Seven

Chapter V

"Fang?" is the first thing that crosses my mind. A light nudge on my shoulder calms me. I was scared that he got lost in the portal.

"This thing is huge! Did they all live in there?" asked Jackson next to me. I take a swift glance at him and I have to check twice to make sure what I see is real. While his left eye is perfectly fine, the sclera of his right eye is completely red. And I am not the only one who notices.

"Jackson...your eye..." Nathalie points out, her face a mix of shock and curiosity. If you ask me, she seems to deal quite well with everything. But her appearance also changed. Her hair is a beautiful degradé of purple shades and her pupils are bloody red. As I scan all their faces, I realise that Ryan, Crilia and Andrew stayed the same. Louis, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. The sclera of both his eyes is a deep shade of red, making him look almost angrier that usual.

"As I told you, in this world your appearances will adapt so you will look just like your doppelgangers. But don't worry, you are not sick and you won't be affected by these changes." Melody reassures us. "Let's get inside. The interior is the real deal here." she tells us. Unlike back in our world, she belongs here and almost glows.

We make our way trough the magnificent garden, entering the grand doors. And I can tell you, she wasn't kidding. Once inside, I can't stop my mouth from forming a small 'o'. The corridors are large and lit in kind colors. Stairs seem to start from everywhere and to head in every corner of this majestic building. My eyes stay fixed on the complex paintings on the walls, picturing from fantastic creatures to gorgeous faces of ladies and men that all seem to come straight from the fantasy books I used to read when I was a toddler.

I am so caught up in drooling over the sight in front of me that I almost miss Melody starting to climb one of the stairs that snake up, getting lost somewhere above.

"Come on, dearies. Let's get you to your rooms."We make our way on the second floor, where a long corridor splits in different rooms.

"This will be your wing. Each one of you has a room. You can spend your free time here if you like, and also the individual practice, but the team practice I'd like to be held in the salon so I can watch your progress. I want you to take out of your head the idea of 'tests'. There will be no tests here. Magic can't be tested by a pattern and I can't force you all to do the same thing. But I will pay attention to your progress and how you deal with your powers. You will do team practice with your teammate and personal practice, such as meditation." Melody informs us.

"Can we meet in eachother's rooms to hang out?" Crilia asks. I already know what this is about and my lips curve up in a smile. We used to spend our time together in eachother's room back at the orphanage and I am looking forward to doing that again. I missed her a lot more than I want to admit.

"Of course! But I would appreciate if all of you retire to your own room at night!" Mel jokes, winking at us. Crilia turns a light shade of red and I can't hold back a giggle. "Now please, go get settled. I will meet you downstairs in half an hour. Don't worry, you won't get lost. I marked the way down with a little spell." With that, she points each one to their room.

Mine is perfectly large for me to feel good. I never liked large rooms or spaces, so I silently bless Mel's choice. It has a beautiful purple color, and a large glass door that leads to a wide balcony. A fluffy, canopy bed, full of pillows, opposes the main door. Next to it is a small bedside table, and on the wall is a round mirror. The bathroom attached to the bedroom is just the perfect size, with a nice bazin tempting me to skip dinner and just relax in a bubbly sea. I see two other doors, but somehow I am sure they aren't part of my room. I exit the bathroom with an unspoken promise to return as soon as possible. I unpack my clothes that I neatly arrange in the little closet. I keep some space unoccupied, being sure Crilia will come in any second now asking if I can lend her some space for her to store the rest of her impressive makeup collection that doesn't fit in her own closet. Fang sits on the floor, with his muzzle on his front paws, looking at me from time to time, like asking me if I'm not done yet.