Chương 61: Chapter Fifty Seven: The House And What Grows On It

He sighs and gives me one last kiss on the forehead before bringing me out of the room. Huh. It's a little house on the verge of being called an outhouse. Lime green walls and wooden shingles looked like they need a repaint. She lives here? Or rather, lived here? Why is it only one room? Just the image of her living here contradicted everything I knew about her. The feeling it gave me wells inside but I don't think I could put a label on it. Suffocating wasn't right.

"Ria!" I snapped my attention away from the house to gaze at the people waiting for me with mismatched irises. They all look well-rested and groomed enough to pass. No more bird's nests or scuff marks on my temporary babysitter. Thank god for that, I really did owe him. Lowell even has a tiny smile on his face that's similar to his previous serene smile. Still... Something's off about him, too. Guess, stress really changes everyone. I know I'm fighting the urge to just plop down on the ground.

Nolan stands out among the crowd not only because of his height but because my feral brothers are practically hanging off of him. The triplets use his body like a jungle gym, and he silently stands there accepting his fate without any sign of complaint. Kissae looks exhausted, but that's to be expected. They're all okay I sigh if relief escapes as we all reach the conclusion. Is someone still missing? The wisp of an intuition fails to stay put in my arms.

Yuchen notices my wandering gaze and correctly guesses who I'm looking for, "If you're looking for Mother, she's busy. Someone had to explain that we're all okay to everyone back home." Yusheng swung from Nolan's outstretched arm and announced.

"By the way. We're all grounded for life!"

"Not me." I quickly denied any responsibility and skipped over to them ready to try the well loved jungle gym. Yucheng groans and climbs onto Nolan's shoulder to lay down on it like a sloth, "You too, Ria. She's so upset." What! I didn't even do anything. Solemnly, I prayed for her to stay occupied while I'm here. What does grounded even mean here? Is it house arrest or what happened to Derrick? Kissae limped over to me, and tears dripped down her face salting the ground.

I froze and was about to ask when she beat me to it.

"They took my jam! And that one keeps calling me fish girl!" She points somewhere else but I'm too stunned to follow the accusing finger.

"They tied me up just for having scales! How dare they?! Do something!" She kept pointing behind her and vented out her grievances upon me. I awkwardly patted her hand while Eric cleared his throat and gave her a reproachful look reserved for those he considered beneath him. Snobby but it's based on his sense of responsibility. An older woman from behind Nolan strode forward. Her chestnut hair was tied up in a bun behind her head, streaks of white mixing in.

Her dark green eyes measured me up and refused to let me go. Outlining me until she could recall with perfection my every flaw. I tilted my head as a strange sense of déjà vu overrode my senses. Have we met?

"Come with me." Her order came unprovoked and no less polished than a rusty saber. Somewhere…Somewhere… so cold and wet I could feel it soaking my fingers. Off the bat I had a bad feeling about her reaching up to swing my hand backwards and my feet followed. She turned on her heel and headed out of the trees into a valley. I turned to Erichean for help, and he just shrugged helplessly. Out of his depth and helpless to the circumstances. That's scary. No introduction or explanation, just a straight-up demand.

"Who's that? What does she want?" I whisper conspiratorially.

"I don't know." He admits.

"Let's do as she says."

"Why? Don't you know anything else about her?" Something that might say she's actually softer on the inside than the outside.

"I think her name might be Hypatia. I'm not sure." He taps his fingers against my side, to hurry up and I pinch his dangling fingers.

"You think?" He hefted me up once he realized I was delaying the inevitable, "Mhm." He followed after her, and down the small forested hill we were all standing on. Wooden rickety stairs creaked every time he put his weight on them, and I winced. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. At some point, he started pressing down on my ribs on purpose, and I sent him a chilly glare. Once we were finally on solid ground, I opened my eyes to see a new world.

A valley bathed in the full glow of the moon and several hanging light sources that pulsed intermittently from jagged rocks above our heads was home to several people dressed in all black. Did they get their fashion sense from a certain vegan? Pixies darted from side to side and cast warmer light on the simple houses built into the mountains and hills of the valley. Below us, at the very center of the valley, lay a vast grassland.

I could see log cabins spanning the valley, chimneys spewing smoke from their hearths. It's so much warmer here than in the forest. Occasionally, a breeze that carried the scent of salt and burning meat skated over the rooftops and blew my hair in my eyes. Erichean followed blindly after Hypatia, and she led us downwards again. To a ledge holding only one simple house. Grass grew wildly overgrown and untended. Mushrooms sprouted in every possible nook and cranny.

Judging by the structure outside, I could see that it at most had three large rooms, and despite its neglect, it was in a much better state than Niathe's. Must be her house. I readjust in his grasp to scan the surroundings with my enhanced vision. No cracks in the structure, vines crawled up the walls onto the roof, and provided fluorescent green and blue light, a couple of steps away, a stone brick well stood silently. The mouth sensibly blocked with a wooden cap.

"This is yours. I'll be back soon. Be ready." She leaves those words and no further explanation. I blink and look between her departing back and the house. I questioned out loud, "This is mine?"

"It seems so. Seems we're sharing." Erichean threw it out there so fast my head spun. I recoiled, "What, why?" Why can't he get his own? I've already been exiled to boarding school. The least the universe could do is not give me roommates. His free hand opened the door, and we stepped over the threshold into the house.

