Growing Into You (First Draft; Unedited)

xiii.

Jayen

I turned the doorknob again. Nothing. It must be locked. I wasn’t that late. After I. . . was with the lady I took my time getting down here. I wasn’t gone for more than an hour in general. Why would she lock the door? I tried the dining hall already. It was already empty.

“Aoife!” 

She didn’t respond.

“Open the door!”

Was she sleeping? She would’ve heard me. I’m not yelling but I’m certainly talking loud enough. I heard a door open and turned around, my shoulders tensing. Maj was leaning out of her doorway rubbing her eyes.

“Good grief dear what is it?”

“Aoife locked me out.”

Maj shook her head. “Do you want me to unlock it?”

“You can do that?”

Maj laughed. “Of course I can!”

“Please do. I’m so tired.”

Maj ducked into her room then reappeared seconds later. I was holding the hand that the lady had wrapped. I could feel that it was still bleeding, I was thankful for the wrap and the fact that it was black.

“What happened to your hand?”

“I hurt it earlier. The roses got me pretty bad this time.”

“Is it because of-”

“-It’s because of the rose I cut, yeah. They were really mad and they were mean about it.”

Maj nodded and walked over to the door. I expected her to pull a key out of her nightgown pocket but nope.

She pounded her fist on the door. “Open up Aoife!”

There was tumbling from inside the room and the door swung open, revealing a messy-haired bleary-eyed Aoife. The blankets were around her foot and scattered on the floor.

“Why would-”

“You locked Jayen out,” Maj laughed. “I’ve done that before too. I guess you’re officially a member in the ‘Jayen Hates Us’ club.”

Maj once locked the front door forgetting I was behind her. I had to sit on the front step until someone else walked outside and opened it for me.

“I was outside for like an hour.”

“Oh relax it’s not like it was winter.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah ok.”

Aoife rubbed her eyes and picked up the banket that was on her foot. “I’m going to bed again. It’s too late for this.”

Maj agreed then turned around and went back to her room. “Goodnight!”

Aoife picked up the other blanket as well before flopping into her bed. “How was the lady?”

“. . . I don’t know.” I shrugged. “She was. . . she was very. . .” Stars how was she? I had no idea what to think about her. She was cold and warm at the same time. She was like going from a hot spring to a cold lake.

“Yeah. She’s very hard to describe.”

“But you were right she’s pretty strict.”

Aoife yawned. “Where did you get the hand wrap thingy?”

“It’s Lady Dupon’s. She wrapped my hand for me.”

Something flashed across Aoife’s face. “Shut the door. The light is making it hard to go to sleep again.”

I closed the door and sat on my bed. “I’m going to get changed. Close your eyes.”

“I can’t even see my hand, Jayen. It’s pitch black in here but okay.”

I fumbled around in the dark to pull out a nightgown from my dresser. I quickly got changed and sat on my bed again.

“Goodnight, Aoife.”  

She didn’t respond, I guess she was asleep already. I laid down on my bed staring up at the inky black darkness. I ran my hand over the wrap. She had used a handkerchief, do I give it back tomorrow? I should ask to go down to the town tomorrow afternoon. If Goon’s still there he’d be able to give me some of his potions. When I was younger he would let me try a little bit of each. He called them samples and tests. Surely he’s gotten his healing one right by now.

I rolled over on my side. Everything is exactly the same but so different now. 

“Tighter.” Joshua said.

I laughed. “Are you sure? I’m going to have to push off of you to tighten this more.”

I was holding the thin cords of a white corset that Joshua picked out for his wedding. It was beautiful with a thick trim. He was wearing it over a flowy white shirt with long tapered sleeves. His pants were just as flowy and tucked into a pair of knee high white boots. It was a beautiful summer day and we had grown many red flowers for the occasion. 

“Stars, how small do you want your waist?” I put my foot on his back and pulled as hard as I could. 

“Eighteen inches.” He gasped out.

“If you faint before you dance with Soran it’s not my fault.” I tied the corset, it was at seventeen inches. “She’s going to kill me though.”

Joshua laughed. “Thank you Jay, for everything.”