Elysian

Chapter Three.

It was early morning in Toronto when Sophie and Rayni landed on the sidewalk in front of the townhouse. The streetlights were slowly turning off as the sun rose, reflecting off the melting snow that littered the ground.

"Are you sure this is the best plan?" Sophie looked over at Rayni.

"Two people knew about a certain safehouse at a time. Only Vespera and I knew about this one, and she's dead now, so yeah."

"Do you have a key?"

"There should be one hidden outside." She stepped up to the door and reached her hand into the potted plant next to it, her hand coming back out with a key a moment later. "Bingo."

Sophie walked up to the door as she inserted the key, twisting the doorknob and pushing it open.

The small foyer was dark and empty, empty of nothing but a table next to the door, a mirror, and an umbrella stand. Some stairs went up to the second floor, and there were two doorways, one on either side of the hall. The wallpaper was a faded yellow, peeling at the edges.

"It's been a while since I've been here," Rayni said, pushing past Sophie and going into the foyer. "It still smells like paint."

She was right. The heavy smell of paint still hung in the stagnant air, washing away the crisp cold from outside as Sophie closed the door behind them, and flipped on the light switch. An old light hanging from the ceiling flipped on, casting a warm glow into the room.

"The safehouse has two bedrooms, one down here and one upstairs. I stayed in the one down here last time, but since you're Miss Moonlark, go and pick." Rayni leaned against the railing on the stairs.

"You can keep the downstairs one if you want." Sophie shrugged.

"Alrighty. Follow me." Rayni ran up the stairs, and she followed her. The narrow stairs lead to a cramped landing with three doorways leading off of it.

"Bathroom," Rayni pointed to the one on the left. "Library," she pointed to the one on the right. "And this one is yours." She pushed the middle door open. There was a small room inside with a double bed that took up half the space, a dresser, a mirror, and a sliding door that led into a closet. There were two windows in the room, starting to let the sunlight flood in. The wallpaper in this room was a light blue with subtle floral patterns printed onto it in a silvery blue.

Keefe's right. I forgot how many floral patterns there are in the Forbidden Cities. Sophie thought, running her hand across the wallpaper.

"I'll be down in my room unpacking," Rayni said, and Sophie heard her footsteps fade away as she padded down the staircase. She closed the bedroom door and set her backpack down on the double bed. Unzipping it, she pulled out Ella and set her down in front of the pillows, the bright blue elephant standing out against the dull duvet and pillowcases.

While unpacking her clothes, her hand slipped into a small pocket and pulled out her iPod and earbuds.

I forgot I put those in here. she thought, before setting it on her nightstand and tucking her backpack into the closet with her clothes.

Sophie closed the closet door and fell onto the bed, dust motes scattering as she landed on the duvet.

What the hell do I do now?