Текст книги "Berries and Greed"
Автор книги: Lily Mayne
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Текущая страница: 5 (всего у книги 33 страниц)
Seeing the entire contents of my life, the only things I owned, fitting so easily into two suitcases was kind of depressing, to be honest. But instead of moping about how I’d reached thirty-five having achieved so little, I thought about all the things I could buy myself once I had a proper job. Cute furniture and clothes that weren’t just flowy trousers and loose shirts. I’d allowed myself just a hint of rebellion by wearing things that weren’t plain beige, but I hadn’t wanted to draw any more attention to myself here.
Once I was completely packed, I turned off the lights and climbed into my big bed for the last time—the bed I’d slept in for more than two-thirds of my life. It had seemed so enormous when I was a kid. It had been terrifying when I first got here—being given my own giant room when I was used to sleeping on a pull-out in the dirty, messy living room of my dad’s tiny apartment, his TV constantly on in the next room and a string of women coming and going.
What would my room at Greid’s be like? He’d said his house was big, but obviously it wouldn’t be as enormous as the compound. It might be nice to live in a house that wasn’t such an extreme. Not a tiny, cramped apartment nor a gigantic, sprawling, lifeless building. Just a normal house. A normal demiurgus house, anyway.
I was too wired to even attempt shutting my eyes, staring up at the dark ceiling as my thoughts raced. Would Greid be wearing another slick three-piece suit when he came back to get me? For some reason, I got the sense that it wasn’t his usual attire, and not just because he’d been wildly uncomfortable the whole time he’d been here.
What would we eat for dinner? What would we watch on TV? Maybe it was silly to get excited about such mundane things, but I was. I was excited.
I’d mocked all the others for acting like kids on Christmas morning when Greid had been about to make his grand entrance in the courtyard, but that was exactly how I felt now.
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Chapter Nine
Beryl
Well. I guessed he wasn’t coming.
We’d arranged for Greid to come back at midday before he bolted out of here the day before. So at five minutes to, after being forced to hug every single cult member here and saying a tearful, hushed goodbye to my aunt, I’d left through the front doors of the compound with my embarrassing luggage and sat on a little stone bench near the top of the steps to wait for his arrival. I’d thought the rest of the cult would come out to watch us leave together, but the high priest had said in hushed tones that it was a sacred moment, meant only for mates.
But it was quarter to one, and he still hadn’t showed.
I gripped the edge of the bench, blinking fast to keep the heat gathering in my eyes at bay. I was shocked by how upset I felt. Over the course of the night and morning, breathless excitement had gradually overtaken the fear of leaving everything I knew behind, but it seemed silly to be this disappointed. It wasn’t like I knew Greid. It wasn’t like I’d been jilted on my wedding day or anything.
I guess he changed his mind, I thought miserably, staring down at my chunky flat sandals. Inappropriate footwear for autumn, even though the days were still warm, but it was these, my sneakers or ugly working boots that we wore in the winter while tending to the vineyards.
I’d worn my brightest clothes—stuff I’d bought in secret but never actually dared to wear in the compound—to mark the start of my new life. Maroon trousers and a pale blue shirt with an embroidered breast pocket. My ass was getting numb and cold from the stone bench beneath me, and the breeze was picking up at the top of the hill, making me shiver in the thin shirt. I’d packed my ugly working coat, and I really couldn’t be bothered to dig through everything to get it.
The thought of going back inside and telling them all that Greid had never shown up made my cheeks burn with humiliation. Which was ridiculous—I didn’t actually care that he’d ‘rejected’ me. I didn’t want him as my higher-being-sex-wizard mate. But I could already see the pitying looks. I could hear the hushed whispers as they wondered what was wrong with me, why he’d changed his mind. The high priest would probably cry.
The idea of going back to my room and unpacking made me want to cry. I’d been so close. I’d finally worked up the courage to leave, to try experiencing real life, and this sudden about-turn at the very last minute was… well, it was frankly like a big, unexpected kick in the cunt. With steel-toed boots. Delivered by the enormous, powerful foot of a demiurgus.
It was crushing, but as I wrapped my arms around myself to ward off the chilly breeze, the disappointment began to turn into anger. That absolute bastard. Why had he gotten my hopes up? Why had he offered? If I ever saw him out in the city, I was going to—
“Buh-Beryl.”
