8 Her Own Room

The wolpertinger led Macha into a lobby that had marble floors and pillars. In the middle stood a huge bronze statue of Tyr, Krystof, Luna, Taylen, and another woman that Macha had never met. To the sides, chairs and tables furnished a lounge area where groups of people gathered.

After passing the statue, the wolpertinger hopped towards one of the long hallways. Before the hallway, was a counter. At the counter, a young receptionist, who looked to be in her early teens, sat and greeted the people who came in and out. Upon seeing the wolpertinger she gave Macha a quick glance and continued organizing envelopes and talking with visitors.

The wolpertinger led Macha up a long flight of stairs. After about fifty flights, she looked up and saw what seemed to be a never-ending staircase. Sweat formed at her temples and she looked at the furry creature with confusion in her eyes. "How are you not even tired?" she questioned with heaving breaths. Every time she had to rest, the little creature would turn around and look at her with its big brown eyes. When Macha caught her breath, the wolpertinger would continue to hop up the stairs, its nails tapping the floor at the continuous pace as if it were a metronome.

Other people went up the stairs with no problem, many people passed her by as she ascended the stairs. Macha looked at them with disbelief and wondered how they could ascend the stairs with such ease. One person even patted her back and seemed to give a word of encouragement.

Eventually, they reached the top floor, and the wolpertinger hopped to the right. Macha looked around and saw that someone decorated this floor with crystal chandeliers and fine silk rugs. The doors had beautiful engravings on them with intricate designs of dragons and other mythical creatures. The wolpertinger led Macha into what looked like a lounge; it had tufted couches, tables, paintings, and food. The creature then looked at Macha, looked at a seat, and purred. When Macha took a seat, the creature hopped away.

Macha was parched and poured herself a drink from the table. Only once in her life did she climb so many stairs, and that was when she hiked a trail called "Stairway to Heaven." She wondered what the view looked like from here and made her way towards the window. As Macha looked out, she admired the park which they passed through and all the people walking around the city that looked like little ants. The pier lay just at the edge of her view and she spied a few flying ships sailing across the sky. Macha noted that the ships flying in the sky looked like yachts or cruise ships while the ones on the water were large and held cargo on them.

The day progressed, and no one came for her. It relieved Macha to have found a restroom connected to the lounge so she could freshen up. She also reviewed the words that Luna had taught her the night before. Around noon, Luna appeared in the doorway.

Luna wore a green suit today. She had the same book fastened at her hip, but today it was attached with a belt. "Macha," called Luna, waving her hand she smiled. Her voice was friendly and clear. Macha waved and followed Luna.

Luna brought Macha into her office, which was wallpapered in a green and gold pattern. On the wall hung a painting of Luna, Tyr, a middle-aged man, and a middle-aged woman. She and Tyr looked like the man but had the eyes of the woman. Macha then understood that Luna was most likely Tyr's sister.

Luna noticed that Macha stared at the picture and explained, "Tyr is my twin brother. Although, our temperaments are nothing alike." Luna tilted her head to one side and pondered, "Why did my brother choose you? You look like a weak child. Very different from Fenrir..." Shrugging her shoulders she continued, "Well, maybe he wanted something completely different. Either way, we need you to learn how to speak. I know thirteen different languages, but do not understand what language you're speaking. I'll have you speaking by the time he comes back as a birthday present to him. Then I'll force him to see mother by guilting him into it." With that, she gave a smug laugh and opened a connecting door.

Macha stared at Luna. Although Macha thought Luna was a nice person so far, something seemed a little off with the way she laughed. Looking into the room, she saw an older woman sitting down at a table. The woman wore a long black gown with a high neck and the points of her ears had earrings on them. She dressed conservatively, her countenance made Macha recall governesses she read about in books, especially because the woman's back was straight as a pole. When Luna entered the room, the woman stood up and bowed a deep bow.

Luna motioned for Macha to sit down in a chair at the table. After Macha sat down, Luna introduced the woman as Isabella. Isabella greeted her and Macha smiled, happy to meet a new person. Luna left the two after making tea and closed the door.

Macha looked at Isabella with uncertainty. She was not sure what she was doing in this room and the woman looked strict.

Upon Luna's departure, Isabella sat down and opened a book. On it, pictures covered the page and there were words next to each picture. The woman began pointing to the words and teaching Macha.

Once Macha realized this was a lesson, all her fears dissipated. She was thrilled to be able to have a tutor. Macha was sick of being unable to talk and longed for conversation. She felt like a child and it frustrated her to not move around freely.

Isabella reviewed the words with Macha for hours. Every few minutes, she would flip back to the front and test Macha on the words they had gone over previously. This intense studying continued on for weeks, but Macha learned how to get her point across. Now she could at least express basic thoughts and ask questions.

At night, Luna would take Macha to the other end of the hall. It seemed like this side of the hall was reserved for the bedrooms. When they departed each other's company, Luna would enter a bright cheerful room, while Macha entered one that was the opposite in every way.

The room Macha slept in seemed to encompass the theme of darkness. It was wallpapered with a black paper that was decorated with gold accents. The floor was a dark stained wood with carpets comprising of various dark shades.

Macha was convinced that the whole room gave off an aura of overbearing depression. While the room itself suppressed any happy feeling that Macha had, the quality of the furnishings was superior. The bed was soft and luxurious, it was like being in a top hotel. The only oddities in the room were that there was no light, unlike the rest of the building, and the clothes in the closet did not fit her at all.