CHAPTER 3

It had become a habit of hers to cover her face whenever she's outside. With the cap, and sunglasses on, Deb knew that Eris was hiding from the world. The walk to the administration office had commenced a few minutes ago, but Eris flinched whenever someone walked towards them. She was unaware of how loud her sigh of relief was when the people passed by them without recognizing her.

"You have a lot going on, I guess", Deb began,

"What do you mean?", clueless, Eris asked,

"You freak out whenever you see someone coming our way",

"I do?",

"You do. But you don't have to. This is supposed to be a liberating journey for you, and you should start by losing the cap and glasses and live like a normal person.",

"How am I supposed to do that?",

"Go back to the days when you weren't famous, the days when you were a stranger amongst strangers. You owe your life to nobody; hence nobody should have complete control over the way you live. Let go of the fear",

"I tried doing that, but it backfired _",

"This isn't the city. It's the hill. Everyone is staying in their lane unless you invite them in yours",

"So, nobody knows me here?",

"Some do, obviously, but they won't make a big deal out of it. Just wait and see",

Unsure, Eris took off the glasses, but kept the hat on.

They arrived at the administration office. The office was small, but the garden outside was wide. An appointment was made, and the town's chairperson was waiting for them outside, waving his hand excitedly. He was a man nearing his 4os, but farming had made him physically alluring, only he didn't know how to work what he had.

"Who's that?", asked Eris,

"That's the chairperson, Killian",

"Is everyone in this town young and accomplished?",

Deb chuckled, "We have people of all ages here, but most of our parents live far on the countryside where it's relaxing and calm",

"Calmer than here?",

"Yeah",

They walked past the office gate.

"Deb and her new tenant, welcome", said Killian, welcoming,

"How long have you been standing here?", asked Deb,

"Not long. I saw you coming from the window",

"Well, this is Eris, my new tenant. Eris, this is Killian, our chairman",

"Nice to meet you", said Killian,

"Nice to meet you too",

"Come on in",

They walked into the office. It was spacious and tidy and had 3 empty desks, one for the chairman of course, but the remaining two were empty. They took a seat as Killian took a file from the cabinet.

"Alright, Miss Eris Endellion. In order for you to be an official part of our little town, you need to sign here", Killian placed the file in front of Eris, and pointed at the spot she's supposed to put her signature.

Eris took a pen and signed. Killian took that form and put another one down,

"In this form, you agree to attend all town's meetings and necessary activities that require everyone in town to attend unless there's an emergency",

"What kind of activities?", asked Eris,

"General town cleaning every Saturday and recycling. You also need to be a member of at least one group",

"What groups do you have?",

"The hill's women community, The hill's men community and the hill's market association. Since you don't own a frame at the market, I recommend the women's community",

"I see",

Eris put her signature.

"What's next?", she asked,

"Do you own a car?',

"I do, but I heard the rule. I'll get a bicycle",

"Very well. What about a job?",

Eris smacked her lips as she thought of an answer. She was a social media influencer. That was her full-time job. But now she was on a hiatus which she didn't know how long it'd take.

"I'm not doing anything at the moment", she said,

"Do you have any experience in administrative work?", asked Killian,

"I don't, but I'm a fast learner",

"Well, I have an opening here. My assistant is about to get married and move to another state with her husband, so I'll need a lot of help after she's gone",

"Did I just get hired?", asked Eris, surprised.

Deb laughed.

"Work starts Monday. 9 am sharp",

"Yes, sir",

Eris was excited about a normal job. 5 years ago, if one approached her with that offer, she'd have chased them away with a broom. Time changed, and she was starting to.

…

The tour around town opened Eris' eyes. The hill was a very beautiful place. She prayed to adapt well and for the 'lane' talk to be true. They'd seen the farms, they went to the market, they toured the harbor and now there was only one place left to check out.

"I hope you're hungry, because the next and last stop is the world's best restaurant", said Deb, enthusiastically, "It's owned by two brothers who inherited it from their parents. So, the food has that feel I can't describe",

"Can't wait. I'm starved",

As they neared the brothers' restaurant, they could see signs that it was packed. Bicycles and a few cars parked in a well-structured linear parking lot.

"Are you sure we'd get a seat at this point?", questioned Eris,

"We will. One of the brothers is my boyfriend", proudly, Deb stated,

"You bagged yourself a chef. Way to go, landlord",

And the journey to the last stop began. And they were right, it was packed, and lively, but conducive. They spotted an empty table way back, and they hurried before others saw it. Eris laughed. It was all new to her. And the fact that nobody in the restaurant took their phones out to sneak a photo or a video of her was a bonus point.

"You should check out the menu. I already know what I want", said Deb,

"I'll have what you're having",

Meshack approached the table with his famous notebook and a pen.

"Hello there, ladies",

"Hi Mesh. This is Eris, my new tenant", said Deb,

"Hi Eris. I'm Meshack. I hope you stay with us for a long time",

"I hope so too",

"So, are we ready to order?",

"Yes", said Deb and started placing their order as Meshack jotted it down.

Eris was on another mission; Trying to figure out who's the boyfriend between the brothers. She had already seen Meshack, one was left for her to reach the answer.

Meshack walked away,

"What did you order?", asked Eris, who clearly wasn't paying attention earlier,

"I ordered their fried squid, rice, coconut beans and sauteed spinach. You'll be hooked",

"Sounds hooking already. Is everyone here living in town?",

"Nope", she shook her head, "People drive two hours from the city to come eat this food. And some are delivery drivers waiting to pick up the orders. It's crazy",

"But worth it",

"Exactly",

8 minutes later and their food arrived, this time Duante came to the table. Eris' mouth watered, and her nose wished to have teeth and a tongue instead. It was one of the best presented foods she'd ever seen. Duante placed the food carefully on the table. Usually, that would be the time when Eris took out her phone and clicked a photo to post for her fans to know the good spots. But she had left the past behind, and the restaurant didn't look like it needed any help getting customers.

"Duante, this is Eris, my new tenant", said Deb,

Duante finally paid attention to Eris,

"Hi", he said,

"Hey", Eris said it back,

Duante placed the last dish on the table. Deb started pulling her plate,

"Be careful, it's hot", Duante quickly stopped her,

"It's okay, I got this",

"You always say that then end up getting hurt",

"Okay, alright, geez",

Eris smiled. Scolding was among her love languages, so it seemed she had gotten her answer.