I whipped my head toward the top of the steps in time to see Greid stumbling up the last of them, almost collapsing to the ground. He doubled over, bending his long legs and placing his hands on his knees as he sucked in heaving breaths.
I stared at him in disbelief. He looked… Well, he looked like shit, quite frankly. His long black hair was a tangled mess, and he was not wearing a sharp three-piece suit like yesterday. He was in stained grey sweats and a huge black sweater that was ripped on one sleeve, his feet stuffed into unlaced boots.
My mouth twitched, then curved up into a smile. I got the sense that I was seeing a closer approximation of the real Greid here. And he was a hot mess.
He finally straightened, still wheezing for breath. His yellow eyes looked a little bloodshot, and I was pretty sure there were pillow marks still creasing one cheek.
“Uh…” I stood up. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” he panted, clutching his side and gesturing at the steps behind him. “It’s just… those fucking stairs.”
I laughed. “Did you run all the way up them?”
“Yeah.” He looked at me ruefully, and his ears started doing that adorable embarrassed flutter. “I’m really sorry I’m late. I, uh… I overslept.”
I chuckled, picking up my suitcases to walk over to him. “Stayed up late enjoying your last night of freedom, huh?”
His face spikes flexed in a rush, the feathered tips of his ears rustling wildly against his hair. “I, uh, I just… You know. Time got away from me,” he mumbled, then repeated, “I’m really sorry.”
“It’s okay. Better late than never.” I was just beyond relieved that he was here. That it was actually happening. I beamed up at him. “So, ready to go?”
“Very fucking ready.” He glanced at the silent building behind me, his lip curling. “Let’s get away from here. I’ll take those.”
Our fingers brushed as he grabbed both suitcases from me, and I saw him give the initials stencilled on the front a double-take. But he didn’t say anything, much to my relief. Just ducked his head as his ears twitched before turning for the stairs.
“Wait.” I glanced down at his unlaced boots, then raised a brow as I looked at him sternly. “You’re gonna trip and break your neck.”
“Huh?” He stopped and looked down. “Oh, it’s fine.”
“Greid.” His eyes widened a little as I marched toward him and took the suitcases back. “Lace your boots up.”
His breath caught as he stared at me, and I wondered if I was about to experience the supposed dominant demiurgus nature from him for the first time. If he was going to huff and tell me that he didn’t take orders from humans.
Instead, he just mumbled, “Okay,” and hunched over to fumble with his laces as his face spikes twitched around his hairline.
I gave a satisfied smile to the crown of his bent head. His black hair was glossy in the sunlight and gleaming emerald green, despite being a wild mess. There was a lot of it, but it looked fine and soft. I’d never been overly interested in hair, but I wondered if he’d let me play around with it once we knew each other better. I’d bet he’d look awesome with space buns.
Once his boots were laced, he took the suitcases again and waited for me to fall into step beside him before we began making our way down the stairs. I glanced back at the compound once, desperately hoping I wouldn’t get cold feet and ask him to bring me back.
I was actually leaving. It didn’t feel real. I wondered how long it would take for it to feel real.
“So how was your last morning with the sex people?” Greid asked, making some of the nerves flee as I laughed.
“Emotional all around, I guess. They threw me a celebratory dinner last night.” I glanced over at him with a teasing smile. “To congratulate me for landing such a handsome and virile demiurgus lover.”
He gave me an unimpressed look even as his ears fluttered, but his only response was a grunt.
I chuckled again, then sobered. “It was sad saying goodbye to my aunt, but I can visit her.”
“Will you be able to stay in touch?”
“Yeah, once I’ve found a job and saved up for a phone.”
He went to wave a hand, almost nailing me in the side with my suitcase. After mumbling an apology, he cleared his throat and said, “I just upgraded, so you can have my old one. If you want. It’s the last model, so still pretty new.”
“Really?” I looked up at him, noticing how he kept his eyes fixed studiously in front. The fronds on his pointed ear fluttered gently. “I can pay you for it.”
“It’s just sitting in a drawer. You can have it.”
“I… Thank you.” I flushed, not really knowing what to say. “I appreciate it, but I… We probably should’ve discussed this yesterday, but once I have a job I’ll obviously contribute toward bills and stuff.”
He shrugged, then glanced over at me with a sly smile. “You’re one tiny human. I doubt any of my utility bills will go up much.”
I grinned. “How do you know? Maybe I like to take two-hour-long showers. Plus, I like food. And for the first time, I’ll be able to eat whatever I want. I want to eat everything.”
