◇◆◇◇

Fifteen minutes wasn't nearly long enough.

Sylvia could have sat there for at least another fifteen minutes if it weren't for the fact that the bath water had begun to lose a significant amount of heat. Wrapped in a towel, Sylvia looked down at the pile of clothes next to the letter on the counter that Aspen had left her with.

Fresh cotton underwear and a simple navy nightgown. Sylvia didn't know how she felt about the gown. It was loose, flowy, had pockets, and by all means comfortable she realized after she had slipped it over her head. It just wasn't her usual sleep attire which consisted of shorts and an oversized T-shirt.

"It'll have to do." She murmured to herself.

Then she drew in a sharp breath and waited.

After Bark Man, she wouldn't have been surprised if the drywall began to talk as well. Thankfully, a few seconds passed and nothing inanimate responded. She really was alone.

Sylvia stepped out of the bathroom and tried to retrace her steps to the living room. This home was like a maze, so many rooms leading to places she wasn't sure she was ready to discover yet. Sylvia turned the corner and immediately crashed into a hard object. Something wet fell onto her skin and burned like the fires of Hell.

"Frix!" Sylvia hissed as the object simultaneously bit out a string of profanities.

"Aspen, what are you-" Brown eyes looked her over. "Not Aspen."

"No, can't say I am." Sylvia agreed, eyeing the now empty mug that rolled across the floor. It must have been made of titanium to not have broken when it hit the ground. "I'm Sylvia."

He looked down at the mug with regret and sighed, "So much for a mug of midnight tea." Then he looked back to the girl before him. "My name is Acacius. I take it you're looking for my sister, Aspen?"

Sylvia nodded. "She said she and Quirin would wait for me in the living room..."

Acacius pointed down the hall where Sylvia had come from. "Go back that way and take the first right."

"Thank you." Sylvia muttered her gratitude. "Uh, do you need help cleaning up the tea?"

"I've got it, but thanks. Here," he said, handing her a handkerchief. "Unless you prefer the feeling of boiling green tea dripping down your torso."

"Not particularly." She grabbed the handkerchief from him. Drying herself, she followed his directions and sure enough she found herself in the living room.

"-and that's when the water nymphs and the dwarfs realized-" Quirin paused his story when he noticed Sylvia.

"Thank Bejeezies you're here!" Aspen sprang up from her position on the couch. "If I had to hear one more story about how Quirin wrangled a beast or got banned from some bar I think my ears would bleed."

Quirin rolled his eyes. "Fine, I won't tell you how this one ends."

"The room's a little small, I hope you don't mind, but it has a great view of the pond!" Aspen said, leading Sylvia down a few more corridors and up a staircase.

Aspen really had to work on her definition of small.

The room was enormous. The bed was a king size and it was decorated with a beige quilt and matching pillows. Above the bed hung a painting of a sandy beach with seashells littering the shore. There was a mahogany wardrobe and a vanity on the wall opposite of the bed. The wall adjacent to the one with the wardrobe had a glass door with silk blinds that opened out onto a balcony.

"I reckon we're about the same size, so I put some of my old dresses in the wardrobe for you. I'll send a maid to wake you for breakfast in the morning." With that, Aspen left Sylvia to get her bearings.

◴ ◵ ◶ ◷

True to Aspen's word, a maid had come knocking at her door shortly before nine o'clock.

Sylvia groaned when she opened the wardrobe. All Aspen had were dresses. Hadn't anyone in this place ever heard of comfort?

"This one doesn't look so bad!" The maid, Janelle, held up a deep red one. "It would suit your complexion well."

"Okay." Sylvia finally caved. It had taken them thirty minutes to finally decide which dress to wear. Sylvia had never worn a corset before, but Janelle had assured her that she had hand crafted the one she was wearing herself and it would be as comfortable as a second skin.

To her surprise, Janelle was right. It was more comfortable than some of her bra's at home and also as Janelle suggested, the red dress looked stunning on her, despite its simplicity. The dress was modest which Sylvia also appreciated. The sleeves went to her elbows and the dress reached to her ankles. The more skin covered, the warmer she would be and considering how cold it had been last night, she would need something to help her keep the body heat in.

"Two minutes until the cook serves breakfast, we should be on our way." Janelle said.

Janelle led the way to the kitchen on the first floor and when the two arrived, Aspen, Acacious, Quirin, and another man were already seated. The new man appeared to be older than the other young adults at the table, but his high cheekbones and dark eyes were the same as Acacious's, so Sylvia figured he must be his and Aspen's father.

"I saved you a seat next to me!" Aspen said, gesturing to empty one beside her.

"Perfect." Sylvia tried to match Aspen's enthusiasm, but failed utterly. She slid into the seat beside her.

Sylvia never was a morning person, but today that wasn't the only thing weighing her mind. What was her family doing right now? Had any of them noticed she was missing yet?

The man at the head of the table cleared his throat and began to pour himself a glass of water. "So, Sylvia. My daughter says Quirin found you in the forest last night. Pray tell, how did you find yourself in that predicament?"

"I -ah, to be honest, Sir, I'm not so certain myself." Sylvia said, pushing a grape around her plate with her fork. "I woke up in the forest and when I tried to find someone I stumbled upon a not-so-pleased tree nymph."

"You don't know how you got into the forest?"

Sylvia could feel all eyes turn to her and her cheeks began to heat. How much could she tell them without thinking her insane? But then, these were the people who lived amongst creatures of lore who just two days ago Sylvia would have said did not exist. Maybe they had heard of stranger things.

"Not really." Sylvia "What do you call this land?"

"Are you implying you come from another region of Wynovia?"

So she was in Wynovia! Thank Bejeezies, two worlds, countries, or whatnot was enough to juggle right now. She was hoping a third would not be added anytime soon.

She shook her head. "I'm not from Wynovia at all, or any country of this world. I was trying to help a little girl get to safety. I reached my hand out to her and when we touched, she shattered into these tiny lights that surrounded me and transported me to the forest."

She waited for them to start laughing at her, but none of them did.

Acacious was the first to break the silence, "I've never heard of anything like that."

Aspen and Quirin shook their heads too, neither had they.

"Leon?" Aspen asked her father.

"Er, no, I haven't either."

His response sounded forced, but Sylvia didn't want to get on this man's bad side after the hospitality he had shown her, so she decided to try a different question. "You wouldn't happen to know of a way to travel between worlds? Or know someone who could help me get back to my own?"

"There aren't many sorcerers in Wynovia, but King Emir may be able to help." Aspen suggested.

"You have a King, and sorcerers with magic?"

"Yes, do you not?"

"Well, there are no sorcerers or kings in my country. We have a president though, and other branches of parliament that help to lead the country."

"Fascinating." Acacious said, not at all sounding fascinated. "But I agree with Aspen. Even if he can't help you directly, he would know the best sorcerers to get you in touch with."

"The next ship headed to the mainland leaves at noon tomorrow." Leon said. "I guess you're stuck with us until then."

Sylvia nodded, at least now she was getting somewhere. She had a destination in mind and would be home soon. Assuming all goes well, the less hopeful part of her brain added.

◇◆◇◇