A New Beginning

Chapter 40

Tessa's POV:

I eagerly examined the house we were approaching. What would the inside of Soranto's home look like? Would it be roomy like Taureen's place? Or full of narrow corridors and weapons like Aeria's parents' house? That was something I was going to find out very shortly.

Taureen waved his hand in front of an elaborate pattern on the door frame, and a melodious tone sounded from inside.

Moments later, the door opened as Adeline greeted us. "Welcome. Come inside."

Taureen and Aeria were happy to oblige. The door led right into a large living room with a high ceiling. Several closed doors were on the left and right sides of the room. Massive windows on the far wall and beside the door allowed sunlight to stream in.

"They have windows on the ceiling?" Dirk asked in disbelief.

"Skylight," Dad informed us, glancing up at the four big windows in the ceiling that showed us a clear view of the blue sky and a few clouds.

"The thunderstorms must be fun to watch from in here," I murmured in fascination.

The largest side door opened, and Soranto and Maria entered the room. Before they closed the door, I caught sight of the kitchen behind them.

"Huh. That's new," Dad said, looking to the side.

I followed his gaze and saw a large rectangular tray of sand sitting on a shelf on the wall. There was some sort of long light fixture above it that I assumed was a heat lamp. Taureen noticed our distraction and walked over for a closer look at it. The shelf was roughly elbow-high on him, which was quite a bit higher than the end tables back home.

"Where did you find a long heat lamp? I could only find circular ones that would work with the local power grid. Very few have the ability to turn the light off and still produce heat."

Soranto shrugged. "I couldn't find one either, although I found enough components to build one. Finding a power converter that would work properly was the hardest part, but the result was worth it. The left side is hotter than the right, so they can pick and choose exactly which temperature they prefer."

With a curious expression, Taureen passed his hand beneath the light. "Very impressive. I might have to ask you to build me one."

"Sure. Just let me know the dimensions and temperature range."

Taureen nodded, still examining the unusual heat lamp. His finger brushed over the sand as he tested the heat. Leaning forward on his shoulder pad, I trilled a question.

He smiled. "Go on."

Both Mom and I jumped onto the shelf, using our wings to slow our fall. Dad and Dirk flew over when Aeria gave them permission. All four of us walked back and forth under the light a few times, intrigued by the noticeable difference in heat from one end to the other.

Mom and Dad picked the hottest end, while Dirk opted for a spot in the middle. Not wanting to be lulled into a drowsy state by the heat, I sat at the cooler end by a water bowl as I looked around the room.

The Kymari were already walking towards the couches and chairs that formed a loose square in the middle of the room. The low, round center table had a few decorations, a small tray with empty glasses, and a pitcher of what I assumed was water. A shelf underneath it held a variety of objects such as laptops and other things meant to entertain or pass the time.

There wasn't a single end table to be seen, although it looked like each chair and couch had a small glass holder just underneath the armrests. The walls were sparsely decorated with family pictures. Other than this shelf, the furniture, or the Kymari, there was nothing to perch on in this room.