Chapter 7

Before Hayden stood the largest structure he had ever seen. It stretched taller than any building in Sunyshore, even the lighthouse in some places. Yet it sprawled over whole sections of the forest, sometimes right up to the trees.

At the same time, much of its construction was entirely unknown to him. Not bricks, glass, or cement. Most of it was wood, with paper windows in many of the upper floors instead of glass. It must get terribly drafty when real winter came. 

It wasn't just some rectangle either, but was built in a U shape, with the front facing them and two wings extending far away. He ascended the steps behind the strange maid. Liz trailed her daemon, watching him with the same intense curiosity that Hayden felt. There was obviously something more about this girl, beyond that uniform and her strange hair. 

"Children of the house are on the bottom floor," his guide explained, taking them through a vast foyer filled with ancient paintings, suits of armor, and other strange objects from the past. "They think we don't fly. Guess that's true in your case—you can't fly yet."

"Ahuiliztli can. Liz, could you carry me?"

She stopped in the hall, squinting at him for a few seconds. Hayden felt the ground shake under him, but not enough that he took off. "Hard to… stay focused," she said, defeated. "You're not too heavy, but two things at once…"

"It's harder than it looks," said the gothita daemon, startling both of them. He hadn't said a word the entire time. "You don't need a flower to practice, maybe you'll learn faster."

"Don't encourage them, Xrilloch. They have to figure out everything just like we did. Because they're so much better than we are. You heard her, perfect shape change. You gonna stand for that?"

He fell silent, hurrying away after the maid. Hayden had to scamper after her to stay close enough, as they reached the first confusing junction of corridors, locked doors, and strange rooms. There was so much space in here, enough for whole ballrooms, kitchens, and more that he couldn't explain.

"I don't even know your name," he said, obviously annoyed. "Who are you? You aren't really a maid, that's obvious."

"Oh, it is?" She tossed his pack at him, right at his face. Liz caught it with her powers before it could smack into him, letting Hayden pluck it from the air without trouble. "But I was trying so hard to fool you!"

She didn't slow down—if anything, she was only harder to keep up with, now that she didn't have Hayden's duffel. He was sweating and panting from the effort by the time he caught up with her. He only managed that thanks to her stopping abruptly in the hall. "See these doors? Flower, leaves. Flower is the girl's side, you don't get to go in there. Leaves is for boys."

She nudged the door open. The smell of dust and mildew wafted out, past a section that obviously had not been used in a long time. Through a single hallway was a living room bigger than Hayden's family shop. The furniture was now uncovered and the floor dusted, with all the windows thrown open. More of the paper screens instead of glass, making the whole area pervasively chilly. 

"You're the only boy here, lucky you. Biggest bedroom, yours. Any questions, not my problem."

She turned to go, leaving Hayden standing stupidly in the center of the room. He wasn't sure which bedroom was biggest, but all the doors were shut except one. He wandered towards it, momentarily forgetting about the nameless not-maid. This would be his new home for the next few years, or maybe even forever.

It was bigger than his parents' room. A huge, old bed hung from the ceiling, much higher than he could've jumped to. There was a ladder hanging from it, with rungs just a little too far apart.

"Someone wants us to fly to that," Liz said. She landed on the bottom rung, before floating up to look at higher sections. 

Once, Hayden's parents took him to make a large delivery to the wealthiest merchant family in Sunyshore. That was his first and—until today—only glimpse at how the wealthy lived.

This bedroom was nicer than anything he'd ever seen in that house. He had his own huge desk, shelves of ancient-looking books, and a tiny indoor garden under a skylight.

Nothing grew in the box, but the soil filled the air with a welcoming, fertile scent. "Guess we really are living with grass types now," he said, walking right into the center of the dirt. "At least they  don't have a dirt floor in the whole place."

"Would give us more reason to learn how to fly."

He hefted his duffel onto the desk, then wandered along the edge of the room. It had two doors of its own—one to a vast bathroom, which seemed to connect to more locked doors. The other was a walk-in closet.

The inside had plenty of hangers, yet—much less than he expected. Hayden imagined someone who lived in a place as rich as this would wear nothing but custom-sewn outfits, maybe with little gemstones or gold thread. 

The interior was packed with clothing, but all of it looked second-hand. The sizes were all mixed and matched, and so did the eras. He recognized some of the patterns from historical clothing people sometimes ordered from his parents.