Greid let out a throaty laugh. “I like food too, and trust me, I eat way more than you.”
“Because you’re always high?”
He shot me a weak glare. “I’m not always high. I’m not high right now.”
“Your self-restraint is awe-inspiring,” I deadpanned.
He huffed. “I just like food, okay? Even when I’m not high.”
Smirking a little, I asked, “Do you like to cook?”
“Uh… no,” he admitted sheepishly. “I order takeout a lot.”
“That’s fine with me,” I said eagerly. “I want to try all different kinds of foods. What will we have tonight?”
He glanced over with a tiny smile. “What do you want to try first?”
I thought about it for a second. “Burgers. But, like, with everything you can get on top. Cheese, bacon, pickles…”
“You’ve never had a burger?” He looked back at the compound, now way above us as we descended the hill. His yellow eyes narrowed. “This place is cursed.”
Greid’s car was a tall older-model SUV. In black, obviously. He juggled with my suitcases to open the passenger door for me, which made me smile, then went around to load my luggage into the back.
I realised why he had such a big car when he slid into the driver’s seat beside me and still had to hunch a little, his knees framing the steering wheel. My mouth twitched again as he glanced over sheepishly and pulled on the front of his sweater a few times.
“Sorry. I, uh, got kinda sweaty running up those fucking stairs.” He fumbled to put the keys in the ignition, and once the engine roared to life, he rolled down his window.
“Don’t worry.” Honestly, the car smelled fine, and he smelled… kinda good. There was a hint of clean sweat beneath warmed skin, with a soft, comforting scent drifting from his clothes. I wondered if it was the shade herb he smoked.
Greid cleared his throat, long fingers fidgeting on the steering wheel. “Ready?”
“Yes.” My voice came out a little hoarse, so I repeated, “Yes. I’m ready.”
I refused to look up at the compound as he smoothly pulled away from the side of the road. I was feeling surprisingly calm, but I wondered if it just hadn’t sunk in yet, and I didn’t want to risk a sudden bout of panic if I looked up the hill as we drove away.
Instead, I focused on the park to our right. It was huge and sprawling, lined with trees that eventually melted into the dense forest to the east. I knew that somewhere deep in that forest were the entrances to the place the demiurgus originally came from. They were protected landmarks now, and heavily guarded at all times by a division of the military made up entirely of demiurgus whose sole task was to watch over the areas. Evidently, they didn’t want curious humans going down there, but the demiurgus could come and go as they pleased.
There were several similar landmarks across the world, and when the demiurgus had come to the surface long ago, they’d settled in groups in the nearby land. It meant that some cities and towns didn’t have a single demiurgus citizen, while cities like ours had demiurgus populations so high that specialised businesses and purpose-built homes existed for them.
The global population was still around one demiurgus for every thousand humans, which maybe explained why cults like The Order existed. They were somewhat rare—some humans went their entire lives without ever meeting one in person. If I’d been born anywhere else, that could’ve been the case.
Greid and I didn’t speak for a while as we left the park behind and got closer to the city, but it wasn’t awkward. Which, in itself, was probably a little strange. I’d now had a grand total of two conversations with Greid. I’d met him less than twenty-four hours ago. Maybe I was comfortable with him because he wasn’t human, and I’d been surrounded by odd or shitty humans my whole life.
Or maybe it was just him. He put me at ease, probably because he seemed like a bit of a dork, despite his imposing appearance—the looming height, the long, dark hair, the claws and tail and refined, sharp features. He came across as a little shy, and I was the opposite of shy. I’d had to be to convince everyone at the cult that I was just as enthralled with the demiurgus as they were.
I’d gone into this arrangement for what I could get out of it—a safe way out of the cult, a chance to experience the real world and do what I wanted without the threat of homelessness—but now that it was actually happening, I wanted to fulfil my end of the bargain too. I thought Greid and I could become pretty good friends. We already seemed to get on well enough.
Being in his presence felt easy. Maybe that was because I could truly be myself around him—I didn’t have to constantly remember to keep up appearances. I didn’t have to lie.
But I was pretty sure it was also just him. He seemed like a weird blend of high-strung and laidback that amused me but also put me at ease. And he was a terrible liar, which made me feel safe with him—like we would both just be completely honest with each other. Because why wouldn’t we be? We were technically just two strangers who were going to be living together. We had no reason to hide bits of ourselves. Aside from Violet, he actually already knew more about me than any other person in the world.
