"This way," a woman said.

Stella dragged her luggage across the floor as she followed her aunt. It was her first time traveling with someone other than her parents, and she wished that they had come along. Sure, Aunt Celestine was her relative, but prior to that day, they had met only a handful of times. The whole situation felt awkward for Stella, to say the least. After five minutes or less, they reached an old sedan. Stella loaded her bag into the trunk and sat at the front passenger seat before her aunt began driving.

They arrived at the house after hours on the road. The house was a narrow two-story building. Since there was no garage, the car was parked right in front of the house. The first room to be seen upon entering was the living room, which looked bigger than it was supposed to be. Thick white curtains covered the windows, a thick white cloth covered the coffee table, in the corners sat white vases that held colorful flowers, and a painting in a white frame hung above the white sofa. The kitchen was at the back of the house, and it was much bigger than the living room. A white table with three white chairs sat in between the living room and the kitchen, and next to it was the white-washed stairs. It was the least colorful house that Stella had ever been to.

"So how do you like the house?" asked Celestine.

"It looks cozy," replied Stella, "and very white. Is that your favorite color?"

"Second favorite. I like dark purple better, but my home would not look so nice in it, no? White looks better."

The woman took off her footwear and placed it on a nearby shoe rack. She then put on a pair of slippers and gave another pair to Stella, saying, "You can borrow this for now." Stella took off her sneakers and placed them on the rack. She then slid her feet into the slippers. The woman led Stella up the stairs and into the guest bedroom. Stella placed her luggage against one of the walls.

"I'll let you settle in and rest. If you need anything, you can go downstairs and look for me. Got it?"

"Got it," Stella said.

She was left alone. Stella lay on the bed and looked around her room. In front of her bed was an old wooden cupboard; the left half was filled with old yet usable clothes, while the right half was empty. In the right corner of the room, opposite the bed, stood a floor lamp with a warm yellow lightbulb. A wooden desk and chair were situated between the floor lamp and the cupboard. To her left was a bookcase, which held about thirty old books, and her still-locked suitcase. To her right was the window which, of course, was draped in white curtains. Stella got up and pulled the curtains to let in more light. She then sauntered towards the bookshelf.

Stella browsed through the collection of books. Some of them were about history, others were novels, and one had no title. Stella held up the titleless book and flipped through the pages. They were blank. Part of her wondered why someone would keep a blank book on their shelf, but she shrugged it off and placed it back on the bookcase. There was luggage to unpack. She opened her bags and began unpacking, putting her clothes into the empty half of the cupboard.

Creak.

What was that? Her hand tapped the back of the wardrobe and felt a loose piece of wood. She removed it. There was nothing but an empty compartment. Strange. She put the wooden plank back and closed the closet.

A yawn escaped her mouth. Ah, travel fatigue. Nothing a nap could not cure. She got up and walked toward the bed, and as she did, she noticed that one of the floorboards was loose. She opened it. This time the hidden compartment was not empty, but instead kept a small velvet box. Stella looked around. Nobody was watching. Her hand slowly reached for the box and she opened it. Inside was a shiny, silver bracelet. When Stella touched it, it glowed. It was as if it recognized her.

Footsteps sounded from beyond the door. Stella snapped the box shut, placed it inside the compartment, and covered it with the floorboard. She jumped onto her bed just before the door was opened.

"How are you doing?" her aunt inquired, leaning through the doorway.

"I'm fine. I was just about to unpack and then nap, actually," she answered, yawning.

"Okay then. Just wake up before eleven; dinner will be ready by then."

"Eleven?" Stella widened her eyes. "That's so late!"

"Here in the South, we eat dinner about ten or eleven." Her aunt winked. "Go rest, you must be tired from traveling."

Her aunt closed the door before she could utter another word. Almost immediately, Stella got off the bed and kneeled before where the loose floorboard was. She reopened the hidden compartment. The box was sitting there, waiting prettily as if it was expecting someone to take it. Stella leaned over as she snatched the box from its hiding spot, and then opened it. Her right index finger stroked the bracelet's thin chain. Nothing. Stella raised an eyebrow—was she hallucinating earlier, or did the bracelet really glow when she first touched it?

Her hazel eyes darted to the door, and then to the piece of jewelry. There should be no harm in her trying it on, as long as she put it back before she could get caught. Stella pinched the bracelet and lifted it out of its box; the chain seemed a bit short, and she wondered if it would even fit her. Her fingers fiddled with the star-shaped clasp, which also acted as a pendant, and then looped the bracelet around her wrist. It was not loose, as expected, but it did not choke her wrist like she thought it would. It was as if it was made for her.

