Chương 12: Chapter 11 — Chelsea Wixx

Chelsea Chelsea remained motionless in the bath for a moment, letting the words roll around in the steam until they sank into her bones. Slowly she sank back, water lapping at her collarbones.

"How long do I have?" she whispered, voice small in the echoing room. The mood in the bathroom shifted. Adriane's face went carefully neutral.

"The second summoning must be completed within four days of the first," she explained, each word deliberate.

"It took a day to set up the first, so if the decision is to try again, it will most likely happen right after the meeting tomorrow." Chelsea nodded slowly, forehead damp with steam.

"You're strong. Is there anything you can do?" Adriane's fingers curled around the edge of the tub; she stared down into the water where her toes made little rings.

"Going against one kingdom would be difficult, but three? No, sweetheart. I couldn't fight them for you," she said, the fact of it hanging in the air. Panic crept up Chelsea's throat and broke into desperate sobs. She pressed her hands to her face.

"Could I hire you? I can't pay you much now, but I would be indebted to you forever. Please, Adriane. There has to be something..." Her voice cut on a jagged inhale.

"Something you can do." Adriane leaned her elbows on her knees and stared into the bathwater, watching the steam blur her reflection. She shook her head slowly and let out a frustrated growl that sounded more like a small animal than a human.

"You know you were supposed to be my ticket out of debt?" she said, standing with a soft rustle of fabric as she swung her legs over the tub and began to pace the small room.

"I'm sorry," Chelsea squeaked, the apology thin and immediate.

"Indebted forever?" Adriane stopped midstep and looked at the little demon girl with an expression that was almost unreadable.

"Call me a slave or whatever," Chelsea begged, wiping at her eyes with the back of a wet hand.

"Please. I don't want to die." Adriane walked the stone floor a few more times, bare feet whispering against the tile. At last she halted and met Chelsea's gaze.

"No, not a slave," she said, and the words were quieter than the rest.

"You might say it's something worse." She let the pause stretch, then added, hesitant.

"If you agree to it, you could be adopted into the Wixx family." Stolen novel; please report. Chelsea sat frozen, waiting for the catch, the joke, the pullback. She sat up in the tub, arm drawn across her chest, water dripping from her hair.

"Are you being serious? I'd be like your little sister?" Adriane paused, the single flicker of thought crossing her face before she closed it down.

"Do I look like I'm not being serious?" she asked, face blank of humor.

"Do you agree?" Would you like to be adopted into the Wixx Family?

"I... yes. Of course! Please! I would love that." Chelsea's answer tumbled out; she held out her other hand, wet and trembling, to shake on it.

"Ok," Adriane replied, taking the offered hand with a firm squeeze that sealed more than a simple agreement.

"Outside of this bathroom, it will be business as usual. I will be your attendant. You will be none the wiser about the political makeup of the world. The only information you are aware of is the little tidbits the king and Alexi have told you." Chelsea straightened in the water, nodding quickly.

"Ok. I can do that."

"For now, you still don't know anything about your enhancement. I will work on a plan. Just do as you're told, not just by me but by the king. Perform well." Adriane moved briskly, tugging a towel from the rack on the wall. She snapped it once to shake out the folds, her tone softening slightly.

"C'mon. Get out. And let's get you ready for lunch. Remember, you're still the wide-eyed little girl who is mesmerized by everything happening around you."

"Right." Chelsea obeyed, rising carefully from the bath as water cascaded down her skin. Adriane wrapped her in the towel with the same care she might've given a younger sibling. Then Adriane stepped back, blinking once in surprise.

"I think you just turned this into the most powerful towel in the world." Chelsea frowned down at herself, clutching the fabric tighter.

"It looks the same to me." Curious, she tried to use The Eyes on it, only to have her own status screen spring up instead.

"Oh, that one title thing. There's a space for titles? Let me try and..." Assign title? The words floated before her eyes. She looked around, bewildered, and said out loud, "Yes?" The prompt vanished like a bubble popping.

"I think I just added my title so my things can go up to level six now, right?" Without missing a beat, Adriane draped a second towel over Chelsea's head and began rubbing it briskly around the base of her horns, careful not to tug.

"Oh, I was wondering about that. What's the title?"

"Ah... umm. Good question." Chelsea sifted through the translucent lines of text only she could see, lips moving as she read. Then her eyes widened.

"Oh, it's after my name. I feel so cool now. You can now refer to me as Chelsea Drake, the Blessed Demon Child. Wait, no. My name. It changed."

"Oh?" Adriane prompted. Even as she continued to work the towel through Chelsea's wet hair, there was a smile tucked into the edges of her voice. Chelsea's chest tightened in a strange mix of fear and warmth. She whispered it like she wasn't sure the room would allow it to be real.

"Chelsea... Wixx?"

"Mmhmm. Didn't think we were going to take on your name, did you?" Adriane asked with a sly glance.

"We?" Chelsea groaned, dragging out the word.

"Dewey's my brother now, isn't he!?" A sudden realization struck and she gasped.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you!?" Adriane snickered softly, covering her mouth with a hand.

"No. That was just a happy accident." With a flick of her wrist, the golden barrier dissolved into nothing, its faint shimmer fading like mist.

"Miss Chelsea, today for lunch it will be casual wear again." She winked as she reached for the door. But before she could pull it open, Chelsea darted forward and wrapped her arms around the taller woman. The hug was small, almost swallowed by Adriane's size, but earnest.

"Thank you," Chelsea whispered into her chest. For a moment Adriane froze, unsure what to do with the unexpected gesture. Then, slowly, almost awkwardly, her arms folded back around the girl.