It only took a few minutes before they reached the steps to their destination. Alison looked at the large door, thinking that it almost looked ominous. Chester immediately walked up to it and pounded on the door, surprising Alison. It seemed a little too aggressive.

“Who is this Richard, anyway?” Alison asked, glancing at Chester, who shrugged.

“He’s called a Rolemaker. Some call him the job giver, as he’s the one who tells everyone what their job is in the town,” Chester explained as Alison bit her lip in confusion. It seemed almost communistic. “You still get a choice in what you do. He just has a list of which jobs are available and you can get an appointment with him to see which job suits you the best. Parents will usually set up the appointments for their newly adult children, or if you suddenly find yourself without a job. He creates or finds one for you.”

“Interesting,” Alison murmured, staring at the door. Chester gave a shrug, wondering what kind of place she was from where they didn’t have a Rolemaker. Before she could say anything else, the door opened a little to reveal a dark haired man with an irritated look.

“What do you want?” The strange man grumbled, as if they were interrupting something important. Alison stood straighter.

“I am looking for my friend, Lizzy Everdean,” Alison announced as the man’s expression softened slightly. It seemed that he did know who she was talking about as he opened the door wider.

“She is upstairs,” Richard informed, allowing the two into his house. Alison took off upstairs as Chester stood at the bottom of the stairs. “She seems… spirited.”

“I guess so,” Chester shrugged again.

“Who is she?” Richard asked, realizing that he had let a stranger in his house.

“I guess Charwell’s daughter had a kid with that Yaria guy,” Chester replied, repeated what he had heard earlier. Richard looked up the stairs with a shocked expression. “Did you know them?”

“I did,” Richard answered softly, suddenly deep in thought. Chester sighed silently, placing his hands in his pockets. “Is Alicia here as well?”

“The Charwell daughter? I don’t think so. It sounded like she might find her way down, but who knows?” Chester shrugged while Richard tapped his chin in thought. Richard nodded once before leaving into another room. Chester exhaled before leaning against the wall, since he was getting paid to lounge around.

                                      ♥♠♣♦   ♥♠♣♦   ♥♠♣♦   ♥♠♣♦   ♥♠♣♦

Alison dashed up the stairs and opened ever door, calling out her adopted sister’s name. She checked at least three different rooms before taking a deep breath. Lizzy was supposed to be here, and Alison didn’t know what she was going to do if she wasn’t there.

“Alison?” a small voice whispered, startling Alison. She had her head in another room when the person snuck up on her. As she turned around, Alison saw the face that she hadn’t seen in over a year. “Alison? What are you doing here?”

“Lizzy!” Alison shrieked, startling her sister as Alison wrapped her up in an embrace. “I am so glad I found you! Everyone thought you were dead or that you ran away, but I knew you wouldn’t do that.”

“I missed you,” Lizzy whispered into Alison’s shoulder.

“How did you get here?” Alison murmured. Lizzy sighed.

“I got lost and came across the portal somehow. I found myself wandering outside the town, unable to find my way back, before Richard found me,” Lizzy answered as they separated. “How did you get here?”

“Gideon kidnapped me,” Alison sighed. Lizzy covered her mouth in surprise.

“Kidnapped? He actually kidnapped you?” Lizzy whispered, shocked. “Why would he do that? How did he even find you?”

“I don’t know, but he was commissioned by Charwell.”

“The mayor? Why?”

“I guess Charwell needed Gideon to get my mother, but found me instead. She’s Charwell’s daughter,” Alison explained before Lizzy frowned.

“But he kidnapped you?” Lizzy reminded.

“I fell and knocked myself unconscious and he didn’t know what else to do,” Alison explained with an eye roll. “But I guess they’re hoping that my parents will find out where I went and end up following.”

“I doubt it,” Lizzy responded. “You guys weren’t able to find the portal when you tried to find me. At least, I hope you searched for me.”

“Of course we did! But I do think you have a point. If we weren’t able to find you, you might be right that they won’t be able to find us now,” Alison sighed, rubbing her cheek. Lizzy shrugged. She had already accepted what had happened.

“Gideon might go grab them, though. Especially if the gate is closing soon,” Lizzy suggested as Alison grew upset.

“But I don’t know if I want him to get them. They’re so happy there, and they left here for a reason,” Alison reminded, looking away. Lizzy nodded, remembering the brief conversations their parents had about their birthplace. “So, you live here, then?”

“Yeah, Richard said that I could live here. I’m technically his housekeeper. I didn’t want to be a freeloader,” Lizzy shrugged as Alison smiled, thinking it was just like Lizzy to do that. “Where are you going to stay?”

“Charwell offered for me to stay at his place,” Alison answered as Lizzy smiled. “You should come with me when I head back.”

