Alphi strolls through the market, the smell of roasted corn, sizzling meat, and exotic spices filled the air. She inhaled the aroma as the warm air brushed her face. She wasn't used to all this; it was all a new experience for her, but it was one she was going to cherish.
"The people here are so nice," she muttered, as little children ran past her. She smiled a bit. For once in her life, something normal was happening, and not the usual magic drama.
Alphi envied the children who played around so freely with nothing to worry about—just living a normal life.
Her gaze fell on a little girl with her parents. She was holding her father's hand while her mother fed her. They looked so happy.
Alphi smiled a little. A tear dropped from her eyes; she quickly wiped it. She clenched her fist and lowered her gaze.
Seeing the little girl only made more clear how wrong her life was.
The image of her mother and father popped up in her mind. If only we could live like this—just the three of us. No magic, no wars, just a normal life. That would have been nice, she thought.
Alphi looked away from the happy family. She continued her stroll, lost in thought. She wondered what had happened to her father's restaurant and house that were in the town. Did anyone even remember her father? She had no answers to the questions, and she didn't know how to get the answers. She could only think about it.
Alphi was so lost in thought that she couldn't hear the loud music playing on the streets. It was getting quite late, so she decided to return home, the teddy and potato chips still in her hands. She stopped and took one more look at the town.
"Lyre Coves," she said to herself. "So this is where my parents lived, huh? What a peaceful town. I will uncover every hidden secret that this town holds," she said with a clenched fist. "There's no going back."
Can
She walked through the town cautiously to ensure that no one followed her to the hideout. Suddenly, a bunch of kids ran into her; they were chasing each other around her. As she tried to escape the situation, she tripped and fell to the ground. She felt her scarf become loose. She didn't know if anyone noticed, but she knew.
A gust of wind blew at her, making the situation worse. Her heart raced, and her mind almost went blank. A strand of hair had escaped the scarf and fell to the ground, but Alphi didn't notice this. She quickly tied the scarf as best and as fast as she could.
"This can't be happening," she said to herself. "Why now? Why here?" she said in a sorrowful voice.
Alphi got up as quickly as she could and dusted herself. She tried to act like nothing happened to avoid any attention, but she could only hope that no one saw. It was still too early; she had only just gotten here. There was still so much she had to do, so much to learn.
She held the potato chips and teddy bear tight as she headed back to the secret hideout. As soon as she arrived, she sat on the grass, exhausted from the day's activity, her heart still raced in panic. She rushed over to the stream to drink some water. She needed to calm down. As she touched the water, some part of it turned to ice.
"Oh no, not this again," she said.
She sat by the stream and took slow, deep breaths. Alphi continued to do so until she calmed down a bit. She put her hand in the water, and it unfroze. She quickly gulped down some of the water and washed her face.
Alphi looked at her reflection in the water.
"You just had to mess it up. It was only the first day," she sighed.
The moon would soon be out. It was time to head up to the hideout. She was in no mood to climb, but what choice did she have? She reluctantly climbed the tree and made her way into the hideout. She took off her shoes, dropped the potato chips on the kitchen table, and the teddy bear on the sofa.
Alphi walked to the back door. She stood by the fence, staring at the stars as the cold night air blew at her.
She said to herself, "I wonder what being a star feels like. Being up there, watching the Earth and all its people without having to worry about anything... That must be nice," she said to herself, smiling. "I wonder if they talk to each other. They must think that the people here are stupid, right? They brighten up the sky while watching us for centuries. I wonder how many stars witnessed the war."
She said all this trying to distract herself from thinking about what had happened today, but at last, the thought crept back in.
"I really hope that no one noticed. I can't fail now when the journey hasn't even started."
Alphi walked back into the house and lay on the sofa.
It was a nice town with nice people. She thought about everything she had seen today.
"This is not the end of my time in Lyre Coves. I still have to eat more of that dish... what was it called again? B... bu... burger, yes."
It was nice and delicious, and the lady at the shop was so nice.
"I still have to play more games too. That reminds me, I'm Lisa now. I wonder how I even thought of that. Lisa," she muttered.
"Not bad. Not bad at all. From this day on, Alphi is gone, and Lisa is born," she said while laying on the sofa with the teddy bear in her arms. She hugged it tightly, and after a while, she fell asleep.
---
Meanwhile, in the town, the celebration had come to an end. Everyone had gone to their respective homes. The moonlight shone on the town, illuminating the place and adding a mysterious beauty. A strange person in a cloak walked through the empty streets of the town. There was something on the floor, something that shone in the moonlight, something with a red glow.
It was Alphi's hair—the strand that had fallen in the market when her scarf came undone. The stranger picked it up and put it in a small bottle in his bag before walking away.