Wake Up, Witch

Chapter 10

Two days later, Celine informed me that my body temperature was climbing. With the drink she prepared, I stared out the giant window of my bedroom, looking at the same bloody towers, just at a different angle. But at least I had a different view below. New streets, new smaller buildings.

The pain and fever were worse. The only thing that improved was how I masked them. The throbbing headache came and went, but it was there most of the time. But today, I woke up and I felt like the tiniest of noises could cripple me. Worse, my apostles were moving things around in their rooms. Tiff was the worse. She had dragged her bed too many times since she woke up.

Even the soft knock on my door almost made me crumple to the ground and cover my ears.

"Come in," I said, swallowing hard.

Lexie took just two steps into my room, her eyes instantly awed by the large windows that spanned the two walls. "Wow." Then she blinked, face flushing. "I'm sorry. You told Celine not to bother you..." She pointed over her shoulder. "Something from the museum arrived for you. I think it's a closet?"

For a moment, I forgot the pain. Lexie followed me to the hall, where Akira was already waiting with two men. "Where do you want this, Miss Byrne?"

"My bedroom," I replied.

Tiff walked out of her room, her glorious curly hair free from its wrap. "What's that?"

"My repertory," I said, following the men into the room. "Be very careful, gentlemen, please."

My apostles stood in a line, watching as I stared at the closet with wonder. Being an Astral indeed gave me some power, I thought. I didn't even have to call anyone. I just told them who I was and what I needed. And here it was, standing across my bed. Safe and mine again.

"What does it do?" Tiff asked the moment the men left.

"It holds almost everything you own. No one witch has the same repertory." I opened the doors and checked the mirror. I smiled at my pale reflection and it smiled back, holding my secrets within.

"We have something similar. A safe," said Akira, peering inside. He frowned. "It's empty."

I gave him a mysterious smile. "Of course it is."

"A concealment charm," he said, nodding, taking a step closer. "May I?"

"No," I said, closing the doors. "You can touch anything in this place, except this. Understood?" They nodded, and I smiled. "Should we break our fast?"

While eating, Lexie could not keep her eyes off me. "You look terribly sick. I'm worried."

"I suffer a fever whenever I go out," I reasoned. "I'm sure this will pass once I get acquainted with the new environment. The air in this new world is too clean for my body, I'm afraid." They chuckled, and I winced at the sound. I waited until the ringing in my ears became tolerable. "But I've been meaning to ask. Dr. Spinett has been giving me some pills for my headaches. Do you know where I can get one?"

"There are a lot of pills out there for headaches," said Tiff, "but to be sure, we have to ask Dr. Spinett or Akiko. They may have given something especially made for you."

"As you said, your body is not used to the new environment. You may not be genetically ready to consume just anything," Akira added.

Lexie pulled out a thin tablet. It lit up at a glance. She scrolled through. "Akiko has a list of the things we should watch out for. Fever, headache, body weakness, and-"

"Thank you," I said, closing my eyes. "But can you turn that off? It's too blinding."

Hearing me, Celine dimmed the lights as well.