Junel braced her hand against the tree beside her as soon as she had transported herself. She was dizzy, and feeling increasingly sicker. Having only been to the Realm of the Living a few times, the atmosphere could really get to her.

Taking a tentative step, she walked into the large grove before her, stepping away from the large mounds spaced every few feet. Of course she knew this place very well, but she was hardly happy to be there. It held horrible memories, concerning her mother and Audalin. But it was no time to reminisce, and there were Etemmu expecting her.

Junel carefully opened the bag at her side, making sure the flasks were safe. None had broken, and they were still in their places. Junel touched the cap of the flask that belonged to her, wondering when she would get the time to drink some of it. Though she was, for the most part, spared from the changes of a new Etemmu, there were still consequences she had to deal with. It would be a relief to be rid of them.

There was one path branching off from the grove, and Junel assumed it led to the nearest town. It had been so long since she had walked in the Realm, but she had a positive feeling about the path. It was hardly familiar, but when the faint sounds of the town reached her, she felt a bit of anxiety grip her. Being in public was not something she did often, and when she was amongst others, she felt like all eyes were on her.

The sun was shining weakly from behind the clouds as Junel emerged from the trees. Before her, a bustling crowd was huddled around booths of different kinds, shouting and talking loudly. Junel was somewhat shocked by it all, and paused to stare for a few moments. She realized that she must look odd, and quickly pulled out a book from her bag. Hopefully, she would blend in and perhaps appear to be a student.

Keeping on the edge of the crowd, Junel carefully made her way through, not sure exactly where she was supposed to be going. Her first thought was to get out of the busiest part of the city.

Junel kept the bag of flasks securely in front of her, making sure no one touched it. She carefully looked around her, eyeing the people that seemed to be ignoring her. Her eyes drifted upwards, and she saw the spires of the infamous Palace of Cirulae. She stopped suddenly, eyes still trained on the high towers. Somewhere in her memory, she recalled that place, and the brief time she had been there. She took lessons as a child, and even occasionally as she got older. But she stopped when she was of age, at eighteen.

Junel would have continued to look on longingly, when someone roughly jolted her shoulder. She started, and dropped the book she had been holding. Immediately, she checked the bag since it had been jostled, and she ignored the book and the sudden apologies that were being directed at her. Surprised at being spoken to, Junel looked up at the three that had stopped to help. The one that was apologizing was a young man, stooping to get the book.

“—So sorry, we were in a rush to get to the Palace on time,” he was saying as he straightened. He slightly tossed his head to get his dark hair out of his eyes, and Junel felt oddly intimidated by him.

“It’s perfectly fine,” she said quickly, breaking eye contact. He seemed to suddenly take in her features, and was almost speechless. “I shouldn’t have stopped.”

She took the book from him, glancing at the others beside him. There was a young girl, looking on at Junel with her head slightly cocked; the other was a young man who didn’t bother to avert his eyes.

“You aren’t a student at the Palace, are you?”

Junel looked to the one who had got the book for her. He spoke slowly, and tried to meet her eyes with his vibrant green ones.

“No—not quite,” Junel quickly replied, realizing she was still speaking to him. “Thank you all the same.”

She quickly brushed past him, looking for some way to loose herself in the crowd. She could still feel their eyes at her back, and feeling an oncoming sense of anxiety, she ducked into an alley. Pressing her back against the wall, she watched the people pass, waiting to see the trio that had spoken to her.

At last, they passed, talking with each other quietly compared to the rest of the crowd. Junel could not pick out what they were saying, but hardly cared. Her only concern was to move on without being seen again.

Junel finally stepped into the street again, putting the book into her bag. She couldn’t afford to be stopped again.

Gradually, I’m coming back towards this. I’ve been jumping around and writing in just about everything, but I thought I’d continue on with this anyway…