag. “It should all fit comfortably, but tell me if it doesn’t. Whatever you don’t wear today, bring downstairs and we’ll pack it for our trip.”

“Got it. Thanks.”

I kept my bath reasonably short, unsure of how long a travel day was ahead.

Wrapped in a towel and dripping on the tile, I pulled the drawstring of the sack to examine its contents.

At the top was a black satin ribbon wrapped in twine with a pink flower tucked into the bow.

It only took a moment for me to realize its intended neck-coverage purpose.

This ribbon would have to be worn around my throat to avoid raising questions about my anatomy.

I was appreciative of the sturdier material, the one Mykie had given me kept slipping, and the threads were already beginning to fray.

“ A pet with a pretty new collar—lucky me,” I thought to myself, rubbing the quality fabric between my thumb and forefinger.

Most of the shirts and pants were practical and loosely fitted in design, with ties in locations such as the waist and ankles to add adjustable shape.

I unraveled a sage green sundress with dainty straps and a flowing skirt of asymmetric handkerchief layers that ended at various lengths below the knees, grateful that Graysen had also been intentional in selecting something so pretty for me.

Realizing there was a small satchel blending into the bottom of the sack, I shook it out into my hand.

Inside it were two halter-style bras, one black and one white, and some underwear and socks.

I slipped on the sundress and looked in the mirror. Finally, clothing that seemed to belong on my body. I looked feminine. I felt beautiful. Pulling my ashy hair over my shoulders on each side, I saw my reflection smile back genuinely for the first time.