"My aunt?" Ember asked. Her mind tried to process all the reasons anyone would make a theory up around her aunt.
"Well yeah, it's really silly now that you mention it," Karina laughed slightly and continued walking.
"No really you can go on," Ember urged.
"No, no. It's too silly,"
"Won't you tell me?"
"He just thinks your aunt is a little odd and that's she's hiding something,"
"What is she hiding?" The fact that Ember had to ask for information about her own aunt struck her as an oddly comical thing.
"He hasn't elaborated but it's all just nonsense. Marc's odd,"
"Is he going to ask me a bunch of questions about Fay then? Or will he try to just break into my house?"
Karina laughed. "Neither…then again maybe just the first. But it's okay it's not like he's dangerous. He's actually quite sweet once you get past the annoying introduction,"
"I'll hold you to it,"
At Fay's House After School
Ember stood outside the door biting her lip. It wasn't locked, but it wasn't opened. It was a closed door all the way down the very last hall, on the very top floor.
Why was it so randomly placed? And why was it three times thicker then the other, including the front, doors? What went on in there?
Ember looked at the door and then down the hall. She could do this. After all it was her house now as well. And besides, what could possibly be on that side of the door. Maybe some advanced magic books or some possibly illegal spices. But who didn't have any of those?
"Ember," Fay's voice rang from the other side of the hall "I didn't hear you come in," Pause, "What are you doing?"
"I was just trying to get used to the house. You know, when I first came here I wasn't really in any shape to explore. And well today at school I realized how confusing it was to navigate and then I realized my own house was pretty hard to move around in,"
Ember couldn't be sure but she thought Fay's eyebrow rose. "Well then I suppose you didn't have any homework tonight,"
"A little," she admitted. "But I'll do it after dinner,"
"Why don't you do it now?" That was a dismissal Ember knew was coming.
"Okay. I guess I'll do that," she said.
"And if it's not too much to ask, I'd like to keep that room private," And there's the demand, Ember thought.
"Yeah that's fine. I'm going to do my siren work. Hopefully I'll get transferred to mage this year," Ember didn't know why she said the last part. Maybe to retain some dignity, maybe to want Fay she wasn't weak. Whatever the reason Fay waited until Ember walked into her room to go back downstairs.
Three minutes later Ember peaked her head outside the door to make sure she was gone. Satisfied she closed the door and moved to her closet where she removed a small wooden box.
The contents of the box were some of the belongings Ember had 'borrowed' from her parent's workroom. Whoever had bought the tools in the room should never notice them gone.
As she lifted the top off the box she was struck by the smell inside. It smelled like lilacs, her mothers favorite and pine her father's favorite. Deeply she breathed the familiar air.
"Let's see," From the box she pulled three of the many items. The first was a small leather-bound book with parchment pages. Her parents had always liked that book a lot. Said it was special but still never the less had never let Ember look at it.
The second was a pendant her mother had been given by her grandparents and the third was a small bag of secrecy powder, used to make rooms produce less sound. She sprinkled that by her door and windows before putting it back. The rest of the contents she left alone.
As she turned to put the box away she heard footsteps in the hall. Ember dropped the box in surprise. The contents scattered about the floor, looking very out of place indeed. But Ember was clever and she made good use of her minute of time.
She kicked the leather-bound book under the bed ignoring the other object she had kicked with it. Next she swept up the contents of the box into a pile and threw her coat over it. Then gently she placed her textbooks on the floor opened. Very softly she scattered some pens and other school supplies around them.
Just as she tossed her bag onto her bed, opened, Fay opened the door. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah. My bag just spilled, that's all,"
"Oh," Her eyes scanned the room. "Well dinner's ready, so come get it," Ember walked out the door shutting it behind her. Then she followed Fay down the hall.