Botanical

Chapter Three: Flight

Veera was in awe. She was no longer suspicious or afraid. In fact, she doubted she'd ever feel that way again. But she was tired. It was only six o'clock in Alaeria, but the girls were jetlagged. Lycon yawned and covered her mouth - she didn't want to go to bed just yet.

 "Oh, you're tired," Lilium said. "Come on, your beds are ready. We've caught you at a bad time."

 "No, no, it's okay," the girls insisted. They wanted to see more of the amazing place.

 "Lil, could you give them the house tour? I've had a long day." En said goodnight and went to one of the doors on the second floor.

 Lilium smiled. "Ready?"

 "Yes!" Lycon said.

 "Of course!" Veera added.

 "This is the first floor," Lilium said. She pointed to the bookshelves, large couch and white stone fireplace, and the giant yellow-themed kitchen. There were several other adjoining rooms such as the family room, dining room, and bathroom. 

 Then the girls followed Lilium up to the second floor and started walking down the hall. "This is our bedroom, this is En's office, my library, the green room, and our bathroom." They walked to the third floor.

 "Veera, this is your room," She pointed to a dark pine green door to the left. "And Lycon, this is yours." She pointed to a lime green door just a few feet away from Veera's. "I think I'll leave you two to rest. Sleep well! Oh - whistle to close the curtains." She gave them each a hug and started down to her and En's bedroom.

 Lycon and Veera faced each other and each did a quick girly squeal. They each opened their doors. 

 Veera's room had a green rug made out of soft pine needles. She had a huge bed with a wispy dark green canopy, a large oakwood desk, a huge closet, and a bathroom with a hot tub with a pine scent. Her dark green walls, which were half dark stones that were all different shapes and sizes, were painted as a dark, mysterious, foggy forest of pine trees. Veera loved it.

 Lycon's room had a door that went to Veera's room on one wall. She too had a canopy bed, but her room was tropical-plant themed instead of pine forest. Vines grew on the walls and her curtains were made of palm leaves. Her bathtub had a mint scent, and they both had balconies that connected outside. 

 When Veera flopped on her bed, she fell asleep immediately. She was so used to wearing the same thing every day that she didn't bother to change with the brand new clothes in her closet. Behind the wall, Lycon did the same thing.

🙟🙝

 Veera was shaken awake. She looked at the pine-needle-framed analog clock on the opposite side of the room. It was already noon. She sat up and stared at her waker. 

 "You will not believe what's for breakfast!" Lycon squealed. 

 "I bet I can guess. It's liver and corn-" Veera remembered where she was. "No, it smells delicious!" 

 She sprang out of bed and the two of them sprinted down the stairs to the breakfast nook. 

 "How'd you sleep?" En asked.

 "Great!" Lycon answered, helping herself to a zing fruit - the citruses that grew in the orchards outside. 

 "I even had a good dream!" Veera said. 

 "You've never had one before?" Lilium said, smiling.

 "Nope." Veera plunked down at the table and served herself some eggs, honeycake, and sour-sweet zing fruit.

 "Yuuuuuum," Lycon said under her breath as she ate. She stuffed honeycake in her mouth.

 "Do muf gifs go to fool?" She asked. Everyone looked at her like she'd just done a backflip. She swallowed and tried again. "I said, do most girls go to school?"