Ellis had been stomping her way through the fog-thick streets of the island since sunrise. A full day wasted already on trudging from one little shop to the next, all for the same bloody answer, "Nay lass, haven't seen a thing like that." Liars, the lot of them. She'd woken up on shore yesterday, bare-skinned and teeth chattering. Her coat was gone. Her life was gone. It didn't take long to figure out some greedy bastard had snatched it, saw a bit of fancy fur and not the skin that bound her very soul. Now here she was, sleep-deprived and half-crazed, hunting it down before she did something rash. Like drown half the island out of pure spite.

"Shite," Ellis spat, kicking a loose cobblestone. Effie trailed behind her, far too amused at her plight. "If I dinnae find it soon, I'll be guttin' fisherman in their sleep."

Effie laughed, bouncing along behind her like the pest she was. "Aye, that'll get yer coat back. Terrorize half the town and see how fast folk bolt their doors. Maybe ye should try smilin' instead Ellie."

"Call me that again an' I'll shove ye back in the tide." Ellis snapped. "Smilin'," she scoffed. "What the hell's that meant tae dae? Folk'll think I'm rabid."

Effie grinned wider, unbothered. "Maybe if ye spoke tae people like a human bein' stead o' barking like a seal, they'd help ye.Ye want yer skin back? Then ye'd better play nice."

Ellis only scowled harder, but she didn't disagree.Yesterday she'd seen it at a thrift shop. Dangling like some piece of trash on a rack until someone got their hands on it. Ellis had nearly bowled them over then and there to get it back, but the crowd on the street had swallowed them whole before she could. She'd been forced to track them down the hard way, burning with humiliation the whole time.

Now the fog curled around her ankles as she stood there at the door, Effie behind her whispering some "pep talk" about manners.Ellis' fist struck the door hard three times.Her jaw clenched—she could already feel it. This was going to be a disaster.