Ember Read Free

approaching!” the other with fuchsia eyes exclaimed.
    I blinked. What the…
    The disorienting feeling was beginning to wear off as I was reminded of my location…my life now. As I slowly sat up, they stepped back, thankfully , giving me back my personal space.
    “Umm…hi,” I said cautiously.
    Fuchsia bowed, her faint green wings waving behind her. “I’m Adelaide.”
    Emerald made the same gesture. “I’m Evette, and we’re at your service to help prepare you for your Dawning.”
    “Oh.” Umm… “Really. I’m okay. I think I can get myself ready.”
    Their warm glowing faces dropped, making me feel one hundred percent lousy. Crap. “I suppose if you wanted to help me with my hair that would be nice. Or first, show me the way to a bathroom.”
    “Yes, yes. Your washroom is just this way, Your Highness.” Evette held out her hand for me to take and helped me out of bed. She linked her arm through mine and escorted me to the arched doorway Declan had shown me last night. Patches of ivy crawled the inside of a corner wall while traces of tiny white flowers peeked from the ground at the base of the sink. At least that’s what it looked like. A tree trunk held up a large wooden bowl.
    “Is it normal for plants to grow inside?”
    Adelaide giggled. “My dear queen, nature grows all around us. Why put a stop to such beauty?”
    “But how does it grow without water or sunlight?”
    “We have our way with helping nature grow. We have the power to nurture it without the help of the elements, Your Majesty.”
    The ground wasn’t covered in soil. It was lined with wide twigs, essentially wood flooring. The sound of trickling water peaked my interest. I was in desperate need of a shower. I looked over to the corner where Evette had started what must have been the shower. I couldn’t figure out where the water was coming from. Water streamed from a circle in the ceiling, but there was no showerhead or pipes. The water simply appeared as if a rain cloud hovered above.
    “How?”
    Evette smiled kindly. “It seems you still have much to learn, Your Grace.”
    I couldn’t handle the formalities anymore. “Will you please call me Calliope?”
    Their eyes flitted from me to one another, uncertain of how to proceed.
    “At least until I get used to all of this. It’s a big change for me and I can’t bear to have you calling me something that makes me feel as if I’m supposed to be superior to you. I’m not. I promise you I’m not. I’m just like you.”
    They both looked uneasy, but nodded. “If that is what you would like, I believe Adelaide and I could agree to your terms.”
    “I would really appreciate it.”
    They smiled and directed me to the shower. Their hands began to pull at my tank top and bottoms before I realized how much they were willing to help. I stepped hastily away. “I can do this part, too. When I’m done with my shower I’ll let you know.”
    Their faces contorted, clearly confused and slightly offended. “Yes, your—” Evette cleared her throat. “Calliope, we will be in your chamber.”
    My chamber?
    “Okay. Thank you.”
    Clearly, I was going to have to learn a whole new vocabulary if I was going to stay here. And I was. This was my home now. Faylinn was my home. Maybe if I kept repeating it in my head it would start to feel like the truth.
    Before I stepped into the shower, I realized my dilemma. There were no doors or curtains. No privacy if someone was to walk in, which was definitely probable if I knew Evette and Adelaide at all. The archway back to my room didn’t have a door either. Did faeries not believe in privacy or personal space? I sighed and figured it was time for me to simply deal with it. Stepping under the water, steam immediately clouded around me, warming the space. Cameron would have flipped. I could hear him in my head now. How did it know I was here? Though the steam had solved my first problem of the day, I knew it was only the first of many.
    When I