My reappearance couldn't go unseen. Rex and Evie were in his room. The two looked equally shocked at seeing me; only Rex controlled his expression better. Mordecai's gift basket came over with me, but I tossed it on his bed to do something I might regret later.
I ran to Rex to throw myself in his arms.
I could blame my hormones, Mordecai's words, or even the cook who laughed at me, but I just needed a hug.
He didn't reject me, which was a good sign. His arms remained passive as I wrapped my own around him. I soaked up his scent and warmth like a sponge.
"I'll give you two a moment." Evie's voice sounded tearful as she fled the room. I didn't bother giving her a glance.
Rex said nothing about her departure and instead looked down at me. I discovered that when I peeked up to see his expression about Evie.
"Wendy, where did you go?" His voice was tired, and I examined the little signs of exhaustion on his face.
I couldn't call Mordecai my dad, but I might as well. "I went to see my dad." Later, I could explain all the details to Adam, but I needed a reasonable explanation for now.
"You were gone for a day," Rex said as he examined my person.
Not as long as last time. I thought but must have said it aloud because Rex's expression tightened. "You've done this before?"
"My relative doesn't understand the passing of time," I said, choosing my words carefully. I sighed and stepped back, only to find that Rex's arms anchored around me. I stiffened as my startled eyes shot up to meet his calm ones.
"Wendy, have you given thought to staying?" His words rumbled in my ear, and I found breathing harder.
"I can't stay." I shouldn't even be here right now. Why was I here? I should have landed back with Adam, but something brought me here instead. If I could just try again…
"You can't leave now," Rex said with such confidence I dumbly blinked back at him. His dark brown eyes had a strange light in them. He grabbed my right hand and rubbed a thumb on my spacial ring. "You're already anchored here."
I'm unsure what happened after that, but I woke up in Rex's bed. Nothing on my person was disturbed but my mind. Was this what Adam was trying to warn me about? Past him is crazy? How the heck was I anchored here? I looked at my ring accusingly. If his power was to control dimensions, could he have control of mine?
Mine was tied to my soul, so how could that be possible? It was already anchored to me; anchors don't have multiple parts of contact, even I knew that. Mordecai being unable to send me away without tearing me apart could have something to do with this. How could a mortal's powers interfere with a God's ability to do things? Just how powerful is Rex?
My brain swirled as I tried to make sense of this. Things were speeding along a little too fast. Try as I might, I couldn't focus on any of that. My stomach was in intense agony from hunger.
I hadn't eaten in forever. Tea was not a meal, so I slipped from Rex's bed. I was going to take the guest bedroom after I ate.
Something rather urgent stopped me in my tracks, though. I was still wearing the pity dress Evie and Morgan had given me. I shimmied out of it before looking at the maternity dresses Mordecai said were charmed to grow. I had a lot of choices. The box Mordecai put them in never seemed to end, but everything was a shade of red, pink, coral, orange, gold, or yellow.
My suspiciously generous ancestor had gifted me the whole shebang. There were undergarments, socks, and tons of cute shoes. As I pulled out about one hundred garments, the box showed no end to its depths.
"I wish you were more useful and organized," I muttered. All I was doing was pulling out everything, and I had a pile of stuff to sort through now.
Much to my amazement, as if the box heard my desire, it glowed white and grew. I felt like I was sucked into it.
When I opened my eyes, I discovered the box became a walk-in closet.
My jaw dropped at the glamorous walls as they formed around me. As if sensing my thoughts, the walls became ivory. The built-in shelves in the walls grew accented with pink perfect roses along the center for display. The beautiful clothing that Mordecai had gifted me moved without regard to me to sort themselves.
Two giant islands settled in the middle of the room. They were also ivory white with clear casing on top. You could see my new accessories in the top drawer, but the storage options seemed endless due to the drawers underneath them. My fingers graced the top, and I had difficulty controlling my emotions about the splendor being created in front of me.
A mirror took up space at the end of the two islands. It went from the ceiling to the floor. Lights dotted its edges to give me the best lighting, no doubt. Along the wall where mirrors could be were blank canvases.
