Growing Into You (First Draft; Unedited)

liv.

“Yeah, he’s just being a baby, I didn’t hit him that hard.” She put down the rolling pin on my bed and took a seat. “Jay, I care for you. You’re like my daughter. That’s why I agreed to help Lady Dupon.”

“Help her with what?”

“Did she not tell you?” Maj chewed her cheek as she thought. “Jinan was under contract with her, right? Well she switched some things around so I’m his boss now. Once you guys get to where you’re going. I’m going to fire the man.”

Jinan stirred slightly but he didn’t get up.

Relief rushed through my body and I almost felt like I was floating. Jinan, gone? It felt like it was too good to be true, like when my father said Mr. Widmen would help me. I couldn’t help the burr of worry that formed in my stomach. What if she couldn’t get him to leave? What if he hurt her? Or Kuna, Aoife, or Devi?

“Jayen?” Maj grabbed my hand. “What’s wrong?”

I gave her a weak smile. “Nothing, absolutely nothing.”

“Good! Here, give me your suitcase and I’ll carry it to the front.” Maj grabbed my suitcase off the bed and got up. “Joshua’s got your ride all planned out. Carefully step over Jinan, we don’t want him waking up!” Maj laughed loudly as she stepped over his legs and I followed her, my stomach a knotted mess of worry and hope.

Joshua had been kind enough to get in contact with the Mailman to get out a message to one of his old friends, my neighbor, Mr. Tibilt just in time for him to arrive as soon as we were done packing.

Although Mr. Tibilt and I were neighbors; we lived fields apart. He was an Avian who moved next door when I was thirteen. He would drop by every now and then but as he got older and older, he could no longer use his wings and had taken to using a carriage. He was tall with a stocky frame. Unlike the Mailman, he had black feathers which were now flecked with white and gray feathers. His beak was long and curved downward ever so slightly.

Joshua was lifting up some of Alexandra’s bags when we walked outside. Mr. Tibilt was standing off to the side supervising Joshua with his wings crossed. He was wearing dark blue shorts with light gray patches over his knees. Next to him, Alexandra stood in a similar position with her arms crossed and her long black hair had been woven into a braid. She wasn’t wearing a corset or her veil and was instead wearing a dark maroon dress that went down to her ankles. She looked up at me and I looked away, embarrassed to have been staring at her. 

“Jayen, dear, have you got your bags?” Alexandra called out from down the lawn where everyone was standing. I stepped to the side and pointed to Maj behind me who was carrying my bag over her shoulder like it weighed nothing.

Mr. Tibilt turned in our direction and lifted up a wing in greeting. “Is that Jayen? I hardly recognized you from all the way over there, come over here and say hi.”

Flashing Maj a quick look behind me I headed over to where Mr. Tibilt was standing, “Hello, Mr. Tibilt, it’s good to see you again!”

“You’ll never guess who I saw on my way in,” he smiled, “Ishir! I haven’t seen him in years, you know he used to live by us.”

“Really?” I tilted my head.

“Years ago, but yeah. Just a few miles down the road from you.” He scratched his beak, “I wonder what he's up to now.”

“He’s a potion maker and seller now. He actually sold me something to help with some injury I had.” I showed him the faint scar that I had from the roses. “It worked pretty well but I got pretty sick, I mean, he did tell me that was going to happen. I think it had something to with transferring energy to the healing process. Or something.”