Page 78 of Akarnae

“Bear mentioned that you had originally planned to stay at Akarnae over the holidays,” Dorothy said, sitting in Gammy’s vacated seat when the older woman stood up to drizzle her sugary sauce over the pie. “May I ask what your family is doing for Kaldoras?”

“My parents are away at the moment,” Alex said evasively. “They’re on an extended work trip and there was no way for me to meet up with them.”

It was the truth, but Alex still felt bad because it wasn’t the entire story.

“Well, their loss is our gain,” Dorothy said kindly. “Now, let’s help Gammy get this pie out to those boys before they start eating the furnishings.”

“Too late!” Jordan and Bear called out from the next room.

Gammy dished out hearty servings and Alex helped carry them into the dining room where the boys were eagerly waiting.

“Gammy, you’re a miracle in flesh,” Jordan said, tucking into his slice before it was even settled on the table.

“Close your mouth while you’re eating, sonny,” she scolded him. “You’ll enjoy it more.”

“Not possible,” he said, but at least he swallowed first. “Sonot possible.”

Twenty-Four

The Ronnigans’ house was locatedjust outside a sleepy little village called Woodhaven, and Alex spent the rest of the day playing tourist with Jordan and Bear.

“Have you lived here all your life?” she asked as they walked down the cobbled streets past more enchanting cottages.

“I actually grew up in the city,” Bear answered, walking comfortably with his hands in his pockets. “It was only when Dad was promoted that he and Mum decided they didn’t want to raise us amongst all that craziness, so we moved here and he now commutes to work.”

He kicked a stone and watched it bounce along the road before he continued, “I was ten at the time. At first it was hard—we were all used to the busy city life and it was so quiet here. But we learned to love it. Besides, the backyard forest is a pretty awesome playground.”

Seeing the picturesque woodland that surrounded—and in some places, interrupted—the village, Alex figured he had a good point.

They continued walking through the quiet streets of Woodhaven, taking everything in. As they passed some of the houses, people called out greetings to Bear, and often to Jordan as well. It was all so… neighbourly.

There weren’t many shops in the village, which wasn’t all that surprising considering its small size, and none of them were anything like what Alex had expected. There were no grocery shops, post offices, medical centres or department stores. Instead, there were places with names like Dubble Bubble, which appeared to stock all sorts of Chemistry-related supplies—including Bubblers, if their advertising was to be believed. There was also a little candy shop called The Sweet Tooth, which had hundreds of colourfully wrapped lollies on display. Further along was a small boutique clothing store and its name caused Alex to do a double-take.

“Dorothy’s Designs?” she read out loud, turning to Bear. “As in, your mum?’

“Yeah,” Bear answered. “Mum designs the clothes but she mostly works from home so she can look after Evie. Her sister—Aunt Tessa—looks after the shop.”

“I had no idea,” Alex said. “I guess I just figured she was, well—”

“A stay-at-home mother and housewife extraordinaire?” Bear finished for her with a gentle smile. “She is. And that’s what’s most important to her at the end of the day. Anything else she gets to do is just a bonus, in her eyes.”

Alex made an understanding noise and they kept walking. The next shop along was a puzzle store called Mind Over Matter which was bursting at the seams with all sorts of different games and activities.

“I love that shop,” Jordan said. “There’s just so much in there. It’s wacky to the extreme.”

They crossed over to the other side of the street and Alex saw that the next establishment was a bookshop. But there was something decidedly strange about Ye Olde Bookshoppe; it had an almost otherworldly feel about it. As they walked past the entryway, Alex snuck a glance inside, but it was too dark to see anything.

They continued on until they came to the end of the road and all that was left was a private path leading further up a hill towards another cottage in the distance.

“What do you say to a drink before we head back?” Bear asked.

Jordan’s face lit up. “On the house?”

“Of course,” Bear said, much to Alex’s surprise. She had expected him to tell Jordan to pay for himself. “There’s nowhere better!”

That was a weird thing for Bear to say. Alex wondered if she was missing something. And then she was sure of it, when the boys started leading her up the path towards the cottage.

As they moved closer, Alex had to squint her eyes because there was something moving on the roof of the house. The closer they walked, the more clearly she could see, and her eyes grew wider in shock and amusement. When they reached the front garden, there was a short fence with a wooden sign:

---