The Valley

"What do you think about this one?" Annie asked David.

They were inside a store where all sorts of odd things were sold at cheap prices. William had given them a decent sum of money to spend on more supplies for their journey. Annie had pulled yet another map off the shelf and unfolded it to see if it was to David's liking.

He examined the map for what seemed like the longest time when a short, balding man came up and said, "Hey, you can't pull those open unless you're planning on buying!" David held his finger up in a request for silence.

"Yes, this will do," he said after a while. "It has all of the locations William mentioned to us. We'll buy it!"

David took the map from Annie, showing it off to the short man whose face had gone a deep red. His hands were balled into tight fists at his sides.

"How many other maps did you unfold?" the man growled.

"I, um, we," Annie stuttered, her body trembling. David quickly folded the map back to the way it had been before, and looked the other man over.

"About six of them," he replied, "mister... Andersen." David read the man's name tag. The man drew in a long breath, glaring daggers at David.

"You'll be paying for those too, then," he snatched the map from David and marched over to the cash register.

David was shocked, but only for a second as his worry for the map settled in and he warned, "Be careful with that! It's very important to us." Annie followed behind, feeling helpless and unsure of what to do. She carried other items they wanted to purchase with her as she went.

"I don't care what you need it for," Mr. Andersen grumbled. He rang up the cost of the merchandise he believed to be ruined, along with the other items Annie and David wanted to purchase. "When you've paid for those things, I want you out of my store, and I never want to see your faces again!"

"Aren't you overreacting a bit?" David asked, passing the money he owed to the older man.

"If I am I don't really care. I've had a long day and I don't want you kids ruining anymore of my items."

"Fine then," David said. Annie gathered the map and other items they bought up in to her arms again. "Lose two well-paying customers."

"Get out of my store."

"We'll give you a bad reputation!" David held his arms out as he and Annie walked away; he of course was walking backward.

"Out!" Andersen pointed toward the door.

Annie let out a long sigh once they were out of the building. David turned to her after holding his middle finger up to Andersen, his mouth set in a tight line and eyes seeming to be full of fire. Annie interrupted him as he opened his mouth to speak.

"Did you really have to be that way?" she asked him.

"What way?" Pretending to be oblivious, David crossed his arms over his chest. A frown formed on Annie's lips as her eyes narrowed slightly. "Did you see the way he overreacted?"

The girl let out a small huff and thrust the bags full of the items they had bought into David's arms. Adjusting her backpack's strap on her shoulder, she turned on her heel and began walking away.

"Which way do we need to go?" she asked without looking back at him. David started at her, puzzled for a moment, before he realized what she had meant. The bags were slung over his shoulder where his satchel was as he unfolded the map.

"We need to head toward the village first," he called to her as he began to walk as well.

"The village?" Annie cast a curious glance at him over her shoulder.

"The one that no one bothered to name," he shrugged. The map seemed to glare back up at him as his gaze rolled over it.

"It's this way, right?" Annie's finger lifted into the air, pointing to somewhere off in the distance. David glanced up to see where she meant.

"Yeah, we'll keep heading that way," he said, and his attention was back on the map.

"You do know how to use the map, and where we are on it, right?" worry was laced into Annie's voice. A chuckle came from the man walking behind her.

"Of course I do," was his answer. Annie let out a sigh, though she wasn't too convinced.

After a while the bags were handed back to Annie. The map was being wildly twisted around in David's hands, causing worry to further settle in Annie's stomach. Her stomach twisted with the tight knots as she watched David handle the map.

"Our tent is in one of the bags, right?" David's voice suddenly broke the silence. It took a while for Annie to register what he had said.

"Oh, yes," she replied then looking through the bags to make sure. Soon enough her fingertips brushed against the rough, dark green fabric.

"Good," David mumbled, though it was more to himself.

A long sigh escaped the petite girl, and she soon was much too frustrated with being lead around in circles by her companion. She took the map from him, handing him the bags, and he gave her a puzzled look.

"You don't really know how to read a map," she replied as she tried to pinpoint where they were. When she looked up again the look on David's face reminded her of a lost puppy dog. "You were leading us in the wrong direction."

