pecan pie [descendants]

step nine

The second Jo stepped out of the bathroom, she launched herself at Imogen. The two hugged like they were coming home. Jo whispered in Imogen's ear, "I'm so sorry." Imogen just smiled into the crook of Jo's neck. When they finally broke apart, Jo accidentally locked eyes with Ben, who offered her a warm smile.

Evie clapped her hands together. "Alright, why don't we show the newbies to their rooms? We can continue this tour later."

"That sounds like a great idea," Ben said. His eyes were still on Jo. She shivered involuntarily under his gaze. "Right this way."

Many identical corridors later, Mal was ushering Jo and Imogen into what would be their room. Jo fell in love instantly. Brick walls, four-poster beds flush with pillows, desks for each of them, towering wardrobes ready to be filled, sprawling carpets, and nightstands adorned with flowers. Jo's heart swelled at the sight of pink peonies beside her bed. Did Mal remember they were her favorite or was it a happy coincidence?

It was easy to tell which bed was intended for who. A sheer pink canopy weighted down by string lights was draped over the posters of Jo's bed. The bedspread was light pink, the pillows varying from gray to white to the red accent pillow shaped like a heart. It was the bed Jo had always dreamed of. Imogen's sheets and pillows were black, but her comforter was the rich emerald green she favored. Her bed had a canopy as well, but a proper one that would provide some privacy so she could read late into the night without the light bothering Jo. Imogen had lilies on her nightstand. Clearly, no one knew her favorite flower - gardenias.

"What do you think?" Mal asked. "Evie and I customized it for you. Thought it might be an easier transition this way."

"I love it," Jo gushed, running to her bed. "Thank you. It's incredible." She immediately started unpacking. Not that she had much to unpack. Most of her things fit in her nightstand. Her wardrobe already had some things in it, and the few clothes she did bring from the Isle didn't take up much space at all.

Imogen smiled awkwardly. "Yeah, thanks. It's really nice." She dropped her bags on her bed and grabbed one of the posters of her bed like she needed to hold it in order to know it was real. Jo crossed the room to give Imogen a tight hug. Imogen reciprocated in seconds. In her peripheral vision, Jo saw Mal's grin falter.

Evie looked absolutely giddy. "Yay! Well, we'll leave you guys to get settled in. The bathroom is right through that door. Just put any dirty clothes and towels in the hampers. If you need us, we're right down the hall." Mal looked like she had more to say, but Evie yanked her out of the room and closed the door behind them. When the door was finally shut and locked, Imogen disentangled herself from Jo and flopped back onto her bed with a groan.

Jo laid down next to Imogen. "We made it. We actually made it."

"I know I said I was going to check out the library, but I think I might take a nap first," Imogen said. She stifled a yawn. "Yeah, I'm going to take a nap." She sat up to take her boots off.

"There are pajamas in the closet," Jo replied. She jumped up and grabbed each of them a pair of pajamas from their respective wardrobes. When she turned back around, Imogen was already partially undressed. Jo tossed Imogen her pajamas before getting changed herself.

"I thought you were going to make snickerdoodle brownies," Imogen teased. Her pajamas were a black short-sleeved shirt and plaid emerald green shorts. Jo's were a white baseball tee with red sleeves and red shorts. Jo braided her hair into twin plaits, securing each braid with a tiny elastic band.

Jo sighed. "Yeah, well, I said that before I had two consecutive panic attacks." Imogen's amused expression evaporated instantly. She pushed some pillows off the bed and got under her covers.