Solve Me

(7), In Which Help Is Anything But Recieved

Her luggage was brought to her the next morning by the woman, who she learned was named Dr. Whitman. Tad wasn't wrong when he said she would be signed up for some kind of therapy. She wasn't exactly happy about it, but she dealt. Her first meeting was that afternoon, scheduled at 3:30 until 4:30.

When Lily first woke up from her spot on the couch, she sat up slowly. The previous night she had been too exhausted to search for any kind of room, just crashing in the first soft thing she saw. Now that she was awake, she would be able to explore a bit. She decided to stick to the first floor for the day, unwilling to overstep her boundaries. The first room she looked at was the one she had been in the first time she had properly met Tad, the living room. It was overrun with papers covered in loopy, elegant writing that she could only assume was her employer's. A few books lay scattered around, some on creatures she had never heard of, while others were on philosophy and whatnot.

The couch was grey, giving the steel-blue walls a good accent. There was a navy blue armchair on one side, and another one across from it. Everything was facing a chimney, while the couch sat under a window looking out onto the street. There was a carpet as well, a light grey, sitting under a soft blue colored table in the center. Lily found his fascination in the color combination strange, but interesting.

Exiting the living room, Lily entered the hall that led to the front door. There was a desk in one corner, that she decided must be where he met with clients. Not much was in the hallway but a coat rack and a little mud area for shoes. Her luggage lay next to the door, along with her art supplies, which she had moved as well. The walls were also blue in here, and she wondered if they were blue throughout the whole building.

Also on the lower floor was a bathroom, which was pretty self-explanatory, along with a kitchen. The kitchen was of a descent size, complete with a gas stove, countertops that were once again, grey and white, with blue walls. There was also an oven and a sink, along with an icebox to keep things cold. In the center of the room was a neat little table made of wood with a blue table cloth. Lily now knew one question she would never have to ask Tad.

Her little exploration took a good hour, but she had yet to find a library. She wondered if it was on an upper floor. She didn't want to intrude on his home, which was his private space. By now it was around 10:30, as she had slept in until around 9:30. She had about five hours to kill before her appointment. To pass time, she picked up a book from the living room that was about a creature called a Perringale. Perringales, Lily soon learned, were small, mouse-like creatures that happened to make good pets. But only for those who could see them. Apparently these animals were only visible to those who had discovered, and embraced their true selves, those who knew who they were and loved themselves for it.

Lily decided she was still figuring herself out. Back in London, she was unable to discover her true self, as she wasn't allowed to do this and that. Here, she could figure out what she liked and disliked, what kind of activities she enjoyed doing that hadn't been allowed in her previous home. What kind of person it would take to steal into her heart and take the key. Instinctively, she reached up to touch her chest, and was a bit surprised when she felt that the key to Tad's place was still hanging from around her neck.

She pulled it off, examining it. The key was a bit old fashioned, with a pretty twist of metal at the end, creating interesting shapes. She put it back on to make sure she wouldn't lose it, and sighed. She had gotten a good ways into the book. She found a blank piece of paper, and folded it neatly into a bookmark to save her page. Glancing at the clock, she saw that it was nearly time for her therapy appointment. She scowled, grabbing the paper the woman had given her with directions on it, and walked outside, locking the door behind her. She had brought with her some paper and pencils in case she was allowed to draw.