37. Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Yana
Yana’s stomach growled as she dropped four pieces of bread into the toaster.
She quite liked this toaster thing. She heard footsteps walking down the hall and was surprised when Morgan followed Cody into the kitchen for breakfast. She didn’t feel ready to face her.
Yana quickly finished making her toast. She turned to leave, keeping her head down, but Morgan spoke up: “You can eat at the kitchen table, if you want.”
Yana looked up at her. It was the first time she’d been in Morgan’s presence since…
since the incident. Yana wasn’t sure how she was supposed to feel toward this woman.
Anger, because Morgan had stabbed her best friend?
Guilt, because she should have known Nyrah was going to attempt to hurt Morgan?
Relief and gratitude, because Morgan was being gracious and allowing both her and Nyrah to continue living in Cody’s cottage?
Yana remembered the way Cody assured her that the fight between Nyrah and Morgan wasn’t her fault, but she couldn’t help feeling guilty, especially now that she was looking right at Morgan.
Yana also remembered the hug Cody had given her and the way it felt to be held in his arms. It was safe.
And warm. And she was beginning to see why both Morgan and Nyrah loved Cody so much.
He might still be in denial about having a Heart of Gold, but Yana didn’t need to be a Heartseer to know that it was true.
And…that it was a very attractive quality.
Yana quickly looked away from Morgan. She didn’t want her to know how many feelings just flew through her mind and how quickly they landed on romantic thoughts about the other woman’s boyfriend.
“No, it’s okay,” Yana said. “I will eat in my room with Nyrah. She’s waiting for me.”
Yana glanced at Cody, who gave her a reassuring smile, before she rushed back to her room. She slipped back in, sitting on the bed with Nyrah. She shared a piece of crust with her friend, since nekofae needed very little on a daily basis, and then Yana ate the rest of the toast on her own.
Nyrah had been quiet lately, which was understandable.
Yana wasn’t sure if she was being contemplative, or whether she was quiet because she was talking to the sentient knife that now lived inside her head.
Yana pushed down the jealous feeling that popped up every time she thought about that knife and how connected he was to Nyrah.
He’s not going to replace you, Yana told herself. Nyrah will always be your friend. Your best friend.
Yana got dressed and slipped out to the bathroom to brush her teeth.
She loved the minty Earth stuff called toothpaste and how easy it was to make her teeth feel clean.
When she came out, Morgan was waiting for her turn.
Yana was surprised that Morgan was dressed, wearing her black uniform shirt with the red embroidered Food Mart logo on it.
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t realize you were waiting,” Yana said quickly.
“It’s fine. I have time,” Morgan said.
Cody obviously heard them talking and stepped out into the hall. “Everything okay?”
“Yes.” Morgan gave him a smile before turning back to Yana: “Everything’s fine. Right?”
Yana knew she was asking about more than their current conversation. “If you’re fine, then I’m…also fine.”
“Good.” Morgan brushed past her into the bathroom and shut the door.
“Right. So. I’m going to walk with Morgan to work, and I have some stuff to do around town,” Cody said. “You and Nyrah will be okay on your own? I can trust you?”
“You can trust us,” Yana said, though being in a room with Nyrah every day was beginning to feel suffocating.
It wasn’t so much Nyrah, but being locked in the room while sunlight filtered in through the blinds and she could hear birds singing outside.
They went from being locked in the apartment above Temica’s shop to being stuck in the guest bedroom of Cody’s cottage, and Yana was beginning to feel trapped. “Could I come with you? Into town?”
Cody looked over at the guestroom door. “What about Nyrah? Is she coming, too?”
“Um…” Yana said, also looking at the door. “Is she allowed to come?”
“What do you think? Is she ready?”
“Maybe?” Yana said, but an idea came to her. “This, us getting along, it’s exactly what Temica doesn’t want, yes?”
Cody studied her a moment before saying, “Yes. She’s waiting for more drama and mayhem. She said as much at Gracie’s party.”
“She was at the birthday party you went to?”
“Unfortunately. But you’re right. As long as we get along, Temica will be epically bored and hungry. Maybe she’ll even leave.”
“And if not, in the meantime, we can work on finishing the game,” Yana suggested. “Together.”
“That definitely sounds like the kind of thing she’d hate.” But he glanced at the guestroom door again. “You think that’s possible?”
Morgan stepped out of the bathroom and looked between them. “What’s possible? I think I overheard most of that, but may have missed something while brushing my teeth.”
“We’re going to try to bore Temica to death,” Cody said.
