Across the very ordinary, very green guest room was an open closet door.
And what was inside wasnotordinary.
Instead of clothes on hangers or even a bare closet, she saw a swirl of colors, like a slick of oil in the sunlight—purple,yellow, and black spiraling within the closet. She thought of the broom closet from her first day here, except this time there was no howling. Only whispers.
What. Is. That?
It was an impossibility.
An inexplicable impossibility.
Tucking the key into her pocket, Calisa walked toward the closet. She stopped. Stared. But it didn’t vanish.
It was undeniably real. And beautiful.
Closer, the whispers tumbled over her as if she’d stepped into a waterfall and they were crashing over her head and shoulders.
The sensible thing would have been to turn around, leave the guest room, and ask Jack about it. Or better still, Melidor. Or Auntie Zee herself. But then, of course, she’d have to admit that she’d let herself into the room without permission, in direct violation of both Auntie Zee’s rule and forgivable behavior. Also, even if she was able to hide that she’d snuck into Melidor’s room, would they even answer her if she asked, or would they freak out because she was asking questions about something she was definitely not supposed to know anything about?
Obviously I’m not going to be sensible.
Calisa plucked one of the daisies out of the vase on the dresser and held it by the stem. She pushed the petals toward the swirling closet opening. It slid into the dark rainbow without any resistance. She counted to five and then pulled it out again.
It looked fine. Still blooming. Gently, she touched one ofthe petals, and it felt alive and perfect, as soft as a butterfly wing. She returned the flower to its vase, where it was indistinguishable from the others.
Reaching out, Calisa touched the swirling colors of the doorway with the tip of her finger. It felt like a kiss. Emboldened, she put her whole hand through the swirl and pulled it back. Completely normal. She turned her hand over and examined it, clenching and unclenching it. It both looked and felt fine. Whatever the swirl was, it didn’t eat flesh, which was good to know.
Behind her, she heard footsteps on the stairs. She glanced back—she’d left the door to Melidor’s room open. If anyone passed by, they’d see her here, inside a room that wasn’t hers, uninvited and unwelcome.
There was only one choice….
Actually, there were plenty of choices, but only one that she liked. She didn’t think too hard about whether she was using the footsteps as an excuse.
Calisa plunged through the iridescent swirl.
For an instant, she felt as if she were within a kaleidoscope: colors spun around her, streaked in velvety black. Her skin was swaddled in a warm breath, and then it was over and she was blinking into the sunshine.
Except the sun wasn’t right.
A field of flowers unfurled at her feet, and the purple-tinted sun bathed it all, casting deep-purple shadows that felt more like midnight than day. It made the field look bruised.
Unearthly.
The wind felt sharp, as if it held microscopic shards of glass.It bit at her skin. She rubbed her hands over her bare arms, but she didn’t feel any cuts.I shouldn’t be here.She had the overwhelming sense that she didn’t belong.
All around, the whispering rose and fell, and she realized it was coming from the flowers themselves, calling to one another as the breeze blew through their leaves.
She heard a high-pitched sound, half like a giggle and half like a scream. Prickles chased over Calisa’s skin, and a roselike flower ran past her. Its roots were like feet, its leaves pumped like arms, and its petals were flattened back as it darted by. It was the thing making the horrible giggle-like sound. Calisa felt her jaw drop.
A woman with green skin, green hair, and a silvery dress chased after the flower.
She slowed when she saw Calisa.
Calisa froze. She was only a few steps from the closet. She could flee—
“You.” Her voice sounded like a wind chime, bell-like and scattered, but discordant. It hurt Calisa’s ears, and she nearly clapped her hands over them.
“Me?” Calisa squeaked.
