Nyx (ON HOLD)

Aislingate, Part V

I stayed holed up in my new bedroom in the Victorian house's attic until long after sunset, when I heard Adaline yelling to me from one of the two floors below. The first thing I'd done after recovering my wits was to draw the heavy black curtains; the arched Gothic windows might be locked tight, keeping me protected from anything that might dare venture onto the cramped balconies, but I still didn't want to advertise my presence - and while it was a pain to grope around for the lightswitch in utter darkness, I felt safer that way.

This way, no one could see me - not even the strange girl down in the village. The one who'd seen me.

I shoved thoughts about the girl, Ethan, and Adaline from my mind as I fetched my box and backpack from the second storey and lugged them up the nosebleed-narrow steps. Mom's ashes would be mailed soon, or so Zoe had said, and most of my other things were coming by train. I'd had to choose carefully, but the non-negotiables had included enough clothes for a few days, and my laptop.

I eyed the cobwebbed electrical plugs carefully before picking the one that looked least likely to electrocute me. To my relief the lights in the room dimmed only briefly as the computer booted up, and my grandmother's wifi was unsecured, listed under her address. I'd have to do something about that, but for the moment it was well enough. Having to seek out my grandmother just to ask for a password would've been more trouble I didn't need.

When I finally did hear her calling, I found my way back down to the ground floor with no trouble. The stairs themselves ran through the core of the house like a spiral, so after enough left turns I was at the strange squid of a newel post again. There were two doors set in the wall to my left; the nearer led into what looked like a dark dining room, a long wooden table gleaming at me amid the moonlight, while the further led through into a lit kitchen. My grandmother stood beside the stove - and she didn't even look at me as I entered the room, squinting against the harsh fluorescent tube lights.

"Help yourself," she offered, nodding at a bulky silver pot that had been left to warm. Whatever it was, it smelled good, and Adaline only offered a single word as to its contents: "Chowder."

I didn't ask questions. I couldn't imagine pawing through the chipped cupboards, searching for something more familiar as my grandmother watched me balefully with those flat silver eyes. Seafood wasn't usually a go-to food group for me, but I was surprised to find that I liked it immensely; after being outside and upstairs so long, the warmth radiating from the mug restored feeling to my fingers that I didn't noticed I'd lost.

Mom's death, saying goodbye to Zoë, the trip here...it had all left me numb. But now there was no more moving around, and there was only one big hurdle left: the first day at my new school - and that was a whole twelve hours away.

"Settling in all right?" My grandmother's voice startled me, and I choked on the savory broth, my throat burning as I nearly inhaled it.

I nodded. "Thanks."

Those were the only words we exchanged - and I hurriedly scarfed the rest of what was in my bowl, washing it by hand and leaving it to drip dry in the rack beside the sink before retreating to the attic. Evidently my grandmother didn't have a dishwasher, or if she did, she didn't use it. Just another thing to add to the list of reasons I had to split from this place as soon as humanly possible.

💙

A linen cabinet on the second floor had been mysteriously left open, and I raided it on my way back upstairs, coming away with some extra pillows and a heavy blanket. It was enough to make myself a cosy little nest; aside from the minor hassle of having to climb back down to the second floor to brush my teeth, the room was already proving itself a godsend in being far enough removed to pretend that I was on my own.