There were also mannequins that I could style or use to create new clothing. A little too eagerly, I pulled out all my clothing in my space ring. I didn't have to use the hangers before they picked themselves off the ground and hung themselves.
"I'll have nowhere to sit, though," I said as I puckered my lips. I love to be active, but sitting down for a mini break between trying on clothing could also be fun. Or I could come here to take a nap away from the world.
As if hearing me, a wall lined with shelves separated to create space along the wall. The wall then collapsed within itself to create an opening. Unsurprisingly, a rose gold vanity with a light-lined mirror created itself into existence.
"I did ask for organization." I mused out loud as I fingered and touched everything. I then pulled out a vase and stuck some flowers in it. I spent too much time pulling out things to decorate or line the shelves. All my self-care items, from lotion to perfumes, were on the shelves.
"What about when my clothing gets dirty or I do?" I said with a sly smile.
On cue, the closet was extended to add another room. I eagerly walked into it to find a bathroom with the themes of lemons and ivy. There was a giant rose gold pink tub that caught my eye first. It was styled like a Roman bath, but only the color made it modern. This bathtub was clearly the highlight of the bathroom, given it was positioned in the center of the room. Off to the right was a set of doorless showers with a simple drain positioned for water. To the left was a toilet, a sink, and some shelves. There were two doors that I stepped forward to open. One held a hideaway washer and dryer for clothing. The other was a strange built-in room that looked like a shower but wasn't.
I huffed at the estrangement tiles, walls, and exquisite colors. I couldn't stop myself from turning the facets and realizing everything turned on. How was it heated? Where did it pull water from? And where did the water go when it was done? There was no way I would get answers, and the last time I looked at a gift Mordecai gave me with questions, he made it a worse gift.
I stocked the shelves with towels and whatever I would need to wash myself.
"Gods don't really give gifts halfway, do they?" I couldn't help but say as I looked around. I turned everything off except the shower to take a quick one.
When I was done, I needed to get dressed. I settled for a beautiful off-shoulder red dress from Mordecai. The poofy sleeves made me feel cute, and the design was simple. The rest of his dresses were extravagant, with gems and unique designs. If I hadn't spent the past month recycling seven outfits, I might have skipped wearing something from the Phoenix altogether. I desired something fresh, though, that made me feel beautiful.
I had more than a moment now to consider the quill Mordecai left me. My batshit crazy ancestor put limiters on it but didn't explain what they could be. I pulled out some paper and drew a rock. Nothing happened. It stayed on paper; try as I might, I couldn't pull it off the page. My ball of power in the center of me was still going bright, but it was still knotted and twisted by plant magic, not literary energy.
How in the heck was this damn thing supposed to work?
But the bigger question now was how I was supposed to leave?
I made a face in the mirror and gave another look at the accessories because I had nothing else to do. Maybe when I was fully dressed, I would be let out? I slipped on a pair of earrings that looked like cream rosebuds. I put on the matching cream flats. Nothing happened. I played with my bum-length brown hair. I hadn't done much with it since I no longer saw Adam daily. The poor ends were tired, and it had lost its vibrant curls. Once I spruced it up, I slipped on a cream-colored headband with a rose quartz stone shaped into a rose in the center.
"I'm done!" I shouted, and as if that was the magic set of words, I was out of the walk-in closet and back in Rex's room. The box looked relatively innocuous as it lay on the bed where I had left it. When I opened the lid, I was sucked right back into it.
Everything had stayed the same as I had seen it last. I decided to test it several times until I understood how it worked. When I was done, I was ten times more hungry and thirsty. I slipped the box into my space, ensuring it was safe.
Now I really need to eat. Instead of waiting for food, I pulled out some snack bars and inched out of Rex's room.
The first thing I noticed was how, even during the end times, Rex's uncle had it going on. The windows were intact and unboarded. The bright blue sky outside the windows alluded to the time of day and the placement of the storyline. The halls were decorated with paintings and expensive things.
His home was like a museum of what the rich lived like before the world ended; only the world had ended, and he maintained his wealth.
