Under the Roses

63 - One and All They Slumber Deep

HANS

"Here's the shop." Rika gestured to the brick wall.

Hans stared at it. "Wow," he said.

She rolled her eyes. "It's a little messy. I was kind of freaking out when my grandmother and your brother fell asleep. I thought they'd died!"

Hans was barely listening. He just wanted to burst through the wall. His heart was beating quickly. It felt like something was drawing him towards the wall. It was almost as if he could sense that Kai was near.

Rika pulled open a door in the wall that Hans hadn't even noticed was there. Neither Coralie nor Min looked surprised, so maybe hidden doors in walls were just a normal thing in Virane. The scent of vanilla wafted out of the room, punching Hans in the nose.

They slipped into the room, and Hans almost walked right into a tall shelf. He picked his way through fallen bottles and boxes, struggling to keep himself from just running through the entire shop and knocking everything down until he found Kai.

"And here they are!" Rika spread her hands theatrically as they stepped into another room. This one appeared to not be connected to a wall, for there was a large window, the sun streaming in and casting the room in a warm yellow glow.

There was a wooden table in the center, and two people were slumped forward in their seats there, heads against the wooden surface as they slept. Their breathing was even, their faces peaceful.

One was an old woman—Rika's grandmother.

The other was Kai.

Hans immediately went over to him. Kai was sleeping soundly, his head resting on his arm like he'd been ready to sleep. His glasses had been knocked askew when his head had fallen, and Hans slid them off, folding them carefully on the table.

"Wow, he looks exactly like you!" said Coralie. Her voice was so loud in the quiet shop it was a wonder nothing shattered.

"Well, they are twins," Rika said. She was standing by her grandmother, wringing her hands. "Should we look for the antidote now?"

"Shouldn't we get them off the table first?" Coralie said. "I mean, your brother is kind of suffocating his own arm, and they're both probably going to have marks on their faces when they wake up."

Rika nodded. "There are beds in the back."

They carried Rika's grandmother away first, Rika and Min. Hans stood aside because he didn't trust his own arms to carry anything. Coralie was cleaning up the kitchen table like she lived there, putting the unfinished dishes away and scrubbing madly at them.

Rika and Min came back to take Kai away, and Hans drifted after them as Kai was carried to a small, quiet room. They settled him on the bed, and Rika tucked him in like he was a baby.

She looked over at Hans, hovering in the doorway. "He'll be fine," she said. "We should go and look for someone who can cure this sleep everyone's in."

Hans just nodded. Kai stirred, turning onto his side as he always did when he slept. Hans felt like he was dreaming. None of it was real, was it? How could any of it be real?

A hand landed on his arm, and Hans started, flinching back. He looked up at Min, whose eyes were wide. His outstretched hand hovered in the air.

Hans relaxed. What was wrong with him? Min hadn't even done anything.

Min dropped his hand, looking down. "Let's go out," he muttered, so softly Hans barely heard him. He glanced over at Rika, behind Min. She gave him a weird look and followed Min out of the room.