“Why?” Lizzy asked as Alison shrugged.

“Because I don’t know if I want to go back alone. I don’t know him very well, and I haven’t seen you in over a year,” Alison reasoned as Lizzy grinned and nodded.

“I guess I can take an evening off,” Lizzy smiled and led Alison back down the stairs. Chester waited at the bottom by the door as he looked up at them.

“Are you ready to head back? I have work to do,” Chester reminded, standing away from the wall. Alison nodded as Richard came back with an old book.

“Will you give this back to your mother when you see her? She lent me this book before she left, I believe that she would like it back,” Richard informed, holding the item out to Alison. She took it gingerly, noticing that the book was very tattered. Turning it over, she saw that it was her mother’s favorite book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

“She’ll be glad to see this again,” Alison agreed as Richard nodded his head. Chester led them out the door as they said their goodbyes to the job maker.

On the way back to the Town Hall, Alison and Lizzy talked about all that they had missed in the past year. Alison talked about Lucille’s travels and her job at the diner as Lizzy explained all the strange customs she had learned and how was being employed by Richard. Chester listened to their conversation with a little interest, but kept to himself. He thought that it was endearing that these two were able to find each other again, even though the odds were against them.

Eventually, they made it back to the Town Hall as the sheriff and the deputy walked up the stairs. Chester groaned, catching the girls’ attention. However, Lizzy was also distressed at the scene, leaving Alison more than confused.

“What’s going on?” Alison asked after Chester rubbed his face with irritation.

“Whenever Madson goes to see Charwell, it never ends well for anyone. They don’t get along, even though it would make sense if they at least tried. Their arguments could last days. It’s not going to be a pretty sight,” Lizzy explained, leaning toward Alison. Chester took a deep breath, straightening his back a little.

“We better make an appearance, since he’s expecting us. We don’t want to make it worse by causing a distraction,” Chester explained with a sigh. “Look, all we have to do is go in and I’ll tell him that I’m taking you two to his place. That way he can focus his energy on Madson rather than trying to find you.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Alison whispered, wondering if it would just be better to stay out of it. However, Chester placed a hand on her shoulder and helped her to the building.

The second they stepped foot inside, they could hear the beginning of an argument. Alison paled at the noise, even though it was a dull roar at most. It seemed that the two men were trying to keep their argument quieter than usual, but it was still audible throughout the entire building. Chester guided them to the mayor’s office and opened the door slowly. Alison could see the sheriff practically on top of the desk, yelling at Charwell as Charwell stood from his chair, inches from Madson’s face. The deputy was standing in the corner, far from the argument, but still present.

Chester did his best to close the door loudly without it sounding like he had slammed it. He just wanted to catch their attention long enough to tell Charwell that they would wait for him elsewhere. However, it seemed that neither party even noticed that anyone had come in. Alison bit her lip as Lizzy shook her head, glancing over at the deputy. Alison followed her gaze to find that he was walking over to them.

“How’s it going?” the man greeted, standing next to Lizzy. He looked up and noticed Alison, a new face he hadn’t seen before. He stuck out his hand for her to shake as he smiled. “I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Deputy Evan White.”

“Nice to meet you. My name is Alison Yaria,” she replied politely, firmly shaking the man’s hand. 

“Your father’s Robert, right? I think I heard Madson say something about that,” Evan mentioned as Alison nodded.

“You’re correct,” Alison replied politely as the argument in front of them grew louder. “Should we intervene, or let them be?”

“I usually let them hash it out and let them get tired before I say anything. It’s not fun to get in the middle of them,” Evan sighed as Chester concurred. Lizzy looked over at the door, wondering if she could wait out there instead. Gathering her courage, Alison started forward to the arguing men. Chester reached out for her to stop, but Alison kept walking until she was next to the desk with her arms folded. It took a few moments, but the two noticed her presence and stopped for a moment.

“Alison, why don’t you have Chester show you around? I’m right of the middle of something here,” Frederick informed as Alison glared, which Madson met.

“What are you even arguing about?” Alison asked, thinking that this was juvenile and ridiculous. Madson stood back and stared evenly at Frederick with his arms crossed.

“He refuses to increase the police force budget so we can hire more people. If we can hire more officers, that means that our streets will be safer,” Madson reasoned as Frederick gave him a dirty look.

“You just want a pay raise! This has nothing to do with keeping the streets safer! Besides, the queen needs that money for her royal guard! If you want more money, then you are going to take it up with her,” Frederick explained, starting the argument all over again. Alison rolled her eyes, then noticed another man walked in.

“The queen requests an audience with Miss Yaria and Mr. Hetwyr,” the man informed. Frederick groaned in annoyance. Alison glanced between the man and Frederick, wondering why the queen would request an audience with her, even though she saw her earlier that day.