"There are no men here, Miseria. They made us sleep in the tents outside. The tents! The bugs almost ate us alive!" They even made Kissae sleep outside due to some bias against Kelpies. The sudden vexing impression came without warning. It's not as cool as I thought it would be. Reading people's minds is overrated. What a shockingly good lesson on reading the fine print. He complained while resting his chin on my head, and I rolled my eyes,"Poor baby." Fine. I guess we can share.

The house itself is probably made of stone, wood, and mud bricks. So it should be pretty warm and spacious especially after our stay cation in the elements. How is it there such a temperature difference between here and the capital? Maybe we're close to the sea? I did smell salt on the breeze. Exploration revealed the three rooms were already furnished and just needed someone to move in. Honestly, it reminded me of the shack trapped within my mind, but a little sturdier. With glowing vines as well.

Interesting light source. I didn't see any lanterns, sconces, or torches. They must only use fire for cooking or bathing. Speaking of. No bathroom. I guess we'll have to do the do in the outdoors. Camping huh? Is this how the rest of the world lives? Erichean stopped and I let my curiosities free, "So, what is this room?" I took in the room, reminiscent of a yoga studio. It was the biggest in the house and had a bunch of blankets with strange patterns woven on their surface, covering the floor.

Clay bowls and wooden sticks rest against the walls. An incense burner steadily puffed out mist smelling of mahogany and spices in the far corner of the room. Is that where Niathe gets her habit from? Only Hadrian, Meng Jialin, and Mother use incense regularly in the house. Freesia was set to teach me how to make it for myself before long. Shame we didn't get the chance. Can she visit? The peeling skin of my lip pulled farther as I worried it at the possibility of different outcomes. I hate being derailed.

Erichean stopped at the doorway of the room and refused to move any further, "I think it's a prayer room. We should avoid it if possible. Let's check out that kitchen." He veered away from the open door to the simple kitchen. Is he afraid of witchcraft or something?

"You're hungry?" That's not normal. You're usually so patient and borderline ascetic.

"Of course. I'm not allowed in the canteen, so I've been roughing it for the past two days." He sighs to himself and shakes his dirty blonde hair out. It seems a lot darker in this lighting. We should put up lanterns around the house. Even though I can still see pretty well, the darkness provides a creepy ambiance. That's off topic, though, "Why aren't men allowed in there, or rather here?"

Considering this is a school which always comes with a bit of bureaucracy, it is business's choice to refuse service to whoever they want. I know plenty of sports clubs that excluded women and spas that excluded men. No matter how much it personally inconveniences someone or a group of people. No one is entitled to dine in a specific restaurant or play with a particular group. That doesn't mean I agree with the discrimination. I just don't see the point in requesting service from a place that doesn't welcome you.

There's always some kind of reason for a way a thing is. So what's there's?

"It confounds me, too." He shrugs and walks to the living room, and the first room we entered through. The smallest of the three in the house and the only connecting room. It features a small wooden dining table and a rather large kitchen. Although it seems a bit bare bones right now. A fire pit closest to a window and connected directly to a chimney takes up the corner closest to my room. Two matching wooden chairs sit against the farthest wall, along with some of my packed suitcases. They found my stuff!

Praise be! Erichean sets me on the dining table like a teddy bear and raids the kitchen with vampiric speed.

"Hey Eric? Question."

"Ask away." He said absentmindedly.

"Why do we eat regular food when we have blood? I'm not really hungry at all now after feeding from Lucian." It's true. Despite knowing rationally, I'm technically not full. I feel sated. Not even thirsty anymore.

"..." He closes a cabinet and sets a loaf of bread on the counter under it. Ooh. There is food in there! How sweet of them to offer us a carrot before the proverbial stick. He cuts a slice and then another out of the dark brown loaf, "Well, let's think about it. Perhaps it's because, like most animals, we need fatty stuff to grow up." The knife separates the flesh of the grain, "Although we do need blood to survive, we also need a bunch of energy to stay strong."

Half is set aside and the other is worked on with clinical precision, "Take meat, for example. If we only drank blood and avoided meat. I imagine we would become really skinny, and our bones would become brittle. Which isn't good, right?" I shook my head no. That makes a little more sense, I suppose.

"This is Hawthorne, right? We made it? This place doesn't really look like a school. Why was I out for two days?" The sudden onslaught batters him but I'm dying to know everything now that he's in a talking mood. He rests his hip on the wooden cabinet next to him and turns to face me fully, "Are you feeling better now? You seemed pretty delirious up until yesterday." Concern bleeds into his tone, and I furrow my eyebrows. Delirious?

"I was? I don't remember. I guess I do feel pretty tired, and my legs feel like wet noodles. Did I really chase after you guys?" He nods to my question and then shakes his head a second later in consternation, "They said that might happen... How long have you been experiencing gaps in your memory? Lowell told me that you didn't remember the first day we came here or the next while you were sick." I look up and think back. Maybe?

"I don't think I would know that." Gaps in my memory? I don't think so. Except for yesterday, I don't think anything like that has happened to me before. Well not yesterday. He nods to himself and lathers the sandwich he's making with…Hey!

"Is that my tea jam?" Or rather Kissae's tea jam! She'll have our heads for this if she finds out. Shamelessly chuckling at my outrage, "You mean our tea jam? Yes, I've been surviving off of it this entire time. You're running out, by the way." Ending with a forlorn sigh Eric closes his eyes and playfully sneaks a peak at the fuming plush sibling on the table. I growl at him, "Stop wasting food." And stop doing it so glibly. You're making me hungry.

A predatory sheen glints in both our eyes as we speak each other's language.