Earthbound: An Otherworld Novella Read Online Free PDF Page A

as we headed into the streets of Seattle to look for a house.
     
    The first four we looked at were unsuitable. None of them had a way to viably protect from the sunlight, and even though one had a basement, it would have taken a massive amount of work to make livable. But the fifth house was a surprise. It was in the Belles-Faire district, in North Seattle. It was out of the city proper, on a winding two-lane road. At first the houses were thick along the sides of the road and then they began to spread out, with more room between the lots. Iris pointed out various styles to us.
    “That’s a ranch, well it’s a ranch style house. I’ll explain the difference later. And that — see that three-story house there? That’s Victorian style.” She glanced at the newspaper, then tapped Yugi on the shoulder. “Turn left on Fitzweizer.”
    He obliged. “Whatever you say, Miss Iris.”
    I had the feeling they knew each other. As as the road began to wind even more, and houses were spaced further apart, the foliage became thicker than I’d ever expected to see in a city. Even in Y’Elestrial, most of the trees were confined to the parks. But Seattle seemed to be a conglomeration of woodland, city, and small town atmosphere all mixed together. I was beginning to get used to the traffic lights. It didn’t take a genius to figure out how they worked. Red meant stop. Green, go. Yugi slowed down when he saw yellow lights, so I figured that—over here—yellow was a cautionary warning.
    “We’re looking for Victoria Street.” Iris glanced at the paper. “The realtor will meet us there.”
    “What’s a realtor?” Delilah asked.
    “Think of it like a house broker. The realtor acts as the go-between between the owner and the person who wants to buy the house. Realtors occasionally work with rental properties as well. Property is known as real estate . Yugi, we’re looking for number 33933.”
    Yugi began glancing out of his side window, and Iris did the same on her side. As I looked at the houses passing by, I realized they had numbers printed on them. I pressed my nose against the window. We passed first one house and then another, and then we began passing posts with numbers on them that led into long driveways, where the houses were hidden from view.
    After a few minutes, Yugi slowed and turned onto a gravel drive, at number 33933. We bumped along, but I was actually surprised by how much smoother the car was than a horse and carriage.
    Trees lined both sides of the drive, overhanging the gravel path. I fell into a comfortable silence. The land here was beautiful, and I had the sudden desire to jump out of the car and talk to the plants. That was one of my gifts. I could speak with certain plants and sense their growth and their energy. Something inside me sparked when I looked at the land here.
    “I really want to see this house,” I said suddenly, breaking the silence.
    “I thought you might like the Belles-Faire area. A lot of Fae tend to live out here. The house we’re going to see is a little large, especially for just three of you, but I think you might like it. I just had a feeling…” Her voice drifted off as we pulled out of the drive in into the clearing.
    Up ahead was a wide expanse of driveway, a half circle of dirt in front of a large three-story house. It was a Victorian by Iris’s description, and as I stared up at the pink and cream monster, something whispered, “Come live here. Wake me up.”
    Beside me, Delilah let out a little gasp. “Did you hear that?” She was gazing at the house.
    “You mean house?”
    She nodded. “I think it’s talking to us.”
    Iris laughed from the front seat. “I thought maybe this would be a contender. Come on, get out of the car. The real estate agent should be inside.”
    As we entered the house, our steps echoed on the hardwood floors. The foyer was a little awkwardly placed, a T-shaped hall, with a coat closet directly across from the front door. From where