Humanoid (Dream Warriors Book 1)

Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

Once the excitement of offering Misty a room at the flat subsided, we agreed she'd move in straight away. She left me at The Great Court and caught a bus back to her hotel, intending to pack her belongings. I retrieved my bike from the rack and cycled home to my apartment complex on the west end of Carmody Road, in the heart of St Lucia, to prepare her room for a fit state of inhabitation.

Confused by my overwhelming need to be with Misty, I listened to a niggling feeling deep inside my bones, bleating about the importance of our growing friendship. Regardless of the reason, we were both a long way from home and sharing our experiences would be fun and ultimately safer.

An inner radar alerted me to Misty's arrival. I darted to the front door and wrenched it open. A honey-blonde head peeked through the opened stairwell at the end of the corridor.

'Hi honey... I'm home,' Misty burst out.

She carried an oversized baby-pink travel tote with brown leather edging over her arm and pulled on a roller garment bag. In the other hand, she dragged a wheeled carry-on with an enormous toiletry bag and makeup organiser secured on top, and a bulging shoe bag hung from her shoulder.

Rattled wheezing alerted me to a heavyset man, battling the narrow corridor like a soldier fighting his way through the trenches. Two huge rolling duffle bags ran along behind him, each with a carry-on perched on top and two more duffle bags swinging from each of his shoulders.

I counted the amount of baggage about to hit the inside of my humble abode. 'I hadn't realised you'd emigrated with all your worldly possessions. Did you tell your parents you've become a permanent resident?'

'Quit being ugly.'

'This okay?' the man asked, leaning his hefty load against the wall.

'Thank you kindly, sir.' Misty handed him a crisp hundred-dollar bill.

The older man grunted his thanks, tutned abruptly and waddled back the way he came, mumbling under his breath until he disappeared out through the door at the end of the corridor.

I grabbed the handles of the abandoned baggage and followed Misty over the threshold. A newfound respect for bellboys crossed my mind. I dropped her bags beside the dining table and waited for Misty's reaction to the flat. Her eyes darted around the wide, open planned living space, gratifying her curiosity.

'What'd ye think?' I asked, taking in the crisp, whitewashed walls and hardwood floors, encompassing a fitted kitchen, dining area and a large sitting room.

'Wow Rayne, just frickin' wow. This place is amazing. It's clean and modern and—' Her eyes whizzed around the room, taking in the cream leather sofa and dark wood furniture.

Dad hired a professional interior designer to decorate and furnish the flat ready for my arrival in Australia. All I needed to pick up were eco-friendly household cleaning products and food. For that personal touch, I'd purchased several sets of luxury cotton linens at a specialised boutique in the inner suburb of Paddington to dress the beds.

I crossed the charcoal grey rug lying in the middle of the spacious living room. 'Come have a look, see.' Incorporated telescopic doors covered the entire width of the sitting room. 'What do you think of this baby?'

Misty gaped at the view beyond the opened doors leading out onto the veranda. An expansive view across Taringa, to the west of Brisbane, lay before us. Mount Coot-tha extended into white, wispy clouds towards heaven, its magnificence never ceasing to astound me. The apartment complex lay on a prominent ridge, the elevation eliminating any obstruction from the panoramic view. Misty's awed expression summed up the experience.