Midnight Wonders

4.4.1. Morning Under Sycamore Trees

Luc didn't know when he'd fallen asleep. He didn't remember feeling tired. Emma had taken him right back to his room, and he had loitered around for a while, unsure of what to do, before getting into bed. As Kay had said, there was no better way to pass the time than to sleep.

Now he woke alone.

It wasn't a new thing. He'd woken up alone for years. But there was something about it. It was enough to be noticeable. And it was noticeable, too, that he had not gone anywhere in his sleep.

Luc got up and made his bed. He went to check his reflection in the mirror at the vanity, which he'd done before sleeping, but his reflection had been startling. It had been the first time he'd looked at himself in a while, and he'd thought it was his weary eyes that had made him look so unrecognizable.

But now, looking at himself again, he wondered if there was perhaps something more. He could hardly remember what he'd looked like before, but he knew he hadn't looked the same. Perhaps he was more haggard from lack of food and drink, or the untidyness of his clothes. Kay had found them more places along the way to stop and wash, and Luc had managed to get his clothes cleaned as well, but they were still the same clothes he'd been wearing since he'd left the house after Cora. The fabric was starting to get discolored from dirt and sweat. And Kay still had his tie.

What was Luc supposed to do? He didn't know if he could find Emma again, or Kay again. Emma hadn't told him where she'd be staying, and he didn't know how long it would be until whoever she was waiting for came. Could he find his way to Kay's room again?

Why was his first instinct to find Kay? Luc didn't know if he was still upset with Kay or not; he hadn't even really been upset. Just...disappointed? There was no use in holding a grudge, anyway. Luc needed a familiar face and didn't care if it was of someone who didn't want to see him.

Having made up his mind, he left his room and followed the path. He had no idea whether he was going the right way or not, but he supposed he would run into someone who could show him the way eventually. So he took his time.

Now that Luc was not panicking as he made his way through the halls, he could look around him at the enormous tunnels that were the halls. They looked like subway tunnels, but smelled less of must and metal than a rich earthiness. He'd wondered this earlier but it had felt a bit silly to think of...was he in the tree? He supposed anything was possible given all that had already happened, but it was still almost impossible to comprehend.

Perhaps it was not the hollow insides of a tree. The walls looked more like branches woven together, twisted tight and holding each other close. He reached out to touch them, and his fingers caught on the rough surfaces, coming away with the powder of bark fibers. He could not compare them to the trees outside because he could not remember the last time he had stopped to just look at a tree, to feel it, to wonder how long it had been there and how long it would be there.

After a while, he heard sounds of life, and he looked down the end of the way to see the main hall. Somehow, he had made it.

Luc inched his way through the sea of people. He wondered where they were all going. He wondered who they all were.

He made it to Kay's door and knocked. He reached for the doorknob on instinct, then remembered that this was not Cora's door he stood in front of. Luc waited.

No one answered.

Luc hesitated, then knocked again. Was Kay ignoring him on purpose? After another stretch with no response, he tentatively reached out and opened the door. It seemed no doors were locked in the Yew; there were no locks available on the knobs.

He peered inside. "Kay?"

There was no one. The bed was empty, perfectly made. Luc closed the door, feeling lost once more. What was he to do now?