Some Thing Called Myself (Complete)

LXV: Something Whispered

Mara wasn't sure exactly when she had run to her, but hugging Granny felt almost like being a child again, safe in the knowledge that Mom, Dad, and Granny would look after her. Still, that feeling didn't last for long.

"All right," Granny said, her voice a little shaky. She gave a few more pats on Mara's back, then gripped her shoulders and pushed her a step away. "I'm glad you found me, child. But"—she raised her eyes to the Sents at her back and then to the beyond-fleshers who now reached the abandoned house—"this can't be it. These can't be the only ones you managed to help, Mara." The creases and wrinkles in her face deepened. Her voice hardened. "What the hell happened? I saw when Alessa broke free; what happened after that?"

Mara told her. One of the Sents—she didn't say it'd been Bernardo—had stopped her from running away with Kiki and Falchi. They all had been taken to the undercroft, and from there, Rebeca and a group of Sents had taken the most valuable beyond-fleshers out of the HQ by boat.

Granny grimaced and let out a small curse. She looked among the Sents and beyond-fleshers gathered there and frowned. "I thought Nastácia would've come with you."

"She followed Jano," Frejat said. "I saw them leaving together."

"Tudo bem. All right." Granny took a deep breath and let it out as she said, "You'll stay here tonight, then. Bring all the others, child. We'll need as much help as we can get." Granny clicked her tongue and massaged her temples. Her dark eyes met Mara's, and she studied them for a moment. Then she turned around, disappearing into the abandoned house as she said, "But I guess you need a little rest first. And maybe something to eat."

***

Mara and the others went back together and guided the Sents and beyond-fleshers back to Granny's house. Once they were back, though, as soon as they crossed the overgrown hedge, the place changed. The garden was well-groomed with a small campfire a few meters away from a white clay oven dotted with red, yellow, and blue details. Pristine white walls, opened windows, and the small sound of wind chimes accompanied two very strong scents. The first one, sweet and pungent, came from a plate filled with cachaça biscuits while the second was a strong, oily smell that could only be Granny's famous fried cassava.

Not only Mara, but all of the Sents around her expressed the same surprise. Some of them called for Granny with tears in their eyes, others ran to her for a hug, and others yet—the very few very brave or very foolish—headed straight for the food, ignoring whatever dangers it might represent. The sun was already setting, so Mimi and Godo gathered around the campfire, working together to light it

Tai stopped at Mara's side and cursed under their breath. "When did she have the time to imagine all this?"

"Imagine?" Mara scoffed. "It's like she plucked this place directly out of my thoughts." Her voice softened. "This is what my Granny's house used to look like when I was a kid. It's...out of this world."

"Yeah. Spooky," Tai whispered. "It's almost as if she's a supernatural or something."

Mara looked at them and found a smirk on their lips. Tai winked, the tip of a canine pressing on their lower lip.

She scoffed, the tips of her ears heating up. "You're so silly." She tried not to read too much into that interaction and instead focused on the door in front of her.

Mara entered the house, and now she noticed the difference between her memories and the home that this Granny had created. Granny stepped away from the Sent hugging her and crossed to where Mara stood. Her words were hard but warm as she said, "I have a room for you, last door down the hall. Eat. Rest. And tomorrow, you fight."