Free to Feel [Temporarily (??) Discontinued]

Chapter 13.

Heather opened his eyes and was met with the unfamiliar ceiling. He blinked and looked around, frowning when he didn't recognise the room but didn't feel any panic either. It was darker here and less airy, but way warmer than he usually felt back at Mistress' house. The light was shining from a weird angle, and it took him a minute to understand that the window was right above the bed that smelled like old fabric, very nice and cozy. Right, they were staying with his owner's parents, in their house, in her old room that she'd had when she was still living with them.

And she was also the cause of the warmth.

The slave blushed a little when he realised that the woman was hugging him to herself so tightly that both of them only took about half of her bed, leaving the other side empty and cold. He pressed more into her and looked around, making out the shapes of objects in the cool, dim moonlight. There were a couple of trinkets here and there, some books, a plant that looked ordinary but was in fact made of plastic. There was also a golden medal shining in one of the drawers with the glass front wall, placed there exactly to be seen. Mistress had told him it was the prise she'd earned in a place called "a summer camp" for some writer contest. He didn't really get either of those, but he was proud of her nonetheless. Getting a medal was bound to be difficult.

After a few minutes of gazing around he realised why he was awake in the first place. His throat was parched and was pretty much begging for water, just like it did every other night. He sighed and got out of the loops of Mistress's arms and legs, and then climbed out from under the warm blanket. Immediately chilly air wrapped around him like a harness, and he hugged himself tightly. Hurrying out of the room on the tips of his toes, he sneaked into the hallway and went downstairs, trying to be as quiet as he could. Back at home he knew every creaking plank in the floor, whereas this was still unexplored territory. He could only hope that he wouldn't disturb anyone, especially Raven.

The sound of snoring and breathing was going from three different rooms, making the slave slightly uneasy, but at the same time strangely relaxed. He hadn't been in such a crowded house for a while, and back then he had never been able to walk around freely. Now he was pretty sure he could leave if he wanted to.

As he stepped on the first floor, he beamed when he saw Raven. She was given a place on the couch to sleep, and right now she was illuminated by the moonlight from the street. Her hair seemed either blue or purple, and her skin looked even more pale than usually. The knife lay on the floor next to her hand, having slipped out of her grasp.

Heather chuckled and very carefully tucked her in. She looked so care-free right now, her cheeks were slightly rosy after the day spent with games and fun. Mistress' brothers had definitely taken food care of her, to the point where they always followed her. The pet didn't mind at all. He knew they had good intentions, even that John guy that was always giving Mistress a glare.

Although he had to admit, it did feel good to know that she never allowed any of them to touch her or get anywhere close to her. In fact, she kept more distance from them than from him, which did make a smile spread on his face. Not that he liked the fact that she was scared of them, of course not. It just... It did feel nice to know that she was less scared of him than of her new friends.

The slave smiled and walked into the unfamiliar kitchen, headed for the basin. He opened the tap and began to drink water right from under it, turning his head at uncomfortable angle.

"You can always use a mug if you're thirsty." Came a whisper behind him, and the pet almost jumped out of his nightshirt when he heard that. Immediately whipping around, he peered through the darkness, and at first his heartrate spiked horribly when he saw a dangerously tall shadow relatively close to him, but then the realisation settled in and he exhaled in relief. It was okay. It was just Mistress' father.