The village was much more advanced than Abby would have expected. There were gas-lit streetlamps everywhere and the shops and houses looked like ones she had seen in so of the nicer towns they passed on the trip.
There was a public library too. That had to be Katie's influence. This world had bookshops, not libraries. The concept of letting soone rent a book for free rely for the sake of spreading knowledge was foreign here.
Her entire being tingled with anticipation. But how was Abby supposed to find her?
The majority of the people in the streets had the signature Kanta look but there were several blondes and brunettes mixed in that looked to be in their twenties or thirties. They must be the spouses of the second generation survivors.
In such a tiny, close-knit village like this outsiders stood out. People began whispering about the man with the silver hair and his female companion.
Only one person was brave enough to ask Toa who they were. He shrugged in response. "Relatives of Katie's. Have you seen her around?"
The woman pursed her lips as she thought about it. "I think I saw her go into the bakery a while ago but I'm not sure if she's still there. If she isn't, I would check the library. She's almost always there this ti of day."
Abby's heart pounded. So close. She was so close! They had passed the bakery on their way in. She thanked the woman before dashing off to the bakery, ignoring Blaise's protests to wait for him.
She saw Katie before Katie saw her. She was a beautiful but tiny woman with shoulder-length blonde curls and sapphire blue eyes and was wearing what looked like a short sleeved white peasant blouse with a navy blue skirt.
The novel had not exaggerated her looks one bit. She looked exactly like the angel Al had described her to be that day he saw her dancing at the beach.
Katie held a pastry bag in one hand and smiled happily at the little boy who held the other. A tall Kanta man who had to be Al held the boy's other hand and they swung him as they walked, making him giggle madly.
She looked up a mont later and froze, mouthing her sister's na in utter disbelief. Abby nodded, unable to speak around the lump in her throat.
The pastry bag slipped out of Katie's fingers and hit the ground. Right as her husband turned to ask her what was wrong she began sprinting across the street. She launched herself into her now much taller younger sister's arms with so much force that both of them fell to the ground.
"Please tell I'm not dreaming," she sobbed with a hand over her mouth.
Abby tightened the hug. "You aren't. I found you. I actually found you! I can't believe you're really alive."
Blaise had finally caught up to her and was eyeing the two of them with a half-smile on his face. "I take it she recognized you?"
She nodded happily as tears continued to run down her face. "Mmhmm."
Al approached them cautiously with the little boy in his arms, looking down at the heap of limbs his wife was tangled in on the ground with a confused expression. "Care to explain why you threw yourself at a person I've never seen before?"
Katie grinned up at him through her tears, her arms still around her sister's neck. "Al, this is Abby. My Abby! The one I told you about. I don't know how she did it but she's here!"
Al's eyes widened in shock. "Your sister. The one from your ho that you said was impossible to return to." He turned his attention to Abby with a slightly accusing look in his eye. "How did you even find us?"
She nearly laughed. It was obvious he was worried she was here to steal his wife away.
"The novel," she whispered. "Is there a place where we can talk?"
"Of course!" Katie replied. "We were about to head ho to put Adam down for his nap anyway." She finally realized that there was a person she didn't know standing around their heap on the ground and blinked up at him. "Are you a friend of Abby's?"
"Yes. My na is Blaise and I am tasked with protecting Miss Abby until she is reunited with her sister. My job is complete but I would like to speak with you regarding your future military arrangents, if I may," Blaise said formally.
Katie's eyes narrowed. "You're from Shibatsu. Alright, I'll bite. You can co too."
Al helped her to her feet with his free hand and she brushed herself off. Blaise did the sa for Abby. Once they were both up, they linked arms as if they never wanted to be parted again.
"Our house is on higher ground than everything else so we can see the whole village from there. It's a clan leader thing," Katie explained as they walked. "Oh, I'm such an idiot! I didn't introduce you to my family. The handso man over there is my husband Alamar but I call him Al so you can too. He's holding our son Adam."
Al waved slightly awkwardly, tempting Abby to laugh. "I already know. I did read the novel after all. And I t Mariela too! She told about my nephewhe's absolutely adorable by the wayand asked to give you a letter."
Katie seed surprised by what she was hearing but didn't say anything else about the rather delicate matter of their impossible transmigrations into this world until they made it to the de Kanta house. Instead she spent that ti telling her sister more about her family and the life they had here.
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