Chapter Ten Transitions
I woke before the alarm, which was unfortunate because it meant I had time to register exactly how uncomfortable I was.
The mattress on the poolhouse floor had been a reasonable solution yesterday when everything was wet, displaced, and still in motion.
At six in the morning, it was less reasonable.
Lydia had somehow claimed the better side of the mattress, shoving Kitty and I onto the other half.
Kitty had migrated diagonally at some point in the night, her legs over mine.
I was left occupying the remaining strip compressed between them with a blanket that no longer covered anything useful.
Kitty’s foot jerked suddenly and connected with my ankle.
I opened my eyes.
There was a brief moment where I considered staying exactly where I was and pretending I hadn’t woken up, but the thought didn’t last. The room was too cold, too full of people, and Lucy was snoring again.
Boxes, bags, and displaced items had been stacked wherever they would fit, which meant piled up against the far wall.
The air carried a faint mix of detergent and damp fabric that hadn’t quite finished drying.
It looked like a hoarder's den.
I honestly had no idea how Kitty and Lydia managed to have so much stuff.
I shifted carefully, calculating how to sit up without waking either of them, and then gave up on the calculation and moved anyway.
Kitty rolled, took the blanket with her, and kicked again.
“I’m going to kick you back," I muttered.
The alarm went off, shrieking a protest that the day must start.
Lydia groaned into her pillow, stretched, her arm connecting with my back before she sat up with a happy smile as though she had never been asleep at all. “Good morning everyone! This is so much fun. It’s like a slumber party. We should do this more often. I’ll get the coffee started."
Her cheery words were an assault on the ears. How she went from asleep to perky, I had no idea as I was still wiping sleep from my blurry eyes.
Jane grabbed her toiletries and a bag of clothes.
There was no water at the poolhouse because it was winter and the pipes would freeze.
That meant we all had to beg for the use of a bathroom from someone in the inn.
Luckily Jane’s boyfriend Braxton had a room and she could borrow from him.
The rest of us would have to use Mom and Dad’s.
With a sigh, I stood because I had to.
No one spoke to me, which I appreciated. It was an established understanding that I was not a morning person. I needed at least an hour to just become regulated enough to bear people.
Lydia moved around the small space with surprising efficiency, pulling on a sweater and tying her hair back while Kitty blinked awake slowly, clearly not yet aware of where she was.
“Why am I on the floor?” Kitty asked.
“Because you gave up your bed for the better good of our guests," Lydia replied.
“That feels like a decision I should have been consulted on."
“You were consulted," Lydia said. “You agreed."
“That sounds like me," Kitty admitted, her face creased from her pillow.
I stepped over a stack of bags and reached for my overnight bag, looking for some clean clothes. Kitty yawned as she came beside me, grabbing a suitcase.
I moved faster than I had all morning, taking hold of the handle and pulling it back toward me.
“That’s not yours," I said.
Lydia paused, watching the exchange with interest. “You moved quickly for someone who just woke up."
“This one is yours," I told Kitty, pushing her suitcase towards her.
Kitty tilted her head. “What’s in your bag that you just ripped it out of my hand. Are you guarding national secrets?”
“Yes," I deadpanned.
She grinned. “Now I want to know even more."
“You won’t," I said, setting the suitcase upright and positioning it behind me where it was less accessible.
Lydia raised an eyebrow. “That was suspicious."
“It’s just my clothes. You know how Kitty is. She’s half asleep and will dress in anything. She would stretch my sweaters," I lied.
“Hey, I’m not fat," Kitty protested.
“Meri’s just thinner," Lucy interjected.
“It isn’t about the body. You like to pull on your sleeves and stretch them out," I improvised.
Kitty considered that, then shrugged. “I don’t think I do that."
“You do," I assured her.
I didn’t like lying but there was no way I was going to have them find out what was in that suitcase. It would lead to conversations and questions that I wasn’t ready for.
The conversation dissolved as quickly as it had started, replaced by the practical problem of getting ready in a space that was not designed for five people, and their belongings.
I washed my face in the small sink, using bottled water and cloth.
It was preferable to using my parents bathroom for the morning and running the risk of running into Mom who would no doubt talk about my lack of love life and the two men she wanted me to choose from.
I could have a shower when I went to my hotel room later today before The Enchanted Quill convention.
I stepped around Lydia as she went to the fridge, moaning about the lack of whip cream and caramel for her morning coffee concoction, and ignored Kitty’s attempt to open the suitcase again by moving it further out of reach.
I grabbed my travel lock and locked it.
I grabbed a coffee in a travel mug and after getting dressed, I headed to the inn, crunching through the snow. It was a beautiful morning, the snow on the trees sparkling in the morning sun.
Going to the kitchen, I made myself some toast before heading to the dining room to put out the fresh tablecloths on the tables and get things set up.
The guest room would take days to dry out. The carpet was soaked, the baseboards would need attention, and the ceiling in the dining room had started to bubble in a way that suggested repairs rather than a simple cleanup. It would be manageable, but it would take time.
I was not going to be there for most of it, which was a relief. Let someone else take on the burden of worrying over it.The dining room had been reset as best as possible. The damp spot in the ceiling remained, though smaller now, the edges still slightly raised.
