The House With a Secret Within Its Walls - Florence Zimmerman

Chapter 4 - The Backpack

"Thank you, Florence.", the shapeshifter's voice rang in her ears.

She never told Ember her name.

—•°•—

Florence decided not to ask any questions for now. Ember didn't seem to have any malicious intentions; if she did, then she wouldn't have been able to enter the house — the protection spells would have kept her out.

Florence to wait and see what happens. She put a smile on her face as she headed back to the living room, carrying a plate of cookies. She set them down in Ember's lap.

"Her you go, enjoy," she took one for herself and took a bite to prove they're not poisonous.

That seemed to put the shapeshifter's mind at ease. She picked up a biscuit as well and tasted it.

"It's delicious!" she exclaimed with her mouth full. "Without any doubt the best thing I ever tasted."

Her pupils dilated like a cat's, turning her usual sharp gaze into a look of almost childlike wonder.

"I know," Florence said proudly, and she straightened her back a little more — yes, even more than normally —, in a way that reminded Ember of a vain peacock.

"You're really awesome," Ember praised. "Is there anything you can't do?"

"Hmm... I can't wink, for example," Florence joked.

"You can't?" the shapeshifter chuckled in disbelief. "Really?"

"Yup," Florence nodded, still smiling. "I can't figure it out for the death of me. Apparently I just can't move my eyes individually."

"Well, check this out," Ember put her half eaten cookie down on the plate, looked straight at Florence, and crossed her eyes, then uncrossed them and made them both look outwards, in opposite directions.

"Stop!" the witch laughed, turning her head away so that she wouldn't have to look at the twisted eye movements. "That's so weird!"

"It's not even the weirdest thing," Ember sounded almost proud of her off-putting capabilities. "I can touch my own eyeballs with my fingers, without flinching or blinking. I can also move my eyebrows individually, plus bend my joints in a way regular people can't... and my ears, I can move my ears."

"It must come with your magical powers," Florence became a bit more serious (and curious). "The hypermobility, I mean."

"It probably does," Ember agreed, picking her cookie back up and continuing to munch on it with pure awe on her face. Florence didn't let her enjoy it in peace for too long.

"I haven't even asked, do you have any belongings you brought with you?"

"Yeah, I had time to pack some stuff, not much though," Ember responded after swallowing. "But I lost my bag in the chase."

"Where?" the witch stood up so suddenly that Ember almost flinched. Caught off guard, again.

"You're not planning to go and get it, are you?" the shapeshifter frowned.

"Of course I am," Florence retrieved her jacket and her magic umbrella. "Don't even try to stop me. I know the risks and I'm gonna take them."

"You're joking," Ember chuckled in disbelief. "If you run into the siblings again, you won't be able to talk yourself out of it this time, especially if you have my belongings in your hand. They won't kill you, but there's a long list of things that are worse than death, and they're more than ready to turn it into a to-do list."

"I know the risks, and I'm gonna take them," Florence repeated in a raised voice.

"For a backpack?" Ember stood up as well.