CHAPTER#83

"Why did you do that?" Yuki demanded. "You had no idea where that portal went!"

Emily grinned. "It didn't matter where it took us. I had you by my side."

Yuki felt a rush of heat in her face, and she opened her mouth, but didn't know how to respond.

"Fucking stinky fox," a voice grumbled from behind her. When Yuki turned, she saw a miserable looking Tink standing in the living room, her sweater covered in the water Yuki had shed. Tink gazed mournfully at a cup of hot cocoa with a couple of fox hairs floating on the surface.

Emily covered her mouth with one hand, stifling a laugh.

"Oh, Tink, we're so sorry," she said, kneeling down to placate the goblin.

Tink leaned back to avoid getting hit in the face with a boob. "Emily put Tink's eye out with these things." She flicked one of Emily's nipples impatiently, which put a halt to the human's laughter. "Why fall out of closet full of water?"

"C'mon, Tink, I have another sweater I can loan you. Guess I'll have to go back for my shirt later." She turned around and held her hand out to Yuki. "You coming? You probably need a change of clothes too."

Yuki had calmed down, her red fur sinking back into her flesh. Pulling her wet hair back into a ponytail, she nodded, and took Emily's hand, letting her take her upstairs.

"Who are you?" The memory popped like a bubble and she was back in the present, staring absently into the cave. A blue light hovered in front of her and her outstretched hand now held on to nothing. It hovered over the entrance to the cave, and she hastily closed the door before addressing the ball of light.

"Cerulea?" Yuki squinted, her eye focusing on the tiny blue fairy. "Is that really you?"

"Yep!" Cerulea did a twirl in the air, sending magical sparks in every direction. "You're a good guesser!"

"Cerulea, it's me, Yuki." She held up her hand and the tiny fairy landed on it, her plump bottom pressing against Yuki's finger.

"Hmm." The fairy tilted her head from side to side. "Doesn't ring any bells."

Yuki shrugged it off. "Where are the others?"

"The others? Oh, they're all over the place. Carmina and Olivia are out front watching the sand man with Abella, and Tink is with the rats. Sofia brought some books for Beth to read, but she's in the greenhouse with Asterion." For whatever reason, Cerulea giggled after saying this last part. "Oh, and Mike is in the wardrobe with Ratu and Zel."

"Oh." She didn't recognize a few of the names, but now she knew who the new Caretaker was. Had been. "Who is the sand man?"

"He's one of the mean ones. Those guys want to come in the house and—" the fairy stared into space for a few seconds. "And do something bad. I'm not entirely sure what. One of them made a storm that almost broke the house!"

"I bet they did." It sounded like Mike was already doing a phenomenal job of fucking up. "But you don't need to worry anymore. I'll take care of the mean people for you."

"Yay!" Cerulea took off and flew away. Yuki was grateful that Daisy was far more intelligent than her sisters, and a much better listener. She closed the closet door. Leaving her room behind, she was back in the hallway and at the top of stairs.

Why was it so hard coming home? Her foot hovered over that first step again and she paused. What if the others rejected her? She had no idea what Emily had told them, but she doubted it had been anything good. Ever since that fateful day Emily had left her behind in the tower, she had wondered many things, but this was one that bothered her the most.

Why hadn't anybody come to look for her?

She moved slowly down the stairs, taking in the recent renovations. Apparently there was a new floor, and she fought the urge to go explore it. She could mess with that later, once she had spoken with Naia. Naia would be able to tell her everything, and she was already bracing herself for answers that she didn't want to hear.

The place smelled of water, fire, industrial cleaner, and oil. The front room looked like it had been recently repaired and redecorated. In the front window was a dollhouse that looked like it had seen better days. Through one of the windows, she could see Jenny contemplating the front yard. Yuki was surprised to see the doll out of the Vault and made a note to put her back. The last thing she needed was that little psychopath running around.

The house was quiet where she stood, but she could hear Naia singing from the back yard. A chill ran down her spine at the sound of Naia's voice. The two of them had been fast friends, and she fought the urge to run. Would Naia even recognize her now? She looked different now, especially after her third tail had grown while she was gone.

She moved forward, stopping just before the hallway. There was a large blank spot along the wall perfect for a grandfather clock, and she wondered if the mimic was hiding somewhere else in the house.

Every step she took toward the back door was another step back in time. She had dreamt of this moment for so long, but had no idea what form it would take. She pushed open the back door and stepped outside. The sky was cloudless and blue, just as it had been the day Emily had brought her here for the first time.

The memory of her first day in the house was intense. She could feel each of her tails twitching nervously behind her with every step across the cobblestone path just outside the back door. A stone statue sitting on the edge of the fountain had looked up at her with a smile, then took to the sky. Along the back gate, a goblin could be seen examining the large padlock holding it shut, prodding at the lock with a series of picks.