The Stranger

Fresh Coffee

"Have you seen Amara this morning?" Amelie set her mug down on the counter as she waited for the coffee to finish brewing. "I know she had business to attend to last night, but I don't think I heard her come in." She looked at the three groggy faces sitting around the kitchen table. Clearly none of them had any idea what she was talking about. She sighed. Running a communal home for faeries had its benefits sometimes - good company and the ability to bounce ideas off each other were the main ones - but none of them were morning people. After a few responses mumbled through mouthfuls of coffee and cereal, she decided that Amara, however sweet and innocent she seemed, was just as powerful as the next faerie and was able to look after herself. 

Amelie poured herself a bowl of muesli, and took her steaming mug of freshly brewed coffee to one of the free seats at the table. This morning's newspaper sat unfolded in the middle, undisturbed by the half-asleep people occupying the table. She reached over plates of toast and dishes of butter - none of which had been prepared in the typical, mundane way, she imagined - and read the main headline. Nothing interested her on the front page, so she brought the newspaper over to her and flipped through to the sections she was interested in. She absentmindedly ate her breakfast as she read, and when she was done eating, took her cup of coffee and the newspaper out into the back garden to finish reading in the early morning sun. 

A short while later, after she was satisfied with the amount of news she had read, Amelie folded the newspaper back in half, brought it inside and placed it back on the kitchen table. After rinsing her bowl and mug and putting them in the dishwasher, she headed upstairs to get ready for the day. After a quick shower, she wrapped her body in a towel, and then her hair in another. She really ought to get it cut, she thought, it was getting too long for her preference. She stood in front of her wardrobe, looking through her dresses, deciding which one she felt like wearing today. She picked out a light, floral patterned dress that lay tight to her body, flowing out just above her hips and ending at her knees. Quickly blow drying and brushing her hair, she didn't bother to style it - she wasn't going anywhere special today.

On her way downstairs to start her work for the day, she passed Amara's room. Amelie stopped and listened, trying to determine if Amara was in there. She knocked on the door and waited. No response. She opened the door and poked her head around - the room was empty and the bed was made and clearly not slept in. Although Amelie had growing concerns for the whereabouts of Amara, she realised she shouldn't worry just yet. She would give Amara a little more time before she alerted anybody. 

The first job Amelie had on her to-do list was to clean the kitchen. After breakfast, there were crumbs and mugs strewn over the counters and the table. Today was one of the few days she didn't mind the mess - cleaning up would give her an opportunity to take her mind off of Amara. Music was another great distraction. Amelie ran her finger down the rack of CDs the group had collected since living here. She selected her favourite disc, Fleetwood Mac's 'Rumours'. She put it in the radio and pressed play. 

After starting her day at 6:30, as everybody in the house did, and breakfast at 7, her shower had taken up another half hour. She had started cleaning the kitchen at 8 o'clock, giving it a thorough, complete clean and finishing around 8:45. 

Once she had finished cleaning the kitchen, she set a pot of coffee to brew and leant against the counter while she waited. She hummed along to the song 'Never Going Back Again,' which was one of her favourites included on this CD. Amalie poured her second cup of coffee for the day, and helped herself to a couple of custard creams from the biscuit tin. Again, she took her coffee out into the back garden, leaving the music playing so she could sit and relax in the sun as it warmed the air. 

The faeries that lived with her, along with others who lived in the community, want to learn how to get the maximum benefits out of their magic, and as Amelie was slightly older, and more experienced using magic, she offered to show them. As she didn't have any classes today, Amelie thought she would go into town to restock the herbs and plants used in her classes, as well as do a little grocery shopping. She chose shoes to go with her dress, grabbed her handbag and headed out the front door. It was one of the nicest days they had had for a while, so Amelie decided to walk the not-too-far distance into town.

Amelie took the time to appreciate the flowers lining the garden walls as she walked down the street. The air was still cool, although warming up, and the scent of the flowers followed her as she walked. She happily bounced down street after street, her dress billowing behind her in the slight breeze she created with her movement. Suddenly, she noticed that she had turned onto a gravel pavement, which was unusual, as there wasn't normally any pavements with this surface on they way into town. Amelie stopped and looked around for a street name. 

"Huh," she said, out loud, and continued on her way, thinking they must be resurfacing. She was more alert now, looking for more changes in her usual route. Amelie slowed, looking a something on the pavement ahead of her. A body - a person - was lying face-down in the gravel. 

Amelie approached slowly. "Hello?" She called out, "Are you okay?" The person on the floor didn't respond. Amelie crouched down beside the body and touched its shoulder. She slowly rolled it towards her, looking for any signs of response or life. The girl's hair was swept over her face from the movement. Amelie pushed the hair back, clearing her face, and let out an other-worldly scream.

"Amara!"