My thoughts are a mess. I've had guys flirt with me before, but I never knew what to do about that, so I'd never say anything. Usually, they got the hint from my resting bitch face and left me alone. I've never really explored my sexuality or given it much thought beyond fantasies and alone time. But that doesn't seem to count. That's mostly just an escape.

It's funny thinking about it now. I wasn't really living in the world in my previous life, and now I'm in an entirely new world.

As we walk out of the farmlands and the woods get closer, I can't help wondering about Roshan sniffing me. It made sense for Bluebell. He's a bear, and bears rely on their sense of smell. But for a human? Nobody else, not even Kivuli who I spent the most time with so far, has mentioned anything about my scent. Well, there was Isabelle, but... My heart races just remembering, and when I look up at the stars, I feel like I'm looking into her brown eyes again and getting lost.

But there seemed to be something strange about her. She knew about my abilities somehow. And that guy, Roshan, had antlers. Maybe he's not human. I should ask Kivuli about that, but I don't want to make her think I'm still thinking about him. She did say he was trouble. So I’ll save the question for later, when I ask her about all the different people who live around here.

"You did excellent work back there," says Kivuli. "With your first spirit." The woods swallow us as we walk up the road. The farms fade away, and a few minutes later, we can't even see them behind us anymore.

"Thank you," I whisper, my mind still on the 3%. I wonder when I'll see the Apprenticing with the Shaman's progress bar go up. It's still at 0%.

"There's a book I'd like you to read. It'll teach you more about spirits, and a fundamental understanding of their nature is vital. But you should also speak with its author."

"Its author?"

"Rhinestone." Kivuli slows down. She glances around us, her head cocked like she's listening for something. Then she pauses to look at me. "Are you sure you're alright, Samiya?" There's an intense concern in her eyes that makes my heart waver.

I'm not used to that. It's such a foreign feeling having people concerned about me. And it's a genuine concern, like Jia's concern, and not a false concern like you're inconveniencing me by looking so sullen.

"Yes," I tell her, still trying to imitate her strength. I want to be her assistant. I want to help as much as I can. She shouldn't have to always worry about me. "I'm just tired, I think."

"Yes, alright then. Let's hurry back and rid ourselves of this Evil Spirit and then we can rest." She pulls something out of her shadows and hands it to me. It's another chunk of M'geshroom. "Eat. It'll help."

I don't know why, but her commanding me to eat makes me blush, and I accept the mushroom. I bite into it like an apple. My stomach grumbles, and I'm just happy to be eating as we walk side by side through the woods, headed home.

How will we get rid of the spirit? I want to ask, but I figure I'll find out soon enough.

As we walk through the woods, Kivuli tells me about the nymphs that used to live here. How the flower petals would form rivers in the winds. Of course, she hadn't seen any of it. Most of it was cut down and turned to farmland by the time she'd been born.

"What happened to the nymphs?" I ask.

"Gone," she says. "Hunted. Captured. Sold. The survivors fled. Nobody knows where they'd gone. Only that they'd taken all the flowers with them. It's a shame really, all these trees used to be fruiting trees. Sweetest peaches anyone had ever eaten."

"Peach trees?" I repeat, staring at the dark wooden barks. The branches that stretch overhead. Starlight filters through the leaves, and wind rustles everything. The moistness of the storm lingers like heavy perfume, and the soil-woody aroma is quite pleasant. I think about the peach I'd bitten into on the hills when I'd been an Arctic Squirrel.

How had that peach gotten there?

For some reason, I shiver. If it weren't for that peach, I might've never regained human consciousness, and then I would've just lived out my life as a squirrel. Maybe. Or something else might've knocked some sense into me eventually. But there weren’t any trees on the hills. I’ll have to investigate when there’s daylight; maybe I could turn into the squirrel again and track down the peach pit.

I touch the bark of the nearest tree, wondering how trees can just stop fruiting. But I also think about something Jia once told me. Forest breathing. To disconnect from the mundane tiresomeness of modern life and recenter yourself. Walking where trees grow, away from civilization, returning to the root of life. It's a special feeling. Like having a weighted blanket wrapped around your soul. Each lungful is a promise from the earth, that I will give you breath. I will take care of you if you take care of me. That's something Jia liked to say.

I thought I might be afraid of being out in the woods at night. Things could be hiding behind every shadow. Monsters. Crawling things. But the stars are so bright, and with Kivuli around, it's difficult to feel afraid of anything.

She stops every once in a while and listens intently. When I ask her why, she shakes her head. "Something the soldiers said."

"Is it the elves?"

