With the rain finally pouring, I slosh through the mud, completely ruining my new shoes. I should've taken them off as soon as I got out of the village, but with everything that happened with the fox and Mia and Isabelle..., my mind's not exactly working.

I pull them off now and let the rain wash off as much mud as possible before tucking them in the red wagon. Just as Bluebell promised, this wagon is perfection. It glides so easily through the muddy path that I don't even feel the weight of the chair or the supplies from Kivuli's mom. Any lesser wagon would've gotten stuck ages ago in this storm.

Isabelle's leaf covering is a blessing too, but I'm still too flustered over her grabbing my hand, over the flower petal she'd crushed between my palms, and the look on her face... somehow, she'd known about my powers. Known about my being mayor... she's definitely a witch, right?

And now I owe her a favor... Maybe that wasn’t the smartest thing to promise.

When the wind picks up, I hold the straw hat on my head with one hand and pull the wagon with the other. Mud squelches between my toes, but I put one foot in front of the other and climb up the path.

If I stop, I'm afraid I'll... I don't know. There's just a lot spinning through my head. Like, why am I the mayor?

I don't want that. Why would I want that? Why did the fox trick me like that?

How is that a system of governing? What am I even supposed to do as mayor?

Why wasn't there a mayor already? And why was that girl so... I can't stop picturing her teasing smile. Or her long dark hair. The way her fingers moved through the air as she used her powers, like she was playing an invisible harp, and what might’ve happened if she hadn’t shown up when she did. I was going to attack that blonde bitch.

My breathing turns shallow and quick. My throat constricts. Heat rises to my cheeks, pressure behind my eyes, and I want to touch the flower petal again. But I've tucked it safely in my pocket. I don’t want to lose that in the storm.

This is a lot. This is way too much. How am I supposed to handle this?

Too many people today. I've talked to too many people today. I tried to help. I tried to do as Kivuli asked. But I gave away all the silver. I almost got into a fight. And... and...

I pause halfway up the hill. Wind runs through the sea of grass in rippling, shimmering currents. Rain soaks through my dress. I stumble into the grass and sink to my knees, clutching the wagon with one hand so it doesn’t slip down the hill. I throw the straw hat under the leaf covering, and it lands on the seat of the chair.

Wind tussles my hair. Rainwater feels so good on my scalp, cold and soothing. It runs down the back of my neck, tracing quiet shudders as I shut my eyes, my face raised to the stormclouds, and cry.

Or at least, I try to. Nothing happens. Rain droplets splash against my eyelashes. I'm soaked completely, but tears won't come. I open my mouth and try to shout. Scream. Whisper. Something. Anything. But rain bounces off my open lips, and I taste the ocean. I taste the wind and grass, and I drop on my side, lying on the side of the road like a corpse, staring at the thick blanket of rolling storm clouds as they unload their insides.

I gotta deliver something too, you know? I'm just like you. Carrying this burden... taking it everywhere I go. But I can't just let it go now, can I? I’m stuck with who I am. I’m stuck with myself. And there’s nothing I can do.

"ISN'T THAT RIGHT?" I scream at the sky.

Lightning flashes, and I bolt right up. Did the sky just hear what I said? Did it just respond?

Breathing hard, I wait for the crash of thunder, counting down the seconds like Jia once taught me - every second between the flash and the bang tells you how far away the storm is - but this storm is already here, and after counting to thirty, I realize the thunder will never come.

I wipe my face, shaking slightly. I'm angry. I'm so angry and hurt and frightened. I don't want to fucking be here. But I pick myself up, my white gown now covered in grass stains as well as mud, and I drag the wagon the rest of the way up the hills.

At one point, a green bunny with antlers hops out and stares at me with large beady eyes. It sniffs before vanishing into the grass. I wonder what it would be like to touch it. To become it.

Who wouldn't want to be a bunny? They seem so happy and joyful, and this little creature... it's beautiful. Green fur that camouflages into the swaying grass. Those antlers? They looked like they'd be useful in a fight. I want to hop around. I want to chew on leaves and hunt for carrots. I grimace thinking about the rabbit carcasses in the shop. I don't want to be that.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

As I get closer to the lighthouse, I can see the ocean again. A thick fog conceals the waters, but a beam of golden light cuts through it every once in a while. It’s like a beacon guiding me home, and I feel a little like a ship lost at sea. My legs burn as I walk up the final stretch, but I'm almost there. I can rest soon.

When I get to the cottage, I'm miserably wet. I'd been planning on rushing inside, warming up near Squishy, and maybe figuring out a way to clean the gown and the shoes, but Kivuli's sitting outside in the rain.

She looks like she's meditating. Her legs are crossed. Her hands are on her knees, palms facing the storm. Her shadows flicker and spread across the ground, forming a vicious flower. The wind tussles her silver hair in every direction.