That was no doubt thanks to his nephew, the protagonist of this world, and his unbeatable aura.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
I sloppily ate as I walked through the halls. I finished the breakfast bar and moved on to vegetables. It was almost impossible to be impressed by any of this. This was far from awe-inspiring. My new walk-in closet that built itself for my discretion was even more incredible. Once again, my ancestor was warping my sense of normalcy.
I was still ravenous by the time I ran into someone.
It was a man I didn't recognize. I slowed down on the carrot I was chewing on. I didn't slow my steps, and breezed right past him.
"Hey!" The man said, but I kept walking. He shouted again and ran after me to grab my hand.
I moved my carrot out of his reach. "If you had asked nicely, I would have broken off a small piece and shared it," I said with a scowl.
"I don't want your slobbery carrot!" He all but shouted at me. He made an exasperated expression, contorting his handsome features. I chewed my carrot slowly as I looked him over. Why was he so out of breath sprinting down the hall to catch up with me? He looked on the thin side. I looked at his hands, which were pale with ink stains and no sign of hard work. Pity grew in my expression as I looked him over. He was lucky to be in the male protagonist's group, or else, with his squishy nature, he wouldn't have lasted.
He prickled under my gaze and exerted more effort to control his breathing. When he finally caught his breath, he said, "I'm looking for Evie. Have you seen her? She ran off crying a few minutes ago."
I mutely shook my head. The female protagonist was more prone to tears than I recalled. The first time I'd seen her cry was when I vomited, but that was fair. She cried when she ran out of Rex's room. And she was crying again? She couldn't still be crying, right? Why was she crying?
Instead of saying any of this and my personal concerns about Evie, I said, "Are you stalking her?" She had several stalkers to spice up the romance between her and Rex during the book.
He bristled, and I narrowed my eyes at him, "That's creepy if you are. Love isn't controlling like that. It's full of sweetness, smiles, and joy. You must trust and maintain faith in someone to truly love them and respect their autonomy."
"As if you know anything about love." He scoffed at me. "I have been in love for five years."
"I bet it's one-sided," I said with a snort.
His face turned five shades of red before settling on a bright maroon. "It's pure."
"If it's been steady that long, it could be pure." I paused before saying with a wicked grin, "Or creepy. If she doesn't return your feelings, you just lopsidedly give it all. Have you confessed?"
The color drained from his face swiftly, and the pallor entertained me as I chewed my carrot.
"I have." His voice was a quiet squeak, and I had to lean in to hear over the crunch of my carrot.
I slapped his shoulder consolingly. "It's okay. There's plenty of sea out there."
"You mean fish." He said with a snarl at me.
"You said it, not me." I snorted, and he made a face.
"That wasn't funny."
"If you had my sense of humor, it's practically a knee-slapper." I finished off my carrot.
"Who are you anyway?" He said as he pulled away from any comfort my hand could have offered.
"Wendy Evans," I said, blinking at him as I itched to pull out more food.
"I'm Cole Covington." He said before perking up like a show dog.
If I were an average citizen of Green's Mountain, I would not know who he was. The Covingtons were a wealthy family on par with the male lead. But I was a reader and knew he was the story's OG villain. His obsessive love with Evie would warp during the end times. Cole wound up kidnapping Evie twice, and I hadn't even finished the damn book. Who knows how many other times he managed to do so. He seemed too pure-hearted now for that, so maybe I was here before it happened.
I shook my head at him. I was under the camp that it was the trauma brought by the end times, but maybe the spark of madness was just lying in wait for the right chance to pop up and take over. Rex was already freaking me out, so who knows?
Human nature could just be a set of circumstances, not fate.
"Do you know where the kitchen is?" I finally asked him. I'd been patient, but I was hungry, and if I didn't get something inside of me, I would take a bite out of this man. Pulling things out of my space was using up too much energy.
He deflated. "My name used to hold great importance." He said, and I stopped the desire to laugh this time. He was kind of adorable, like a dumb puppy. I gently patted his head; maybe he could be saved and, if taught love properly, wouldn't kidnap Evie.
I know I had an ulterior motive for this. I couldn't be with Rex, but that didn't mean I could stand seeing him with someone else. He could be with her or anyone else when I wasn't here. I would die from heartbreak if I saw someone with the face of my Adam, with the scent of my Adam, with the taste of my Adam on someone else.
