Chapter 5
A/N: This was originally to be divided into two chapters, but after posting Chapter 5, it was pointed out to me how abrupt the ending was, something I had not noticed in the haze of writing. Thanks to Anti-Gravity111 for pointing that out, Chapter 5 now actually seems complete. Also, I want to say a big thank you to all the readers and reviewers who have given their attention to this story. Thank you!
Disclaimer: I own nothing. No infringement intended.
After the break, Miley and Cantari ran through the music twice more, Miley's performance improving each time. Then, abruptly, practice was over. Cantari had no sooner removed his fingers from the piano keys than the door leading to the hallway swung open and Krokylus strode in.
"Progress?" Krokylus asked.
Cantari chirped happily. "Near perfection," he said, his tail feathers twitching excitedly.
"She will be ready?" Krokylus pressed.
"Without a doubt," Cantari assured the chancellor. "But she needs food, water, and rest."
Krokylus turned his gaze to Miley. Extending his hand, he motioned for Miley to follow him. Miley stepped out of the booth and followed Krokylus into the corridor and down a single flight of stairs to a hallway Miley had yet to see. Krokylus led Miley down to the end of this hallway, where he extended his arm, indicating a simple wooden door.
Miley opened the door cautiously, then stood in awe when she saw what lay behind the door. At first, she wasn't sure where she was; the room was so intricately designed that at first she didn't see the stalls that contained rows of toilets and showers. The walls were painted in a vibrant shade somewhere between crimson and burgundy, and the floor was a tiled mosaic depicting roses. In the center of the room, on a soft beige rug, was a lounging area consisting of a luxurious leather couch opposite two elegantly upholstered chairs, a glass coffee table between them. Against the back wall, a gilt table held a rich array of flowers that Miley thought must be the origin of the sweet, distinctly unbathroomlike scent that gently permeated the room.
"You have not bathed since your arrival," Krokylus observed. "I thought you would wish to do so now."
"Wow," Miley said. "This is way nicer than the bathroom Choroline showed me earlier."
"This lavatory is restricted," Krokylus said. "It is available only to our most important performers."
"It's pretty amazing," Miley said. "If you hadn't kidnapped me, I'd say 'thank you.'"
Krokylus silently directed a clawed hand toward a large golden towel rack, where hung several complete sets of fluffy white towels and washcloths. On a small table next to the rack sat a caddy stocked with a generous assortment of soaps, shampoos, and conditioners.
"All right," Miley said, "but your scaly butt is waiting outside."
Krokylus grunted softly, then stepped back into the hallway, closing the door behind him.
Miley sighed with relief, truly alone for the first time since she had arrived. She quickly stripped out of her clothes and turned one of the showers on. While the water warmed up, Miley dropped her clothes on the back of the leather couch, then went to the towel rack bringing a towel and washcloth over to the shower stall. She then stuck a hand into the shower's stream, finding that it had warmed up already.
Stepping into the path of the falling water, Miley shuddered as the water's warmth chased the grime and weariness from her body. She didn't think she had ever been so glad for a shower as she was at that very moment. A deep, sensual moan escaped her throat as the heat began to warm her body all the way through. She wondered if anything had ever felt this good.
Yes, there was one thing, maybe no more, but at least one thing in Miley's experience that compared to this heavenly shower. The penetrating warmth, the feeling of cleansing, the feeling of being enveloped in joy, she had felt these things before. She had felt them when she and Lilly had made up after fighting, when they hugged for the first time after spending a day or two angry with each other.
An image rose in Miley's mind of herself and Lilly, their wrists joined by Oliver Oken's handcuffs, trying to hug each other without hurting themselves. When they had finally succeeded, the warmth had been electric; Miley had felt Lilly's touch jump-start her withering heart. Even now, the very memory of Lilly's embrace wrenched a high, shaky sigh out of Miley.
In the shadow of the memory, the shower lost its appeal. The water's temperature had not diminished, but Miley knew the shower's heat couldn't warm anything that it hadn't already warmed. The part of her that Lilly touched was too deep for the water to reach.
