by Tesha Geddes
Paying for one master bookbinder was expensive enough, let alone paying for a master and two apprentices.
Mathis nodded. “Yes, that’s what it said in the email. Once you get your passports, you’ll need to give them to Stacy so she can arrange for the flights. We’ll be staying in the Lord’s castle, so we won’t need to book any accommodations.”
“Woah, hold up,” Erica said, holding up a hand. “We’re staying in a castle?”
“Yes,” Mathis said with mock impatience, “but we won’t get very far if you keep repeating everything I say.” Then he turned to Kaida and said, “I’m assuming you don’t have a passport, correct?” Kaida nodded and opened her mouth to respond, but Mathis had already continued talking: “In that case, your job for the rest of the day is to go apply for a passport. Normally they take a few weeks to arrive, but if you put a rush on it, you should have it by the end of next week. It’ll cost a bit more but submit an invoice to Stacy and she’ll reimburse you.”
❀
Kaida smiled for the camera and tried not to blink when it flashed. She grimaced when she saw the picture. She looked like a kid. It didn’t really matter though; it was good enough for the passport. She filled out the pages and pages of paperwork and paid the fee to have it expedited. She grimaced at the amount –– at least she’d be getting reimbursed. She walked out of the office and headed down the street to the bus stop.
She stopped in front of one of the shops she passed and chewed her lip thoughtfully. “Walk-ins welcome” said the sign on the door. Did she dare? Did she want to? She looked at her reflection in the window and smiled. Yes, she did.
❀
She walked into the dorm, dropping her purse on the coffee table on her way to her room. She quickly filed away her sensitive documents and went back out to sit on the couch and wait for her roommates. She ran her hand through her hair, marveling at its softness. Whatever the stylist used in her hair was amazing. As it turned out, her wavy hair was actually slightly curly, something she found out after taking off over a foot in length. The layers also helped enhance her curls. Her hair was still long, but now she wasn’t sitting on it. She also got face-framing bangs that brushed her forehead and cheeks –– that was going to take some getting used to.
“Kaida! Your hair!” Sophie squealed when she walked in and saw her roommate. “I love it!”
“Thanks!” Kaida said with a grin. Cutting her hair had been a great idea.
“Alright, who’s up for sushi?” Tanya asked.
Kaida grinned. She was always up for sushi.
Epilogue
Joan stared up at the massive Sunstar tree in awe. She’d never seen a Sunstar so big before. What made it even more impressive was that it hadn’t created a magical dead spot like other unpotted Sunstars had. Joan wondered if its unique color had anything to do with that. Most Sunstars had red, yellow, and orange leaves with a bronze trunk, but this one had purple leaves and a silver trunk; its twisted silver trunk branched out into four canopies. This tree could only have belonged to one person. But what had happened to it to change it so drastically? How would it continue to survive without sunlight in this dark cavern? She carefully peeled off a small section of bark and dropped it into a sterile canister, then scaled the trunk to grab some leaves. Those went into another canister. She’d have to send all samples in for testing. She climbed down from the tree, and not for the first time, wondered just what Kaida was.
Acknowledgement
A big thanks goes to my wonderful editor, Katie, and my amazing cover artist, Fatima. Without these two, my book wouldn't be nearly as good. An especially big thanks goes to my husband for putting up with all my weirdness.
About The Author
Tesha Geddes
Tesha is a mom of two, and has been writing stories for as long as she can remember. It has been her life-long dream to publish a book. So the fact that you're here, reading this, is a dream-come-true.