It took at least another two days for Simina to arrive in the right side of Lazera. She trotted through town with the stolen horse, looking for her aunt's house. She noticed that this part of town looked very different. Houses here were much better built and looked sturdier. Things didn't look as shabby as they did on the left side.
There weren't any vendors. Instead, there were real buildings with little signs next to them. There was even a bakery and a butcher's shop, where meat was sold. There was only one vender that sold fruits and vegetables. Even the people's clothing looked finer. Simina came to the conclusion that this part of Lazera was much wealthier than the other part.
But Simina didn't feel like paying too much attention to all of it right now. She was tired from riding for two days straight without food or sleep. She wanted to hurry up and find her aunt's house so she could rest. Simina scanned each house she passed by, reading each address to see if it matched her aunt's. She found it and stopped at the third little house on the right. Simina dismounted the horse, put it in the stables and staggered over to the front door, where she knocked. Simina waited for someone to answer. The door opened and Aunt Lyda appeared. (Note: Not Lydia, Lyda. Pronounced, LEE-DUH).
Aunt Lyda recognized the girl standing in her doorway as her niece, Gregory's daughter, Simina. Her eyes widened at how terrible she looked.
“Simina! You made it! Please come in!” Aunt Lyda ushered Simina in and shut the door. Simina gave Aunt Lyda a hug. Behind Aunt Lyda, Simina saw two girls coming down a small set of stairs. Simina's vision blurred at the edges. She felt so sleepy. All of a sudden, her legs felt weak, and her eyelids just felt too heavy to lift. Simina groaned and collapsed from fatigue, blacking out.
* * *
Simina woke hours later to the delicious smell of food. Her nose wiggled and her eyes snapped open sharply. Simina looked around. A bowl of something sat on a bedside table with a glass of water next to it. Simina sat up and stretched, feeling a lot better since she'd gotten some sleep. Simina peered over the bowl, the steam rising into her face. She sniffed at it. It smelled good. Simina's stomach growled. It was chili. Simina could tell from all of the beans and how thick the broth looked.
Simina snatched the bowl up, seizing it and devoured all of it. After she'd finished, Simina grabbed the glass of water and drained it with only a few gulps. She set the glass down, gasping, and wiped the wetness from her lips. Simina's eyes observed the place she resided in. She recognized the room. She'd been to her aunt's house before, a really long time ago, way before her mom died. Simina was surprised she remembered since it had been so long since the last time she was here. From what she could tell, not much about this room had changed.
The room seemed smaller than she remembered. But maybe that was because she'd been much smaller the last time she was here. The walls were still the same wood she remembered, just like the girly pink dresser with chipped paint sitting in the corner with the flowery little lamp sitting atop its surface.
The creak of the opening door drew Simina's attention away from the room's interior. Simina saw her aunt peeking through the door. Seeing Simina awake, she walked in and came towards the bed Simina sat on.
“How are you feeling, sweetie?” she asked Simina kindly. Simina shrugged. She didn't really feel like anything.
“I'm fine,” Simina said plainly.
“I'm sorry to hear about what happened. The accident,” Aunt Lyda said. That reminded Simina of her letter.
“How'd you get my letter so fast?” This still puzzled Simina.
“Prince Nar, dear. He gave it to me himself,” she told Simina. Simina shivered at the sound of his name.
“Now tell me exactly what happened,” her aunt wanted to know.
“Well...” Simina explained everything from the marriage issues to the accident, and about Nar, but left out the major details about that. She also made sure to leave out the part where she stole his horse. After their conversation, Simina took a bath, and it turned out that Aunt Lyda had a shower too.
Simina felt a great weight lift off her. Now she felt right where she belonged. Everything was right. For now.