expire

Chapter 19

Chapter 19

When I woke my eyes were crusty with sleep. My hair fell in mismatched clumps and stuck up and down, as if it had been crimped...but with a pair of sticks. My nightgown, silky as it was, had spilt out all over the floor of the corridor, creating a hazard for any sleepy-eyed early riser. I would be right in their path.

I felt a sudden wave of goosebumps shimmy along the length of my arms – although I couldn't see them, I knew they were there – as a breeze washed over me from the open window above. Darn, I thought, I forgot to close it. I used my arm to push myself up, muscles aching from being curled up in the foetal position for the past couple of hours, and almost trod on a hand. I followed the hand upwards; from the hand to the arm to the head – and I suddenly remembered that Jola was there. Immediately embarrassed, I recoiled back, shooting up straight and springing back as if I had been bitten. Though of course, it was the complete opposite of that. I was worried the others might jump to conclusions – the wrong conclusions – before I'd have a chance to explain. Not that there was anything to explain, really. I cried, he held me close. We slept in the hallway together.

Nothing unusual about that. No. Nothing at all.

Leaning over Jola, I rose up on tiptoe to reach the sash on the window, wincing at the all-too-soon cold air streaming through the gap. My hand had just closed in on the handle, and was in the process of closing the space between window and window pane, when Seren wandered out into the hall, white sleep gown glittering silver in the morning light. Her empty eyes were still half closed, as if she were sleep walking, and her hair, like mine, hung in long, straggly tangles. Her eyes rose from the floor to meet with mine, and I bit my lip at her surprised expression when she eyed Jola, still in peaceful slumber, slouched against the wall. Then she grinned, her glassy eyes creasing at the edges, and put a finger to her lips. “Shhhhh”. Seren then glided over to me, light as a feather, and whispered, “I won't tell a soul,” before winking and then skipping out of sight, down the stairs to the dining room for breakfast. I watched her go, face-palming myself at my sleepiness. I should have moved away from the scene; Seren thought she had me rumbled.

Damn.

Finally picking my way free of the hallway, I slipped past the window and slunk down the little glass stairway after Seren, running my hand down the banister, the smooth surface gliding beneath my skin. The steps felt cool beneath my feet, and I wondered if the air from the window had got to them. It was quite possible, after all.

Once I reached the bottom, I glanced upwards, assessing the scene before me.

Seren was leaning against one of the glass pillars supporting the floor above, a bowl of what looked like cereal in one hand, in the other a spoon, poised mid-scoop. Her eyes were focused on a white figure standing in the doorway, so focused she didn't acknowledge my silent entrance. The white figure did though, and she smiled in recognition. I returned her grin.

“Cerise,”

“Ivy. How are you this morning?”

Chameleon girl was back...and she wasn't alone. A woman, taller than she, stood awkwardly in the doorway, her pale complexion blending with her white-washed overalls and long, cascading hair, also white, quivering in a tight ponytail down her back. She was pretty, but plain, and I wondered if any of the Chinas had ever rebelled against their strict appearance rules. She caught my gaze and raised an eyebrow, and I hurriedly switched my attention back to Cerise before she could say anything.

“I'm fine, thank you....but what are you doing here so early?” I rubbed my eyes as if to exaggerate my tiredness. Cerise smiled sympathetically.

“I'm sorry, I forgot that Transparents woke up so late on in the day. But this, your Special Case, is something that must be dealt with. And in private; It is a necessity that we keep this a secret.”

Why?

My eyes flitted to the clock hovering by the wall above Seren's head. 7:09. It wasn't that late! I looked back at Cerise. She prompted me with her dark eyes, as if nudging a response from within my incoherent thoughts.

“Wait...You mean today? Now?”

“What's going on here?” A voice appeared from behind me, and I followed the sound to it's source; Solstice. Unlike Seren and I, she had somehow retained her angelic appearance throughout the night, her long hair waving down past her shoulders and spiralling at the tips. Although sleepy eyed, she looked awake, her wide glass eyes opened halfway, surveying the scene through a bed-eyed glaze. She zoned in on Cerise. “What are the Chinas doing here?”

Seren's spoon scraped against her bowl. I looked up to her for help, suddenly recalling Cerise's warning to 'keep this a secret', but she had suddenly taken an interest in her granola. I sighed, locking eyes with Cerise to make sure it was okay if Solstice knew. She paused, before nodding ever so slightly in response.

I turned to my Paladin. “My family has been killed. Unnecessarily. It's a Special Case.” I knew I could have said more, but I could see by her lost expression that I had lost Solstice's attention. Her hand came down on my shoulder.

“Ivy...I-I'm so sorry,” She finally made eye contact, but it was weak, and she soon averted her gaze to the window. “This wasn't supposed to happen...”

I frowned. “What?”

“Oh, nothing...anyway, we better get going, then. Ivy, eat your breakfast.”

She reminded me of my mother sometimes.

I wondered over to the kitchen, retrieving a striped bowl from the stack Seren had put out earlier on the counter top. I splashed milk and granola into it's curved walls and fished a clean spoon out from the open cutlery drawer beside me, immediately loading it with cereal once my hunger made itself known; an indistinguishable rumble echoed from within the regions of my stomach. Crunching on my breakfast I suddenly realised my frown was still pasted over my face, and I hastily smoothed it out into a calmer expression before puzzling over Solstice's 'Oh, nothing'. Did she really think me to be that dumb?

Because there was no way I'd believe that.