Another yawn emerged. Though it was still a bright afternoon, her body was demanding rest after the tiresome trip earlier. Stella glimpsed the door once more. No, she could not sleep with the bracelet on. Her aunt might walk in and catch her wearing it while she was dozing off. Stella unclasped the bracelet and put it back in its box before burying it under the floorboard. She then climbed onto her bed, placed her sling bag on her nightstand, and closed her eyes.

***

The sun was still loitering above the horizon by the time Stella was roused from her nap. She stretched and rubbed her eyes, then lunged to the side to retrieve her phone from her bag. It was already six o'clock. About five hours were left till dinner, and she did not know what to do. Oh, right. There was still luggage to unpack. She got off the bed, then spent the next thirty minutes unpacking her luggage and removing dust from the right half of the cupboard before keeping some of her clothes and belongings there.

And then a wave of boredom hit her once she realized she had nothing more to do. At first, she did not know how to fill up her time—she was too tired to take another nap, she was not in the mood to read, and she did not feel close enough to her aunt to talk to her for hours. She eventually reached for her cellphone and played Sudoku and Snake, two of the only games that were available.

Hours passed as she played, and she only stopped once the sky had long turned dark. It must be close to dinner time, she wondered. Stella went to the bathroom to refresh herself before she headed downstairs. Her aunt was lounging on the sofa, ensconcing herself in a novel. Stella glanced at the book's title—Coffee Beans and Morning Musings. She had never heard of it before. Is it a new release? The shelf-worn book jacket told her otherwise. She took a seat on one of the armchairs.

Celestine glanced up from her book. "Ah, you're awake. How was your nap?"

"It was good, thank you," she replied. Her hazel eyes wandered to the book once more; Brandon de Bellefort was its author. "May I ask about the book you're reading?"

"Oh, this? It's titled Coffee Beans and Morning Musings. It was written by a friend of mine."

"You have a friend who's an author?" Stella asked, awed.

Celestine smiled faintly. "Yes. He wasn't that well-known, though. Anyway"—she put the book down and stood up—"I have something to give you. Wait here."

She walked upstairs and entered the guest bedroom. She emerged from the room a moment later, holding a small velvet box. It looked exactly like the one she saw under the floorboard a few hours earlier. The woman trod down the stairs and handed it to Stella. When she opened it, she saw the silver bracelet inside.

"A bracelet?"

"Not just any bracelet," Celestine said, winking. "This is a precious family heirloom, passed down from generation to generation. As you know, I don't have any children, so I will pass it down to you. Will you promise not to take it off?"

"I promise."

"Good." She glanced at the wall clock. "It's ten o'clock, do you mind if you help me with cooking dinner?"

"Uh, sure, I don't mind."

Stella got up from the sofa to help her aunt with cooking dinner and setting the table. Dinner was served by a quarter to eleven, and the two chatted as they ate.

"So, how is life in Rome?" Celestine asked.

"It's good. I like living there," Stella replied.

"Does your mother like it there?"

"Yes, she loves it there. She doesn't want to move anywhere else."

"Ah, I see," her aunt said, smiling. She sipped some wine before she took another bite of her pasta.

Stella asked her, "Do you like it here?"

"Yes, a lot. I like quiet towns better than noisy cities, as long as it isn't too quiet."

"Really? My mama told me that you liked Milan, but for some reason, you are stuck here."

"That was when I was still small. Now that I know how noisy cities can be, I prefer to stay here. It's more suitable for me," she said. She then asked, "Has your mama told you any stories involving your zia?"

"She told me that you liked to travel with boys, that you were not like other girls."

"So she has told you something," Celestine whispered to herself.

They finished dinner. Stella helped her aunt to wash and dry the dishes, and then climbed the stairs to her bedroom. She checked the time; it was half an hour to midnight. She changed into sleepwear, clambered onto her bed, and resumed playing games until she felt drowsy. By 12:00 a.m., she had placed her phone on the nightstand, crawled under her blanket, and fallen into a deep slumber.

Her aunt was not asleep yet. She held her phone in her hands as she waited in her bedroom. She then received a message: Hi Celestine! We've just arrived. Training starts the day after tomorrow, no?

Celestine typed a reply: Yes.

She put her phone away, uttered a short prayer, and then slept soundly.

✧ ✧ ✧

Fun Fact: In the first draft of The Secret Land of Otrâlmondé, Oppidula was actually Stella's hometown. In the current draft, she's from Rome.

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