I buried these dark not so love-like feelings in a corner of my heart, pasted on a warm smile, and said, "It still does to you. And when you have kids, maybe you can keep passing that on. Worry about that later. If you don't take me to the kitchen, I'll cook you in a cauldron instead."
For a heartbeat, it almost seemed like Cole was fearfully looking past my shoulder. I turned to see what he was looking at, but there was nothing but a creepy giant horse statue. I hadn't noticed it before, but that wasn't important. Food was.
Cole blinked and mutely showed me the way as if nothing had happened.
The kitchen was the best room in this joint. Rex's room was nice, the hallways were nice, and the other places and rooms were great. It was richly decorated and nice looking, but the kitchen was heaven.
I felt a moving tear of joy come to my eye at the spread of food on the counters and the future I would enjoy working in this kitchen. There was a standard stove, four ovens, and, more importantly, a fireplace for over-the-fire cooking.
And the appliances. I practically swooned as I opened cabinets to take them all in.
"You're weird," Cole said as he watched my reaction. "We passed five rooms better than this, and is this the one you like?" He seemed confused, but I paid him no mind.
With the same vigor, I started digging into the spread. "Food is life," I said, pointing a chicken wing at him for emphasis as I used my other hand to stuff my mouth. This food was just sitting here on the counters like it was waiting for me, so of course, I obliged and tucked right in.
The best part about all of this is my stomach wasn't churning or wanting to vomit. I could be over the morning sickness bit. Nothing was crazy seasoned, so maybe that could be why my stomach wasn't triggered. There was flavor but no strong smells.
"About what you said before," Cole said, and I looked at him with my cheeks bulging.
I felt overly generous now that I had food in my belly. I didn't bother saying anything and tried to let my eyes do the talking.
"About, you know, being in love." Cole's face was turning a shade of hot pink as he spoke. "Are you with someone?" He seemed hesitant to talk about this, but he clearly wanted to know.
"I have a fiancé," I said bluntly once I swallowed everything. "I've known him for almost a decade, and we've been together since we were kids." Instead of waiting for a reply, I could respond to it. I took a substantial chunky bite out of a baguette on the table. It was so damn good. I thought as I dipped it in a bowl of soup that seemed to be waiting for me. It was a clear broth packed with flavor but wasn't overly fragrant.
Cole seemed to be struggling with this, or maybe my eating was just so unsightly, because he was fumbling with his words even more. "How is that possible?" He muttered over and over.
I narrowed my eyes at him as I chewed. It sounded like he said something about red, and I titled my head, "What about red?"
"That color is Evie's." He said resolutely.
He'd gone too far now. I set down my spoon and pointed my baguette at him as I gave him a look. "Not that it matters or has anything to do with my fiancé, but it's not. Red is mine." There was a strange desire to have pride and possession of the color. I didn't go out of my way to wear it, but I did enjoy it. Something about Evie having precedence over it irked me.
Cole opened his mouth, and I held up my other hand for him to shut up; surprisingly, he did. "It's my family's color and has always been mine. Red is more than an accessory to my bloodline; it's our birthright to adorn that color. Besides, she shouldn't even wear red with her complexion and eye color; it washes her out."
His face seemed to agree with my bitchy comment, but I wasn't done, and I continued to speak, "Pass that platter of wings before I put you into the fire to simmer."
He obeyed surprisingly meek as he handed me the platter. It was weird that Evie seemed obsessed with the color red. It was all she ever wore in the story. Did Mordecai know that and gift me a ton of red clothing? I never went out of my way to wear red around Adam. What if he preferred it? I typically wore green and brown since he wore countless dark green and brown suits.
"Why does Evie wear a ton of red?" I asked when my thoughts ran in circles until I ran out of fuel for thought.
"The prophecy," Cole said with a shrug as if it was common knowledge.
"Prophecy?" I all but shouted, confused. What prophecy?
"You didn't know? Rexford didn't tell you?" Cole seemed equally confused as he looked at me.
I shook my head. I'd never heard of a prophecy surrounding a color…Mordecai, did you have your hand in this as well? As a deity of destiny, I found this to be very suspicious.
