Soon enough, Arcstead loomed in the distance, lit up against the night sky, so different to Slatehollow though the distance between them was small.
Arcstead was a newer city and didn’t have half the history of Slatehollow. The buildings and structures here were all sleek and modern and it had none of the smoke or fog that clouded Slatehollow skies. Many people had moved out of Slatehollow to settle here, mainly the upper classes and casters. There was a lot of wealth in Arcstead that was mainly fed by the industry in Slatehollow factories.
None of them wanted to live among the pollution they pumped into the air, but they would happily profit from it from a safe distance.
Cars were also fully available here, no working permits required. With no giant metal beast ferrying people across the city through the skies on tracks, Arcstead took a more “sophisticated” approach. Wren knew he was entering a foreign land as he crossed into the city, driving past golf courses and spa retreats.
The offices and apartment buildings were all built in strange, unnaturally architectural shapes made of glass and the houses followed suit—white, glass, modern, cold.
It made Wren shiver just looking at it, and he tried to picture Teddy among it all.
Teddy was a chameleon and always had been, but Wren had always thought he looked best in the branches of a tree, or lying out under the moon and stars.
Wiping the images from his mind, he grabbed his phone, pulling over to view the address that had been sent to him.
He plugged it into the navigation and made his way through the city, pulling up on the east side to a house that looked nothing like his.
It blended in with its counterparts—palatial and expansive while not containing much of anything at all. It had no story to tell and no character to interpret. It was just a building. A roof and four walls.
Wren didn’t know what he had been expecting.
Teddy had always had so much to say, but this said nothing at all. Wren couldn’t find a single hint of him in any of it.
The iron fence lined with greenery and wrought iron gate barred entry, so Wren parked down the street, ignoring the sign that said not to.
He hopped out onto the immaculate sidewalk with Sable at his heels and Blu perched on his shoulder. He twittered nervously and Wren raised a finger to pet his breast.
“I know. A hospital is more welcoming, huh?”
Blu chirped an affirmative.
Wren made his way to the gate, knowing at once that he wasn’t ringing the bell and facing some stranger when he was already feeling so raw and vulnerable. Instead, he surveyed the edge of the property and found a trimmed tree overhanging the fence into the front garden.
He smiled and looked at his companions. “Let’s stretch our legs after that journey, shall we, darlings?”
He led the way, shimmying up the trunk and onto a low branch. Sable made it look easier than he did, following him silently while Blu cheered them on.
Wren slid along the branch and let himself hang by his legs for a moment, breathing in a moment of peace before gripping with his hands and allowing himself to flip over and land on the manicured lawn.
Sable looked at him strangely from the branch above.
“I have moves,” Wren stated. “Right, Blu?”
Blu chirped in agreement, doing a small circle before landing on his head proudly. A ten out of ten score.
Sable jumped down elegantly next to them, flicking him with his tail.
“Tough crowd,” Wren whispered to Blu, who chirped again.
Playtime over, Wren turned to the house, his heart beginning to beat faster.
What now?
Just like he wasn’t ringing the gate bell, he wasn’t ringing the doorbell either…so that left…
His eyes skimmed over the windows. He crept along the edges of the house, sticking close to the bushes. He just needed some sign.
He saw movement and ducked down as an unfamiliar but huge figure passed by a window, going through to what appeared to be the kitchen.
