Page 76 of Burn for the Devil
“Speaking of things to know...what was going on with that crystal ball? Why was it showing me things?” I stood up and brushed myself off. Ramone flicked his hand at the couch, and I peeked back to see a spotless piece of furniture. “Wow. You should’ve opened a housekeeping business rather than whatever it is you do.”
He rolled his eyes at me. “My company manipulates people, people who are willing to be manipulated.” He lowered himself to the now spotless sofa. “I couldn’t taste it before, but you do have magic inside you. Not enough that you need to worry?—”
I interrupted, “Why would I worry?”
“For one, you won’t accidentally destroy anything.”
“That’s, um, ideal.”
He nodded, “Yes, quite.”
Ramone’s butler could be heard shuffling outside the door. I could only imagine what he was doing but it was likely some cleaning task. “Why would I be able to see into the past? What happened to the crystal ball, anyway?”
“It’s at my home back there, in the Third Realm. Ilya will likely take care of it, keep it from getting in the wrong hands.I don’t know why that is your gift; everyone’s magic is different in some ways, without rhyme or reason.” Ramone rubbed his chin. “With everyone mostly gone, you’ll be safe here. Don’t tell anyone about your gift, there’s those who would care to dig into the past, I’m certain.”
My heart thudded in my chest. “But there’s a chance something could happen to me?”
“No, my love. I won’t let anything happen to you.” As he got up, he kissed the top of my head. “It could be years before the Fourth Realm is fully restored.”
Adam peeked into the room and Ramone nodded at him. “That’s here, the Fourth Realm?” I asked.
“Yes, that’s what we call it. Our room is ready, if you want to sleep.”
Thinking for a moment, I answered, “I do. And I’m hungry. Is there food here? I can wait, if it's any trouble.”
“I’ll check.”
I spun around. “Wait,” I called after him. “What about my parents and friends, will I ever see them again?”
Ramone pressed his lips together. “I don’t know.” He shuffled uncomfortably, dropping his gazed to the floor.
A wave of sadness coursed through me as the severity of my situation settled in. As superficial as my mom and dad were, I did love them. Toni was my closest friend, I adored her. It was hard to imagine not seeing her again and if the world thought we were dead, what was I supposed to do? I would have to just deal with everything, one step at a time, and somehow make this work. It was a fresh start, after all. There was no way for me to immediately know if it would all hit me at some point, how drastic of a change this was, but I’d look at it as an adventure while I could.
Ramone exited the room, and I peered around the space. It would be gorgeous once it was cleaned up. The upholstery,curtains, woodwork, and paintings were magnificent and reminded me of my grandparent’s home. They’d died when I was much younger, but I remembered their home fondly.
The desk where Ramone had been stacking papers together held books, elegant pens, and a quill full of sparkling ink, fascinating me. I was tempted to try and use it, but I didn’t know what would happen if I did. It was clearly a magical pen, and we had enough issues right now. I set it back down and rifled through the papers instead, noting names, dates, and musings I didn’t understand. I didn’t speak whatever language they had been written in, appearing to be an older Latin of sorts.
Straightening up to face the wall, I took a couple steps toward the built-in bookcase and perused the titles, reading what headings I could. It appeared to be a library of mainly esoteric studies and subjects, with some mythology books mixed in. It suited Ramone, I decided, what his collection consisted of.
He returned with a tray bearing a bowl of soup and an apologetic expression. “It's not much. It’ll be taken care of tomorrow.”
Accepting the tray, I asked, “What about you?”
“I don’t need a lot of food and I have things to do. Eat. I’ll be back in a minute.” He walked back out of the room.
When I finished eating, Adam came in and took my tray away. It was a little startling, how he knew the precise moment I’d finished. Once he left, I got up and searched for Ramone. I wanted to go to sleep, I was exhausted and could barely keep my eyes open.
Leaving the room, I stepped into a massive foyer with a wide staircase. A marble table sat in the center with a vase full of decayed flowers. It was hard to tell what they had once been, but I guessed they’d been an ivory or white color at one time. A petal disintegrated into dust when I placed a finger on it. I stepped away, intent on heading upstairs.
“Samantha,” Ramone beckoned me with a couple fingers from the top of the stairs before glancing past me. My head swiveled to see what he was looking at and the bouquet transformed into luscious red roses. I gasped. “That’s better,” he said.
When I reached the top of the case, he took my hand and led me into a spacious bedroom. “There’s nothing for you to change into yet. Take one of my shirts.” He handed me a soft T-shirt I was sure I’d drown in, given his size.
“Thank you,” I mumbled, yawning.
He crossed the floor and tugged me to the bed, helping me onto its surface. If he hadn’t assisted, I’d probably have fallen asleep on the floor. Ramone gently removed my clothes after arranging the blankets. I didn’t remember lying down but at some point, I opened my eyes to find myself tucked next to him, his arm curled around me. Slivers of light peeked through the curtain indicating daytime.
I shut my eyes again.