Now You See Me

Six: Colour and Shadow

"I said I can't come... No, it's not, it's just..."

Marilyn's voice floated down the corridor towards me from her open door; the rectangle of light stretching across the floor was blocked by her silhouette as she stopped pacing. I slowed down; I didn't want to seem like I was eavesdropping. I had my photo album tucked under one arm and was intent on getting to the stairs before Marilyn noticed me. I didn't want her to see me listening to her phone conversations. I'd already humiliated myself in front of her; it didn't matter that I'd changed my trousers, and pretended to myself that nothing had happened.

I crept past, but it seemed I wasn't quiet enough.

"What do you want?"

I jumped and turned – to my chagrin looking guiltier than before – to find Marilyn stood in the doorway, glaring at me. She held a mobile phone in one hand, with the other blocking the receiver.

"I was just..." I withered under her heated stare. "I was just trying to get to the stairs."

Her mouth pinched as if she smelled something unpleasant, before she stepped back and slammed the door in my face.

I stood blinking like an idiot for a few long moments. I was starting to see what Leia had meant about Marilyn.

"Everything alright, sailor?"

Leia appeared beside me, eyes lasering the side of my face. It was so sudden I let go of the photo album, which she caught deftly with one hand and gave back to me. I glanced at Marilyn's door, and she followed it. I think she knew.

"I did warn you, bud. Bad egg, that one," she murmured, clapping me on the shoulder with such force I almost buckled. "I wouldn't try if I were you."

"I wasn't even trying." I muttered, and then continued at normal volume before she could disappear on me. "Is Feila around?"

Leia, halfway to the stairs, turned back, the huge white feather hung from one of her earlobes swinging like a pendulum. She nodded, face a little pinched. "Yeah, she's around. Just go knock on her office door. You can't miss it."

I thanked her and moved on, aware - but trying not to show it – that she was watching me until I disappeared up the stairs. The top floor was silent. All the dormitory doors up here were slightly ajar, and the whole landing smelled faintly of incense. None of the doors looked particularly unmistakable, so I wandered to the end and eventually found the one that had to have been Feila's door.

I shuddered. The dark mahogany was decorated in images of twirling gold ribbon and purple clematis flowers, and in the centre was an eye – not a real one, but a damn convincing imitation. I stared at it for a long moment, almost expecting it to blink back at me.

The door opened before I'd gathered the courage to knock, revealing Feila stood there, looking quite majestic in a loose, flowing mauve gown that didn't fit at all with modern fashion sense.

"Guten Morgen, Herr Smith," she greeted, smiling to reveal a row of blindingly white teeth.

"H-How did you know I was here?" I asked, taken aback by both her sudden appearance and the nature of that appearance.

"My eye told me," she said, pulling the door back a little so I could see it again. I felt myself freeze up. "I apologise, Mr Smith. I didn't mean to startle you."

I didn't respond.

"Did you need something?" she asked. The faintest of furrows appeared between her eyebrows, and she angled herself so that I could enter. "Do come in."

I entered the office, and almost froze again in the doorway; the cover of my album creaked in my hands and served to bring me out of a state of bewilderment. The room was overwhelmingly purple; everything except the desk was some warm shade of violet. There was a large gilded cage in one corner, inside which nothing seemed to live, and the rest of the space was taken over by two large chairs and hundreds of books. The myriad of shelves failed to provide sufficient space for Feila's collection, and there were several shaky towers stacked up underneath them.