I stood there like an idiot for the better part of a minute, trying to figure out how to get out. There was a large window on the far wall, but we were three stories up. Jumping wouldn’t likely be suicidal, but it’d hurt. Other than the door, there were no other exits, so the only thing I could do was wait.
Kicking my shoes off my aching feet, I took a seat at the table and crossed my arms over my chest. The chair was uncomfortable, and the room was hot, but at least I didn’t have to walk in those heels anymore.
The thick smell of incense filled the air, making me sneeze. Looking over my shoulder, I caught sight of a familiar face, and my eyes widened. Behind me stood Irene, the receptionist from the high school office, dressed in a white robe similar to Ava’s. It flowed behind her and was stunning, but it was nothing compared to her hair. While it’d been red before, now it was vivid ruby, so bright in the sunlight that it almost glittered. It couldn’t possibly be natural.
“Hello, Kate,” she said with a friendly smile. “It’s good to see you again.”
I hesitated. “Nice to see you again, too?”
She sat down across from me with the sort of grace that a dancer would’ve given their right arm for, and I couldn’t help but feel a stab of bitterness. What was she supposed to teach me, how to be beautiful?
“Is there anyone else from Eden here that I should know about?” I said. First Sofia, and now Irene—was Dylan due to mysteriously appear as well?
The corners of her lips twisted into an amused smile. “I suppose you’ll have to wait and see, won’t you? Sorry about the subterfuge, darling. I promise it was only for the best.”
“Yeah, I figured,” I grumbled. I didn’t like knowing I’d been tricked. “You’ll be tutoring me then? Calculus and science and stuff?”
She laughed, the sound of it like wind chimes. “Something cooler. Something much, much cooler. Henry wants you prepared in case you pass, and that means learning about people. How they work, how they see themselves and each other, why they make certain choices—psychology, mostly. Some astronomy and astrology as well. Aside from that, more importantly, you need to learn about this world. Not just the Underworld, but all of it.”
“Mythology?” The word felt heavy on my tongue.
“It’s not mythology here,” she said with a wink. “As long as you remember that, you’ll be just fine.” Seemingly out of nowhere she pulled a thick book and set it on the table, which groaned.
“I have to read that?” I said.
“Don’t worry,” she said. “It has pictures.”
Somehow that wasn’t very reassuring. “Why do I have to learn all of this?”
She didn’t have the chance to answer me. Instead, the door with no handle burst open, and unintelligible shouts filled the room. I stood so quickly I nearly knocked over my chair. Irene looked annoyed, but she remained seated and didn’t speak.
Ella, Calliope and Ava stumbled into the room, each seemingly determined to be the first one inside. Ava wore a pink dress that I would have rather burned than wear, and Ella stormed in behind her, irate.
“You can’t just take things that don’t belong to you!” shouted Ella, her face glowing with fury.
“Kate, tell her,” pleaded Ava.
“I’m sorry,” said Calliope, shoving her way to the front. “I tried to stop them, but they wouldn’t listen—”
“She’s the one who wouldn’t listen,” said Ella, pointing at Ava.
“Excuse me? You’re the one who wasn’t listening to me.”
They looked like they were ready to rip each other’s throats out. Overwhelmed, I finally found my voice and stepped forward. “Stop it, both of you. Is this about the dress?”
Both fell silent, and I could feel the waves of resentment rolling off both of them. Calliope was the one who answered. “Your friend went into your room looking for something to wear, and Ella said she couldn’t. But your friend said you gave her permission, and she didn’t have anything else to put on, but Ella said there were other things, and if she just waited a little while she could—”
“I was naked, and this little bitch wanted me to leave!” said Ava, moving to stand by my side. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her glaring at Ella, whose expression was perfectly smooth now that she’d quieted.
“She was in your suite,” said Ella coldly. “No one is allowed in there without my express permission.”
“It’s my suite,” I said. “Seems logical that if I say she can be in there, she can be in there, right?”
Ella was silent. I sighed. “All right, fine, listen—Ava can come in my room whenever she wants, okay? But she needs her own, if there’s one available for her.”
Ava snorted. “The whole place is full of rooms.”
I ignored her. “And she’ll need things to wear. All of you be nice, okay? Please?”
The look on Ella’s face made my blood run cold. “As you wish, Your Highness,” she said stiffly before turning on her heel and walking away. If I wasn’t sure whether or not she hated me before, now I knew. I was doomed to be stuck in corsets and hoop skirts for the next six months.
“Here,” said Calliope in a small voice. “I’ll take Ava and we’ll find a room for her.”
Ava bristled. “I’m not a child. You don’t have to hold my hand.”
“It’s all right, Calliope,” I said. “I can do it once we’re done here. I need to explore this place anyhow. You can come if you want.”
“It’s fine,” said Irene, sounding irritated. “Just read the pages I marked for tomorrow. I’ll have someone deliver the book to your room.”
I nodded, not knowing what to say. Looking at Ava, I felt a stab of guilt; it was my fault she was here to begin with and had to put up with all of this. Maybe Ella didn’t get along with anybody, but I had to make sure Ava wasn’t completely miserable. Just because I was trapped here didn’t mean she had to pay the price, too.
The rest of the morning wasn’t much better, and the afternoon was a hundred times worse. After lunch, Ella joined us, a silent shadow as we wandered around the manor, and the tension she caused made me want to tear my hair out. Thankfully after a few well-aimed snipes, she made a point of avoiding Ava completely, and Ava made a point of ignoring Ella.
It was comforting having Ava there. She was a familiar piece of reality that I used to anchor myself, the proof I needed that this wasn’t all some elaborate hallucination. She made it easier to believe that I wasn’t going crazy. Maybe that’s what Henry was counting on.