Fernweh {Discontinued}

[Chapter 8]

Sleep is what you did for the past few days. Your body hadn't fully recovered from running around and fighting just yet. You also felt that the spells you did caused some of your fatigue. Being inside the single room, you had lost track of time because of the lack of clock in your room. You had your alarm clock in one of the boxes but no where to plug it in. You guessed that two days had passed because every time you woke up, you would find a tray of food on the table. Three meals equaled one day.

Those meals varied each day from something you easily recognized, like waffles, to something odd and bizarre. Yesterday's dinner was some sort of kebabs with meat and vegetables you never seen. It was delicious but took a few minutes of encouraging yourself to finally eat it. There was also the strange bags of sweets and chips that came with each meal.

The bags had been discarded to the waste bucket at the corner of the room but you could still see the colorful packaging and loud lettering of PAOPU FRUIT SNACKS and SEA SALT CHOCOLATE CHIPS. Both were delicious and came with little toys to collect and play with. The Paopu fruit had a strange star shaped puzzle, where you had to piece the parts together while the Sea Salt Chocolate Chips came with a little disk shooter. You had gathered a small collection of two prizes from each snack, two disk shooters and two puzzles, that you always had in your pockets.

With only that as your entertainment and two days of resting, it was enough to cause your legs to itch for movement. Breakfast had already been served when you woke up. You had eaten and wondered whether to go out and search for someone or stay and wait. But before that, it was time to get out of your pajamas. You had sorted through your clothing a few hours ago after opening the suitcase and had to organize the contents that spilled out. You picked out an outfit and went to the bathroom to get ready.

When you looked in the mirror on the first day, you had seen your swollen eyes and what a mess you were in. Today, however, your eyes seemed to have recovered. You took a shower and got ready into your favorite outfit. In these two days, you hadn't seen or talked to anybody. You sighed, wondering who was the one bringing in your meals and snacks.

You walked over to the monitor and stared at the bracelet on top of the monitor. You swallowed the lump in your throat and just smiled at the memory of your parent's final goodbye. Clasping on the bracelet, you turned to face the door.

Should you wait for someone or go outside?

Before you could decide, a distinct scratching was heard at your door. Your memory flashed to when you were surrounded by those creatures and your heart began to race. But your heart was put to rest when you heard a whimper. You passed your hand against the door and watch it slide open. You just stared at the dog that stared right back. It had dark brown fur that faded from a caramel to white. It nudged your hand asking to be petted. 

You knelt down and smiled, remembering previous pets of yours. You scratched behind the ears and chuckled as it leaned into your hand. You continued to smile, giving it a hug.

"So, what's your name?" you asked, expecting an answer.

"Sant' Angelo di Roma."

You jumped at the voice, standing straight up. You leaned onto the door frame after a dizzy spell from rising too quickly. Leon gave you a look as the dog came to his side.

"Angelo, for short though," Leon kneeling down and petting the dog. "I came to check in on you and to introduce you to everyone." You nodded and watched him turn and walk down the hall. Your eyes flashed from his back to the line separating your room from the slate blue hallway.

"Come on," he stopped and watched your nervous glancing about. "You can go at your own pace. If you want I can come back later." You shook your head and continued to stare at that single line, the border between the comfort of being surrounded by your things and the unknown of your future.