After two months in this world, Shade had grown used to a cat suddenly darting out from beside his pillow whenever he woke up. Sometimes it would jump onto his chest and meow for food; other times, it would rub its furry face against his cheek and the back of his hand.
Therefore, when Shade woke beneath an unfamiliar ceiling and did not hear Little Mia's familiar cries, he felt inexplicably disappointed.
"I haven't seen Little Mia for over twenty-four hours."
Thinking of that made Shade feel even more dejected.
It was eight o'clock on wednesday night. Having slept for a full twelve hours, Shade felt quite good. There seemed to be a banquet in the distance, and he could hear the sound of a pipe organ.
After sluggishly climbing out of bed, he first discovered that he was wearing a set of pajamas he had never seen before. Then he found that no one was in the bedroom, though his original clothes and the items he had been carrying were all placed on the bedside table. A quick glance showed that only the witch's Gold Ring was missing.
"Hmm? Who changed my clothes?"
Shade had never been in this room before. It was roughly as large as the living room and dining room of Room Number One on the Second Floor combined. A solid double-door wardrobe stood in the corner, and against the wall facing the four-poster bed with its curtains was a desk, its bookshelf crammed full of books.
A painting of Coldwater Port's docks hung over the bed, while the floor beneath the bed was actually one step higher than the carpeted floor of the room. The bed also appeared to be a double bed.
A piano stood against the wall by the door. The Mermaid-shaped gas