Morgan walked over to Cody and he settled his arm around her waist. “I’m okay with Yana coming along, but I’m not ready for…” She glanced at the guestroom door before looking back to Cody.
“Okay.” Cody gave Morgan an affectionate squeeze. “That seems fair.” He looked at Yana: “You okay with this?”
“Yes. I’ll let Nyrah know.”
Yana slipped back into the guestroom, where Nyrah was still lying in bed.
“You’re going into town with Cody?” she said.
Yana wasn’t surprised that Nyrah had heard, especially with her exceptional nekofae hearing.
“Is that okay with you?” Yana asked.
Nyrah smiled sleepily. “Yes. It’ll be good for you to spend some time with Cody.”
Yana went to sit on the edge of the bed. “I'd rather have both of us spend time with him.”
“I know.” Nyrah sat up behind Yana and pulled off the hair elastic that had been holding her friend's ponytail together. It was yet another marvelous Earth invention. It was much easier to use and more secure than using a strip of ribbon or leather cord.
Nyrah finger-combed Yana’s shoulder-length white hair before she began to work the strands into a woven braid. “Do you like Cody, Yana?”
Yana felt that now-familiar feeling in her lower belly, the swoopy one she got whenever she started thinking about Cody. It was the same feeling that happened every time he announced that he had received a new Friendship Level for her.
“Yes, I think I like Cody,” Yana said.
“That’s good. I want you to be happy, too.”
“I would be happy if we stayed here” Nyrah finished off the braid and Yana turned to face her friend. “Do you think we’ll be allowed to stay here? Forever?”
“We’re going to marry Cody, so yes.”
Yana huffed. “We don’t know that. He loves Morgan.”
Nyrah patted Yana’s shoulder. “Then we have to make sure he loves us, too. Work on that today, okay?”
That happy, swoopy feeling in Yana’s belly turned into the heavy, anxious feeling of uncertainty. Yana had spent her entire adult life as a priestess with a vow of chastity. She had no idea how to fall in love. Or have someone fall in love with her.
“I don’t—” Yana began to say, but was interrupted by a knock on the door.
“Ready to go?” Cody called.
“Yes!” Yana jumped to her feet. She looked down at Nyrah, who was yawning, wearing her wrinkled pink pajamas with a head of messy brown hair. “Be good. Promise me.”
“I’ll be good. I promise. I think I’m going to take a nap.”
Yana refrained from pointing out that she had just woken up, and instead headed out the door.
Yana trailed behind Cody and Morgan as they walked to town, with Cody and Morgan holding hands the whole time.
Yana felt like she didn’t quite belong, but kept reminding herself that she had been invited.
She fiddled with her pink gemstone necklace, happy that it still worked as a glamor enchantment, even though they had left Temica.
Once they dropped off Morgan at the Food Mart, Cody walked over to Yana. “So, I need to go see Marigold at the pet shop first. Hopefully she has her library books with her.”
“Library books?”
“For my Friendship Levels.” As they walked down Main Street, Cody went through a rundown of which Residents he had to level up, the ones he had completed, and the ones he was still working on.
“Is it safe to assume Doug will be difficult?” Yana asked.
“Definitely. It’s a miracle I even have one level with him, and that was all Morgan.”
Yana noticed a flash of white and looked up to see Henry the chicken. He had just landed on the edge of the roof of the nearest shop. He was looking down at them with those creepy pink eyes. She stopped short and met his stare, not willing to back down from the foul beast.
Cody didn’t notice she had stopped walking until he was a couple steps ahead of her. Yana could see him in her peripheral vision as he stopped and then walked back over to her.
“I hate that chicken,” Yana seethed. She almost hated him more than Temica.
Almost. He always had a way of looking at her as if he was judging her and finding her severely lacking.
The thought of being judged by a strange chicken was insulting.
If anything, he was the one lacking. No chicken should be that tall.
And with wings that big and strong-looking.
She’d never even seen a chicken fly until she met this one.
Okay, so maybe all of those things were actually upgrades, as far as chickens went, but she still didn’t like it. Any of it.
“Yeah, I hate that parrot,” Cody said. “Haven’t seen him around without Temica. What do you think he’s doing?”
“Nothing good.” Yana purposely ignored the word ‘parrot’, because Cody was clearly confused. “He is a chicken of ill omen.”
“Sure feels that way. Try to ignore him, okay? I’ve got stuff to do.”
“We can continue, but I’ll be on the lookout.” She stretched her fingers, feeling her [Life-Force] crackle and spark.
“None of that,” Cody warned under his breath. “C’mon.”