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Chapter 32 The Zanespots left Tabi on a busy spacestation with more than enough credits to hire a ride back to her homeworld. Katrina and Tabi exchanged many hugs before finally parting. Cha-Lee, Xenritha, and Katrina did not even exit their ship, detaching from the docking ring almost the second the Weequay was gone. It took another two days to reach their final destination. By that point all three were pretty sick of one another. They stowed the ship at the landing pad of a small town on a green, quiet world and walked to the large, gray-stone Tri. “Perhaps we could all use some time apart,” Xenritha said wearily as they stepped into the central, shared section of the building. “I agree,” Cha-Lee agreed, relieved. Katrina quietly looked around the circular room. In the center stood a tall, elaborately decorated fountain, spouting water high into the air and letting it fall smoothly down over three tiers before recycling it back up to the top. The walls were bare, lined only with many doorways. The stones around three of the open, arched doorways were a bright color, starkly contrasting with the gray. “We’ll let you wander around and familiarize yourself with the Tri, but first we’ll show you the red wing,” Xenritha told Katrina as he passed through the red-outlined doorway. “The red chamber, as we call it, is ready for you. You may choose not to live there, it is your choice, but it is traditional. Decorate it and any part of the wing as you choose, all rests still as the last Zanespot of the Past left it. It is yours now.” Katrina nodded her understanding, though she heard little of he said. They passed through a short hall and into a wide corridor lined with closed doors. Their footsteps echoed on the bare, stone floor, heightening Katrina’s anticipation. At the end of the corridor stood a pair of double doors painted bright red and highlighted by an overhead light. Katrina stopped at the doors and looked at the gleaming brass knob. She felt anxious and nervous at the thought of all that had happened mixed with knowing that behind that door was what very well may be her home until she died. That thought was beyond humbling. Cha-Lee stood silently, perfectly still but impatience ran through him. Xenritha shared some of Katrina’s excitement but was looking forward to a long, hot bath in his own chamber. Katrina took a deep breath and turned the knob, pushing both doors open. The fourteen-year-old took two steps into the room, leaving the other two Zanespots on the other side of the doorway, and let her jaw drop. A huge bed stood against the back wall, covered with a deep red comforter with an off-white fringe and a light brown, natural wood headboard and carved legs. A well-padded bench stood at the foot of the bed and sported matching wood and fabric. Dark wood side tables flanked the bed and matching folding doors took up half of one wall to the side. Two pieces of the light colored wood created half walls separating the sleeping area from a sort of sitting area. Both walls could be pulled out and brought together to completely separate the two areas and guarantee privacy. Instinctively Katrina knew this was her home. Two chairs upholstered in medium gray on curved metal frames painted white sat cozily at a short, matching coffee table. A long, dresser-like unit stood against one wall and gave the feel of grounding the room. A few knickknacks were scattered around the various flat surfaces, making the space feel lived in, though no Zanespot had slept there for fifteen years. Katrina set her box of Olvecks down gently on the unit, careful not to disturb the sleeping animals, and dug out the few possessions she had carried with her from the Compound and kept hidden during her time at the school. They took up little space but added a little bit of Katrina to the room. Xenritha and Cha-Lee closed the doors and walked back to the center of the Tri for their own wings. Cha-Lee hugged his wife and visited with his daughter as Xenritha settled into his bath, listening to the holo-news. Katrina threw herself at her bed, landing after several bounces and many giggles, and decided that she had no complaints about her home. |
