65
Lucy
When we were done, Stacy led me out of her office and down the hall. We went down the hall to a different elevator.
“This elevator bank is off-limits to any clients. They’re the private apartments,” she said and stopped by a desk. The woman behind the desk smiled and handed her a card.
“They just finished up.”
“You all are a dream.” Stacy took the card and grinned. “Whitley here is head of housing logistics. You run into an issue, you let her know, and she’ll get it fixed.”
I nodded and waved as I followed Stacy into the elevator. She hummed as the elevator started to glide down.
“I’m on floor three. You can call or come down if you want to talk. If I’m not there, there will be a sign and usually a note about where I might be. I tend to be around most days, though. We usually all have dinner at least once a month if schedules allow. You’re on floor six, right next to Karlie. I thought it would be good to give you a familiar face.”
She led me down the hall to the door and handed me the card. “Here you are.”
I looked at the door’s number. “I really don’t know what to say about all of this…”
She placed a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry about any of that for now. For now, l know that you’re safe here, and I’ll do everything in my power to keep it that way.”
I hesitated as I met her gaze. There was something about her that felt trustworthy, but with the way all of this had happened, I had to know.
“Why… are you helping me?” I asked. “I don’t have anything to offer you. You don’t even know me.”
She smiled. “You’re not really used to kindness, are you?”
I winced and looked away.
“It’s a bit of a long story for right now. How about over lunch?”
I blinked and looked down the hall to where the window was still letting in the early morning light.
“Okay… But what am I supposed to do until then? “
She laughed. “Take a bath? Relax? Get some more sleep? The beds are really comfy, and no one’s going to be looking for you to get up and do anything today. Until you settle in, consider it like a vacation.”
My lips twitched. “I’ve only ever heard of vacations.”
“Well, you’re going to start experiencing them soon! Starting with the beach. Don’t be afraid to dip your toes in the water. I’m sure Karlie can lend you a swimsuit until we pick up one for you.”
She yawned. “I know I’m going to sleep for at least a few hours. See you later, Lucy. We’ll go pick you up some things and talk a bit more, hm?”
“Thank you,” I said. “For… everything.”
She smiled and hugged me tightly. “You’re family now. Get some rest, okay?”
As she left, I stared at the card in my hand, a little dizzy. Things were happening so fast, but as I tapped the card and heard the lock click, relief filled me.
I opened the door and heard the whoosh of air but nothing else. It was completely quiet. The room was completely empty…
It was completely mine.
I closed the door behind me, sank to the floor, and stared into the dim room, at a loss for what to say or do.
“I’ll be okay,” I whispered, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath. “I’m really going to be okay.”
For the first time since all of this started, I really believed it too.
I didn’t remember getting into bed, but when I woke up, I didn’t really want to get out of it. The bed back at the Blue Moon Estate wasn’t bad. It was everything around me that made it hard to relax much when I was there. In the silence of this apartment, I felt completely at peace.
I rolled over and slipped out of bed to look around. There was a little living room and a kitchen with a full stove. The bathroom was huge, and I even had a balcony that overlooked the ocean. I stepped out onto the balcony and squinted at the bright daylight.
The ocean seemed to glow from the sunlight.
“You’re up!”
I turned my head and saw Tina on the balcony next door. She was lying on the lounger, drinking from a glass.
“How’d you rest? Feeling okay?”
I nodded. “I didn’t even remember falling asleep.”
“That’s the best kind of sleep,” she laughed. “If you’re hungry soon, I’ve got food. Stacy’s in a meeting, but she said that I should let her know when you got up. There’s paperwork or something that she has to go over with you?”
I headed over to her place. Her apartment was set up just like the one I was staying in, except there were decorations. There were a few photos of other people and a few knickknacks. It felt comfortable.
“Take a seat. I already called down.” I sat and thanked her as she slid the tray of food to me and passed me a plate.”
Soon, a knock sounded on the door, and Tina let Stacy inside. She was dressed in a nice blouse and pants. She looked older. She put her jacket on the back of the sofa and flopped onto it.
“What a day!” She cried. “Good to see you’re up. Are you up to an excursion out?”
“Yeah, I guess…. What are we going out for?”
“Clothes, mostly,” Stacy said. “You can’t wander around the world with one pair of pants and one shirt.”
My face warmed. I supposed she was right about that.
“Before that, we’ve got to talk a bit….” She sighed. “I’ve been informed that while I had good timing, we’ve set off a whole thing in the supernatural world. Nothing for you to really worry about. You’re still good to stay here. You’ll just have to deal with the Council or whatever for a little bit. Some paperwork and whatever. We’ll swing by the nearest office while we’re out and about.”
Stacy explained that she’d take me to a few stores to get me the essentials before we went to the Supernatural Council building in the city. After I finished eating, Tina got dressed, and we headed out.
It was fun shopping with them. Stacy didn’t try to push me into anything. I got a week’s worth of clothes and the rest of the things I needed before we rode to a building that seemed to be hiding behind a shimmering wall.
Stacy’s driver parked beside the building, and as soon as we entered, I smelled flowers, and someone called out to us.
“Stacy, you trouble-making, devious little thing!”
Stacy bowed. “I aim to please.”
The woman was dressed in a long gauzy kind of dress that didn’t entirely look like it belonged to the current year, but it fit her. She embraced Stacy briefly before turning to me. Her gaze drifted over me, and she hummed.
“I see. You must be Lucy,” she said. “Hearing all the… fuss, I wondered about you, but now it makes perfect sense.”
“What does that mean?”
She smiled. “All in good time, dear. For now, let’s start with the basics. To the healer with you!”
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