Chapter 2: Secrets

“Yes... I think... if... start...” Addie strained her ears to catch Christena’s muffled words through the door. She crept closer, moving her ear until it touched the cool wood. “No, Fluffy, we’re not doing it that way. Not with Addie, at least.” Christena paused as she rummaged around for something.

Addie listened in more closely at the mention of her name.

“Ah, there we go.” Christena chuckled and continued, “Okay, you know what? That might work. Let’s go back to the basement tonight and see if moving things along with your idea is better.” Concluding her pseudo-conversation with Fluffy, Addie heard Christena approaching the door, causing Addie to flail in a panic, trying to find somewhere to hide.

While Addie still floundered mid-panic, Christena exited her office and immediately noticed Addie standing there, still panicking and unable to hide fast enough. She looked up at Christena with wide, doe-like eyes.

“Addie, what did I tell you?” Christena paused with a stern expression, and Addie’s breathing stopped.

“You need to go find someone else to play with for today,” Christena finished.

Relief flew across Addie’s face, it seemed like Christena hadn’t realized Addie was eavesdropping.

In response, Addie kicked at the carpet, “How come we can’t do board games tonight?”

Christena tried not to roll her eyes. Addie still noticed the beginnings of the motion, though, “I already told you, Addie. I’m busy tonight.”

With that, Christena walked past Addie and continued on her way down the hall. Addie waited for a moment, watching her go. Once she was certain the coast was clear, Addie took a moment to snoop into Christena’s office.

The room was a cramped space, barely accommodating Christena’s desk and chair. There was hardly any room to stand, as the room was filled to the brim. In stark contrast to Addie’s father and his office, Christena’s desk was meticulously organized. Neat stacks of paper were aligned perfectly, not a single edge out of place. Although there were no bookshelves, wooden filing cabinets were integrated into the desk, adorned with old iron locks that had begun to rust at the edges. The room lacked glass, and the single window had only wooden shutters. The midday light from the Binary streamed in, filling the room with brightness.

Addie circled around the desk and plopped down into Christena’s chair. The unexpected lack of cushioning in the purely wooden chair made her wince slightly. “Ow.”

Just tall enough to see the surface of the desk, Addie noticed a few baubles strategically placed to keep the papers from shifting around when the window was open. Most of them were crafted from polished stone and varying in textures. They mostly depicted bonded from the seventh caste, the lowest caste of bondable creatures. Among them were a Krefft Mouse and a Rechin, resembling a three-eyed raven. But it was the last item that caught Addie’s attention the most.

Resting on the right corner of the desk was a pure red crystal figurine of a Slyfox. Addie noticed that the color of the gemstone perfectly matched Fluffy’s eyes. Partially hidden behind a stack of papers, it would go unnoticed unless someone sat in the desk chair.

Addie reached out to grab the peculiar Slyfox bauble, and she ran her fingers across its surface. This smoothness went beyond an ordinary polish. What fascinated her the most, though, was how some inexplicable tug pulled on something within her. It felt as though an unfamiliar muscle flexed itself in response to the unknown force. Surprised by this strange sensation, Addie instinctively pulled her hand back, as if recoiling from touching a hot stove. The bauble slipped from her grasp and clinked as it hit the ground, but it did not shatter. Then, Addie wavered before everything went dark.

As Addie opened her eyes, she stared up at an unfamiliar ceiling. She felt uneasy waking up in this strange place; it reminded her of waking up in the living room after sitting by the fire for too long instead of heading to bed.

She sat up hastily, her heart pounding. She jerked her head around the room, only to notice her mother sitting in a chair to the left of the bed. Addie sighed in relief before rubbing her eyes.

“Christena found you collapsed in her office. Are you okay?” Addie’s mom stood up and reached out to squeeze Addie's hand.

Still seated on the bed, Addie nodded slowly. “Yeah, I’m okay.” Looking around the room, Addie realized her mother must have carried her over to her parents’ bedroom to rest. That’s why the room seemed so unfamiliar after just waking up. She recognized it now, though.

Addie put on a serious expression and proceeded to recount the strange experience she had in Christena’s room to her mother, omitting the details of how she ended up there, focusing only on the bauble.

When Addie finished, her mother tilted her head and hummed in thought. “I know Christena has some paper weights in her office, but I didn’t know she had one just like Fluffy. I don’t think I’ve seen anything like that.”

“But there was! I'm telling you! I saw something like that,” Addie insisted, trying to convince her mother of what she had witnessed. Lately, none of the grown-ups seemed to listen to Addie! She squeezed her fists until they went pale.

“Oh, Addie, you probably just needed some proper rest,” her mother replied with a patient smile. “Make sure you go to bed early tonight, alright? You’ve been staying up too late into the night recently. It’s worrisome to find you collapsed all of a sudden, you need to take better care of yourself!” Her mom said shamelessly.

Addie's scrunched up her face in frustration. “Ugh! Whatever.” She got out of her parents’ bed and practically stormed out of the room, almost slamming the door behind her.

Just before bed, Addie camped out in her room, remembering the day’s events. She felt a combination of indignation over her mother’s response to the situation, along with total bafflement over the disappearing bauble. Addie had of course gone back to try and find it.

‘How did it just disappear? Maybe Christena took it before Mom got there. What was that feeling it gave me?’

To Addie, the bauble seemed to enhance her sense of touch, allowing her to ‘feel more’ in a way she couldn't fully describe. It was an alien sensation, unlike anything else. Trying to describe it would be akin to wasting time explaining colors to a blind person; one had to experience it firsthand to truly understand.

Even having experienced it herself, Addie struggled to fully grasp the phenomenon. Driven by curiosity, she resolved to find the bauble again, hoping for more time to examine the peculiar feeling that arose in her, hopefully, this time without fainting.

As night fell, Addie sat on her bed, gazing at the ceiling; she couldn’t stop thinking about today. Remembering Christena's mention of the basement, she decided that the next day she would explore it. Hopefully, she could find a clue.