She makes a face. "I hope not. But if they are coming near town, we should know. You should know."

The elves I'd read about and seen in movies seemed like gallant people. Usually wealthy and ancient. Magical. The pointy ears and the posh accents. Or I guess there were also the tiny elves. The green people. Santa's helpers. But the way the soldiers talked about them, and the way Kivuli seems to be on edge, I wonder how bad they'll be here.

"I'll show you some depictions when we get back," she says. "They're vile, filthy creatures that hunt, torture, rape, loot. Whatever nasty thing you can think of, they've done it. They'll do it. And if they're coming into town, they'll attack anything."

"So they're monsters?" I whisper.

"Abominations," she says. "Without recourse. Without redemption. All they care about are their base desires, and they'll even harm each other to get what they want. They prey on the weak and vulnerable."

I want to ask her more, but she seems like she's annoyed enough. Maybe she'll have books on them in the cottage.

The rest of the walk goes by in silence. Every so often, Kivuli peers into the dark woods, and I see a tiny blob scuttle away from her shadow. She must be sending Pinto out to investigate. At least it's not attached to my shadow, stalking me again.

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I'm getting more and more tired the further we walk. The road splits in various directions, and none of them have signs, so I just follow Kivuli. The M'geshroom helps with the hunger, but I’ve almost finished it, and my legs are burning. I try to distract myself by looking for nighttime creatures, but there don't seem to be as many sounds here as I'd heard in the snowy forests. It must be because we're so close to the Farmlands. Or maybe it's cause the nymphs and their flowers are gone.

I almost offer to turn into Beauty so we can gallop through the rest of the forest. But then Kivuli would have to ride me, and, well... I think we've had enough awkwardness between us for one day. I ask her more about the nymphs. She seemed to like talking about them.

"People used to think the nymphs were spirits," she says. "They hid in the trees. They were difficult to catch. But in truth? And this is sort of fascinating, we are all spirits."

"All of us?" I ask her about the fox spirit. "What makes that one so special? Why is it tied to the town?"

She pokes a tree, stopping again. I realize I'm glad she keeps stopping to listen for elves. It gives my aching legs a break.

"Nobody knows for sure," she says. "Generally, it's believed that spirits are internal. Like you or me. The thoughts we have. Our instincts and wants. All beings have spirits. Foxes, insects, kaballus. Even trees have spirits, and maybe their spirits are the nymphs, but it's rare for the spirit to present outwardly. And then it's very strange. Our understanding falls apart completely, and spirits become something else." She shrugs and starts walking again. "Ask Rhinestone when you get the chance. But be warned, he loves to lecture, and there's no stopping him once he's started. He should know more about your fox spirit."

"I will," I tell her, struggling to keep up. I have so many questions I think I might actually pop. I find it funny that I don't even flinch at the thought of asking a ghost for information. Maybe I'm getting used to things.

But Kivuli had slipped back into teaching mode. "Evil spirits," she continues. "Like the one in the seashell. They're not spirits in the sense you and I have spirits, or the Fox spirit is a spirit. They're not spirits."

"What?"

"I'm emphasizing the not. To quote Rhinestone's book, we call them evil because they are antithetical to life. They are nothing. They are the absence of existence. We are. They are not."

"I... I don't understand. Wasn't it attacking Rory's father? It was literally inside him. And everything got cold."

"They feed on our spirit, Samiya. They feed on spirits. I don't know why. Not even Rhinestone knows why, but they'll feed on spirit to grow. They'll begin with your mind. And then your body. And then... well, then we have trouble, because as they feed, they become, and they should never be."

"That's... that's kinda making my head hurt," I admit.

She sighs deeply. "Alright. Enough talk of such things for now. There's no need to rush. You'll have plenty to do as mayor and as my apprentice. Enough time to teach you what I can."

She's slowing down. Talking slower. Oh, duh. She's holding the seashell now. It must be affecting her too. No wonder she seems so paranoid about the elves.

We walk through the rest of the woods quietly. I wish I had a pedometer to track how many steps I'd taken all day; my feet feel like they're about to fall off. I'm sure I'll have blisters. When the woods give way to sparse trees, and the hills come into view, I almost weep with joy. We're almost home. I can see where the road splits in three directions.

For a second, I think I spot someone sitting on the well, hidden partially by a tree. A girl, I think. With dark hair lifted by the breeze. My heart skips a beat. Is it Isabelle? But when we get closer, there's nobody there. It must've been some trick of the wind and moonlight, or maybe I've surpassed exhaustion and I'm dreaming while awake.