What a strange thought. I glanced over at him as he drove, one hand wrapped lightly around the base of the steering wheel and the other fiddling with a loose thread on his sweater. He looked over and gave me a slightly nervous smile, the tips of his sharp teeth just visible. It softened me to him even more.
“Thank you for doing this, Greid,” I said. “I can’t tell you how grateful I am to be given this chance to actually, you know, live a normal life.”
“Oh. Um, it’s okay.” He coughed and gave an awkward shrug. “Well, hopefully it works out for you.”
“And you.” I couldn’t help but reach over and poke him in the arm. “I’m gonna be the best buddy you ever had. I’m gonna be glued to your side, pal. You’ll be wanting to send me back in a week.”
He huffed a little laugh, yellow eyes darting over to me before returning to the road. “You don’t actually have to do that. We can just…” He shrugged again shyly. “Hang out sometimes.”
“We will,” I declared, looking out the window as the city loomed closer, high-rise buildings gleaming black and silver in the sun. Some were human-made—uniform, with straight edges and neat windows—while others had been built by the demiurgus, their lines more fluid and organic. Like gigantic termite nests made from volcanic rock.
“What’s your house like?” I asked, looking back at Greid.
He hunched over a little further, ears fluttering. “Uh, maybe you should just wait and see.” Glancing over at me, he rushed to add, “It’s not dirty, it’s… I just have a lot of stuff.”
I grinned, thinking of my fairly spartan room at the compound. A big space with very little in it—just a wardrobe, bed, vanity, chest of drawers and a single armchair. No decorations or ornaments. No interesting pieces of furniture. Just blocks of blond wood.
“I don’t mind stuff,” I told Greid. “I bet you have a lot of interesting stuff.”
“That reminds me, where’s the rest of your stuff?” Greid jerked his chin toward the back of the car. “Did you want to come back for it another day?”
I chuckled. “Nope, that’s it. It all fit in two suitcases.”
He shot me an alarmed look. “Really?”
“Yep.”
After a moment of silence, he huffed and gripped the steering wheel tighter. “We can”—a slight shudder wracked his lanky frame—“go shopping if you want. Or you could look online and order some stuff.”
“I will.” I smiled at him. “When I have a job.”
I could tell he wanted to protest, but when he glanced over at me and ultimately stayed quiet, I knew he could sense how important it was to me. To become truly independent. To no longer take the easy route.
I already suspected that Greid would give me whatever I wanted if I asked, but I didn’t want to use him for that. I’d already be living in his home and eating his food. Maybe I could find other ways to pay him back before I got a job. I could learn to cook, or I could… I don’t know, be his jewellery-making assistant. Although something told me he was very particular about his work and would be horrified to have me pawing at it with my clumsy human hands.
I furtively glanced at his hands as he drove. They were nice hands. Masculine and elegant, his fingers much longer than a human’s, and with delicate veins winding under his black skin. His little claws were cute.
When his hand slid off the steering wheel to rest casually in his lap, I quickly looked away, my mind immediately conjuring memories of him telling me that the people at the cult had very, very wrong ideas about demiurgus anatomy.
He hadn’t explained, and it wasn’t like it would even matter, but… he was wearing grey sweats. I couldn’t risk looking in that general area for too long unless I wanted to learn more about him than he was willing to offer. Instead, I looked back out the window as the city drew closer and closer. The car was warm, but a faint breeze snuck in through Greid’s open window. It pushed his oddly comforting and slightly sweet scent toward me, and I found myself relaxing into my seat.
When I glanced back through the rear window, The Order’s hill was far, far behind us.
I smiled.
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Chapter Ten
Beryl
I’d been in the city several times over my years with the cult, but we were driving toward a part of it I’d never gone near before.
The Cimmerian District was a mid-to-upper-scale part of the city inhabited almost exclusively by demiurgus, specifically by demiurgus who were pretty well-off. Well-off enough to own a house in a city, but not so eye-wateringly rich that they lived in the dark, gloomy mansions that edged the nicest part of the park, nor the expensive nesthouses on the lower floors of the giant termite-nest buildings. Humans equated wealth with being at the top of buildings in penthouses, above everyone else. Demiurgus liked being close to the ground, so their nesthouses were always located on the lowest, widest floors of their big structures.
