Glass Houses Novels & Stories

I couldn’t fail him. The greenhouse stood at the edge of the sprawling gardens, its glass walls glittering under the sun. As I approached, a servant opened the door for me, their gaze cold and unwelcoming. My stomach churned. Even here, among my own pack, I was an outsider. The interior of the greenhouse was breathtaking. Sunlight filtered through the glass ceiling, illuminating rows of vibrant flowers and cascading greenery. The centre of the space had been transformed into an elegant tea setting. Small white tables were adorned with lace cloths and arrangements of fresh blooms. Plates of delicate pastries and teacups filled with amber liquid completed the picture of refinement.

“The patterned glass introduces an unquantifiable positive affective variable. We will select it.” He was choosing rainbows because they made her happy. By the end of Week 3, the skeleton of the annex was rising from the ground—a stark framework of wood against the grey stone of the mansion. It looked both alien and inevitable. The connection point, where the new framing met the old wall, was a jagged, open mouth waiting to be sutured. We stood inside the mansion’s conservatory, looking out at the growing structure. The noise was a constant, productive din.

I looked down through the glass floor, staring at the cars that looked so small driving around. Kirk eventually turned me from the sight and lead me away. We took the elevator down the center of the needle. “There is an exhibit here you might like.” I chuckled as I let him lead me. My eyes widened as we walked into a garden made entirely of glass. The colors were bright and vibrant, looking almost like we stepped into another planet. There was also a greenhouse-like structure with a huge glass sculpture hanging from the ceiling.

"It’s... it’s a forest inside the mountain!" The greenhouse was vast, a towering dome of reinforced obsidian-glass that arched hundreds of feet above their heads. The structure captured the fading golden rays of the setting sun, refracting the light through a complex network of automated water misters that hung from the iron framework like silver spiderwebs. Giant, pre-apocalyptic ferns unfurled their vibrant green fronds over the stone walkways, and thick, twisty vines crawled up the structural pillars, bearing heavy clusters of sweet mountain grapes.

"Let's go." The rear glasshouse garden was a sprawling dome of iron and glass located at the very back of the royal wing. It was filled with rare, tropical plants, giant blooming roses, and winding gravel paths. The glass ceiling let in bright streams of pale sunlight, making the humid air feel warm and sweet. For a few minutes, the quiet atmosphere was soothing. "See?" Maya smiled softly as we walked down a narrow aisle surrounded by towering green ferns. "It's so peaceful here. No one can bother us."

she told me and we finally reached the other side of the room and felt the lasers power down as the heavy security door hissed open. The next room was a long and narrow bridge that stretched over a massive vat of glowing green liquid and the fumes were so strong that I could taste the copper in the back of my throat even through my mask, and I saw that the "Inner Sanctum" door required two different keys to be turned at the exact same time at opposite ends of the bridge. It was a perfect trap because it forced us to split up and leave our backs exposed and just as I started to head toward the left console I heard a massive explosion from the direction of the ballroom.

Inside, the broken greenhouse sat silent. Empty echoes lived there. Stretching out, the structure sat low, made of glass and chipped white metal, time wearing it down. Dirt layered thick on the windows, years piled up like dust. Through splits in the glass, vines forced their way in, thin branches clawing into the rooms. At the entrance, the attendant came to a halt, glancing at the house. Nothing left for him to do. Bones shook with each beat inside my chest. There would be no turning back now. A slow breath filled my lungs before the gate creaked forward. Footsteps followed cracked stone, leading straight to the glass-walled room ahead.

Closets big enough for all our clothes to fit in, and a bathroom with a shower and bath big enough for the four of us. As we explored more of the other rooms, I realized that all the walls of the house consisted of floor-to-ceiling glass windows. It meant we had a 360-degree view of the forest all around us. “It’s special glass. Thick and not easily penetrable as per Obsidian’s request. It was also made so that we can see outside, but nobody can see inside.” “I wasn’t even thinking about that,” I admitted. “Are you ready for your surprise?” I frowned at him. “This wasn’t the surprise?”

He stared intently at my face; the contempt and disdain in his eyes was long replaced by shock and disbelief. Just then, the doctor walked in holding an autopsy report, his tone tinged with regret. “This is Carol’s autopsy report. “Her chest cavity was pierced by glass shards, directly rupturing her heart. “The wound appeared minor on the surface, but the damage was severe, leading to massive post-injury bleeding. “If she had received timely medical attention, she could have survived. What a pity...” “Heart... pierced...” Mom murmured these words repeatedly, her legs giving way as she nearly collapsed.

Lucian stayed behind with Leo and Marcus, letting me walk toward the back of the property alone. The greenhouse was no longer the shattered lantern of glass where I had faced a hitman's barrel. It had been completely rebuilt. The frame was a deep, forest green, and the glass was so clear it seemed invisible. But it wasn't the structure that took my breath away—it was what was inside.