Made of Constellations

CHAPTER 12

I was floating on clouds and wrapped in cotton balls and bathing in the warm rays of sun. Willing my eyelids to push open was quite the effort. I sat up in my cloud of pillows and furry soft blankets. The room I was in was bigger than my entire house. I've never seen a room so intricately decorated with white walls and gold details. To my right, there was a massive window the length of the wall overlooking a forest. The rays of sunlight peeking through the trees made its way through the window to cast a spotlight on the lavish cream carpet covering the entire room. This place looked like a hotel that would have cost a million dollars just for one night.

The windowsill was covered in gold that was shaped into vines and flowers and leaves. It reminded me of my grandmother's mirror back home. On the wall in front of me hung a beautiful painting of a vase overflowing with pink roses and lilies and babies breaths. Directly under that was a small wooden table and chair decorated with gold vines on its edges. On the same wall were two doors on either side of the table. Another larger double mahogany door on the left wall of the room was decorated with the same golden vines. The gold handles were polished to reflect everything in this room.

I had to blink a few times just to confirm that this was real. This room was fit for royalty. I would have adored this place as a little girl who loved to play dress up in pink ball gowns and plastic tiaras. I wanted to see what was inside the two doors in front of me, I wanted to feel my feet brush against the plush white carpet, I wanted to jump up and down on this bed of cotton, and I wanted to dance around the room in a pink tutu and a plastic tiara. How can this be real when I was at home just yesterday, sitting on an old wooden table submitting my assignment.

The soft knock on the double doors and the twist of the gold handle were like a pinch that brought me back to reality. He was sporting a midnight blue tunic with black leather pants and knee high boots. Khillian looked like he'd stepped straight out of the 19th century. If only men back home dressed this regal rather than baggy jeans and fluorescent shoes.

"Well would you look at that. I almost didn't recognise you without your pink socks" Khillian strolled into the room like it was normal to walk into strangers rooms.

"How are you feeling Lyrae darling?" I heard Quins voice before he stepped into the room behind Khillian, now in a brown leather tunic.

"Oh hush you two, let the girl have some food first" the owner of the honey sweet voice stepped into the room holding a tray full of fruits. She set the tray beside me before plopping herself next to me on the bed. If Khillian was a Greek god then the creature sitting next to me was an angelic goddess. Her small face was framed with soft brown curls that just reached her chin. Her eyes the same colour as Quin's, and her thin rosy lips were sporting a smile that was as bright as the rays of sun that were showering her through the window.

Khillian joined the beautiful girl and made himself comfortable on the edge of the bed next to her, while Quin was staring intently at me from the foot of the bed.

"Do you feel better Lyrae? I'm sorry we had to bring you through a portal" It was Quins concerned tone that made everything that happened come tumbling back to me.

My cheeks and ears felt like they were on fire as I remembered being sprawled on a wooden floor with my own vomit keeping me company. I remembered heaving everywhere after being flung out of that ruthless vortex. I looked down at myself expecting to be covered in filth and gut contents.

But I was spotless. I was in a soft white cotton night gown, my hair washed and brushed. There were no traces of mud caked under my nails, and my dirty pink socks have disappeared. My whole face was on fire at the thought of someone washing me and clothing me and seeing me bare naked. I've never allowed anyone to see me like that.