Chapter Five
I woke up on the dark blue velvet sofa in the sitting room, arms stretched, covered by a warm blanket. It took a moment to realise where I was. My vision lingered, blurry with dreams and confusion. I removed the cover and stood, or at least tried to until my soreness reminded me of the incident in the woods. My mind struggled to understand what happened, pieces of information not compiled vividly inside my brain. When I managed to stand, balancing onto the nearby wall and stretched, muscles and bones still cramping with pressure, I realised I wore my day clothes.
I tried to remember what happened and trudged into the kitchen to pour myself a glass of water, but the banging headache objected, making me pick a cold ready-made coffee from the fridge. There was a sensation I could not shake, like my memories were blocked by some kind of trap, and no matter how hard I pushed to rescue them from that cage, I lacked the strength to do it.
Eventually, reason convinced me I dreamt it. I found some ice and poured the drink in the blender, mixing it together and dumping it into a tall glass. I opened the laptop and clicked on the series I was watching. My brain needed some rest to process everything, and I had to oblige. Halfway through the episode, an engine rumbled, disturbing the peace sprinkled around the mansion. I paused the series and immediately rose from my cosy nook and ran into the kitchen to grab whatever weapon I could find. The footsteps approached and I heard fizzling, then keys shoved into the lock. I hid behind the door and waited, ready to jump the attacker as soon as he entered through the sliding door. It pushed wide open, and a man made his way nonchalantly inside.
“Stop right there,” I threatened his back, a wooden rolling pin at the ready.
“Miss, stop,” the man demanded in shock.
I paused a heartbeat, just enough to take in the deep green woven coat he wore. Forest Guard. I relaxed and climbed down from his back, apologising under my breath.
“I am truly sorry for scaring you, miss,” he said. “I am here to make your weekly delivery.”
“Who are you?” I enquired, with a slight suspicion.
“My name is Erik Van Strofler,” the man introduced himself.
The sound of his name made my heart skip a beat. “Anwen Odstar,” I nodded in greeting.
“Pleased to make your acquaintance, miss,” he nodded back. “And once more, my sincerest apologies for causing you a fright, I assumed you were expecting the delivery.”
Without delaying his task, the guard headed back to the car to return with three bags and brought them along, setting them onto the kitchen island.
“Here are the books you ordered,” he pointed towards a big brown bag, “the bath salts and other necessities you requested in your email.” He meant tampons. The big unit of secret services and guards lurking around since my arrival had forgotten that I am a woman, therefore have a vagina that required chocolate and sanitary products. He continued with a tad of embarrassment, “The third one is from Commander Isak, he left a note inside,” he directed my attention towards a yellow bag that contained a lot of tupperware.
“Thank you,” I replied with a smile. I was most excited about the books. I ordered a lot of biology and local history books, hoping to expand my research and with it, find more information about the forest and the surroundings. I still didn't know what I was searching for, but each passing day convinced me that my brother’s last words were not delirious at all. Erik had known something and rested his last hopes on me.
“Is there anything else I can help with while I am here?” The guard asked as he purposely stepped closer to the door, marking his way out.
“No, thank you, that is all I need at the moment.”
“Anything else, please put it in an email in the next five days and we will sort it out for you,” he nodded.
“Seven days,” I corrected. The objection escaped my mouth before I could stop it.
“Miss?” the guard looked confused.
“I am to send you an email by Wednesday, or that is what I have been told. Have things changed?”
“Yes, miss, that is correct. Every Wednesday night we go into town to do our own shopping so we can add yours while we are there,” Erik agreed.
The image of a forest guard looking lost in the tampon aisle almost made me chuckle.
“Has the delivery day changed?”
“No miss, we will still bring the products on a Friday, as agreed.” This conversation took a tedious turn, yet none of us understood each other and for some reason, we kept insisting. As much as I wanted the guard to be on his way, I could not let go of his silly mistake that confused me even more than my spinning head needed to be. I already turned and tossed, unsure of what had happened, and now, this man was getting his days confused and me, along with it.
“Sorry, I am confused,” I retorted, a little more aggressive than I intended. “Why are you here on a Wednesday with the delivery?”
“A Wednesday?” the man scanned me like I suddenly started speaking a different language.
“It is Wednesday today, isn’t it?” I returned the confused look to the guard.
“Today is Friday, miss.” His response raised all the alarm signals I had struggled to keep at bay.
Isak arrived an hour later, summoned by the other guard who witnessed me have a full on panic attack and asked for support from the commander himself. He found me sitting on the sofa, wrapped in a blanket and holding a cup of tea. He approached and took a seat by my side, all the while listening to what Erik had witnessed before his arrival.
