The kitchen was very big. Even with the table sitting there in the middle of it. I sat down by Frank and Len, wondering what to have for a bedtime snack.

"Hmmm. Would you like some gloomy pudding?" Ruby asked curiously.

"Sure. What kind is it?" I questioned, equally curious.

"Vanilla. It's very yummy. I used to make it chocolate, but some of the gang doesn't like eating chocolate before bed, so I made it with vanilla this time," Ruby explained.

She set a bowl down in front of me, and I began to eat. I loved every bit of it. It was so good, that I had a second serving. Then I noticed there were three new faces. A crow, a bat, and a ghost.

"Hello. I am Karina," I said to the crow.

"Ah. Good evening to you. I'm Poe," he smiled.

"I am a kinnari. Kee, nah, ree. I come from Thailand. I'm a creature of good fortune. I look down on the well being of others, making sure that everyone is happy," I explained, making the bat sigh in relief.

"Oh. Hello. I am... Scaredy Bat," he introduced, his voice soft.

"Hello," I replied back.

"Would you mind terribly telling us about yourself a little more?" asked the crow.

"I actually come from a mystical world of Thailand, but I was taken away from there at a young age and placed in this little exhibit. The only one who could look after me was a kinnon, the male word for kinnari. Every night when everyone was gone from the exhibit, we'd head out to the nearby forest and practice flying, dancing, and the magic needed to protect from danger and death," I explained.

"Very interesting. How much older was this kinnon fellow?" queried Poe, who seemed to be the only one taking interest.

"He was old enough by this point to teach me everything. Which for our kind, is probably about ten years. I was taken away when I was six," I replied.

Just as I was about to take my second last scoop of pudding, my bowl disappeared. Before I knew what was happening, SPLAT! It went all over my face!

"Yes!" shouted the ghost.

"You're rude!" I cried.

"Sorry. I'm Boo Boo," he said, his voice a little sad.

"Don't take it personally. He always does that," sighed Poe.

"Okay," I answered, my mind not really focused anymore.

I was thinking only about Misery at this point. She was so fragile-looking. I felt scared for her. Just seeing that gray skin in the picture that had placed itself in my mind made my eyes well up.

"I can't stand this," I sighed to myself, the crow looking back at me as I stood up.

"What's wrong?" he asked, flying over to my chair and perching on the back.

"I saw Misery today. I noticed she looked very sickly. She kind of caught me off guard, and I'm very scared for her because she looks so ill," I admitted, my voice low as I turned back to face him.

"Ah. Misery. She is a strange woman. But she's no different than she's been for the passed few years she's lived here," explained Poe, patting my shoulder with his wing.

"You're sure?" I questioned.

"She's always been a little on the sickly side in terms of appearance," assured Poe.

I sighed, heading to the bathroom to clean myself of the pudding. This was the weirdest day of my life. Soon, after I had washed up and gotten ready for bed, I headed down the stairs to check on Misery.

"Softly, softly," I said to myself, but suddenly tripped on something, letting out a yelp in surprise.

It was a floorboard that was sticking out, and quite dangerously. I pushed it down, and ran over to Misery. She looked dead. But to my relief, her breathing was audible. She was kind of snoring, and for some reason, that comforted me.

"Misery?" I whispered, but nothing happened.

"Karina!? Your room is ready!" I heard a voice call.

At that same moment, Misery groaned, scratched the area bangs would normally be, and rolled over, sighing a sigh that was almost soothing. I smiled down at her, and gently patted her arm before I headed out of the room and to the stairs. She noticed nothing.

"Oh! There you are," laughed Ruby as I reached the top step.

"Hello, Ruby. Which way is my room?" I questioned.

"Up the next flight here and down the hall. Just turn left and it's the first door on the left side," she answered, heading up the stairs with me.

I turned and entered my room, closing the door behind me. I couldn't think of what to do by this point. I was tired, but not tired enough to be sleepy. Maybe it was the chocolate I'd eaten four hours ago. And what about Misery? Would she be okay through the night? All of these questions raced through my mind like mice running away from a cat. Luckily, though, I was right across from Ruby.

"Don't be afraid to wake me if you need anything," said Ruby, knocking on my door before she spoke.

"Okay. Thank you," I replied, opening the door to look at her.

I watched as she headed to her room, but then she turned back to look at me.

"Something the matter?" she asked.

"I'm still wondering about my home, and if everything will be okay," I lied.

Though that was true, it was still a lie. It's just that I'd been talking so much about Misery with them that I didn't want to bore them.

"I'm sorry," she frowned, hugging me.

I put my arms around her and we stayed like that for a long time. At least a minute had passed before we let go, and then we went into our rooms and to bed.