Veil of Shadow and Rain ✓ [TSC #1]

Chapter 5 - It Is Only The Beginning

R-rrring!

Wren rolled over in her bed, murmuring in her sleep. Her pillow was surprisingly soft.

The alarm continued ringing. Wren had no idea when she had an alarm but ignored it and continued sleeping.

After a few minutes of snoozing, a knock sounded on her door. 'Wren, dear, you must be tired!'

Wren let out an 'mm'. She sat up in bed drowsily, wiping the drool from her chin with the back of her hand. She blinked, not knowing where she was at the moment. Then she remembered.

In the past 24 hours, she had run away from home, been introduced to a magical world, told that she was a princess, and found out the fact she had a queen as a sister.

Not just any queen.

A magical queen.

Wren let herself slip into her thoughts for a minute or two when the door to her room opened. 'Morning, sleepyhead!' called Odyssey. 'It's already seven, and your bath's a-bubbling! Do you want to have breakfast in bed or in the hall, Wren?'

Wren perked up. Breakfast in bed? Back home, Uncle Hunter would have never allowed anything like that. 'Yes, please!' she shouted. She clambered out of her bed, accidentally tripping over her bed sheets. She rubbed her bruise knee and limped to the bathroom. 'Uh - what did you say about my shower?'

'Shower? Don't be silly.' Odyssey's voice said. The door opened to its full width. 'Your bath's a-bubbling! Tell me, do you always get up this late? Or was it just a pleasant dream?'

'But - but you said it's seven,' protested Wren. Odyssey was already well-dressed, with makeup and she had a frilly dress on. Wren slumped against her bedchamber's pillar. 'Hell, no,' she muttered. 'Don't tell me I have to dress up and play pretty again.'

Odyssey gasped. 'Don't swear so! It's not a princess-like thing to do.'

'I didn't actually swear - fine. Can I just wear my jeans and shirt?'

'Do you not wear dresses?' demanded Odyssey.

'Hell, no.'

'Mind your words, Wren. Do not go saying horrible things like that in public. You're supposed to go to school today. Your uniform is laid on the chair.'

'Got it,' Wren said, rubbing her eyes. She sat up straight in her bed. 'Um. Alright. I'll jump straight to it.'

Odyssey tilted her head, frowning slightly. 'Whatever do you mean?'

'Look,' said Wren, 'I just got kidnapped yesterday, and my -'

'- well, I wouldn't call it kidnapped -'

'- my intentions are to find out about my past, heritage and my parents. And I need everyone to bear that in mind.' Odyssey looked surprised at her sudden desire to talk.

'Wren, I'm sure we can -'

'I may be a princess,' Wren interrupted, talking over Odyssey, 'but just so you know, I'm not one in heart. I want to know everything, Odyssey. Every single detail. What the hell happened to me and what the hell happened to my parents.'

'Our parents,' corrected Odyssey.

'It'll be a long time for me to remember using the term "our" because I've always been a single child until yesterday, I suddenly had a sister.'

'Understood,' said Odyssey calmly, 'but here's the thing, Wren. Our parents were murdered. End of story.'

Wren stared at her for a silent minute. She stared back through her pale blue eyes. Wren grimaced and cracked her head.