Chapter Thirteen

Not long after we left for the north, or wind, it started cooling down. I already missed the heat from the desert that wasn't yet a desert officially. Before we left Betasy grabbed some warm clothes from his closet so we won't be cold. Still I can feel the chill burn my cheeks. Leo's cheeks are bright red and I imagine so are mine.

Most of the columans went back, we would be with a way too large group. Only Alberta and Cealie stayed with us. We didn't speak much. I was preoccupied with thoughts of my brother and sister. Wondering whether they would look like Leo and me. Obviously Leo is the one that looks most like me, but maybe we all look a like each other a lot. Who knows.

Betasy was walking in front of me wearing a thick dark blue coat that made him look like a giant blueberry. Leo was walking next to me in a brown coat with the collar as high up as possible. Behind us were the columans. They didn't really seem to mind the cold as much as us. They didn't have coats or scarfs and were not complaining. When we would come to a village we would have to buy them some decent clothes as well, and some better shoes for Leo and me because ours were clearly not made for long walks in the cold. My feet were hurting for a while now but I stayed strong.

"Yeah, my feet hurt too."

I was a little surprised but I had almost gotten used to Leo being in my head. I just hadn't expected it now. We clearly needed new shoes. Luckily I saw some buildings in the distance just in eyesight. But I didn't tell the rest because who new what was wrong that city or village.

"I see it too, but indeed, let's wait. Maybe they have zombies or something and we can't use more trouble than we're already in."

Zombies. I indeed would not want to encounter creatures like that.

After a while we get so close the town cannot be missed. Since Betasy is more familiar here I ask him if he knows it.

"It's a good place. They don't believe in war and nobody dares to threaten them with it. They're always neutral. We'll be welcome if they don't think of us as a threat, but I don't think they will."

"So we can buy some warmer clothes and better shoes there?" I ask him, really wanting to get some new shoes to walk on because I think I can feel huge blisters forming on my feet.

"We should be." He says smiling. "I know someone that lives there. She'll help us find the best place to buy stuff."

He looks at Leo and me and adds, "Just don't be surprised by her look. She looks a bit different than the average human you're familiar with."

Now I'm really curious. But at least we can get better supplies there.

"What do you think? Does she have a tail, or scissors for hands or a dog face?"

I laugh a little. Leo has an overactive imagination. But I gladly join him thinking of what she could look like. If not for the fun of it then for making it less weird when we meet her because she cannot look as bad as the worst thing we can imagine.

What if she has wheels for feet? Or no legs at all and just her feet directly connected to her body, like penguins?

"Maybe her skin is made of fire or her eyes are on the back of her head. Or she has no skin at all and you can see her muscles and blood vessels and stuff."

The time it takes to get to the town seems incredibly short. Probably just because we were preoccupied with imaging horrible things.

We were standing at the foot of the fence. An enormous patchwork of steel. The gate was open so we walked through it. From the outside it looked like a prison but when we passed the thick walls and fences of the town we could see the buildings inside it. Some were extremely tall but most were only one or two stories high. Betasy lead us to his friend's house. We walked through narrow streets with colourful buildings on either side of the brick road. The houses looked really welcoming and friendly. I could imagine this city not wanting war, it looked like nobody living in a place like this would be able to kill a fly, let alone human-like beings.

We stopped in front of a light blue house that was a little crooked on one side. The roof looked like it was going to slide off the house that way, but it didn't. Betasy used the knocker to knock on the door. She opened the door and I could see why Betasy warned us. Her torso was the other way around. With her back towards us and her belly to the back. But her feet, arms and head were, well, placed facing the right way. Her hair was fluorescent green and her eyes were a bright pink. There was a big smile on her face when she saw Betasy.

"Betasy, how nice to see you again! I didn't know you were coming here. You should have told me, so I could have prepared some food and made some room for you to sleep." She says in a high-pitchedvoice while the embraces him.

"And who are your friends here?"

"It's really nice to see you too. I didn't know I was going here, so I couldn't tell you. I'm sorry, Lorena. This are Stella and Leo," he says while he pushes us forward subtly. Lorena hugs us tightly, which doesn't even feel that strange and welcomes us in her hometown.

"And this are Alberta and Cealie." Alberta and Cealie are also greeted with a warm hug from Lorena.

"How nice to finally meet some columans. I've heard a lot about them but I've never had the pleasure to actually meet them. How nice. How extraordinarily nice. Come in, come in please." Lorena says while holding the door open for us.

Lorena's home is just as pleasant inside as the town is, and as colourful too. We settle down on a big comfortable emerald green sofa as she pours some tea for us. The room is decorated with paintings, drawings and pictures all over the yellow walls. The coffee table is full of plants and flowers and the floor is covered with a big soft rug. It looks nothing like a normal room. Then again, nothing in this entire place seems normal.

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Chapter by @xIrusvx. I have received her permission to copy it here.

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Hi! I'm xIrusvx but my actual name is Iris (but half the girls here are called that). I'm currently working on a book called 'I want to find my parents. -Ellis'. I'm writing chapter two at the moment so maybe it's up if you read this. It's my first real book, because I'm horrible at finishing stories I hoped publishing it here would give me another reason to continue writing. It's about a girl that, obviously, wants to find her parents. I'm not sure what exactly is going to happen. It defiantly is going to have fantasy aspects. I'm making up the story as I go so my plans can change at any time.

So, that's me. If you want to read my book, check it out on my account. If you don't, then don't. If you've read this chapter (or any of the previous ones), please comment on it!

I hope you enjoyed my chapter.