“Unbelievable.”

Lia slapped her forehead with her hand. For the third time this week, she had forgotten to buy something on her list. She was confident that she could buy them all in one go and put on a bravado in front of Tamara, showing that she was capable to brave through the town alone.

Yet she failed three days in a row. It was all that man’s fault.

After coming home that day from the market, Lia found out that she missed the spices. So she came back for it, along with some other things to buy the next day. But for some bizarre reason, he popped out of nowhere again and asked for directions. She managed to shake him off but not without missing yet another item on her list.

Because of that, Lia needed to set out for the town again and she was determined to get everything in one go. Being in town was risky enough.

She checked her mental list once more and created a route where no shop will be passed twice. She had to drop by Yolly’s store first to drop off Tamara’s newest salve. The lip salve she created before seemed to be a huge hit to Yolly’s customers that they asked if there were other flavors available.

She knocked tentatively on the backdoor which was opened for her right away. She still wore her disguise and both Yolly and Frankie seemed to not mind her attire much. Frankie opened the door, shrugged, and let her in, pointing at his mother behind the counter.

“Insane amount of people out there,” Lia said, once Yolly’s customer left.

“Yeah,” Yolanda said absentmindedly but then she looked up at Lia, looking solemn. “Be careful out there, lots of people.”

Lia nodded. “What’s happening?”

“Festival.”

And the color drained from Lia’s face.

Of all days. Of all days! It had to be today. How could she forgot about that!? She should have checked. Overpreparation was better than no preparation — that was her motto. But of course, she gloriously forgot all about it.

She must have looked horrified that Yolly took pity on her and said, “Don’t be so down, maybe people will be distracted and won’t mind you. Everyone’s busy and in a merry mood. They wouldn’t want to ruin that for anyone.”

Lia nodded but she still wanted to blame someone for her misses. It was the protagonist’s fault. If she had not been so busy thinking of the ways to get away from that man. If he had not appeared, if he had not approached her, if if if…

She leaned on the wall, suddenly feeling exhausted. She should have taken up Frankie’s offer to sit down. Blaming him would do no good now. Thinking of the shoulds and ifs doubled her exhaustion.

Lia tried to compose her thoughts. She just needed to drop by to a couple of stores, then get away from this damned town and back to her lovely woods. There were back alleys that would make her route easier. The thought comforted and energized her, so much that she began to resume her original poise.

‘Things seem to be looking up,’ she thought.