With a sigh, Miley picked up the washcloth and selected a body wash from the caddy and began cleaning herself. It felt good to get clean, but now the shower seemed more like a chore than a pleasure. If only Lilly were there, perhaps showering in the next stall, chattering away as she was wont to do under any circumstance, maybe then Miley could find pleasure in the water's warmth, in the creamy texture and gentle fragrance of the soap. Instead, these things all felt like cheap imitations of the joys of being in Lilly's presence, cruel props to remind her of her best friend: soap soft and smooth like Lilly's hands, slightly browned like Lilly's sun-kissed face, water encasing her in warmth but never warming her heart the way Lilly could.
Washing the soap off her body, Miley reached for one of the shampoo bottles. Examining it, she found that it was strawberry scented, just like the shampoo Lilly used. Miley worked the shampoo into her hair, breathing it in desperately, realizing too late that the scent only deepened her longing. With a frustrated scream, she put her head back under the water and ran her hands furiously through her hair, flushing the shampoo from her hair as quickly as she could.
Miley conditioned her hair as quickly as she could, rinsed a final time, then shut off the shower. She wrapped the fluffy white towel around herself and stepped out of the stall. Looking to the back of the leather couch, Miley saw that her dirty clothes had been replaced. In place of the pile of fabric she had left behind, a pair of blue jeans and a white t-shirt were draped neatly over the back of the couch. Set on the end table next to the couch, Miley found a pair of socks and a set of simple but functional undergarments.
Miley dressed and stepped out into the hallway, where Krokylus stood waiting silently. Krokylus acknowledged Miley's presence with a soft grunt, then started off down the hall, Miley striding quickly to keep up. Krokylus led Miley down a flight of stairs, then stopped on the landing, turning to look at Miley.
"You require sustenance," Krokylus said flatly. Miley detected no question that required an answer, so she simply nodded her head once and extended her hand to indicate the next flight of stairs.
Krokylus grunted shortly at Miley's mimicry, then turned and led her down the next flight of stairs. Unlike the other flights of stairs Miley had climbed up and back down, this flight did not end in another hallway. Instead, Miley stepped off the last stair to find herself in a large, brilliantly white cafeteria. The floor was white tile, the walls were whitewashed cinderblock, and from the ceiling, bright white fluorescent lights beamed. The tables and chairs were white plastic.
The cafeteria was not, however, completely white. The assorted creatures that crowded around the tables, eating and chattering enthusiastically added all the color anyone could ask for. There were black cats and yellow birds and spotted dogs and gray squirrels. There were two horses sitting at one table. One was brown, the other a sandy color, and they ate with human hands, though the backs of their hands were covered with the black keratin of a hoof. A loud whooping sound drew Miley's attention to her right, where she was astounded to see an enormous sunflower leaning back in its chair, laughing heartily at something the duck sitting across from it had said.
Miley turned back to Krokylus. "So I'm guessing it's kind of taboo to eat sunflower seeds around here," she said.
Krokylus coughed from deep in his throat, making Miley briefly wonder if he had somehow inhaled a hairball. Miley watched as Krokylus made the same retching cough sound again, then raised one scaly hand to cover the front of his snout. Krokylus began to twitch, and Miley began to wonder if something was seriously wrong with him. Then Krokylus doubled over and began laughing uncontrollably.
Miley had heard Krokylus laugh before, but that had been a sinister laugh, a threatening laugh. This laugh was different. This was a deep, gut-wrenching guffaw, completely out of control, and it was starting to garner attention.
The creatures in the cafeteria had one by one grown silent, and now Miley was starting to feel a little uncomfortable as all the eyes in the room turned her direction. Glancing to her right, Miley saw that even the sunflower had turned her direction, and as far as she could tell, it was watching Krokylus intently.
At last, Krokylus regained his composure. Returning to his full imposing height, he swept his eyes over the creatures in the room. "Return to your meal," he said tonelessly. Every single creature in the cafeteria obeyed. Those who had already finished their food turned back to their empty trays, picked up their silverware, and pretended to eat.