"Adam never told me anything about that…" I suddenly lost my appetite. What did Evie wearing red have to do with Adam?
"You call Rexford Adam?" Cole said. He seemed equally stunned as me.
"Cole!" Evie shouted as she burst into the kitchen with tears streaming down her face. The giant puppy dog comforted her, and I tried to turn back to my food.
Everything was swirling uncomfortably in my head. Unfortunately, I no longer wanted to eat. The food had lost its flavor, so I pushed away from the table, ready to leave. Let's let the two not-so-love birds have their moment. They were in their own world ignoring me anyway.
It was strangely easy to get lost in this mansion of a home. There were endless corridors and doors. My curiosity got the better of me, and I opened my eyes and looked through each of them.
It was more of the same ostentatious riches. I was bored and lost when I found the same ugly horse statue as before. Rex's room was in this direction, right?
As if my thoughts summoned him, Rex appeared in front of me. If it was anyone else, I'd think he just walked into the hallway casually, but this is a man who could teleport. The odds were high that Rex just ported in. He just did so out of my direct eyesight.
"Wendy, are you lost?" His voice was casual, but it set off my flight or fight.
I picked fight.
"I need to leave," I said bluntly. I hadn't been trying to find the front door, but seeing him reminded me I needed more distance between us.
"Why?" He said as he stepped closer.
I took a step back, "Because I have to." I said.
He said nothing, but he stopped moving forward at least.
"I have to get back to Adam." I said. Once I was in an open field, I could call for Acuzio again. I'd have to be quicker than my ancestor this time. Acuzio is easier to work with than Mordecai. Acuzio also seemed eager to help.
"You can't." He said it so gently that it sounded cajoling, but it was freaky as hell.
"You anchored me, right? Undo it." I held out my right hand as I spoke. He took it but squeezed it gently.
"Why would I do that?" He said.
"Why would you anchor me?" I shot back. It made no sense. He wasn't in love with me. I've seen love from Adam, but this wasn't it.
"You really don't know the prophecy," Rex said as he tugged on my hand and pulled me into his arms. I slipped out just as fast and put some more steps between us.
"You don't understand the value your presence has for me," Rex said.
"I don't care." Annoyance was growing into an inferno at me. Did that mean Adam didn't love me? Was he just drawn to me because of some stupid prophecy?
Also, had Rex been eavesdropping on my conversation with Cole? "You've been porting in to spy on me…" I couldn't say this sentence very loud, barely above a whisper, but Rex caught it. Why wouldn't he? He was now just inches away; when did he get that close?
"I have. Since you disappeared, I had to watch you closely." Rex admitted it so casually I faltered back another step.
"You're not in love with me, so why are you doing this?" There was no build-up to this. Our previous interactions were polite and sure; some were too much to handle, but this was a sharp cry.
"When you disappeared, I realized how much I needed to look out for you," Rex said, and I made a disbelieving face.
"Bullshit," I said.
A half smile cocked his lips as a strange veil of sorts dropped in front of him. I opened my mouth as my lips flopped. "Is this another strange prophetic dream?"
The veil cracked and splintered, yet again, everything turned black.
I woke up on top of the ugly horse statue with a pool of drool on the side of my face. I must have slept and walked onto the damn thing. That dream was a little intense, and I blinked as I fought to sort through what was real and what was not.
"What are you doing up there?" Cole said, and I looked down to see him looking at me strangely. "You wander out of the kitchen to be conked out on a statue minutes later."
I made a face as I recalled my dream. It had to be a dream, right? Rex isn't that crazy. And he's not in love with me. The weird thing that came down distorted everything into shards like broken glass. That's not reality…why would Rex become obsessed with me? I can't see a prophecy pushing him to that extreme that quick.
"Cole found her," Evie said, and I looked down to see her leading Rex toward us.
Oh, it was a dream. I could feel some of the tension in my shoulder leave me.
The sight of Rex put me on edge, though. The desire to be gone was intense as I watched him walk closer. I just want to be in Green's Mountain. I want to go back home. The need filled my every orifice, and I shut my eyes. When I opened them again, I was back in the kitchen, stuffing my face.