It’s a blessing having my room on the second floor of this wing, towards the back, meaning I don’t have to travel far until I’m outside.
As I descend the leftover stairs, I see a group of flirtatious women who have the guys eating from their palms. More magic is tossed about, and fireballs come dangerously close to burning off my brows. Laughter erupts, and I barrel down the stairs, bursting through the door and sprinting until a bench within the courtyard becomes visible. The noise of distant chatter dances in the wind as trees rustle back and forth in musical harmony.
Panting and taking a seat, I enjoy the blue lights sparkling over the earthly path as every flower and small tree soaks up the moon’s glow, which appears closer now, being outside. Interesting.
Assorted plants surround mesmeric flowers, planted along the trail and running down to its end. Bushes speckled with roses and lilies sit behind them, trimmed and vibrant with color. Beautiful.
There is a crisp, wintery feel amongst the air, and I can’t help but think,winter is coming,with visions of Rosie manifesting. But reality crashes down on me, realizing I may never have a normal life after this. If found to be a fay, the word ‘normal’ can no longer exist. The old me will burn away with everything and everyone I know. A decision made for me after the glooms decided my life had expired.
It’s haunting how someone can put a time limit on my life. The idea never existed to me before now, which brings me back to the reason for leaving my room. A damn drink.
Footfalls sound from my right, and I face their direction, observing without shifting my gaze. They pass a light post, revealing a male, wearing a full-length jacket, stopping mid-thigh, and whistling a strange tune.Shit, not again.I ready myself for an attack. He reaches me, stopping a foot shy while placing his hands in his pockets.
“Is everything okay?” he asks, his features hidden behind theshadows of his hood. A brief moment passes of me steadying my increased heart rate, and he speaks again. “My apologies, perhaps I’m interrupting your peace. I’ll leave you to it then.”
He advances, moving past me, when I notice the flowers leaning towards him like some gravitational pull, and I can’t help but feel its sensation as well.
“It’s quite alright. No apologies needed,” I respond in kind, but he continues walking, nonetheless. “Wait, I have a question,” I blurt, figuring it’s my chance to inquire about a drink.
He stops and peers over his shoulder with more shadows looming across his features. Nothing is visible but a pair of starburst pink lips, rising into a smirk. “How may I assist?” he asks, and I find myself thinking about biting them.
“Right.” Shaking this unholy feeling, I get out, “By any chance, do you know a place around here where I can get a drink?”
“A drink?”
“Yes. Something a little stronger than coffee.” Removing my stare, I glance back at the flowers, but only for a half second, when his body shifts in my direction.
“Did you try your phone’s map?”
“Yes and no. Let’s say it wasn’t helpful.”
“I see.” His smirk widens, and I’m back focusing on those lips.
He approaches with black boots crunching the gravel beneath his calculated steps, and my lungs cease doing their job. A slight shift reveals the nervousness stirring within my stomach, and it doesn’t take long until his shadow drowns out the moon’s glow, engulfing me in its darkness. He is close but leaves a space between us so as to not come off overbearing.
“Hi,” I mouth, but I doubt he hears it.
Removing a hand from his pockets, he reaches out. “May I see your phone?”he asks with kindness, though his tone is more demanding than anything.Yep, he didn’t hear me.As I hand it over unlocked, he inquires about the seat beside me. “May I?” I nod.
My lungs decide to work as an intoxicating fragrance wafts as hesits. A mixture of Honeycrisp apples, melted chocolate, and something else I can’t put my finger on. Then again, I could be hungry.
Now I’m biting my lip, considering how good this mixture would taste. “Here, I believe this may have what you’re looking for.” He hands it back, and a nervous chuckle wanders from me.Focus.
“Speak Easy? What kind of name is this?” Side-eying him with a chuckle, I hope he didn’t notice me lusting over his smell.
The corners of his lips raise into a grin as he reaches over, pressing the ‘Magna’ button on my phone. Colors explode into a hologram, showing the bar and adjacent buildings.
“Ohhhh, it’s supposed to look like this,” I whisper, taking in my new scenery.
“Your expression tells me you haven’t used this part of your map.”
“Not like this. I tried but was blinded, so I closed the app.” I explain, adding a shrug.
“A bit of advice, next time hold the phone away from your face. It should help,” he teases, hinting at humor. “Follow these arrows, and they’ll guide you. It doesn’t require your phone to remain open.”
After witnessing multiple uses of magic, I’d expect not to be surprised, yet here I sit wide-eyed and mouth open, viewing the radiant green arrows displayed over the ground. Speechless. “Uh-huh.” Well, minus an awkward grunt.
He titters while standing, “Glad I can help. Enjoy your night.” Stepping through the surrounding map, he continues in his original direction.