"Sorry, I just thought I..."

"Whatever," she turned away from him and began to lead the way to the little, nameless village. David fought the urge to drag Annie back there and take back the map, following after her. The expression that then played on his face would have sent chills down the girl's spine.

The rest of the walk to the village was silent, with David glaring holes into the back of Annie's head, and Annie concentrating on making sure they didn't end up lost.

"It's much smaller than I imagined," Annie commented.

"It's what we're settling for, for the night," David snatched the map from Annie. The girl let out a startled noise. "It looks like it's going to rain."

After he had stuffed the map into the satchel on his shoulder, it seemed to almost immediately start raining heavily. Annie shrieked and threw on her jacket. David let out a long, hearty laugh.

"Oh, shut up, you freak!" she yelled, hitting his arm. She pulled her hood tightly over her head and quickly ran for shelter.

The nearest building was the one they entered, and it just so happened to be a hotel. David grinned from ear to ear as a sulking Annie followed him up to the front desk.

"We would like a room for the night," David announced. The man behind the desk looked up from the giant ledger laid open before him.

"One bed or two?" he asked, his voice, was just barely laced with an accent Annie couldn't quite place. Was it Irish, or maybe Scottish?

"Two," Annie and David said in unison.

"Definitely two," David chuckled. He draped his arm over the girl's shoulders. "The Mrs. is a little cross with me at the moment." This rubbed Annie the wrong way.

"We're not married," she growled, quickly throwing his arm away from her.

"See what I mean?" David shrugged, and Annie let out a huff and walked away. The other man gave them a strange look over his glasses, as if to say that they were crazy.

"Right then, here are the available rooms, and their prices," the man- Samuel, his name tag read- passed David a piece of paper. "Take your pick. That is, if you can afford it."

"Are you doubting my financial situation?" David placed a hand over his heart. Annie kicked the mischievous man in the shin. "Ow!"

Samuel leaned back, his eyes widening slightly. Annie gave him a sheepish smile, and then returned to glaring at David.

"Fine, fine," David sighed. His eyes scanned the page rather quickly. "Room number twenty-seven."

Before Samuel could announce the cost, David handed him the correct sum. Samuel's graying eyebrows lifted. He handed David the key to the room.

"Never doubt me," David winked as he took the key. He filled out the papers Samuel then handed to him.

"Just up the stairs over there; fifth door on the left," Samuel sighed and pointed toward the staircase on the right. He took the papers back from David.

"Thank you," Annie said and pushed David in the direction.

"Not a problem, Mrs. Andrews," Samuel nodded.

"Miss Silverblood!" Annie corrected him over her shoulder. "What did you write down!?"

"Relax," David laughed. His voice dropped to a whisper. "The price is lowered for couples, so let's pretend we're married."

Annie gave a harsh shove against his back, and he stumbled the rest of the way up the stairs. He turned to look at her, laughing at the glare she gave him.

"Come on, my love," he winked, offering her his hand. Annie's lips formed a tight line and she shoved past David, making sure to push him extra hard. "Aw, don't be that way."

Once they reached the door, she turned and whispered to him. "We are getting a divorce as soon as the night is over."

"Fine by me," David held his hands up.

"Good," Annie took the key from him, unlocked the door, and then yanked the door open. The furniture that waited for them was enough to melt Annie.

"I love you," she quickly corrected herself and jumped on her bed.

"I knew you'd come around." David shut the door behind him and sat down on his own bed. "Go look at the bathroom."

She raised an eyebrow at him, but quickly did as he said.

"Oh my god!" she exclaimed as she came running back out. David took that as evidence that the bathroom looked just as nice, if not better. "Can we live here?"

"Hell no," David shook his head and chuckled. "It's too expensive; we'd quickly run out of money. Besides, we have a book and the truth to uncover, remember?" Annie pouted.

"You do want this ring, right?" David pulled the chain from his shirt. Something flashed through Annie's eyes; she had almost forgotten about the ring.

"I do," she whispered, seemingly mesmerized by the ring.

"Then don't complain." Annie sighed, but decided that was reasonable enough. "So, what do you say we order room service?"