I stared in fascination, my nose practically pressed to the glass, as the tall redbrick buildings suddenly turned to dark stone. Big, airy windows were replaced by tiny, haphazardly placed ones made of brightly coloured stained glass with wrought iron frames. Stoops were lined with unusual potted flowers and plants—dinner plate-sized blooms with velvety cobalt petals and bright pink stamens, and clusters of tiny, anaemic white flowers with delicate orange stems and leaves. Thick, hairy vines that looked almost like tentacles crept between porch railings and up the fronts of houses. Hanging baskets spilled over with plants that looked like strings of pearls, iridescent in the afternoon sun.
The majority of people walking down this street were demiurgus, all in their humanoid skins. Some were dressed sharply, in well-fitted suits and curve-skimming skirts and jackets, while others wore flowy, expensive-looking dresses and wide-brimmed hats, or simple jeans and sweaters. All of them had the same obsidian skin as Greid, and while some had black hair that glimmered emerald green like his, others had hints of pink or blue or purple.
There were some humans as well, walking casually along the sidewalks or ducking into stores that catered to a mostly demiurgus clientele. We drove past a nail salon advertising its three-colour ombre special for claws over an inch long. A swanky-looking wine merchant had a subtle sign in the window promoting its new selection of cheeses that paired well with nightberry wine. There was a tiny, upscale grocery store that specialised in imported food—specifically, imported from the demiurgus’ mysterious homeland buried deep in the earth.
The car crawled to a stop as the lights up ahead turned red. I ignored Greid’s mutter about city traffic as I stared at the cute little coffee place just outside my window. The inside looked dark but inviting, with stained-glass lamps placed on every table and a big counter stretching along one wall, the two demiurgus behind it smiling cheerfully and chatting with waiting customers.
Pretty black metal tables and chairs lined the sidewalk outside, most of them filled by demiurgus who sipped from steaming copper cups. A human and demiurgus duo stepped outside, laughing together about something, and I eyed their cardboard takeout cups with envy as they passed.
I’d only ever smelled coffee before, while walking past a café out in the city with some of the other cult members, and it had smelled so good. The high priest regarded caffeine as a terrible drug, so we weren’t allowed to drink it—or any other caffeinated beverages—at the compound “for the good of our health”. I’d been sorely tempted to try it before, but I knew one of the other members would have ratted me out, so I hadn’t.
The car started moving again, but it was only another few minutes before Greid was pulling over to the side of the road. My gut clenched with nerves as he killed the engine and unbuckled his seatbelt. I quickly followed suit, climbing out of the car on slightly shaky legs and staring up at the tall, dark stone building in front of me. We’d turned onto a quieter, leafy street with lots of trees lining the sidewalk, and the identical demiurgus-built townhouses sat in somewhat neat rows all the way down to the next corner.
They were more uniform than the termite nest-looking high-rises, which I supposed made sense, given how closely they were all packed together. But the houses looked pretty big—narrow but tall, with maybe three or four storeys.
Greid’s house—assuming I was looking at the right one and he hadn’t just parked in the first available spot on the street—had the same pretty stained-glass windows as the others I’d seen. One on the top floor was open, and when he saw me looking as he came up next to me with both my suitcases, he winced. “Forgot to close that.”
I looked around, spotting a demiurgus couple pushing a stroller along the sidewalk on the other side of the street, and two old demiurgus men conversing on a stoop with fat black cigars hanging out of their mouths. “It doesn’t seem like a dangerous area.”
“Oh, it’s not,” Greid said quickly, gesturing with a suitcase for me to walk up the front steps. “It’s pretty quiet, and it’s mostly families or people who’ve lived here for years. The next street over—the one we just drove down—is livelier. It’s only a few minutes’ walk. If, uh, if you get bored.”
As Greid stepped up beside me and put down a suitcase to fumble with his keys, I glanced back again. The two old demiurgus had stopped talking and were watching us. Their inhuman faces didn’t express any one emotion particularly strongly, but I suddenly wondered what Greid’s neighbours would think about a human moving into his home.
“Are your neighbours gonna think it’s weird that I’m living here?” I muttered to him as he unlocked the front door, which was much taller than any human-made door.
He glanced over at me with a little frown. “Don’t see why they would. None of their fucking business anyway.”
