Page 12 of Inked in Bloom
About ten minutes later,my teeth are brushed and face is clean. I glance down at the buttercup-yellow slip I’m in and then around the room, noticing a lack of doors aside from the one in and out of my room. “Where’s the closet?”
“No need for those here. One of the many magical things about this place. Picture what you’d like to wear and wiggle your nose,” Cherri instructs.
“Wiggle my nose…” Sounds ridiculous, but it’s better than going out in public in my pajamas.
I’ll never see my closet again or spend an hour trying on different clothes. Such a silly thing to miss in comparison to everything else, but I can’t help the pang that echoes in my chest. I close my eyes and picture one of my favorite casual outfits. Gripping the scalloped hem of my slip, I scrunch my nose and push out my lips to help me get it to wiggle. I do it a few times, in case there’s a specific technique that’s less awkward than how I feel testing it out.
When I open my eyes, Cherri is frowning. Kendrick and Roxy are in the doorway grimacing. I glance down.
“What are you trying for?” Roxy asks, cocking her head at my slip.
“Jeans and a white blouse.” I try to be more coordinated with my nose wiggling, but nothing happens. “A pair of flats.”
Apparently speaking it into existence isn’t enough. Roxy twirls her finger in the air, indicating for me to try again, but when I do, nothing happens.
My brows draw tight. “Should I be able to do this already?”
Cherri looks to our elder immortal roommates. It’s not one bit reassuring.
“Great. I’m deadandmalfunctioning,” I mutter.
“There’s no set timeline,” Kendrick says, shaking his head. “Some Blooms take longer than others for their magic to flourish.”
“Want some help?” Roxy offers.
I nod and zero in on how her nose daintily shifts left and right. Silk breezes against my skin.
“How’s that?”
I drop my chin to the sheer white top with a thin tank beneath it. It’s not the outfit I imagined, but it’s close.
“Hold on.” Roxy furrows her brows and wriggles her nose once more. A pair of emerald teardrop earrings with a matching pendant appear. She smiles in approval. “This is fun! I never get to dress anyone but myself.”
“Don’t worry. Your magic might take a few days to work itself out.” Kendrick holds out the crook of his elbow for me. “Shall we?”
I take it, though my nailstap,tap,tapagainst his forearm. His attention dips to my fingers, but he’s polite enough to forge on toward the door without comment. Cherri opens it, and Roxy files out in front of us, waving at the people outside.
“This is The Fluffle. All of the single Blooms live in cottages like ours,” says Roxy, waving back toward the quaint foliage-encrusted house we just exited. “The newly mated ones are on the other side of the burrow, closer to The Warren.”
“What’s The Warren?”
“That’s the adults-only section of Florezca.” Cherrishoots Roxy and Kendrick a smirk, and there’s something behind it that I can’t put my finger on… And I’m not certain I want to.
“It’s full of bookshops, cafés, wineries, and other goodies,” Roxy explains, waving off whatever her friend was implying. She starts down the path toward the City Center. Bushels of hydrangeas in pinks, whites, and pale green map our trek, laying out a few yards ahead and swerving right or left as needed, converging with other people’s routes until we’re crossing the threshold that takes us into the main thoroughfare.
My head swims, dizzy with the reality of where I am, who I am, and how I came to be this way. But I push it aside, trying to open my mind and absorb what I can as we stroll in sunlight.
Harbingers wander up ahead, visiting various pastel carts draped in thick greenery. Long, oversized tulips sprout between cobblestones, creating shade for the folks enjoying tea. Trays piled with macarons, cucumber sandwiches, and cupcakes topped with swirls of frosting are stacked vertically atop delicate periwinkle and blush wrought iron tables.
“What do you want to know about first?” Kendrick asks. His pale-green brows bunch slightly as he scans me up and down.
I bite my bottom lip, glancing where the premade path disappears into the ground. “I’m a bit overwhelmed, to be honest.”
I’d love to crawl back into bed, pretend this is something I’ll wake up from, but I’ve done that for two weeks already and it hasn’t made the situation improve. I only feel worse.
“We’ll save the in-depth tour for another day.” Roxy gives me a soft smile. “The basics for now. Then you caneither go to orientation with Cherri or I’ll take you home for some tea before I head to work.”
“That would be great.”
