The Unknown Alchemist

Chapter 43 - Nightmares

Avery couldn't hear any movement by the time she cracked her eyes open the next day. Sapiens only slept for half as much time as humans, so she was used to waking up to house already busy with activity. For a minute she lay in bed, taking in the sunshine and going through the night's events in her mind. She replayed everything, ensuring that it hadn't been a dream.

The kiss from Roedin had been an unexpected surprise, but one that she didn't regret for a minute. She closed her eyes and sighed, remembering that earthy scent. The house had been empty when he dropped her off, and but she had fallen asleep with her skin tingling under the secret.

Avery mused over the kiss while she washed and brushed out her hair, trying hard not to read into it too much. She didn't want to be one of those vapid females that over-analysed every glance or comment from a male. But Roedin's kiss had certainly given her something to think about.

Expecting to be late for breakfast, she bounded down the stairs but found the dining room empty, the dishes and food all cleared away. Usually someone lingered over coffee with catching up on paperwork.

"I didn't sleep that late," she mumbled defensively, then wandered down the hall to the kitchen. Inside Nicholas was chopping fruit on the centre counter while Cora perched on a stool, her head resting heavily on one hand and the other clutching a mug of coffee.

"Good morning!" Avery chimed as she skipped into the room and plunked herself down on another stool.

Cora merely waved a hand in the air but Nicholas glanced up from his chopping and grinned. "Good morning to you too! You seem chipper this morning. Didn't get carried away with those cocktails?"

Avery shrugged and reached for the pot to pour herself a cup of coffee as well. "Not too much. Unlike my friend Cora here," she grimaced at the sapien who couldn't seem to keep her eyes open. "You're looking a little worse for wear. Why don't you just go back to bed?"

Cora sat up straight and blinked, trying to wake herself up. "No, I can manage. I did this to myself, I will suffer the consequences."

"Did this to yourself? It was your birthday! You shouldn't feel guilty about letting loose. I certainly don't, and it wasn't even my birthday!"

Nicholas chuckled and slid a bowl of salad in front of Avery as if he had known the human would arrive just as he finished chopping the fruit. Avery gave him a questioning look and he shrugged, "Cora's idea."

Avery thanked him and dug into the bowl like it was her first meal in days.

"When is your birthday?" Nicholas asked from where he cleaned knife in the sink.

Avery toyed with the fruit in her bowl. "I don't know."

The housekeeper and cook shared a look. "Well if you don't know then we can just pick a date. Any date you'd like."

Avery considered the proposition. "I guess so. It should be a good date, you know? Have some meaning."

"Well it seems that a good date would be when you brought Roedin back to us. That was the day you were born in our world, so we can make that your birthday," Nicholas suggested.

Avery looked between the sapien servants who had worked with the alpha family for centuries and nodded appreciatively. "Yeah, I think that sounds good!"

She continued to munch on the fruit salad while she thinking this over. At the end of the summer it would be a year since they escaped the Cabin and crashed into the back patio of Ember Place. So much had happened over that year, she had seen and done so much. The good and the bad.

"Where is everyone?" she asked with her mouth full.

Nicholas cleaned the fruit off the counter and brought over a plate of toast. "Sari and Hayden left via slipstream for an urgent meeting first thing. Said Adelyn would meet them there. Haven't seen Arctos or Niamh yet this morning though they usually come around looking for bacon and eggs after a heavy night. Roedin came by earlier but you were still in bed. He seemed in an unusually good mood though..." Nicholas gave her a sidelong glance but didn't say anything more.