It's oddly comforting that I thought I saw Isabelle. I’m not sure why. She’d seemed almost scary when I met her, but she’d held my hand. She’d looked into my eyes. And something about the earnest expression on her face... Oh right. I owe her something.

I don’t think anyone else would’ve been dumb enough to promise something like that, but I’d been so caught up by her proximity and casual ease and the sight of her legs... maybe I accepted because it meant I'd have to see her again.

A stronger wind chases currents up the grassy hills. They're little green mountains framing the way to the lighthouse on the cliff. It shines like a beacon guiding us home, and the stars! Somehow, they seem so much brighter out here, outside of the woods. So many dots of brilliant light.

I hurry ahead to the well, stopping where the road splits. There's a tug. A gentle pulling sensation, like a stroke of gravity toward town. I can almost hear the shore, the waves crashing against the sand.

"Do you want to head into town?" asks Kivuli.

I inhale deeply, trying to breathe the entire world in. "Maybe not tonight," I say. I'm afraid of what I'll find. What'll happen. Will everyone know right away that I'm the mayor now? How will they react? I'm just some strange girl who doesn't know a single thing about their way of life. And what if I get swarmed with quests?

Kivuli pauses at the well. The wind raises her silver hair and her eyes flash as she sets her staff down. "Well, it's time to learn how to destroy a contained evil spirit."

She motions for me to come closer. The well is completely filled with water, and it reflects the heavens above. It also reflects our faces. I grimace seeing mine, but I don't say anything. The bell swings gently overhead.

Kivuli holds the seashell with both hands, offering it to me. "Would you like to do the honors?"

"Me?" I take it from her carefully, terrified it'll slip out of my fingers. The chill is so cold, I almost drop it. It almost feels like it's burning me.

"Lower the open end first," she says. "Like you're trying to scoop up water."

"What do you do if the well's not full?" I'm shivering as I hold the shell. It’s vibrating; the Evil Spirit inside must know what's about to happen.

"It's always full at night," says Kivuli. She points at the moon's reflection in the water, an enormous glowing circle. "The moon goddess pulls the water up from the earth, and that's when we can rid ourselves of Evil Spirits. The water washes them away."

How? I want to ask. I make a mental note to ask Rhinestone about this too. Gently, I lower the seashell so that its open end breaks through the surface of the dark water. It all rushes into the seashell, and it looks as though the reflected stars are flowing inside. Bubbles spurt out of the shell, and another chill travels up my arms, and then the entire thing is in the water. It's so cold, I don't know how everything isn't freezing around it.

I think I hear screaming, and then the shell starts to shake more, vibrating as hard as it did when I held it to Rory's father's ear.

"Can it get out?" I whisper, my voice sounding strained as I hold on for dear life. I’m so afraid that I’ll drop it. "Can it just slip out?"

"No," she says, leaning over the well to watch closely. "As long as the shell is sound, the spirit can't escape. But if the shell were to crack, or if some fish or crab tried to make it a home, then it would be free. Don't let it go, now. Careful. It's not a very strong Evil Spirit, but it can still be dangerous."

It's shaking so much in my hand, but I clench firmly, fighting against my exhaustion, trying to picture a possessed crab to keep my mind busy. Then, like exhaling after holding your breath for the longest time, it eases.

A new chill spreads through me. A soothing chill. the kind you get when you have a cold drink of water on a scorching hot day, and I sigh. I feel a faint emptying sensation like something's pouring out of me too. The heavy thoughts. The spiraling. And it's being dissipated into the water. I wonder where it's going. What's happening to the evil spirit? Is the water safe to drink?

But something emerges through my thoughts as coldness fades.

[Mayoral Quest: The Shaman’s Apprentice]

[Progress: 1%]

"Did you get a notification?" she asks.

I nod, raising the seashell from the water. It seems more vibrant now. White and pink and beautiful.

"I imagine it's different for you, but effectively, this works nicely." She straightens her shoulders and picks up her staff. She says I can hold onto the seashell, but if I break it, I'll have to go digging for another. Then she turns toward the hills, and I linger by the well, staring at my reflection, still holding the seashell in my trembling, wet hands.

But I did it, didn't I?

I caught the Evil Spirit. Then I destroyed it. The whole thing felt almost ritualistic, like gathering negativity in a seashell and releasing it into well water. There's a magic to it, and it’s cute, and I can't help but smile. My reflection mirrors the smile back, and the stars and the moon ripple around it. I don’t recognize that look on my face. Shaking my head, I tuck the seashell into my shadow pocket and chase after Kivuli. We're almost home.