Stars Have Fallen - editing

vi - a lot to learn

Date not specified: The Pacific Isle

Eighty miles off the coast of Southern CA

Afternoon, exact time not specified

The walk to the housing building had been a quiet one. Corban should have been unnerved by the way Lady Teresa observed him, her doe eyes raking up and down his injured body in disbelief, but he tiredly dismissed her peculiar antics.

They'd weaved through the crowded courtyard passed the multitude of Ladies of Time and into a smaller version of the grand castle at their backs. Corban hadn't known what he'd expected from 'the Hall,' but the ebony fortress that rose above the clouds and the stained glass dome that hosted meetings wasn't like anything he'd imagined.

The inside of the housing was much like the main castle's. The hallways were dark, lit only by old-fashioned lamps that ran on kerosene. Corban breathed in the mansion's musky smell and ran a finger along the obsidian walls. Teresa still eyed him while he was overtaken by the beauty of the Home.

Corban continued to limp behind Lady Teresa, her white and tan wings perking up every now and then. They climbed up stair after stair. His room was on the fifth floor, she had said. A great warm-up for him in the morning.

While he liked to stop and take in the architectural beauty that was the building, she couldn't have cared less. Of course, she had probably been to the Hall too often to care much about its overwhelming appearance during her visits. He didn't know if he'd ever expect to grow used to the sky scraping towers and the stain glass windows that depicted tales of heroes and the hell that was war.

Every so often, he tried to fire up some small talk, but Teresa didn't seem half as interested in having an actual conversation with him as much as her eyes did.

There could be a number of reasons she's staring at you. Corban shook her unwavering gaze away as an involuntary shiver went down his spine.

"Room 3B," she stopped in front of an iron door of the same fashion as the others. Like the rooms they had passed before his, a bronze plate had been nailed to the door.

3B. His room name was stamped into the bronze, permanent, very much unlike his multiple foster homes.

Teresa turned the delicate knob of kaleidoscope glass that reflected specks of light on the dark hallway walls. The winged girl pushed it open, allowing Corban to get a good look at his future home.

He let in a deep intake of breath. The ceiling to floor windows that replaced the farthest wall from him gave Corban a view of the forest that stretched before him.

The door opened into his bedroom, and his eyes lingered from corner to corner of the vast room. A queen-sized mattress rose to Corban's waist as he examined every detail of the lovely four poster bed. White covers contrasted against the stone walls of obsidian, making the room brighten. Lavender drapes at the foot and sides of the bed swung low to the ground, falling into neat folds at the marble floor.

Across from his bed, an ivory wardrobe leaned against the wall. He didn't pay as much attention to it as to the sleek flatscreen that graced the room with its bold modern look. Corban had always dreamed of having a tv in his room.

"Ahem."

Lady Teresa held his book bag by her pinkie finger. She sniffed as he grabbed his bag from her, giving the boy a look of disapproval.

What the hell have I done now?

"Dinner starts in two hours, and curfew is by 1 am," Teresa told him. She produced a pamphlet from her back pocket and gave it to Corban. The front and back were blank, and he opened it up to reveal a large map of the Pacific Isle. A large black dot indicated the Hall, and a smaller one the Home.