On my way back to the kitchen to grab napkins and utensils, I saw Dad hovering over Daniel as he tacked a piece of baseboard back into place. From the look on Dad’s face, I knew that Daniel had lost all unsupervised privileges for the foreseeable future.
It was probably for the best.
I moved through the rest of the service by habit, serving people breakfast, answering the occasional question, and cleaning dishes.
Plates out, tables cleared, coffee refilled, no deviation from the pattern unless necessary.
There was a sort of comfort to a routine task, even if there was the odd person who was a variable.
An older couple tried to tip me and I gave them the money back, explaining that since the inn ran the meal service, gratuities weren’t expected.
Besides, I didn’t need the money.
Finishing up in the kitchen, I put the last of the plates away before taking off my apron.
“Have a good time with your friends," Lucy told me as I went to put my apron in the laundry.
“Thanks," I murmured.
The laundry was backlogged with soaked sheets and towels still waiting to go into the dryer. I tossed my apron in the appropriate pile before changing over a load and making the machines work again.
I was now officially off the clock and free to leave. The hotel room I had booked was beckoning me, and I felt a weight slip from my shoulders. I didn’t have a lot of time, but maybe a bubble bath? I had booked a room with a jetted tub.
Coming out of the laundry room, I almost ran into Aryn, who was walking down the hallway. He had jeans, a button up shirt, and a vest on. His bag was over his shoulder and coat over his arm.
“Good morning," he greeted me with a smile.
“Good morning," I returned awkwardly, taking a step back. “I see you’re ready to go to the convention."
“Just leaving now. The offer still stands if you change your mind and want to meet us at the convention," Aryn said.
“I’m sorry. I can’t." For a moment, I wondered what it would be like to go with him, just as a regular person on an outing.
But I wasn’t a regular person.
“Thank you for all your help yesterday," I said instead.
“Anytime. It was kind of fun actually. Your family is really close," Aryn commented.
“I suppose we are," I agreed.
“Hey, do you have your phone on you?” Aryn suddenly asked.
“Yes," I slowly answered, uncertain why he would want to know.
“Can I see it?”
I blinked. “Why?”
Aryn had a smile. “Or I can give you my phone and you can put your number in it."
I watched as he took out his cellphone, unlocked it and swiped at the screen until he reached the desired app. He handed it to me.
“Here, put your number in. I’ll text you if there’s anything fun going on and you can let me know how your weekend with your friends is going," Aryn suggested.
I slowly took the phone from him, putting in my number.
Aryn Levich had asked for my phone number. I really wasn’t sure what to do with this information as I handed the phone back.
“There, I sent you a text saying hi so you have my number."
I felt a corresponding buzz in my pocket, a notification that I had gotten a text.
“Have a good weekend." He shifted his bag slightly.
“You too," I replied.
There was a pause, brief but noticeable, before he nodded once and turned toward the door.
I watched him go for a second longer than necessary before I went back upstairs to the poolhouse and retrieved my suitcase and laptop, checking once more that the lock was engaged before carrying both back down.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. Pulling it out, I looked at the screen to see it was Tara.
I silenced the call without answering.
“Leaving?” Jane asked as I passed through the kitchen to grab an apple for the drive.
“Yes," I said.
“Travel safe," she said, her tone warm but not intrusive.
“I will," I replied.
The air outside felt colder than it had in the morning, indicating a shift in the weather.
The forecast indicated that it might storm but I wasn’t worried.
I would be in the city and the hotel I was staying at was where the convention was being held so I didn’t have to travel.
My Uber pulled up a moment later, and I stepped in after checking the license plate, setting my suitcase beside me and my laptop on my lap.
My phone buzzed again.
Tara.
Once again I silenced it and a message followed a moment later. Hitting the translate button, I read the text:
Need you there early. Another author delayed. You’ll need to cover the slot.
I read it once, then again, recalculating the time in my head. I had planned for a buffer, time to check in, to settle and adjust. That was no longer an option.
I closed my eyes, leaning my head back, wishing I were the type of person to nap in cars. Instead, I stared at the scenery going past, not really seeing it.
The city came into view gradually, the shift from open space to structured movement almost immediate once we reached the outer roads. By the time we arrived at the convention center, the entrance was already busy with attendees moving in clusters, badges visible, and conversations overlapping.
I thanked the driver, stepped out, and pulled my suitcase behind me. Entering the building and going straight to the lobby, I quickly checked in.
On the third floor, I found my room and pulled my suitcase into the bathroom.
I set the suitcase on the counter and unzipped it. The contents were arranged with precision. Wig, makeup, clothing, each item placed exactly where it belonged.
I took a breath, then reached in.
I changed quickly, adjusting each piece in sequence, checking the fit, the placement, the overall effect.
Makeup went on, exactly as the MeTube tutorial had taught me.
The wig cap, followed by the wig, a platinum ombre which was in fashion.
I plucked out a pair of deep red rimmed glasses, putting them on.
They matched the red dress. I pulled on the black boots, cursing the heels that Tara had recommended even though they weren’t very high.
At least the dress was soft and not itchy.
I closed the suitcase and looked up at my reflection, already someone else.