Rising Smoke

Chapter Five

I stop breathing. He can't be serious. But the look in his eyes says he is. I'm shaking my head. "What I am?" What could I be then? What happened to me? He knows. His eyes says he knows. But he's not saying anything. Why isn't he saying anything? You can't just do that, you can't just leave a girl in suspense like that. But he does. Not intentionally of course. Or maybe he is. He doesn't look like he wants to tell me. Even telling me it was his fault to begin with was probably something he forced out. Something he really didn't want to tell me, but what needed to be said.

While I'm staring at him with wide eyes, he's staring back with sad eyes. Conran comes back, saying, "Ah, there you are. I thought Arlen would have taken you to your room by now. Oh well, I shall take you." And he does. Gently grabbing my arm, forcing my attention off of Arlen, he leads me down another hallway. Leaving Arlen behind, who dropped his head when Conran came. I wanted to stay and talk to Arlen some more. Question him. But my mind is chaotic, tired from the day's events and from what I have learned. So I let Conran lead me away.

I'm lost in my own thoughts as we walk, passing open rooms, doors and more hallways. Repeating in my head and murmuring out loud, "What am I?" What happened to me? Why can't I remember? I remember my childhood Earth memories. But of this place? No. What is this place? I know Conran explained it to me, about the dimensions, that this one is called Aurila and Earth's is Loli. But multiple dimensions? That's crazy. I only know of four dimensions one, two, three, and four, which is time.

I guess I said, What am I? loud enough, because Conran stops and turns to me. He says softly, "You are one of us, Leila." He looks at me seriously, his eyes guarded, for a beat or two, before saying, "Here's your room." He nods and gestures to a room behind me. "There's clothes that should fit you and should be more comfortable than this... Dress. I will send in a maid to help you undress. Tomorrow we will talk, but right now you need your rest. Good night." With that, he walks away.

"What are you, though?" I whisper to his retreating back. Taking a deep breath, which isn't all that deep, because of my corset, I turn toward my door. I open it and step inside. It's similar to the one I was first placed in, but more feminine and personal. Lacy curtains covering the windows, a vanity, a big bed with floral designs on it, makes up the right half. On the left is a big hearth, a fire blazing in the fire place and a writing desk. The ones they used in the 1800s to write letters and whatnot. There are also flowers in different places of the room, which made it more feminine. It also smelled more feminine, not as masculine as the other one or like the castle. Wait, was this my room? Before everything? I will have to ask Arlen or Conran later. Yes, I am starting to come to terms with the idea of me being here. Being born and raised here.

There's a knock at the door and at my request a petite maid pokes her head in and then the rest of her body. "Miss, I'm here to help you with your dress." She curtsies. She has a slight accent, one I have never heard before.

I wave my hand, "No need for that."

"No need for what, miss?" She says as she walks over, helping me get this god awful dress off.

I shrug, "The curtsying and calling me 'miss'. It's not necessary, just call me Leila."

"Miss...," She says much to my dismay, "I would get in serious trouble if I didn't show you my respect." A sigh of relief comes out of my mouth when she takes off my corset and helps me into some night clothes it looks like. I can finally take a deep breath, thoroughly. She sits me down at the vanity and grabs a very nice looking, light green comb, which has pearls embedded in it.

"Why do I deserve respect? And why would you get in trouble if you didn't 'show me respect'?" I turn towards her, but she turns me back around to brush out my hair and braid it back, which feels really nice. Conran was right, I am tired. I can feel my eyes drooping, but I push past my tiredness to get answers out of the maid, who's name I don't know. I should ask, but I don't want to distract her from telling me what I need to know. Rude, I know, but completely understandable.

There's confusion in her voice when she says, "Miss, you do not know who you are in this place?" When I shake my head, she mumbles, "The rumors are true, then."

"What rumors?" I say, staring at my face in the mirror, then I glance at her. She stopped braiding my hair. She's looking down, not on my hair. Her hands are still. I turn around in my seat to face her, confusion on my face. She looks startled and guilty, like she shouldn't have spoken. She bites her lip. This is when I notice, she is just as pretty as the other girls who bathed and clothed me. I wrinkle my brow. For being nothing like humans, they are surprisingly like humans; the way they look and act are the same. Expect they are five times more attractive than the average human. She doesn't answer.

Softly, I say, "What is your name?"

"Cyetera," she whispers, so softly I barely hear her. She glances up at me, "But you can call me Cy." I nod, then smile. Her voice got stronger as she spoke. I like her. She's got a backbone.  

"Can you tell me what the rumors are of?" I ask, putting on my friendliest face. It's not hard to do.

"I really shouldn't say." She shakes her head, making her long, brown hair whip around her face. Her face is panicked and she looks about three seconds away from bolting. I grab her wrist and say something that has been nagging me, "Then can you tell me how you can speak English, but the guards and other maids can't." This drops her panicked expression and she brightens. I know I'm not going to be able to get the big, important answers out her anytime soon. So I will stick to mundane, random ones.

She laughs and rolls her eyes, something I wasn't expecting, and says, "Oh, everyone can, but we also have our own language, as well. It's much more comfortable to speak in our own language. Isn't it the same for you?"

"Yes," I realize I'm still holding her wrist and I let go, "but why didn't they answer my questions?"

She's about to answer, when there's a knock on my door. We both are startled and look at the door, but Cy jumps up and goes to open the door, after a voice says, "Leila? It's Arlen."