SEVEN: When marble awakens

Chapter 4: To get hit by a river, to get hit by time

"Alright, I also thought you needed a home since you'll stay here for a while so- oops, I forgot you couldn't move all the time...", Sophia admitted, leaving the door open and sitting in the infamous left corner, awakening her companions.

"Hi Phia! What's that?",asked Jade after greeting her with a beaming smile, pointing at something outside the room.

"Hey Jade, I figured you could use a nice place to stay and just somewhere that'd feel like home, so I brought a bunch of stuff with me. Could you help me guys?"

"Coming",replied Estel with a hint of interrogation before heading towards the door, followed by Arthur, Peter and even Sierra. "Should we bring everything in?"

"Yes, please", retorted Sophia along an effortful panting.

"Isn't it sad? The way you follow me everywhere in order to learn basic etiquette?",smirked the gentleman.

"Isn't it sad? How terrified you are of me excelling at this job effortlessly, leaving you in the dust?",mimicked the pirate.

"I am in no mood to brable with you"

"Do I get bonus points if I act like I care?"

"Please, lady, gentleman, quit arguing like children",laughed Mariya, joining in too out of curiosity.

Sophia leaned her head against the wall and watched as the team piled up the items in the opposite corner.

A week has passed since her strange discovery, during which the young woman doubled down on searching, reading every book about the museum, interrogating each and every person who's been related to it directly or indirectly.

Excavating the internet has been such a hard task, but she didn't come across any similar event.

For a brief moment, she thought that, maybe, reading fiction books about time travel was not that bad of an idea, before proclaiming it as excessive a split second later.

"It's not much but I brought basic things like mattresses, clothes, cleaning supplies, and other things. I know you guys told me you don't use up your energy when you're statues, but you'll end up tired at some point."

"What about this...rectangular iron sheet?",demanded Estel, holding it under his arms as if it weighed nothing.

"That's an electrical hot plate", smiled Sophia. "In case you miss your comfort food".

"Huh? Where's the wood?", asked Sierra.

"No need, I'll show you later".

Sierra was the last one in line, closing the door with her foot while carrying a tower of pillows on her head.

"Impressed?"

"Not a single chance"

Guess who spoke.

"Anything new?", solicited Blake rather impatiently, sitting on a chair besides Sophia.

"I'm sorry...", apologized the latter. "I didn't find anything. You?"

"Nothing in the books you gave us. Nothing abnormal happened, not a message in the letters either...I'm afraid we're stuck", sighed Estel.

The artist mimicked him, then took a closer look at him. With his unmovable beret and constant thinking face, he gave off strong Sherlock Holmes vibes. In other circumstances, she would have written him poems about her love for the character.

He and Sierra were the only ones opening up to her during her visits at the museum this past week, along with Jade, with whom Sophia has made a point to get along. Therefore, making her feel safer and at ease was her priority.