The Adventure of Fel

chapter twelve

       I finally have a place to stay that isn't a tree or the ground, and I can't fall asleep. Oh, sure, Gwen and Leo can practically drop dead at a moment's notice, but when I try and get some rest, suddenly it's like the stars can't allow it. Thus, as the sky grows darker and darker, and the guest room bed comfier and comfier, I am still awake. 

       I swing my legs over the side of the mattress and stand up, flinching instinctively. But there's no creak to wake up my friends. No whining boards or springy mattresses - just a silent, inviting white bed. I glare at it as I walk out onto the balcony. It's become a cloudy night, meaning it's darker than usual when I stare out into the Meadow. It feels strange to know that if someone were to look up at me right now, I would be invisible. It's like I'm not really here at all. 

       I think back to just a few hours ago, when we first entered the palace. A shiver runs down my spine as I think of the inviting, wide hallways; the portraits of Alan's former and current pets (most of which were bunnies) lining the walls; the glimpse I got as we walked by into a large dining room with cozy wooden walls more reminiscent of a log cabin than a palace. I wonder what it would all look like now, in the dead of night, with the lights off and no company. Ivy and I used to love watching horror movies together when we were younger. We'd watch them on our communicator bands - smaller screens, sure, but less of a chance of Mom or Dad catching us. I feel a drop of rain hit my forehead and I leave the balcony, looking at my bed with distaste. I slide the glass doors shut and turn around. 

       A sharp intake of breath escapes my mouth. Standing on the other side of the bed is a short figure, maybe half my height. I cover my mouth with my hands and back away, fumbling with my hands for the balcony handle. Blood rushes up to my ears, and my eyes dart around the room, looking for Leo and Gwen. The shadow turns and runs out of the room.

       "Hey!" I call. No shadow monster waltzes into my guest room and then just leaves. I tiptoe towards the now-open door and peek my head out, more confident after seeing it run. Or maybe it wants me to be confident. That's how it catches its prey. I consider returning to my bed, but now I definitely know I wouldn't be able to sleep. I'd just be sitting there, waiting, jumping at every little noise. I turn my head to the left and see the shadow, still running.

       "Hey!" I call again. "What do you want?" The shadow doesn't stop. Instead, it turns and opens one of the many white doors along the hall, disappearing with a bang. I step my bare feet onto the carpet and close my door behind me. I tread carefully, trying not to look at the suddenly creepy portraits of rabbits. After what seems like forever, I reach the door I think it went into. I reach my hand out to the handle and push it down, swinging open the door with a woosh. 

       "Kill me now, shadow-mon - !" I stop. 

       It's a little boy. 

       Around eight or ten, I'd say, with black hair that bounces as he rocks back and forth on the balls of his feet, halfway hiding behind the guest room's curtain. Tawny skin and golden eyes - I breathe out a shaky sigh. It must be Alan. 

       "Hello," I say, breathing out a shaky sigh. "Are you alright?" I try to smile, to seem like someone he can talk to. I'm suddenly thankful that Eb let me shower earlier and washed my night gown, or else I'd look like some sort of scary dirt monster. 

       Alan doesn't say anything. A blush comes to his cheeks, and he grips the curtain even tighter.

       I take a few steps forward and bend down a bit, one hand resting on my knee, the other stretched outwards. 

       "Hi Alan, I'm Fel. My friends and I have come a long way looking for you." Alan meets my eyes. 

       "You know me?" he asks quietly. 

       "Yes! I've heard so much about you from your sister, Birdy." 

       "Birdy?" he says, letting go of the curtain. "You know my sister?"

       "Yep," I say. "She sent me to find you. To give you a letter." Alan considers this for a minute, and then he steps out fully so that I can see his pink rabbit-print fleece pajama pants. He still doesn't speak, so I straighten up and try to carry on the conversation. 

       "You have a very nice palace. I heard your parents built it just for you. They must be very nice, huh?" 

       "I guess," Alan says. "They work in the City."

       "They do? What are their jobs?"

       "I don't know."

       "That's okay. My parents are jewelers at the Market. Have you ever been to the Market?"

       "Once with my family. Before Birdy left." 

       "She left?" I ask. I continue strolling around the room, picking up random objects. I hold a small snow globe from a bookshelf now. Every time you shake it, the snow changes color. It changes from blue, to green, to pink before Alan answers. 

       "Yes," he says. "She was mad at Mom and Dad. She said they were too busy. She said she raised me herself." 

       "Did she?" I don't mean to pry, but at the same time, I definitely do. I didn't come all the way here for nothing. 

       "I guess. We never saw much of Mom and Dad, and then one day Birdy said she was leaving and that I was coming with her, but I didn't want to!" I turn around quickly just as Alan's eyes grow watery. "And then Mom and Dad built me my castle, and said Eb was going to take care of me, and I haven't seen Birdy." Alan plops down on the ground. 

       "I want Birdy!" he blubbers. I rush to his side and then hesitate. What do I do? Is he really upset over this, or is it just that it's late and he's tired? 

       "Hey, it's okay," I say. My stomach rumbles. "Do you want to get something to eat?" 

       "But...but Eb never lets me have midnight snacks," Alan sniffs. "I want cheesecake!" 

       "Okay, okay! I'm not sure there's cheesecake in the kitchen, but maybe we can find something else?" 

       "No. Cheesecake is my bunny."

       "Your bunny?"

       Alan stands up and walks to the door. I follow close behind. He leads me down the hall and up a wide staircase, at the top of which is another line of doors. He opens the first one on the right. 

       "My bunny," he says proudly. My jaw practically drops. Before me is the most elaborate bunny hut I have ever seen, not to say that I've seen many. The walls are a light pink, and the ground is...grass. I reach down to touch it - real grass. The right wall is completely floor-to-ceiling windows, an the floor is littered with treats and toys. When I look up again, Alan is holding a caramel-colored bunny with extremely floppy ears. 

       "This is Cheesecake," he says. "Can we go eat now?"

       "Yes," I say. "Yes, we can."