With a grimace, I hurried to catch up, but when I got there my jaw dropped. The walls were painted a lighter shade of purple that perfectly matched my eyes. Something inside me felt like it was a sign that this was the right decision. Hanging every few feet were more of the paintings of the fancy sticks I’d seen on the floor below. They were bright colored and covered in crystals, some even had feathers hanging from them. I wanted to stop and take in every detail. But the thing that really caught my attention was the long shelf running about waist-level along the wall in front of me, lined with those same fancy sticks.
My fingers burned with the desire to reach out and touch them. It was so consuming I shoved my hands in my coat pocket to stop myself. I walked to the shelf and stopped. My eyes widened as the crystals sparkled. “You really like these fancy sticks, huh?”
Landreia chuckled behind me. “They’re called wands. They’re quite useful for many reasons, but mostly they’re all just so pretty. I may be a little obsessed.”
I snorted. “I get it.”
“Later, we’ll play with them.” She squeezed my shoulders. “For now, let’s get you settled in.”
I spun around just as she turned and walked down a narrow hallway that led right to a door. The handle groaned a little when she twisted it and the wooden door got a little stuck, but with a gentle push it swung open.
Bright sunlight poured into the hallway and over my feet. Landreia disappeared inside. My palms grew sweaty and my mouth suddenly felt dry. I didn’t know why I was so nervous, but I found myself creeping after her.
But then I stepped inside the room and my breath left me in a rush.
It was a bedroom and it was perfect. The room wasn’t wide, but it was long. The walls were made of wood that looked raw and unfinished yet I knew it was intentional. The ceiling angled in at the top but that was okay. I was tiny, my head didn’t get anywhere near that. In fact, I thought it made the room more cozy.
Or maybe that was from the plants lining the walls and the little golden lights hanging from the ceiling. On the far wall, nestled in the corner and under a window, was a bed big enough for me to lay in any direction without falling off. Not that that was saying a lot. The room was narrow, so there was only about two feet of space between the edge of the bed and the wall, though I thought this was a big factor in the coziness level. I liked it. The blankets on the bed were black and white and looked super fluffy, and I was dying to bury myself in that mountain of pillows.
The wall on my left was made entirely of shelves and full of books. And candles. There were candles everywhere. I looked to the right and found a massive tapestry of the moon phases and ocean waves. Crystals hung from leather cords along the top. I spun in a circle with my jaw dropped and my heart fluttering. Everywhere I looked there were a million little details, it was impossible to take them all in at once.
Something sparkled in the window on the far wall so I walked over, expecting to find crystals hanging or little lights on strings. But when I got there my jaw dropped. Just outside the window were dozens of tiny bugs that lit up like golden lights.
“Not a bad view of Essex—”
“Fairyflies,” I breathed.
“What’s that?” I heard her footsteps moving closer and then smelled her sweet perfume beside me. “Oh my, fireflies? In the daytime? And in the winter? I have never seen such a thing.”
Fireflies? I’d called them fairyflies. Why? That was the second thing I’d had a different word for and I didn’t think that was a coincidence. I frowned and turned to ask her about it when something big and blue leapt into my chest. I gasped and stumbled back a step, but instinctively I caught it.
It was the brightest shade of blue, like the sky just before the sun rises.
“Oh, Nyx!” Landreia squealed and threw her hands out toward me. “I’m so sorry, she never does that.”
She? I frowned and looked down, then gasped as my gaze landed on a pair of big golden eyes with narrow black slit pupils..
“I swear, this cat…” she shook her head.
This cat….this is a cat? I cradled Nyx in my arms. Her fur was the softest, fluffiest texture I’d ever felt. I brushed my fingers over her wildly blue fur and her back twitched — and wings popped out. My jaw dropped. Her cat had wings. Her blue cat had wings. I’d never seen such an animal, but then again my memory was nonexistent at the moment, so I supposed it was possible.
“Wow.” Landreia chuckled. “Nyx doesn’t normally like people, and never at first meeting, and here she is purring in your arms.”
I smiled and scratched behind her ears, which made her purr so loud she vibrated in my arms. “She’s beautiful. I love her coloring—”
“Right?” Landreia sighed and her eyes brightened. “I rescued her because black cats are never adopted. Stupid superstitions. I mean, look at her, she’s gorgeous. Her black hair matches mine, so she was meant for me.”
Black…fur.
She’s blue.
Isn’t she?
I frowned and looked back down at her. What is happening? Are my eyes messed up? Or are hers? One of us had a problem because this cat was definitely blue to me.
Landreia backed away and held her arms out. “Well, what do you think? Will this do?”
I scoffed and nestled Nyx closer to my chest. “Landreia, this room is beautiful. I can’t believe you’re doing this for me. I don’t know how I can ever thank you—”
“It is my pleasure.” She wrapped her arm around my shoulders. “Us gals have got to stick together, right?”
I smiled. “Right.”
She turned us, then pointed to a door in the wall. “That’s a closet. There’s not much in there, just some extra jackets and such. Once you are ready, I’ll take you shopping for some proper clothes. But for now, you need a hot shower and some yummy food.”
My stomach growled. The food at the hospital had not been very good, but I’d eaten it because I’d had to. Yummy food sounded enticing, though I was struggling to think of what that meant. What do I like to eat? What’s my favorite food?
I didn’t know and it was killing me. I should’ve known these things about myself at least. I needed to figure this out. There had to be answers somewhere. Then I remembered Dr. Troy and my appointment.
“Oh, hey, um…” I bit my lip and looked up into her blue eyes. “There’s a psychologist who came and talked to me at the hospital…she’s specialized in children with traumas…anyway, she wants me to come by her office to talk. Is that okay? Will you take me?”
“That’s a great idea. Of course I’ll take you.” Landreia dropped her arm and walked to the cabinet on the wall beside the door. “OH, I did get you this…”
I held my hands out as she dropped the object into my palms. I frowned. Just like with everything else, it wasn’t familiar in any way yet I knew this was a cellphone.
“This phone is for you. I stored my number and the shop’s, just in case.” Landreia winked. “Now, let’s get you some lunch, then the doctor.”
Chapter Seven
Saffie
I sat with my back to the wall as I bounced in my seat, watching the empty hallways around me. From this angle, I could see straight down three hallways that were lined with doors and strange metal contraptions. There wasn’t a person in sight. The silence alone was enough to make me want to bolt, but the cold chill in the air reminded me of waking up on that wharf. My legs itched with the need to stand…to move…to pace…to run back to Landreia’s and bury myself in blankets.