86

86
ELLA
“You’re back,” Claire said, holding the door open before I could knock.
“Hello, Claire,” I said and shoved my hands into my pockets. “Why does it feel like you were waiting for me?”
“Hi, Ella. Come in,” she replied, holding the door for me as I walked in. “I was waiting. I knew you’d come back—I just wasn’t sure when.”
“So you waited until I arrived. That’s not creepy at all,” I blurted, and she laughed.
“If you call occasionally glancing at the door for the last few hours creepy or categorize it as waiting, then yes—I knew you’d turn up sooner or later. You’re a bit earlier than I assumed you’d be, but you’re here. That’s what counts.”
“I had to make a decision at some point, and this seemed like the best one,” I replied, walking into the office.
Something was different about the place. The air felt foreign, and I couldn’t put a finger on what was amiss until I glanced to the left and locked gazes with a parrot.
“Meet Daisy,” Claire said, gesturing to the bird dismissively. “Ignore her. She’s picking up phrases and forming sentences, so she can be a bit annoying.”
I nodded and slowly walked to one of the seats. The parrot was a reminder that, other than a seer, she was a vet. I had never seen that part of her, and I figured it would be interesting to watch her at work.
But the bird wasn’t the only thing that was different about the room. I didn’t have time to figure out what had shifted in the atmosphere since the last time I was here, so I got right to business.
“I’m ready to go along with the bond cutting. Do I need any special items?”
“Not really. You just have to come to the address I’ll give you tonight and make sure Quincy knows where you’re going, ’cause we might need him. He knows about this, right?”
“He knows I’ve been considering it. Doesn’t know I’ve finally gotten around to it, but I’ll inform him before I get to the location. Anything else I need to know?”
“Um… prepare yourself for the most painful experience you’ve ever had?” she said and shrugged. “I ought to find a way to make it more appealing or less daunting, but believe me when I say there’s no way I can make it cute. It’s a very tedious process—especially for you.”
“Why does this feel like you’re trying to talk me out of it?” I asked.
“I’m not,” she answered and chuckled. “It wouldn’t work anyway. You wouldn’t be here if you weren’t certain it’s what you want. I just want you to be mentally prepared because it’s not going to be fun, sugar and spice.”
“Fair enough. Address, please?”
“Give me a minute,” she responded and glared at Daisy, who was beginning to swing the cage to and fro. Then she reached into her desk drawer, pulled out a small notepad, wrote down the address with a pencil, and handed the piece of paper to me. “How does eight sound? Too late?”
I glanced at the clock on her desk and shook my head. “That’s in twelve hours. It’s enough time for me to be well-rested. See you soon.”
I put the paper in my pocket and made my way out of the office. Once I stepped out, it felt like I could breathe properly, and I took a minute to ascertain if I was imagining things or not.
Perhaps it was a psychosomatic effect—maybe my anxiety for what was to come was making me feel all sorts of things. That was much more believable than thinking something unusual had been going on in that office before I arrived. Also, it was too early to come up with such theories.
I had woken up an hour before the time Claire had given for the meeting and gotten out of bed. She hadn’t asked me to bring anything, but if I was going to spend hours alone with her, I felt like I needed to take stuff along.
But then, what could I possibly take with me besides the clothes I already planned to wear and a bottle of water?
This wasn’t something I had done before, nor was it an expedition anyone I knew had embarked on, so there was no way I could come up with a concise list.
I decided to stick with the basics: comfortable clothing, snacks, and water. Anything else I’d need could be sourced from any stores that were open in the area.
Twenty minutes later, I was dressed and went down to gather the items I needed. I saw May in the kitchen.
She seemed engrossed in what seemed like a grocery list, and I hated that I was the one who had to draw her attention from what she was working on.
“Hi, May,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. She glanced in my direction and moved her gaze back to the paper in front of her. I was ready to tiptoe until I got to the fridge when she turned to look at me.
“Oh my goodness, it’s you. Hi, Ella. I’m sorry, I was so preoccupied I didn’t notice it wasn’t one of the others. I have to make sure I got everything we need for the week. How are you?”
“I’m alright, and I hate that I pulled your attention away from that. I just wanted to get some water and snacks from the fridge.”
“Oh, pfft,” she replied and waved dismissively. “The grocery lists can wait, and you can have whatever you want. The fridge belongs to you and everyone else living here.”
“Thank you so much.”
“Sure. You rarely step out of your room, and you look ready to go out. Would you be staying out late? I’d leave your dinner in the microwave if that’s the case.”
“Um,” I started and made my way to the fridge. “I think I’m going to be out for much longer. I’m going to see Claire,” I added and grabbed the items I needed.
“Claire? Can I ask why?” she responded, her face morphing into a cross between concern and curiosity, but her eyes held a knowing look.
“Yeah, she’s going to help me get rid of some people from my past.”
“Oh? Does that mean you and…” she started to say, and I knew where the question was headed, but the sound of the door creaking interrupted her.
“Speak of the devil,” I muttered as Quincy stepped into the kitchen.
“Hello to you too, Ella,” he responded with a lopsided smile. “Heading out?”
“Yes, and I need to talk to you for a minute,” I answered and shifted my weight from one foot to the other.
“Sounds important,” he said and took the items from me. “Let’s go then. Bye, May.”
“Have fun, guys!” she exclaimed as we walked out of the kitchen and moved through the living room, doing our best to avoid the knowing look on the face of Eve and the others playing cards in the middle of the room.