12. Nice to Meet You, Nook
nice to meet you, nook
—EDEN
One second his nose brushes mine, the next, his full weight crashes forward.
“Sage?!”
My back hits the floor with a soft thud. Suddenly I’m buried beneath a very muscly mountain.
His head lands right beside my ear, one wing draped over me like a tent, the other sprawled across the floor.
He is out.
His breaths even out immediately, tickling my collarbone with each exhale. I try to wiggle free, but I can’t move.
I try to push him, but he doesn’t budge.
“Sage?” I squeak.
He snores loudly in response.
My face burns, and my heart hammers inside my chest—or maybe that’s his heartbeat. We’re pressed so close together I can’t tell anymore.
Big Bird is sleeping! Droot announces cheerfully, landing on the wing above my head. See? I told The Sun. Big Bird needed a nap.
“Droot,” I wheeze. “Help.”
The King is very small, Droot observes thoughtfully. Big Bird is very… big. This is a problem.
“Yes, it’s a problem,” I agree.
He does a little hop.
The Sun smells nice though! Like fire-flowers and honey… and vanilla beans… and a little like fresh grass.
I let out a strangled laugh.
I’m trapped under a beautiful, exhausted, green-skinned man who just nuzzled my nose and made my entire body feel like it was on fire.
I try to focus on anything other than the way his skin smells of fresh rain and cucumber. I thought I smelled it earlier coming from the water pitcher… I was wrong; it’s one hundred percent the male lying on top of me.
I study the iridescent membrane of his wing and the delicate latticework of veins pulsing faintly. It’s like looking at a map made of seaglass.
“Okay,” I whisper to the ceiling. “I can do this. I just have to… lie here.”
Eventually, the fire under my skin cools down. I manage to bridge my hips and slide a few inches to my left. I repeat the same movement until I’m finally able to slip out from under his arm.
He cuddles further into the spot I was just lying in.
“Droot. Stay with Sage. If he wakes up… tell him I went to look around.”
Droot will guard, he chirps. No one touches The Big Bird while the King is on duty!
I pull a few blankets from the bed and drape them over Sage. I look back one last time at the sleeping giant and his tiny glowing knight.
I find three beautiful bedrooms before I find a bathroom.
I catch my reflection in the mirror and freeze.
I don’t recognize the woman staring back at me at all. My hair is a wild, tangled mane of orange curls. My skin is fair and covered in cinnamon-colored freckles. Large green eyes look back at me. I brush my fingers over my lips. They’re soft and full.
I look… healthy. How is that possible after spending so long in a sealed box?
“Who are you?” I whisper to the reflection. “Why can’t I remember?”
I turn away from the mirror, my heart still racing as I leave the bathroom.
Who would leave something this grand to two strangers who don’t remember who they are? If this is a trap, it’s the most beautiful trap I’ve ever seen.
I pass through a hallway made of glass, its walls draped in flowering vines that only seem to grow larger the further I walk.
I find the kitchen next. It’s wide and open with a massive stone island that appears to have grown directly out of the ground. There are copper kettles that hum faintly when I touch them and a pantry filled with things I don’t remember the taste of.
On the counter sits a plate of brightly colored fruits and a small pot of honey. I grab a piece of apricot and dip it into the honey. A sweet and tangy flavor bursts across my tongue. I quickly grab another.
Why can I name every fruit on this counter, but not recall a single time I’ve ever had one before now?
When I’m finished, my gaze catches on a set of massive French doors on the far side of the kitchen. I push them open and step into some type of workshop. The temperature drops just enough to feel like a crisp spring morning.
Hundreds of shelves are lined with jars of seeds that glow like captured fireflies, and there’s a heavy wooden workbench with a white bow wrapped around it.
What is all of this? A greenhouse, the word comes to me.
I lift one of the jars labeled with a word I don’t know, and hold it to the light.
The glow shifts between lavender and blue.
I set it back down and move to the long wooden table scattered with notes.
There are sketches of roots and vines, diagrams of wings and veins, and a map of the meadow and the territories around it.
One territory sits right beside ours, labeled the Rhavari forest. My heart twinges when I look at it.
A smaller territory catches my eye, Wakewood, but it doesn’t feel familiar like the other. I wonder if I came from the forest?
I explore the greenhouse for a few more minutes, then head upstairs. I find myself drawn to two tall wooden doors carved with wildflowers. They creak softly as I push them open.
The room inside is like something from a dream.
The bed is enormous, carved from a deep, smoky-gray wood. Sheer fabric hangs from the canopy. Pale light pours in from a skylight directly above the bed. I want to jump into all of the different layers of soft-looking blankets.
I walk toward the double doors near the bed and gasp when I pull them open. Inside is a closet lined with dozens of dresses. All of them look as if they were made by the meadow—sparkling greens, petal pinks, bright yellows.
And above them, carved into the wood, is my name: Eden.
“All of this… for me?” I press a hand to my chest. “I don’t understand.”
There are drawers full of soaps, brushes, and balms that remind me of Sage’s scent.
