expire

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

His name was Jola. His face was the first of eight others I would meet now the 'looming' door was open and I had finally entered inside. He was grinning, as if he could sense my nerves, but I could tell he meant no joke. Jola radiated friendliness, his face open and kind, as if he would be ready to help at the first sign of distress from anyone. The grin was contagious.

“Finally, The Mysterious One arrives. We've been waiting,” He leapt up from one of those dreaded Comfort Seats, still smiling, and rushed over to meet us, shooting an unreadable glance in Solstice's direction. “What took you so long?”

She let go of a breath I hadn't realised she'd been holding and said “Tine. You know what she's like with newbies.”

“You can say that again.” A light, chirpy voice echoed from around the corner and a girl appeared, almost as tall as Tine, with shoulder length hair and large, wide eyes. She, too, was smiling. She skipped over to us, elbowing Jola out the way before throwing her arms around me. She smelt sweet, like mint and roses.

“I'm Seren. You must be Ivy,” Another grin. “I've so been looking forward to meeting you!” She straightened up, hands on my shoulders, and, although it was sudden and surprising, her embrace welcomed me more than any words could. The same 'calm and serenity' feeling I had encountered in the previous room washed over me once again, and I was able to share her happiness honestly. I felt my own smile tugging at my lips.

“You needn't worry about Tine. She's always been moody,”

“Seren...that's an unusual name,” I mused, looking into her eyes, and then Solstice's. Seren looked sheepish, but nodded.

“It's short for Serenity. That's probably why you feel so at home right now.”

Was it that obvious?

My thoughts must be visible on my face, because she laughed, and Jola caught my eye and said, “We'd better get you introduced. We'll show you round; It's a bigger place than you think,”

Seren linked my arm, Solstice following from behind, and we all followed Jola as he led us further into the room, the glassy white floor gleaming beneath my bare feet. It turned out I wasn't the only one going without shoes here; Seren's feet danced along beside my small ones, anklets of flowers encircling her ankles. She smiled at me when she noticed my sudden change in focus. I returned the expression shyly and asked:

“Where did the flowers come from?”

“There's a field not far from here, where the sun is always shining. It's the only place where flowers will grow, and you are allowed to pick them. They'll always grow back, you see. If you look closely, you'll be able to see the field through the window.” She pointed a finger at the window to my right, which was actually the size of the wall had there been one there, and sure enough a field came into view, merely a yellow glimmer in the distance. “I'll take you there one day, if you like,”

Were they all this friendly?

Jola then led us round the corner, where Solstice detached herself from the tour and skipped over to where another boy, around the same height as her, stood behind a wooden counter top, chopping what looked like glass carrots. As he chopped them, they regained their natural orange colour, and were placed in a bowl of water beside the chopping board, as my Mum would have done back home. The thought of my mother brought on a wave of homesickness, but I refused to be engulfed by it. Save it for later, my conscience warned me.

“Nice dress,” The boy behind the counter stated, and I met his clear, calm eyes. His arm slid around Solstice's waist, and she smiled up at him, her whole face lit up like a child's on Christmas Day. He grinned down at her, then kissed her on both cheeks before meeting my eyes again. “I'm Forrest – the cook, in other words. You're having soup today, if I recall.” His smile still lingered on his lips, one I was getting used to now with all these grinning, friendly people surrounding me.

“Mmmmm...”I answered in reply. Remembering his first statement, I straightened out my hospital gown and laughed. “An old favourite, is this,”

Forrest laughed, and Solstice grinned at me, before meeting eyes with Jola. “Look after her please. Some new clothes might be nice,”

He nodded before tugging me along, Seren dancing along behind, seemingly enjoying the tour of her home. Jola laughed at her, but in a friendly way, and she caught up with us, giving him a playful shove before whirling up the stairs, trailing us in her wake of smiles and laughter.

And for the first time since coming here, I felt as if I were home.