Page 9 of Magic Blooms
The corner of his mouth hooked up, but just as quickly any hint of smile disappeared. He seemed able to stand but was most certainly still in pain. “Let’s get back to Fox’s End.”
“Where?”
He frowned at me again. “Your aunt’s inn. You don’t even know the name?”
“I misheard you. The storm and all.” I hesitated for a heartbeat before forcing myself to smile.
Joshua nodded, but I could tell he was still skeptical. He probably just wanted to get somewhere warm and dry rather than wasting time trying to figure out whether or not I was lying to him about something, everything.
Well, tough luck.
Because right now I’d fulfilled my duty to find Lorraine’s missing animals. And now I wanted all our focus to go to solving the puzzle that would bring me back home.
four
After warming myself up in the shower and changing into a pair of oversized pajamas that Lorraine graciously lent me, I fell into a deep and much-needed sleep. The bed, while soft and comfortable, did have one drawback.
It wasn’t my bed.
Now that night had come, I’d officially spent an entire day in this strange new world. Unfortunately, I was no closer to getting home than I had been when I’d woken up here. In fact, I probably wouldn’t be able to find that random field just beyond the forest if I tried.
Which meant I might actually be farther away than when I’d started.
I wouldn’t be sidetracked today, though. That’s what I promised myself as I lay awake staring at the ceiling early the next morning. As soon as I managed to pull myself out of bed, I was going to go find Lorraine and get her to help me like she’d promised before the raging storm took over the rest of our day.
That conviction was quickly tossed away when Lorraine pushed my door open—once again with no announcement—and threw some clothes and shoes at me.
“Don’t just sleep your life away,” she clucked, sounding more animal than human. “We’ve got a full day ahead of us.”
And with that, she was gone again.
A part of me wanted to stay put, if only to prove a point. But the larger part was most eager to get to work. So I reluctantly pulled myself out of the bed and started dressing myself in this newly proffered set of ill-fitting and ill-matched clothing.
Oh, if only Dante could see me now!
Today brought another pair of drawstring bottoms and an enormous T-shirt with the neck stretched practically into oblivion. It only covered the tops of my arms, and there was some sort of art on the front of the top that I couldn’t place.
The provided footwear exposed my toes but did have strong straps and a base that would protect the bottoms of my feet. Hopefully, it wouldn’t rain again today. Hopefully, I wouldn’t make it.
Lorraine had provided me with a brush for my hair the night before, and I’d lovingly worked through all the damage my abrupt arrival had caused. At least one thing was finally under control. Make that two, because the puffiness around my eyes had also receded, leaving my skin smooth and blemish-free. Whatever had sent me here had obviously stressed my body in untold ways.
Though, maybe the improvement in my physical appearance heralded a quietening of my elemental powers, too? Was I naturally adjusting to being here? Seeing as I refused to put that to the test and risk causing another major catastrophe, time would have to tell on that one.
Once dressed and wearing my hair in the ubiquitous braid crown I preferred, I emerged from my room slowly, not quite sure where Lorraine had run off to. But it was easy enough to follow the metal clanging sounds to where she was cooking up her own storm.
“You’re here! Wonderful. Start whisking these.” She pushed a bowl into my hands along with a wiry instrument.
“What is this?” I asked as I stared skeptically at the gooey contents.
“Eggs, honey. We’re making country omelets for the guests today, so you’re going to whisk those up like crazy, and then I’ll add some cheese and meat and fry them up. Now go on, start stirring. I’ve got the grits to tend to.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could get a word in, she continued to prattle away.
“I know Yankees don’t usually like grits, but when they have my brown sugar honey grits, they all leave singing a different tune. Believe you me.” She paused again, then grabbed my arm. “Don’t just stand there. Start whisking!”
Lorraine widened her eyes and made a spinning motion with her hand to get her point across. Dutifully, I began to spin the whisk, dissolving the golden orbs and clear goo into one bright yellow mixture.
Since I didn’t really know what I was doing, I just kept on stirring until Lorraine took the bowl from me and started to add a variety of spices followed by the cheeses and meats she’d spoken of, before throwing it all onto a hot metal instrument.
