Sleep with the Lights On ✔️

4. Everyone and Their Own Intentions

Cassie woke from yet another dreamless sleep and for a moment she forgot about all the things that had recently changed. She glanced out the window and found that it was grimy. The sky was just as grey and cloudy as ever. She pressed her nose against the cool glass and tried to keep her thoughts simple, she would try to ease herself into life in the Underworld.

The sky never seemed to get any darker or lighter, it stayed the same dismal shade of grey while dark smoke puffed out of the propeller planes that still made their rounds in the sky. She followed a plane with her eyes and let her mind wander. What could she do to pass the time, she could try magic but she didn't want to risk the chance of passing out and dreaming again. 

She pulled herself away from the window and rubbed her nose and the spot she had left on the dirty window. She changed into her underworld clothes and went to the living room. Peros was slumped over a book, he looked incredibly awkward and uncomfortable with "The Many Beings of the Underworld" open in his lap. Cassie approached him quietly, his breathing was deep and even. She pulled the book from his lap and maneuvered his thin body into a more comfortable position. He wiggled his body into the couch and continued his deep sleep.

Cassie smiled, She had begun to worry about the stress she was putting on Peros. It had only been a few days and already she was overwhelmed and overwhelming Peros as well. Cassie entered the kitchen for the first time and truly examined it. The dirty plates from dinner were out on the counter. She set about washing them and as she did she continued her inspection. The cabinets were plain white and the counters were tiled forest green, a little grime lay in between the tiles. She had realized the 'tidy' spell had just put things away and things were just as dirty as ever. She finished the dishes and started searching through the cupboards.

She pulled together a haphazard meal and set it on two plates. She smiled at the attempt to be helpful, She didn't know how she could possibly show gratitude to Peros. She brought the food in and set it on the coffee table. Peros was still sleeping soundly and she decided she didn't want to wake him. The sandwiches she prepared could wait for him to be rested.

She heard a noise at the door and she ran to it, it was still locked but a little purple envelope was on the floor. Someone must have slipped it through the mail slot. Cassie picked it up and turned it over in her hands, she couldn't decide if she should open it or not. There was no name on the front indicating who it was from or who it was for. She put the letter with the food on the table and wandered around the apartment.

Her curiosity clawed at her brain and she resisted the urge to read the letter but she could not. She went back to the coffee table and picked up Basic Magic and the purple envelope. She wanted to read it and she was too impatient to wait for Peros to wake up. She took the book and the envelope into the bedroom and sat on Peros' bed.

She opened basic magic and skimmed through the first few pages. She found a shield spell that she thought would come in handy, if anything ever happened to her. A lot of things were hitting her now, mostly how she was a burden on Peros and utterly helpless in the Underworld. She longed for her old independence but she had been thrust into a world where she didn't have the skills to survive. For a while, she realized, she had no help but to be useless. But with magic as a failsafe she stared at the shield spell and memorized it. Clypeum. Maybe with this she could help protect Peros as well. She smiled at her accomplishment. She felt like she was on her way to being independent again. She let the small triumph give her the confidence to open the letter. She ripped the envelope open before she could talk herself out of it.

"Peros, if you haven't still got that Fever I expect you at my place for dinner. If you've still got it, get rid of it somehow. I'll still be expecting you for dinner no matter what. - Essylt"