Krokylus turned back to Miley. "I will return in one hour to escort you back to your cell," he said. Miley nodded, smirking silently. Krokylus strode out of the cafeteria and disappeared into the stairway.
Miley turned and walked over to the buffet line, where three squirrels chattered rapidly as they dropped heaps of acorns and walnuts into the bowls they held in their gray, furry, but almost human hands. The squirrels finished filling their bowls and scurried off to a table near the center of the cafeteria. Miley grabbed a plate and examined the buffet. She looked into the pan from which the squirrels had procured their acorns and walnuts, but now the pan contained a beautifully prepared spinach salad. Miley shrugged to herself and dished out a large portion of the salad onto her plate.
Stepping away from the buffet, Miley poured herself a glass of water, then looked around the cafeteria nervously. She wasn't sure if making Krokylus laugh had gotten her good attention or bad attention, and she was concerned that anywhere she sat she might get pelted with nuts or berries or the horses might spew oats at her. Ultimately, she gave in to curiosity and walked to the other end of the cafeteria, setting her tray and water down at the end of the table where the duck and the sunflower sat talking and laughing away. "Hey, y'all, I'm Miley," she said.
The sunflower laughed sharply. "Well, if it isn't the girl who made ole' Krokies laugh!" it said humorously in its folksy accent, its voice deep but somehow genderless. "You can call me Sunny."
"Sunny?" Miley questioned. "That's not very creative."
"What do you expect?" said Sunny. "Moonie? Cloudy? I'm the only sunflower here, so I might as well be Sunny."
The duck turned to look at Miley. "I'm Ronald," the duck said, "and don't let anyone tell you any different."
"What does that mean?" Miley asked.
Sunny spoke up. "It means that ole' Krokies insists on calling him 'Donald'."
"Why?" asked Miley.
"I asked him that myself once," Ronald said. "You know what he told me?" Ronald turned back to Sunny, and they both spoke in unison, perfectly imitating Krokylus' toneless speaking voice. "Alliteration." With that, Sunny burst into laughter again.
"He laughs a lot," Ronald said. "It's not like he didn't earn his name."
Miley smiled warmly, but behind her smile were questions. When Sunny's laughter had died down, she addressed the sunflower. "All right, Sunny," she said, "I'm wondering if you can shed some light on a few things."
"You want to know why you've been brought here," Sunny replied, its tone sobering significantly.
"I've already got that much worked out," said Miley. "I'm here to sing and dance at the Masquerade Ball. I'm guessing you two are performers of some sort, too."
"You got it," Sunny said.
"We're a comedy team," Ronald chimed in. "According to the powers that be, there's nothing funnier than a sunflower and a duck."
"That brings up another question," said Miley. "Who exactly are 'the powers that be' around here? I know Krokylus is in charge of the place, but I get the feeling he's just a deputy or something."
Sunny sighed heavily, its petals waving lightly with the breeze. "Very true," Sunny said, all humor gone from his voice. "Krokylus is just the chancellor. His master built this place to entertain himself and his cronies."
"We, of course, are the entertainment," said Ronald.
"So who is this master?" Miley asked.
"A hideous creature," Sunny said, petals fluttering in an expression Miley assumed indicated disgust.
Ronald nodded slowly. "Hideous indeed," he confirmed. We are all, Krokylus included, subjects of the Rodent King."
Miley grimaced as the image of a giant rat wearing a golden crown rose into her mind. "That sounds disgusting," she said.
"Very," Sunny said.
With a brief but powerful shudder, Miley shook off her disgust to ask one more question. "Okay, one more thing I need to know," she said. "Have either of you seen another girl like me?"
"You mean unchanged?" Ronald asked.
"Yeah," said Miley. "She's a little shorter than me, and she's got long blonde hair."
Ronald shook his head. "I haven't seen any other girls," he said.
"Neither have I," Sunny said.