I snorted, then hesitantly stepped over the threshold when the door swung open and Greid gestured for me to head in before picking up my other suitcase. Trying not to stare too openly, I took everything in. The hallway was long and narrow, with a winding staircase in one corner and several doors leading off from it. And there was stuff everywhere. Framed artwork lined the walls. Strange potted plants were tucked into shadowy recesses or displayed on cluttered console tables that also held dripping candles, alien-looking trinkets and ornaments, busts and miniature sculptures of demiurgus.
Greid cleared his throat from behind me, and I quickly shuffled to the side so he could actually get in and close the front door. “So, uh, yeah. This is it.”
“I really like it,” I told him, turning to give him a wide grin. I wasn’t just saying that to be polite—I did. It was busy and unusual, but not filthy like my dad’s place had been, and definitely not bare and washed out like the compound. The panelled walls were painted black, but the picture frames were burnished gold or deep copper. Lots of the little ornaments were made of brightly coloured glass.
It was a little gloomy, but enough light came in through the stained-glass panes on the front door to send splashes of pink and gold and green over the dark wood floors.
Greid dropped his keys in a shallow metal bowl, then leaned down to tug off his boots, revealing big feet in mismatched socks—one pink and one green. I pursed my lips to hide my smile as I slipped off my sandals and waited for him to take the lead.
“So… we can put your luggage in your room and then, uh, I can give you a tour. If you want.” Greid sounded awkward, like he didn’t know what to do. Wanting to put him at ease—this was his own home, for fuck’s sake—I gave him a winning smile.
“Sure. A tour sounds great. I already really like it. But after that, you can just relax while I unpack. I’ll stay in my room for a while. I don’t want you to—”
“No.” He shook his head, picking the suitcases back up and heading for the stairs. “You don’t have to just stay in your room, Beryl. Make yourself comfortable.”
I couldn’t help but smile at the back of him as he began leaping up the stairs two at a time, his long legs eating up the steps with ease. I followed him up to the third floor, staring at all the stained-glass wall sconces with dripping, unlit candles nestled in them.
“Do you only use candles for light?” I asked, feeling a little out of breath from trying to keep up with him on the long, twisting staircase.
“Um, yeah, I prefer it.” Greid glanced back as he made his way down the narrow, cluttered corridor toward a closed door. “But there are proper lights. There are lamps in your room. You don’t have to use candles.”
I remembered him saying that the hum of electronics was loud to him. “I don’t mind.”
Greid opened the door, placed the suitcases just inside, then stepped back to let me through. I wandered into the room—my new bedroom. My gut twisted with a hint of excitement.
It was a decent size but not as big as my room at the compound. It already felt much cosier and more comfortable than that had been. The bed was big and low to the ground, with a beautiful hand-carved, dark wooden headboard. I was beyond relieved to see soft-looking sheets in a dark green fabric and not shiny, silky sheets like the ones in the Greater Suite at the compound.
Thick, heavy drapes were pulled back from a gorgeous stained-glass window designed with leaves and crystals and weird-looking bugs. A big flat-screen TV was mounted above a polished chest of drawers that had some candles and ornaments displayed on it.
Stained-glass lamps sat on nightstands either side of the bed, so I went over to turn one on, grinning at the soft golden light that spilled out.
Greid cleared his throat. “Bathroom’s through there.”
I turned to see him hovering in the doorway and pointing at a closed door to my right. After nodding, I eyed him and said, “You can come in.”
He fidgeted, ears fluttering. “I don’t want to invade your private space. I came in here yesterday to make the bed and check it was all okay, but, um, I’ll leave you alone when you’re in here. There’s a lock on the door, by the way,” he added quickly. “So you can lock it at night and, you know, whenever you’re in here.”
“Okay, thanks.” It was comforting to know I could lock the door, but I didn’t think I’d feel the constant need to.
“And if you want to change anything, you can.” Greid gestured at the walls. “If you don’t like the… We can paint it or replace the furniture or whatever.”
I looked around again. I might want to buy myself a few extra bits of furniture, but I liked what was in here already. The armchair by the window looked cosy, and there was a stack of interestingly patterned blankets on the seat. The vanity on the other side of the window was mostly clear, just a few candles and trinkets, waiting for all my stuff to be displayed on it.
There was a half-filled bookcase tucked in the corner beside a floor lamp with another stained-glass shade. I liked the thought of filling the rest of its shelves with books I could buy myself—any books at all. We’d been discouraged from reading anything that wasn’t sanctioned history and information books on the demiurgus in the compound.