"So, you decided to come back," she says without opening her eyes.

"I got everything you asked for," I say, bringing the wagon to a stop in front of her shadows. Was she hoping that I would’ve left? Did she really want me to come back? Her voice gives nothing away; I can’t read her at all.

"And a wagon too." She rolls her head and stretches her arms. Her shadows dance as she blinks. "I see Bluebell's taken a liking to you. He doesn't trust most humans, you know? But what's with all the leaves?"

"Shelter," I blurt out. "To protect the chair."

She raises an eyebrow but doesn't say anything. Water runs down the sides of her brown face. The rain doesn't seem to bother her at all, and I realize shadows probably can't get wet. I wonder what that's like.

"Do you want me to take this stuff inside?" I ask, feeling unnerved by how she’s just sitting there. Something’s wrong. I can feel it in my guts, and anxiety flares up. I want to hide. I want to find some tiny crevice in the cottage and hide. Did I do something wrong?

She squints at me but doesn't make any motion to get up. "Something rather interesting happened while I was hunting."

Oh right. She'd gone off in search of that evil spirit. The one she and her lizard thought I might be. "Is everything alright?"

"My quest vanished," she says in a low voice dripping with malicious intent. "Now I thought that was strange. In all my years, I've never heard about that happening to anyone."

I can't stop myself from taking a step back. I can't look away either. Wind crashes through me. The rain seems to fall harder. Is she blaming me?

"Last night, a girl fell out of the sky, and I brought her home. Today, my quest vanishes without warning. Two strange things, back-to-back, and I'm not a believer in coincidences."

I literally have no idea what she's talking about. "I'm not sure what you're talking about." How could that be my fault?

Kivuli runs a hand through her wet hair, clearing it from her face. "Did something happen in town?" Her shadows shrink back into her body.

I shake my head, my heart pounding. She's glaring at me. She knows something's off. But what could I have done that would've changed things for her? Was it because I helped that pink woman? The mayor thing? Isabelle?

I’d almost thought Kivuli would see the mayor thing right away too, the way Isabelle had. But so far, she hadn’t commented on that... for a second, I wonder if I should hide that from her.

"Pinto," she says suddenly. "Come out. Show me what happened."

"What?" I look around not sure what to expect, but then I feel something rough against my belly and yelp. I splash through the mud and furiously pat my front. Did something climb up my gown? But I there's nothing other than the wet cloth sticking to my skin, and then I see it on the ground.

My shadow is faint under the heavy clouds, almost invisible, but I can just about make out a lump of shadow separating from me. Four stumpy legs jut out of the blob. Then a tail. And it's that damn lizard that wanted to eat me last night. It skitters back to Kivuli.

Was that thing spying on me? Isn't that some kind of violation? But it's going to tell her everything isn't it? She’s going to know. I’m gonna be in trouble. Oh, god. It’s better to just tell her myself.

"Okay, I'll tell you," I say quickly. I pause to take a deep breath as she looks at me expectantly. "I was on my way home with the food and the chair, right? And I wanted to take another bite out of the thing you gave me, but something came out of the woods."

"A fox?" Her eyes seem like they're shining with rage. Of course, she’d know. Was that lizard already telling her everything?

Nodding, I continue. "Yes, a fox. I thought it was just a normal fox cause I've only ever seen foxes on TV before so-"

"TV?"

"It's like... never mind. But I've never seen a fox in person before. How was I supposed to know it was the fox spirit from the sign? I don't know anything about this place!"

I feel like I'm whining. Like I'm blabbering excuses about my grades to my mom, just waiting to be slapped, knowing that no matter how many combinations of explanations I try, it'll end in her grabbing a coat hanger.

Kivuli’s face is like stone. She just stares at me, waiting for me to continue. Waiting for me to explain it away.

But no. No. I'm not going to just whine. My case is solid. How could I have possibly known? Why didn't she warn me?

Why didn't she tell me about the whole barefoot thing? I should be the one who's furious.

I open my mouth to speak, but I lose my words when a strong wind blows through us. The rain relents enough for me to clearly see the expression on Kivuli’s face.

It’s not anger. She doesn’t seem upset, and my anxiety relaxes slightly, but it’s strange. She looks strained. Sad and lonely and hurt, and I recognize every single one of those feelings. But why?

I almost want to apologize, and I’m glad I didn’t shout at her, but what's wrong? I want to tell her nothing’s even happened yet. It probably doesn’t mean anything. How could I just be mayor without some election process or something? But I have a bad feeling. The way she talked about her canceled quest and the spirit... and she knows way more about this stuff than me, so who am I to say anything?

More wind threatens to toss us over the cliff. She puts her face in her hands and, in a defeated voice, says "Move everything inside and get dry, you silly, foolish girl. You've no idea the consequences of what you've done."