Upon entering, I took note of all the local animal hides and skulls that decorated the plank walls. An animal lover. My steps echoed on the floorboards, Jose following close behind. A little too close.

I elbowed his chest. "You're crowding me," I whispered.

"Why are you whispering?" he asked in a normal tone.

He took lead, striding ahead of me like he'd been here many times before. I relaxed slightly, but not by much. Off from the entrance way, a soft light beckoned.

Jose disappeared into the large space, despite me hissing behind him, "Wait up!"

I stopped, leaning toward the doorway while contemplating moving forward. It occurred to me I might be walking straight into my death, but I doubted any enemies of mine would set up such an elaborate ruse.

As I edged forward, I hoped I was wrong. The light grew brighter, and brighter. I shielded my eyes, and stepped into the blinding light. A second later, my eyes adjusted. Gleaming counter tops, stainless steel appliances, and a farm sink were the last things I was expecting, but somehow, I stood in a fully stocked kitchen.

A dark-skinned woman with raven hair washed vegetables at the sink, chatting with Jose in Spanish. She laughed at something he said, and it was a robust laugh. I never use that word, but there was no other way to describe that laugh. He dried the peppers she handed him, slicing them up soon after.

The stranger held out a green pepper in my direction. "Hungry?"

Jose smiled, shaking his head and chopping away.

I knew better than to toss out stupid questions like, "Who are you?" or "Hungry? Hell no!"

Instead, I put on an amiable grin and approached the sink. "Lemme wash my hands."

When my hands were squeaky clean, I settled on the other side of the woman. She offered the pepper again, her eyes dark and patient. I took it, cutting into it long ways, same as Jose.

While we all worked, she hummed. The tune was a mystery to me, but so was the whole situation.

I waited, and waited. Tick-tock. A wooden chicken clock perched on the oven, marking the time in loud strokes. I must've cut three vegetables before anyone spoke.

"He's not far, you know," the woman said, scooping the vegetables and transferring them to a pan.

The he in her sentence needn't be explained.

"Where is he?" I asked quietly. My hand tightened on the knife.

"You could aim for my heart and hit nothing," the woman said, her voice cheery.

She whirled from the oven, to the counter, adding more vegetables Jose deposited in her hands.

I left the knife on the counter, facing her. "How are you with fire?"

She pushed the food around in the pan with a wooden spoon. "Would you like to find him, or not?"

Jose threw me a rebuking glance, saying, "Nina, show respect."

His knowing tone annoyed me more than the stranger, but I bit back all that I wanted to say in favor of what I had to say.

"Yes, I want to find him. Please, help me."

Tick tock. For a fat minute, the only sound came from the little chicken. I envisioned tossing a fireball at it.

The woman continued stirring, not even turning to face me.

"When you prove yourself," she said, with me staining to hear, "I'll help you."

I sighed.

I knew the application process was likely to be a shitty one.

~*~