The Home (Sequel to The Duns)

Chapter 23: Museums, Falcons, and Talking Ghosts

Chapter Twenty-three

Catherine

"Let's do it like a twenty questions, what do you say?" Peter asks. Peter. I grin.

"Okay. Sean, you first."

We're sitting inside the same house-apartment more like, even just a room, and now that Peter heard our side of it, it's his chance to speak.

"I thought you had brown hair?" Sean asks.

I frown. "Sean! Don't waste the questions!"

Peter chuckles and answers. "It was. I colored it. This place is very rowdy."

Sean nods, not understanding. I don't either, but we continue.

Since we're having fun, I decide to go ahead with the useless questions, "My chance, what's up with that tattoo? It's too small to figure out exactly what it is."

Peter scoots over next to me and turns his head away, giving me a better view of his neck. "It's a falcon." I whisper. "The same as the one you gave me."

"Yup. About that- no, wait, you have to ask."

"And I will." Sean begins, "the falcon was originally silver, but on coming here, it turned gold, so, what is it and what does it symbolize?"

"That's two questions. The answers are: The falcon here is a special symbol that symbolizes longevity, victory, and nobility. It's the symbol for this place, really, and if you don't have one of these, they kill you, or torture you, or put you in prison-"

"Seriously, dude!" Sean argues.

"Na," Peter says, "You're fine buddy, we tetrakinita's are fine. I put one because I didn't want anyone here to know my true identity."

"Fair enough," Sean replies, "the second answer?"

"So, and this answer relies completely on my own finding out and stringing together from everywhere, maybe, there's a 2 percent chance that there will be repercussions on going back to Earth. And there's a little more on Aunt Marge but that's for later."

"Aunt Marge doesn't have a difficulty!" I say stubbornly.

"She does- she's crazy."

I take this in.

"Okay then," Peter says after a few moments, "next question."

"Where are we?" I whisper, still shocked.

He smiles and gets up, pulling me along with him. "Come on, I'll show you."

I walk along with him to the door and he stands at it for one dramatic moment, his hand on the knob. "Ready?" He asks. I nod.

He pulls open the door and we walk out.

It's shocking. That's the only word I can think of.

This apartment is high above the ground, very very high, and the other 'houses' shoot up from the ground like a flower stem. They're lit up, shiny, bright colours, like vines wounding around a bark.

They're different shades- like fairy lights- and each 'stem' reaches up to just one house- probably as small as this one. I look down, searching for the ground.

And there isn't one. Of course.

"How do you get about?"

"Is that a question?" He asks, smiling wickedly. God, I missed this boy.