In the early morning, a young woman walked to her favorite spots in the woods, to find patches of mushrooms that somehow still grow in the chilling cold. Past the frozen creeks and icy dew clinging to the grass, she huddled close to two slumping logs, finding red mushrooms that helped aching bones. And walking past the translucent pond, where she could see the luminous fishes dancing through the glass ice, she walked into a dark cave to find pale, white mushrooms, great for getting rid of rashes. This weekly walk was her haven, a place to breathe so freely. She had grown accustomed to the cold, only needing a thin cardigan for warmth. At this time of the early dawn, most people continued to sleep in, only the few ranch hands would be awake, but they were on the other side of the woods, where open fields waited for the animals to feast on.
Even though she knew the routine, she adored her walks, absorbing the scene, from the mint green foliage to the sharp brown wood of the slumbering trees. She routinely followed each path knowing where the herbage hid, but she enjoyed the peaceful nature where her mind was her own. When she checked all her favorite spots, she turned back, feeling a bit saddened by the moment being over.
When she finished her work, she returned to her Uncle’s apothecary shop, a small cottage that sat near the market center. A dark maroon sign stained near the roof with a simple label, Apothecary. As she approached the store, she saw her cousin sweeping out the fine granulated powders.
“Good morning, Ilora.”
“Good morning to you, Minerva! Found anything good?” Her cousin waved her hand before finishing her sweeping.
“You would know if you joined me.” She said.
Her cousin shrugged, walking back into the store. Minerva slipped inside the store, put on her apron, and started focusing on her breathing. It was time to focus on the work. She pulled out her foraged goods, placing them in the wall of drawers for easy organization. She found the list of names and dates reading through their prescriptions. In the last moments before the town awakens, she and her cousin brewed and ground concoctions of medicines from painkillers to specific remedies.
The day would always be a blur. She smiled at the customers. She used the calculator to make changes. She dealt with angry customers, whenever they got offended by Ilora’s blunt comments. It was all unconscious habit, after taking over when her uncle started having trouble breathing a decade ago. She saw many familiar faces of mothers, ranchers, the retirees who hung out at the store, talking away the day. When the evening comes, the place would turn quiet, and the two would wait in silence, watching the sun transform into drips of gold, red, and then black of night. However, tonight, Minerva awoke from work and returned back to her worries and concern for Ilora.
“Hey, you excited for your first shift?” Minerva watched her cousin, scraping dirt off of the counter with her nails.
“Yeah, I guess.” She flicked her fingers, giving all her attention to her nails than Minerva.
She knew no matter what she said, her cousin would just ignore her, but saying nothing felt even worse, eating every bit of her sanity, until became her only thought. “Don’t you think,”
A groan from Ilora interrupted the silence, as Minerva continued. “Maybe you could push off another year. I know your dad will appreciate it.”
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Ilora glared at her, letting Minerva stew in the painful quiet. “So what?” The cousin finally broke it. “After all these weeks of lecturing, now you have something to say.”
“The shop is already difficult to take care of as is.”
“Yeah, which you seem to be able to handle yourself.”
Minerva knew she was jealous. Ever since she first moved in with her uncle, Ilora only had disdain for her. When the family discovered that Minerva had a gift for finding rare flora, it caused a permanent divide between the two. Minerva wanted to fix this.
“You know, I’m going to miss you right?” Minerva felt nervous, unsure on how she would react. Ilora said nothing. Minerva continued. “I managed to talk with the Lady and she mentioned that Doyun would be the one to train with you.”
“Would you just stop?” Ilora spoke up. “I’m tired of you pretending that you care about me. I’m trying to live my own life. And not only you’re sending your babysitter goon to undermine me, but you’re pretending it’s a favor.”
“Why is it always a fight? I do want to help.”
“Really? Then stop caring. I don’t need it.” Ilora dropped the broom to the floor and walked away, leaving Minerva to wonder the endless thought of what she could do.
***
Ilora sat in her room. She hated that Minerva slept on the other side of her bedroom. She always knew that the stolen room used to belong to her mother, the famed explorer. She disappeared right after Ilora was born. Her dad never said anything, even when she asked. She remembered the room being a study, full of maps and star crafts. But every time she would try to peek in, her dad shut her down and yelled at her for going in. Then Minerva came along. Ilora’s bedroom was too small, and her dad slept on the living room couch. The only possible solution was to throw out everything that remained of her mom. It had been too late for Ilora to stop it because she was out of school when her dad tossed out everything.
Now, Minerva lived there, unaware of what she stole. Ilora knew it wasn’t fair to hate her for it, but she couldn’t help but think otherwise. Growing up, her dad always liked Minerva. Her gift for finding flora led to her dad working with her, teaching her the secrets of the trade. Ilora didn’t have the patience or the meticulous eye for the work. She would either put too much or too little in the brew, forcing her dad to drain out the entire stock. Worse still, he never yelled at her. With Minerva, he would show disappointment and anger at times, but he shared happy times with her as well. In Ilora’s eyes, her dad didn’t even bother to be mad at her. Unlike Minerva with her gifts of creating remedies, Ilora found her own gifts working with ranchers. She had her strength, helping raise the oxen and carrying the heavy bales. It wasn’t until one of the furry boars escaped, that she realized what she could do, as she managed to stop the boar from charging at one of the ranch handlers.
She needed to get away from her home, which was why she asked to join the Twisted Flame, led by the infamous Lady of the town. Tonight was her first shift.
Ilora wore her snow boots and her heavy jacket, covering her issued armor from the Company, made of Kutvra leather. Her blade dangled at the side of her hip. Before leaving, she approached her dad’s study. After several knocks, she entered inside to see a frail old man sitting by his desk.
“I’m heading out now.” She said.
The old man waved his arm. He coughed, but nothing more. She knew that was all he would say and walked to the living room. She saw the light in Minerva’s room, knowing she could now freely walk around. Heading to the door, she noticed a small box, wrapped in cloth. Getting closer, she saw a note, reading, “Stay Safe.” It was Minerva’s handwriting. At first, she wanted to ignore it, but deep down, Ilora couldn’t. She didn’t mind being mean, but being heartless was something she hesitated to be. She stayed for a few minutes, wondering what to do. When she heard footsteps, she panicked. She grabbed the box and ran out into the cold air, breathing in the excitement of a new change.