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Dear Miranda,
I’m thrilled to finally have the chance to sit down and write you a proper letter now that I have found a place to gather my thoughts in New York. You would not believe how eventful this journey has been.
The train ride was long and generally uncomfortable. In one week the train broke down twice, and one of the times it was in the middle of nowhere. Luckily we were not entirely stranded, and all turned out well. Of course, that may have been obvious by my previous statements informing you that I made it to my destination. Aside from the breakdowns, I had many drunken invitations from men who saw me fit for a travelling companion to join them in the saloon car. I suppose I can’t get away from this anywhere that I go, can I? One man asked on four separate occasions to join me during the trip. It was amusing at first, but quickly grew irritating as he pushed to make conversation. I managed to rid myself of him after bringing up the new book I was reading. (I think you’d quite enjoy the works of Jules Verne, it’s fascinating.) Funny how men will so suddenly lose interest as soon as you try to have an intellectual conversation about something they were expecting, hm?
These interruptions didn’t continue for much longer thankfully. I found a travel companion of my own. His name is Mario and he’s really quite the wonderful conversationalist. He told me all of his time New Jorvik, and how he came from France to travel the states in hopes to expand his education in astronomy. And you thought my obsession with the stars was bad, he knows far more than I could ever dream of learning. We spoke for hours straight about the mysteries of the cosmos.
Speaking of which, I need to ask a favor. The next chance you get, would you ask around town to see if anyone knows of these sort of mysterious stones? Mario says that he discovered them after the events that took place all those years ago. I’ll include a rough sketch of them at the end of this letter to give you some reference. I find that it may be no coincidence considering the… mystic nature of some of the events. Some stones have very interesting runes in them. As far as Mario knows or can tell, they were not hand carved. I’d love to hear back any information the town may have about these stones. It’s truly fascinating.
Mario has also promised me that he would stay close in New York. You can take come amount of comfort in knowing that I won’t be going through this all alone. Oh Miranda, he’s told me such great things about the libraries in New York. I was absolutely infatuated and I hadn’t even gotten there yet! He described multistory buildings filled with shelves that seemed to contain endless amounts of books! It’s like a dream, truly.
All this aside, I do also have something I need to ask your advice about.
On my first day in New York, I met a girl. She was being thrown onto the street after being fired from her job. Out of kindness I helped her gather her scattered things when her previous employer through them out with her. She was very thoughtful in offering for Mario and I to stay with her for the night, as we were quickly running out of daylight. She even found a place for Luna to stay. Taking my Luna and Mario into account, I took her offer. But… While she seemed nice enough at first, I’m concerned about her heritage…
Her name is Mica Stoneground, and she confirmed that she is indeed related to the same man that helped cause New Jorvik grief all those years ago. Miranda, I’m so conflicted. While her intentions seem genuine and kind, I just don’t know whether I can trust her. You see, I could let her relations pass off, as I know that one should not be judged on that alone, but there’s something that doesn’t feel right about her. Something I just can’t place. It’s a feeling that weighs on my chest and lays in my stomach. This may just be my paranoia, but she also has a room in her apartment that is locked tight. A little odd, is it not? She doesn’t use it as a bedroom. When we arrive I took her “bed,” which was just a mattress that was on the floor shoved into a corner. It doesn’t feel right. Her excuse doesn’t exactly make much sense either. You see, she says that it’s an electrical problem that her landlord has been neglecting to fix. Miranda, the girl worked as an electrical engineer, I’m sure that if she has an electrical issue she could fix it herself. My curiosity is unbearable on top of this unplaceable feeling.
Please Miranda, I need your opinion. I need your guidance. I feel so lost and unsure of myself.
I look forward to hearing from you, and I miss you dearly. Give my regards to the girls, and Jamie. And Cookie! Tell him I miss his meals and would give anything to have some of his food again.
I’ll write to you again soon, I hope.
-Zoe Starr