Chapter 7 From a Roma Lily to a Starlette Lily
My eyes flew open, and my silent scream echoed in terror. I clutched my chest, body trembling with another cold sweat. My breath came in frantic gasps, and I swallowed hard to calm down. I expected to hear Maribel’s worried shout burst through my door until I realized I was not in my room.
My extravagant bedroom was replaced with tall wooden walls. The howling wind slipped through the weathered cracks. I sprang up. A pile of hay had replaced my bed, and it clung to my clothes.
Am I in a barn?
“H—hello?” I called out, hugging myself.
The barn looked old and hadn’t been used in a very long time. All I heard was the wind and the weathered barn’s groan.
I’ve been kidnapped! Wait—
My elegant ivory-and-gold dress was replaced by a reddish-brown, long-sleeved shirt and baggy dark-brown pants. Both filthy as if I had been rolling in the dirt. The pants were covered with stitches with holes where my knees are. The black leather boots on me were caked with mud, and the soles looked ready to fall off.
They changed my clothes too?!
Hair flopped against my face. Not long, platinum blonde hair, but short, bright red hair.
“A—ah…” My voice trembled as I grabbed the strands.
They DYED my HAIR?! Why would—
My stomach dropped when I looked at my hands. Instead of baby soft creamy-pale skin with polished nails, my skin was sun-kissed, grimy, and my nails were stubby with dirt in the crevices. My heart pounded as my breath quickened. They were not my hands.
What in the devil’s name…
I struggled to stand, flinching as my joints protested as if my body had been through an awful ordeal. I gasped and looked at my chest. No blood. No stab wound. Sighing with relief, I unsteadily headed for the double doors. They swung slowly in the wind. My questions doubled when I stepped outside.
A wide field surrounded the barn. Knee-high yellow grass swayed in the harsh wind like ripples in water, and dark clouds covered the sky.
This place is completely deserted… How far from Embercrest am I?
Smoke in the distance caught my attention. I squinted closer and spotted a chimney on a log house.
That could be the only person in the area. Looks like I have no choice.
My teeth chattered as I hugged myself tightly, dragging my tingling legs through the tall grass. I almost stumbled several times. The rags I wore provided little protection against the fierce wind, its icy touch biting into my skin and burning my lungs.
I reached the log house and knocked on the door.
Silence.
Dread crept up my spine when a question I should’ve thought of first crossed my mind: What if this person has something to do with my kidnapping?
I stepped back when a loud thud came from behind the door followed by stomps. It swung open, and a short, elderly woman with messy gray hair glared up at me.
“I done told you I’m not interested!” She barked and then squinted. “Oh?” The elderly woman pulled her glasses from her pocket and adjusted them on her face. Her brown eyes were practically twice as big. “Oh!”
Something tells me this lady isn’t dangerous…
“U—uh,” I stammered both from awkwardness and the cold. “I need help. Do you know where Embercrest Kingdom is?”
“Where’s Amber Cress? Who’s that?”
“No, Embercrest. Em-b-er-cre-st,” I said slowly.
“EMBERcrest?!” She shouted.
“Y—yes,” I stuttered, teeth chattering.
“Embercrest Kingdom?” she repeated. I nodded, and she scratched her head. “You just told me that they set up a barricade down the road last night.”
I froze as a sickening feeling twisted my gut. “Huh…?”
“Robin?” She looked me up and down. “Are you okay?”
My jaw clenched as my thoughts reeled. Embercrest is on lockdown? Our kingdom is open to all! Something huge must’ve happened. They must’ve found out I’ve been kidnapped… Wait. Robin?
The woman frowned, her eyes darkened as she sighed. “Oh… I see. Come in, dear,” she murmured, stepping aside. The assertive demeanor shifted to something somber when we locked eyes.
I cleared my throat and spoke hoarsely, “Thank you, ma’am.”
She led me into the log house and the warmth eased my tensed muscles. The crackling wood from the fireplace and boiling water from a pot were the only sounds I heard. Apart from the scent of soup, the strong scent of cat urine hit me too.
She lives alone. Well, with a cat… or two.
I rubbed my stinging nose, speaking through my sleeve. “Um, so, about Embercrest—”
“Do you remember me offering you to sleep on the sofa last night?” She asked, stirring her soup over the fireplace.
“Uh… no?” My brow furrowed. “Ma’am, I’ve never been here.”
“Ah,” she whispered and forced her smile. “My name is Melinda. I’ve always looked after you. You can trust me.”
I returned a hesitant smile. “I’m sorry? I don’t… Are you a resident of Embercrest Kingdom?”
“No, dear. You’re…” her voice drifted as she rubbed the back of her neck. “Why don’t you wash up first? You’ve got hay all over you. We can talk more over dinner.”
My lips pursed, prepared to protest. I need to get home! But I couldn’t ignore the woman’s hospitality. Holding back a sigh, I murmured, “Alright. Sounds good.”
“Down the hall to the left.” Melinda gestured to the hallway with her wooden spoon before continuing to stir the pot.
I walked down the hall until a snarled hiss made me jump and bump into the wall. A black cat raced past my legs as I clutched my pounding chest.
“Are you alright back there?” Melinda called.
“Yup! Yup. Absolutely. Just... just fine,” I breathed and went to the bathroom. I shrieked and jumped again when I almost ran into someone. “I’m so sorry!” I stuttered, but she only stared at me. Her lips would part to speak, but no sound came out. “Um, ma’am?” I asked, tilting my head. She tilted hers.
Her short hair grazed her shoulders—bright ginger strands, just like the hair that kept flopping into my face. Her face was slender, skin tone just as sun-kissed as her hands, with a few freckles, chapped lips, and eyes as green as summer leaves. She looked to be in her early 20s.
I tilted my head to the other side, and hers followed. My pounding heart drummed in my ears as I looked the woman up and down, noticing she was wearing the same outfit I was.
Wait… Wait, wait, wait. How is she…
My trembling fingers moved on their own, reaching for the woman, and she reached back. Instead of the warmth of skin, her fingers felt cold like glass.
A mirror.