I pulled on black jeans and a deep burgundy sweater. As I turned to grab my boots, I noticed Noodle by the window, his sleek head raised up in the breeze. The window was open, letting in the crisp morning air, and perched on the sill was a familiar iridescent figure.
“Gretchen,” I said with a smile, surprised to see Jamie’s familiar in my room.
She cocked her head, those intelligent amber eyes studying me. Was she here to judge me? To spy?
‘She brought a shiny thing,’Noodle said proudly.
Sure enough, at Gretchen’s feet was a small object catching the morning light. Gretchen didn’t fly away as I approached. Instead, she shuffled sideways on the sill, making room for me to see what she’d brought. It was a small, polished stone—dark green with flecks of gold that caught the light. A gift.
“It’s beautiful. Is this... is this for me?”
Gretchen made a soft cooing sound. To my shock, when I carefully extended my hand, she leaned forward and allowed me to stroke the soft feathers on top of her head.
I picked up the stone, rolling it between my fingers. It was smooth and cool. “Thank you, Gretchen, it’s lovely.”
Gretchen preened, clearly pleased with herself.
Noodle slithered closer, his tongue flicking out to taste the air near the stone.‘It’s a rock.’
I scoffed. “It’s not just a rock. It’s a treasure.”
A knock at my door made me start. I slipped the stone into my pocket and called, “Come in!”
Dani poked her head in, her copper curls wild around her face. “We’re heading out in ten minutes if you still want to—“ She stopped mid-sentence, her eyes widening at the sight of Gretchen. “Jamie Kelso’s familiar? On your windowsill?”
“This is Gretchen. She just popped in to say good morning to Noodle.”
Dani’s eyebrows shot up, a knowing smile spreading across her face. “Veryinteresting.”
“Oh my gosh, it’s not like that.”
‘You sit on a throne of lies…’
I shot Noodle a glare.
“Sure it’s not,” Dani said with a wink. “Anyway, meet us in the common room.”
After she left, I turned back to Gretchen. “Thank you for the stone. And tell Jamie...” I trailed off, not sure what message I wanted to send. “Just tell him I said hi, I guess.”
Gawd, can you be more fucking awkward?
Gretchen cooed again, then spread her magnificent wings and launched herself from the windowsill, soaring out into the morning sky.
“Come on, Nood,” I said, offering my wrist. “Let’s go try some English cider and pretend we’re normal for a day.”
‘What is normal?’he asked, slithering up my arm anyway, disappearing beneath my sleeve where he could remain hidden from casual observers.
“Beats me, man, beats me.”
I foundmyself several pints deep at the village pub, a warm buzz flowing through my veins as I laughed at Marcus’s terrible rendition of “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The entire group from Scorpio had been drinking since mid-afternoon, and the cider was definitely stronger than what I was used to back home.
“This is painful,” Dani groaned beside me, covering her ears dramatically as he hit a particularly high note. “Make it stop.”
“Are you kidding? This is art.” I giggled, raising my glass in salute as Marcus bowed to scattered applause and more than a few good-natured jeers.
The pub was everything I’d imagined a quintessential English village establishment would be—low wooden beams, a crackling fireplace, and walls covered in framed black and white photographs of locals from decades past. The worn wooden tables were sticky with spilled drinks, and the whole place smelled of hops, smoke, and history.
“Your turn, Jupe!” a chick named Victoria called from across the table.
