Chapter 12

            Acacia woke up in a windowless white room. The walls were white, the ceiling was white, the floor was white, even the bright electrical light in the middle of the brightly illuminated room was white. The was when she realized that she was currently lying on a giant leaf just fit for her body size, wrapped like a spring roll in a cotton-y white blanket.

            And her head was resting comfortably on a soft cushion-y pillow. Oof. When she tried to push herself up, she realized that her injured hand was in a cast that left her fingers exposed but curled around her arm from her palm to her elbow. At least she rarely used her left hand.

            Tossing away the covers, Acacia got up, surprised that the door on the other end of the room was a warm varnished brown instead of glaring white. She crossed over the room and realized that her wet clothes had been changed into a green, silky, floral-patterned dress with a glittery purple canvas belt and fuzzy cloud-grey slippers with fluffy white fur lining.

            Wondering how she got here she leaned against the brown door, trying to listen for sound. Only the rushing of hurried footsteps and hushed conversation reached her ears. There were slits in the door that felt like tree bark. The flashbacks hit Acacia like lightning.

            Gullen.

            Roaring waves.

            CFCs.

            Tree. Abduction.

            Now this. It was almost nauseating. Actually, it was nauseating. She tried to open the door, but it was—unsurprisingly—locked. And unlike the weird spy movies that the aliens from another solar system watched, the room had no windows. No escape.

            Acacia leaned against the wood door, legs wobbling like jelly. She had always wanted to do something like this in her life, but when it actually happened, it wasn’t as fun as she thought. Just as she was about to push herself off the door, someone opened it, sending her toppling out into a stone white corridor.

            Pillars lined the walls, and golden vines twisted around them, roses and pink flowers scattered among the greenery. The pillars supported the golden-grilled glass ceiling, and right now, Acacia was staring into the azure blue eyes of a blonde boy.

            The boy smiled, heaving her to her feet. Acacia blushed. The boy blushed right back. “So, um. . . My name is Bloome, Bloome Jarriar. I. . . I’m here to pick you up,” Bloome stammered. Acacia frowned, crossing her arms.

            “Did you do it?”

            “Do what?” Bloome asked.

            “You know what I’m talking about.”

            “I don’t, unless you mean. . . okay, this will make so much more sense if I get you to Chief Lucious’s office first. Just trust me,” Bloome smiled. It almost looked flirty. Did this guy know that she was only ten and had no sense of that kind of thing yet?

            Even so, he grabbed her arm led her down the winding corridor into some sort of circular common space with blue glass domed ceiling with spider-webbed golden grills and pillar-ed walls. It bustled with maids and dressed men. Which made her realise that Bloome was only wearing a leafy green T-shirt and brown pants, like a tree.

            They made a sharp turn to the left hallway, towards the golden door with an gold eagle nob. Unlike the other four corridors that were connected to the blue domed common space, this one had no other doors or rooms. The pillars—instead of green vines—were golden replicas of a Golden Python twisted around the stone, their heads pointed towards them as they walked pass. Their ruby eyes glowed as the golden necks turned to stare at Acacia and Bloome. Creepy.

            The cold marble floor and silent air made every clack of her and Bloome’s shoes seem like thunder. After what seemed like an eternity, they reached the golden door. Whoever owned this place was really into gold. She could tell that they were the real type of rock because of the way it shined.

            Bloome knocked politely on the door before releasing Acacia’s hand gently and turning the eagle’s pointed beak. The door swung open, with no sign of old, creaky hinges that most doors in Dyia’s School of Magic had.

            The room was possibly the cosiest room so far. Grey, linen sofas lined the walls, and a stubby, wooden table stood proudly in the middle of the spacious expanse. A wooden bronze throne-like chair was placed behind the table, and two short, rocky crystal stools were placed in front of the wooden table.

            On the left side of the room were glowing golden stairs with Golden Python railings, and opposite it was a wooden door with the label ‘Chief Quarters’. But that was not what caught Acacia’s attention. It was the person sitting on the throne-chair, holding up a book titled ‘Potions of Elvina’.

            She could see the head of pink, white and green strips of hair sticking out above the massive leather book. And the heavy golden bracelets that circled her wrists to her elbows, like Acacia’s cast. Bloome cleared his throat. Again. And again.

            Acacia was about to ask if he really had a cough when the book slammed shut onto the table, and a girl with green, pink, and white streaks of hair and a blue silk skirt with a deep blue, glittery belt and purple low heels and silver fingerless gloves with stretchy white cloth at the knuckles crossed over the table and glared at Acacia.

            “Is this the girl?” the girl snapped. “She is. . .disappointing,” she added when Bloome nodded. Acacia crossed her arms over her chest, feeling very exposed suddenly. The girl scanned Acacia from head to toe before sniffing and walking back to her throne-chair and sitting down.

            Acacia stared at her feet. It was Bloome who broke the uncomfortable silence, “Acacia, this is Lifea Kardigan, and um. . .Lifea, this is Acacia. Err. . .where’s your dad, Lifea?” He asked. Lifea shrugged.

            “He told me to take over office for him. He’s on a top secret mission,” Lifea added an eyeroll to show how she felt about that. Acacia couldn’t help but smile. Her parents had gone off the map three years ago when she joined Dyia’s School of Magic. She hadn’t even gotten a letter from them since, much less a com call.

           She had been very worried and lonely at first, but after that, other things pushed the emotions away. Like Claris and Annice and Korii, even though they made her mad sometimes. The names hit her like lightning. She couldn’t believe she’d forgotten about them again.

           “Where are my friends?” She demanded, fuming. Lifea grinned mysteriously.

           “Who knows?”