Page 34 of Found in Obscurity
It was useless.
He stayed completely vulpine.
He tried battering against the wall inside him harder, slamming and slamming and slamming, like the first days after he’d been taken and altered. It did nothing but exhaust him until he lay in a heap on the floor.
He curled up and tucked his nose under his tail in defeat.
He couldn't cry in this form, which was its own kind of torture.
He stared up at the lonely moon and wished for guidance. Comfort. He could crawl back into Lorin’s chest, but self-pity kept him stationary.
It had happened once…for some reason…in some way. Surely he could make it happen again? He didn’t want to give up. He’d never been a quitter.
Whether it was the house that was the key, or Lorin, Kit would work it out.
He’d be whole again.
But for now he’d lick his wounds under the moon.
Just for tonight.
Chapter nine
Lorin
No matter how manytimes he looked into that mirror, the face never showed up again. And no matter how much attention he paid, there were no other signs of anyone else residing in the cabin other than himself and his familiar. Lorin was beyond confused.
He attended lunch with his grandmother without mentioning anything, but he knew she could tell something was on his mind. Thankfully she hadn’t pried for a change, letting the conversation revolve around more neutral topics. It felt like getting to know her again. He appreciated the reprieve, even if he was aware it was temporary. She was nosy. She’d find a way to bring it up. And if he were being honest, Lorin was pretty sure he’d tell her.
Losing his mind was not out of the question, and he wanted that option ruled out first. He had enough on his plate even without an actual mental breakdown.
He was pushing the pedals on his bike as best as he could a day later, heading into town with Kit to check out the Magic Shop. According to his grandma it would be in town for a few days and Lorin had to take advantage of it while he could.
He agreed.
He remembered the quirky place from when he was younger, but he hadn’t been allowed to explore too much in there at the time. His grandma had taken him with her a few times under strict instructions not to touch anything or wander away from her while inside.
And under no circumstances was he to go into the back room on his own.
She’d never specified why, but she’d sounded so serious and scary saying it that he hadn’t questioned it. He’d stuck to her like glue when she’d brought him with, making sure he didn’t even brush against anything while inside.
He wondered if those memories were part of why he was feeling uneasy now that he’d have to navigate the Magic Shop on his own.
He huffed and struggled all the way to the center of their town, glancing around to see if he could spot the swirly red sign of the Magic Shop. It never appeared in the same place, looking for available spots to settle when it visited. It made for an interesting experience, because the layout would be slightly different each time it appeared, depending on the space it had found for itself.
Something red flashed in the corner of his eye and he turned left, finding the familiar sign tucked at the entrance to the first little street leading away from the main town square. Lorin hopped off his bike and turned it toward the street, pushing it next to him with Kit half hanging from the basket.
He’d barely managed to get the fox to come with him. He had been spending as much time as he could in the magic room, andLorin was getting slightly worried about him. Not to mention the fact that his behavior was making Lorin even more anxious about whatever the hell was going on with the invisible man he seemed to have in his cabin.
He put that on the list of things he wanted to try and find answers for at the Magic Shop. He didn’t know where else to find them.
He rested his bike against the wall right under the bright red sign, and with a deep sigh, pushed the door open. He motioned for Kit to follow and the fox hopped out of the basket, weaving its way inside.
Lorin trailed after him, turning left and right to see if there was anyone else inside. He found it odd to see it empty when the town only had a few days to get what they needed, but he’d take the stroke of good luck the universe had decided to give him.
“Hello?” he called as he walked farther in, the narrow passages between the shelves looking like they’d cave in on themselves any moment.
The Magic Shop hadn’t changed since the last time Lorin had seen it, despite the different floor plan. It was still crammed full of things, reaching up a lot higher than the outside space led you to believe was possible. There were library ladders scattered around in a few places and sections marked with hanging signs. The shop carried anything and everything you could think of as a magic user. From books, to tools, to clothes, to spell ingredients. The inventory was never-ending. And even if you didn’t see something displayed, Lorin remembered so very clearly that it didn’t mean they didn’t have it. You just had to know how to ask for it.