I find a second bathroom tucked behind a curved doorway.
There’s a vanity full of different jars of pigments for my face, and an enormous tub carved from pale stone.
It’s already full of warm, steaming water, rose petals floating along the surface.
There’s even a robe folded over the edge, like someone knew I’d come.
Should I?
The room gives a cheerful groan.
I glance around. There’s no one to be found.
I lock the door and remove my silk gown. I take one last look at the stranger in the mirror before lowering myself into the water. I wince as the heat sinks into my stiff muscles.
“Oh, this feels so good,” I groan.
The room gives another groan.
“A-are you trying to talk to me?” I murmur.
The light in the room pulses four times.
“A talking house,” I giggle. It should be baffling—it would have been had I not woken up in a glass tomb, perfectly well after not eating or drinking for God knows how long.
Guarded by a giant green male with wings larger than me.
“Nice to meet you, house,” I whisper as I scrub the dirt from my skin. “Do you have a name?”
The room groans.
“Hm.” I tap my finger against my chin. “A house that is full of everything I need. What shall I call you?”
The floorboards rattle excitedly.
“… Home?”
The house stays silent.
“You’re right. Too on the nose.”
The house smells warm… like syrup on cedar.
“What about Maple?”
Another disappointed groan.
“Oh! I’m so sorry to have offended you,” I giggle.
“Sprig?”
A tiny, thoughtful creak.
“Hmm. You’re a tough one.”
The lights flash in agreement.
I laugh.
“Nook?”
The entire house shudders. A cupboard flies open. A vase topples onto the floor. And the water in the sink turns on full blast.
“Oh!” I chuckle. “You like Nook?”
The ceiling beams creak so enthusiastically that a shower of flower petals drifts down into the bath.
“Nice to meet you, Nook. I’m Eden.”
The pipes hum a cheerful little tune.
Once I’m out of the bath, the house opens a drawer full of different brushes and combs.
“These will work perfectly for my curls,” I murmur. “Thank you, Nook.”
When I’m done brushing my hair, I slip into a soft green dress, similar to Sage’s skin tone. It’s sleeveless, with a braided golden band beneath the bust.
I take a look in the mirror and study my reflection. I feel like I’ve been plucked from a fairy tale and dropped into a body I almost recognize.
* * *
The meadow calls to me.
I follow the winding path behind the house, past clusters of blossoms and sleeping bees, through knee-high grass that sways together as though whispering secrets.
Black-and-white birds chatter to one another in bright, curious songs. One breaks away from the flock and lands delicately on my shoulder.
“Well hello there,” I hum. “You are just beautiful, aren’t you?”
It clicks its beak before hopping onto my fingertip.
“Do you live in the meadow?”
The bird tilts its head.
Then, with surprising determination, it darts into the grass.
“Oh…”
A few moments later, it returns carrying a tiny white blossom. It drops the bloom into my palm with a proud little trill.
“For me?”
The little bird puffs out its chest.
I laugh.
“Well… thank you,” I murmur. “What a sweet little magpie.”
The sun warms my bare arms.
I run my fingers along the petals of a flower that leans into my touch.
I don’t realize how long I’ve been wandering until the birdsong begins to thin. I have no idea where I am… or how to get back.
The longer I walk, the colder it gets. I catch a shadow in the trees, but it disappears as soon as my eyes focus on it.
It’s trying to lead me toward something.
I wrap my arms around myself, rubbing over the goosebumps that refuse to leave.
The dress I chose was definitely not warm enough for this part of the meadow.
“Okay, Eden,” I murmur to myself. “It’s time to focus and find your way home.”
I glance at my surroundings. Everything looks the same. I try my best not to panic, but it’s starting to build in my chest.
The shadow blooms at the edge of my vision.
“Hello?” My heart hammers in my chest. “Are you following me?”
The temperature plummets and frost creeping across the grass. My breath fogs in front of me, though the sun is still shining overhead.
A fox steps out from behind a cluster of walnut trees. His fur is almost translucent. His eyes are pale blue, and they’re fixed entirely on me.
Frost spreads beneath his paws with every step closer. He’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever been afraid of.
“Hi,” I whisper, crouching down slowly. “Are you the one who’s been following me?”
His ears flick forward.
I hold out my hand, palm up. “I’m not going to hurt you. I promise.”
He takes a cautious step forward, his nose twitching in the air. The cold coming off him makes my fingers ache the closer he gets.
When his nose finally brushes my palm, something like recognition burns in my chest.
“You’re so cold,” I murmur, carefully scooping him into my arms. He’s heavier than I expected, solid despite his ghostly appearance.
I settle onto a fallen log and cradle him against my chest, running my fingers through his silvery fur.
He curls into me, his tail tucking around my wrist.
“There you go,” I whisper, stroking the spot between his ears. “You were trying to help me, weren’t you?”
He lets out a soft purr.
“Where did you come from?”
He tilts his head curiously, and then a roar fills the meadow.
“EDEN!”