Exposition

"Is he gone?"

"Probably, considering that it's already morning."

We stayed in the garden until sunrise and are now make our way back to the house.

And no, we didn't stay there the rest of the night because we got lost in the maze of hedges and only now found the way out now. We just felt like it.

"Let's go find Aurora. I still need to make some confirmations on the intruder. He may or may not be the one we are looking for."

"Why don't we just … you know, teleport there?"

"Can't you do it?" I asked, my sentences slurred, the sleep deprivation is starting to take a toll on me.

"No. I've never teleported like that before, you were the one that did it. But, given the state you are in, I doubt you will be able to do it."

"What are you talking about?"

"I can feel your exhaustion, it's seeping into me. You really need to learn to rest up sometimes."

"And whose fault is that?" I snapped, rubbing my eyes as we continued to make our way around the garden to the front door.

"Honestly? I blame the training, they are a little too intense for a beginner like you."

"Excuse me?" I stopped at the front door and stared at my reflection on the glass window.

"I mean, don't get me wrong. You are doing an incredible job just keeping up with Aurora, who had training for years. I just think it may be too much for you at the moment. You are just starting out, after all."

"You do know that I am training this hard because of you right? When the time comes, I need to be strong enough to hold you back and make sure you don't go on a rampage."

Looking at my reflection, I can see that as each of us spoke, my face changes a bit. When I spoke, my expressions were subtler and duller. But when Kefi talked, my eyes became brighter and I had more emotions to express. It's almost like I'm looking at a different person depending on who spoke.

"Really? Awww~ someone's a softie, that someone being you, Meraki. You don't look like it, but you know how to care. A lot more than you would admit."

"I don't know what you are talking about. I awakened you so you are my responsibility. I'm just doing what I need to."

"Still, you-"

"Meraki! There you are." Aurora burst from the door and took me into an embrace. She held me so tight that I could feel her racing heart beating against me.

"Where did you disappear to? I came to wake you up and you weren't in your bed. I searched the entire house and still couldn't find you. When I got to the kitchen and saw the broken window as well as the mess on the floor, I started to panic." Aurora sobbed as she spoke, I could feel her trembling hand wrapped around me.

She was really worried, wasn't she?

Yeah.

"Where were you?" Aurora asked, finally pulling away. Her hands gripped my shoulder as she bent down to my height.

I looked right into her eyes and said, "I ran into the intruder."

"What do you mean?" Aurora narrowed her eyes at me.

"I mean what I said."

"I-is that why you are all scratched up?"

"Oh no. I was this close to killing the boy but Meraki prevented me from touching him by teleporting us to the garden maze. Why do we even have a maze?"

"Meraki … teleported … prevented … you … Meraki … did … Meraki … what ..." Aurora had a faraway look on her face as Kefi said this. She continued to repeat what Kefi had just said, looking dazed.

"Aurora? Are you ok?"

"Does she look ok to you? Let's go inside first. Maybe there is more custard left." Kefi grabbed Aurora's hand and pulled her inside the house, up the stairs to the kitchen.

"It's getting easier for you to control my body, isn't it?" I blurt out, feeling like a bystander in my own body.

"It's just like that. The closer we get, the stronger our bond gets and the more control we have over each other. Like you with my powers and me with your body."

We stopped in front of the kitchen door and Kefi released, the still dazed, Aurora, making our way to the fridge, again.

"So what happens then?"

"We'll have to figure that out ourselves. That's the interesting part for any spirit-human bond. No two are the same. Aww~ No more custard. Hey you. Make us custard, Meraki is tired." Kefi called to Aurora, pointing to us.

"Tired?"

Finally, she snapped out of her mumbling.

"Yes, she is. After what happened last night, you don't expect her to be bursting with energy do you?"

Why does she sound so smug? What is she planning?

"Last night? Oh!" Aurora came back to life as she said that, bursting with so much energy, I felt another wave of exhaustion overtake me just from looking at her.

"Go rest up, Miss. I will prepare a feast. This calls for a celebration! I need to go buy some more ingredients. List! I need to make a list. Oh my goodness. I can't believe it."

Aurora scurried in and out of the question in such a rush I couldn't get a word out to her. So I just waited, resting against the refrigerator.

The exhaustion I felt still hung over me like a woollen blanket, suffocating me. I closed my eyes and before I knew it, my legs lost their strength and I felt myself fall but I was too tired to even open my eyes or care at this point.

Nothing happened.

Strange, I should have smashed into the ground or something else by now.

Slowly I opened my eyes and saw the floor beneath me, only an inch from my face.

Huh?

"You idiot, be careful!" Kefi shouted but she sounded as tired as I felt.

So, she's keeping us afloat. My legs must be in the air too.

Damn, I'm beginning to feel nauseous again.

"Miss!" Aurora entered the room and rushed to me. The moment she grabbed my body, I felt heavy again. Aurora carried me, bridal style, to my room.

"Rest now, Miss. I will take care of everything else, ok?" She tucked me in and began to walk away.

With my fading vision, I called out to her. My voice barely a whisper, "Aurora."

"Yes, Miss?" She looked at me, holding the door open.

I need to tell her about the intruder. I need to look him up. I need to at least tell her about him.

"Custard."

My eyes shut as I said that, sleep consuming me and I could feel the door shut. Finally, empty darkness embraced me.