CORRUPTED FILE [Lumina Chronicles Past Drafts]

Level Twenty-Nine: A Lesson in Etiquette

Once I was certain Kindle was asleep, I slipped off the bed and retrieved my pajamas from the dresser. As I worked the zipper of my gown open, I realized my hands were shaking. It makes sense, I noted, a lot has happened tonight. I pulled my pajamas on, heaving a sigh. The dress was beautiful, sure, but it was so heavy. After that many hours of wearing it, it became extremely uncomfortable.

I climbed back into the bed, sitting silently. When I'd first returned from the ball, I'd wanted nothing more than to curl up under the blankets and sleep. Now sleep was an impossibility. I sat on my side of the bed with my knees pulled close to my chest as I watched the uneven rise and fall of Kindle's breaths as he slept. He was in pain; probably having horrible nightmares. I reached out a still-shaking hand and carefully pushed Kindle's hair out of his eyes. His eyebrows were furrowed; he was frowning in his sleep.

"One kiss does not give you the right to be a creep, you know."

I jumped, shooting a glare at Carlyle, who had materialized in the chair on the other side of the room. "You were watching?" I asked, my face heating up.

Carlyle smiled slyly. "No, I just had a suspicion," He chuckled, "Thanks for confirming it."

"Being irritating is your only source of amusement, isn't it?"

"Of course not," Carlyle replied, sounding offended. "I also enjoy relaxing with a good book, but alas I no longer have the ability to turn a page." He wiggled his pale fingers at me.

I rolled my eyes at him before looking back at Kindle again, falling silent. "What does it give me then?" I asked after a moment, replying to Carlyle's original remark. "Or does nothing change?"

Carlyle shrugged, "That depends on you, Maggie. Do you want it to change?"

I bit my lip, shaking my head. "I don't know. Yes, I think. I just..." I trailed off for a moment and ran a hand through my curls. They were more like waves now, most of Serpina's work having faded. "I can't, I'm not even sure how to word it, date? Kindle and I... there's no way we can be together, I can't stay in this world, and I'm sure Kindle knows that."

Carlyle nodded thoughtfully, "I think he does. I also think he wants you to go back to your world, it would be safer for you there."

"Then why is he making me so unsure?" I sighed, falling back on the pillows with my eyes closed. "When I first got here, all I wanted was to go home. Now... I think it will hurt just as much leaving as it would staying, maybe even more."

"Are you sure Kindle's really to blame for that?" Carlyle asked.

I shook my head, my eyes stinging. "No, it's also you. And Faye, and Serpina, and now Cas." I rolled onto my side so that I could see Carlyle. "I'm going to lose more than I'll be getting back when I leave here." All I had waiting for me was Elle and her parents. Jackie and Magnus certainly wouldn't care one way or another if I came back. And at school, I really only talked to three or four people— not including Elle— on a regular basis. "I'm so scared that when the time comes for me to go back to my realm, I won't be able to."

"You've already decided that you're going back."

I nodded.

Carlyle shrugged, "Well then there's nothing you can do but make the best of your time here, is there? And how you go about doing that is entirely up to you."

I smiled wryly. "You should be a therapist, you know that?"

"Eh, I don't know." Carlyle sighed, "seems like it would get depressing after a while."