Miley sighed. "She's here, but they've got her hidden away somewhere," she said. "Please keep a lookout for her."
"Will do," Ronald said. "Looks like it's time for you to go."
Miley followed Ronald's gaze and saw that Krokylus had returned. She turned back to Ronald and Sunny. "Thanks letting me sit with you. I got one last question, and I hope it's not as rude as it sounds. Sunny, are you a he or a she?"
Sunny laughed heartily at the question. "I'm a comedian, not a biologist. As far as I can tell, I'm an it."
Miley smiled. "I guess I can deal with that. Hopefully, I'll see you two again. Bye."
"Until next time," said Ronald.
"Be well, and think sunny thoughts," Sunny said.
Miley chuckled lightly. "I'll do my best."
Miley crossed the room, meeting Krokylus halfway. In his accustomed taciturn manner, Krokylus turned and led Miley back into the stairway. This time, Miley followed Krokylus through a convoluted route that she would be completely unable to retrace, no matter how hard she tried. They went up some flights, down some other flights, and up and down several more. As they walked, Miley engaged Krokylus in conversation.
"Everyone seemed pretty amazed that I made you laugh," she said.
"The price of being fearsome is that everyone is afraid to tell me a joke," Krokylus said. "I don't laugh because no one ever says anything funny around me."
"That's sad," said Miley.
"It is the cost of my duty," Krokylus replied.
Eventually, Miley and Krokylus emerged into yet another hallway that Miley had never seen. This hallway was very short, less than twenty feet from end to end. The stairs opened on the midpoint of the hallway, and two wooden doors stood across the hall, one to the right of the stairs and one to the left, both equidistant from the stairs. Krokylus led Miley to the door on the right, inserting a key and turning it. The tumblers turned loudly, settling with a loud clunk.
"This is where you will be staying from now on," Krokylus informed her. "For what it's worth, I'm bound by my orders. I really am sorry."
Miley looked up to Krokylus' face. His reptilian face was difficult to read, but as far as Miley could see, he was sincere. "What do you mean?" she asked, her voice shakier than she had intended. "Why are you sorry?"
Krokylus looked down at the floor. "You will see. Enter."
Miley stepped slowly toward the open door, turned, then stepped through the doorway into a room with solid black walls, lit only by a single uncovered light bulb hanging from the ceiling. A slight turn of her head showed Miley that only three of the walls were solid black. The fourth wall was completely transparent.
On the other side of the transparent wall was Lilly. She sat against the black wall opposite the transparent one, her knees pulled up to her chin, her arms wrapped around her legs. Presently, she jumped to her feet and leapt across the room toward the transparent wall.
"Lilly!" Miley cried out.
Lilly's mouth opened, and Miley could see that she was calling out her name, but no sound reached Miley's ears. Miley stepped up to the transparent wall, placing her right palm flat against it. Lilly reciprocated the gesture with her left hand, and kept trying to talk. But there was no sound. Miley knocked on the thick glass, getting Lilly to stop talking. Miley raised her free hand and tapped her ear with her fingertips, shaking her head slowly.
The frenetic energy dropped from Lilly's expression. A tear slipped from one eye, then a second tear fell from her other eye. Miley followed suit, and before long, both girls' faces were streaked with the salty remains of their mutual grief. Eventually, the tears stopped and both girls sank to the floor beside the transparent glass wall. Leaning against the wall, they fell asleep, cheek to cheek, side to side, the thick, soundproof glass an invisible but immutable barrier between them.
In the hallway, Krokylus observed the girls through a reverse peephole. A shaky groan escaped his throat and his vision began to blur. He blinked his eyes rapidly, and the blurriness dissipated. Now, however, there was a foreign feeling on his face. He lifted a scaly hand up just underneath one eye and ran a finger across the patch of scales. Moving his hand in front of his eye, he saw that his hand had removed moisture from his face, moisture that had fallen from his eyes.
Krokylus shook his head violently in an attempt to clear it, then looked back through the peephole at the girls sleeping as close as physically possible to one another. His vision blurred again.