A Royal Mate

Eight long hours later, we were finally in Roanoke and on our way to the apartment. I was staring out the window of the Uber, astonished by the beauty this town had to offer. All the old buildings, thick trees and the feeling of a close community. People were scattered along the streets dipping in and out of shops, holding their children's hands as they skipped along. Everyone looked so happy and for once I felt hopeful. Ten minutes later we stopped just outside of town at an apartment complex that looked brand new. The driver helped us with our bags and then drove away as we walked into the massive lobby.

There was man about in his 50's there to great us "Good morning, you must be and Ms. Steine. Please, follow me." He brought us to our apartment and then showed us to the gym, swimming pool and communal area. The place was nice and looked like it was built just for young professional people.

We said goodbye to the man and went back to our apartment. "This place is very nice! You sure you want to buy a house?" Val said. I chuckled at her bewilderment. She hadn't lived in anything quite like this since I knew her but as a struggling college student you take what you can get.

After we settled in we went out to explore the town. Luckily everything was in walking distance so we didn't really need a car, yet. I sold mine back in Colorado. We found a local grocery store and bought everything we needed for the fridge and pantry. Once we finished there we walked to the bakery across the street. The owner was a short older lady with jet black hair and a spunky attitude.

She noticed we were outsiders instantly and said "I don't believe I've seen you two around here before. The names Lou. And who might y'all be?" I politely introduced myself and Val and explained that we just moved to town and she immediately grabbed a few pastries and some pie and handed it to us. "On the house. And just so you know the Summer Fair will be starting up next week. It's something you won't want to miss. It will be right there across the park on the old battlegrounds. I'm glad to have met y'all but I'm getting busy." She scurried away at the long line of customers that were walking in the door. I didn't think she would still be busy this late in the morning but from the looks of it this little town didn't stop. It was mostly college students looking for a place to study and she had the coffee and food to fuel them. We finished our sweets and went back to the apartment. Once everything was picked up we each headed to our rooms for a nap. We would be meeting the realtor later for house tours.

After a short nap we met with Liz at the first house. It was a nice place but it would need some work and neither Val nor I wanted to do it. She showed us one more then we went back to the apartment. Exhaustion took over as we both sat on the couch. This was going to be torture. We decided to order pizza for supper and luckily the only place that was still open actually delivered. When the pizza arrived we gulped it down. After that it was time to go to bed. This place was amazing so far. I just hope I can prove myself here like I did in Colorado. I let the thought lull me into a deep sleep. Soon I was dreaming of historical buildings and all the things I could do for our company.

The morning light beamed through the window onto my face waking me up earlier than I expected but I was thankful for the wake up call since I forgot to set my alarm. I grabbed my running gear and shot out the door. I remember seeing a park a few miles up the road so I decided to get in a run. The air was crisp and clean just like Colorado but I could tell the humidity would do horrors to my hair. I began running on the path and soon I was weaving in and out the trails through the forest. It was so peaceful and beautiful I almost didn't see the deer running alongside me. I slowed my pace to watch it until it cut across the path and following it was this huge black wolf. We both came to a holt and his eyes met mine and held them for far too long. My heart started to race so quickly I could feel it in my ears. Then he blinked, shook his massive head and turned around shooting off into the other direction. WOLVES? I turned around and ran as fast as I could to the apartment making a mental note to never go back to that park. I should have researched this part of the town before I went off alone.

I made it back to the apartment just as Val was starting the coffee and she noticed my mood as soon as she saw me. "OMG are you ok? You look like you've seen a ghost and wh-what happened to your eyes?" She said with a freaked out look on her face. I didn't bother responding as I ran to the bathroom to see what she meant. Oh no. Oh shit. It can't be. Ugh. She followed me to the bathroom and immediately started questioning me. "What is going on with you?"

"Nothing. It's just my contacts. It must have moved when I wiped the sweat away after my run."

"How come I never knew you wore contacts?"

"It's no big deal. I've been wearing them for years."

"But why are they colored?" She said crossing her arms over her chest.

"B-because I don't like the color of my real eyes." I said nervously.

"What IS your real eye color? Why are you so ashamed of them?" She pushed on

"It's nothing, Val. Just drop it please?" I said through my gritted teeth.

"Not until you show me your eyes!"

"NO."