People haven't worn clothes like this for ages. Then again, it had only been a few days since he first manifested. Maybe they were just waiting for him to get settled in Shaymin House before they decided if they'd spend anything on him. Maybe I can get them to commission my parents to make anything instead of a different tailor. 

He spent the next few hours getting situated in his new quarters, unpacking his things, and finding little hiding places for the stuff he didn't want to go missing. He wasn't living with his family anymore after all. He couldn't trust the servants and staff of Shaymin House the way he could Ellie or Hudson.

He changed into the least offensive of the new outfits, which he guessed might be for outdoor activities. The wealthiest people didn't even have to work normally, they had whole gyms where they just pretended to work to get strong. Maybe he'd have to start going to one of those now that there were no more wars to fight.

Hayden tried to read over the notes that Hunter had given him on mew, but that quickly turned into a losing battle with his own concentration. He was somewhere so new and so strange that something as boring as printed words just could not interest him.

"Lady Gracidea didn't say there was anywhere we couldn't go, did she?" Liz asked, pawing at his stack of papers. Even she was careful not to get them missed up—Hunter had obviously devoted a ton of time by staying up all night to prepare them. "She didn't tell us to stay in our room."

"True." Hayden stood, making his way to the window. At least his bedroom had glass, to keep the constant chill breeze at bay. The rest of the boys' wing would freeze him solid if it could. But paper windows could be easily lifted out of the way, and give him access to the forest beyond.

They darted out into the boys' living room. He selected a shut bedroom door at random—locked. He turned away, but this time Liz nudged his shoulder. "Hold on. There's a turn lock on the other side, I just gotta…"

She gestured at the lock, and it clicked open. "Nice! That's gonna take some getting used-to. Are there any doors you can't open?"

She zipped over to it, then back to his shoulder. "Evelynn said that some things move easier than others. I bet they could make locks we couldn't cheat. But when we're a little better—we should be able to teleport right past them!"

"You think they'll teach us?" Hayden went straight for the door, then swung it open. The interior looked a lot like his own bedroom—except that all the furniture was covered with sheets, and a thick layer of dust coated the ground. Hayden ignored it, going straight for the window. It was paper, like he thought from the outside, and only a few feet higher than ground level.

He didn't quite find the way to remove it from the frame before footsteps echoed behind him, and another voice spoke. "Excuse me, Your Eminence. If you'd like to go for a walk, I don't think that's the right way."

He flushed, spinning slowly in place. He'd been caught already? "How come you didn't see her?"

Liz answered silently into his mind. Not just words, but her annoyance came through clearly too. "There are so many minds in here I can't keep them straight. Floors above and below us, people and daemons and even some pokémon. You want to try and make sense of it all?"

She didn't wait for his permission. Instead, Hayden's senses suddenly exploded with information. Hundreds of voices surrounded him. Some near, some far. Some were clearly wild pokémon in the forest around them—but some of the people bridged that line. They were too like their daemons, making them somehow louder to him.

"It wasn't this bad in Sunyshore," he thought, dropping to his knees on the floor. "That was a whole city!"

The many voices faded from around him. Liz landed on his shoulder, nuzzling his cheek with her head. "I know our family. I just blocked everything else out. These people are all new."

One of them was now directly in front of him, watching him with concern. "Young Master? Please, was it something I said? I didn't mean to offend you." 

He looked up. A servant of Shaymin House stood over him, dressed in the same green and white that made up all their uniforms. She was a slightly older woman, about the same age as Mom. Her hair was the same stark gray as the cinccino following her dutifully around. 

"You didn't, sorry." He stood, rubbing his temples with two fingers. The ache would take a little longer to finally subside. "Do I have any plans for the day?" he asked. "Sorry, I—I'm new here, and very lost. Am I allowed to go out?"

"Allowed," she repeated, chuckling. "Only if Lady Gracidea hasn’t told you otherwise. I don't expect she has—our lady does not like to closely manage her household. She prefers to give us her will, and see that we accomplish it in whatever way best suits us."

She had said something like that. As long as Hayden was “fulfilling his potential,” she would be happy. "Tomorrow is Monday—you will be joining Mistress Eleanor with her instruction, I believe. Your tutors do not attend the house on weekends."

"Perfect, that means we can—" The pain had faded now, leaving behind only a dull background level of amazement. Liz could somehow handle all that information without exploding the way he almost did. He could guess that “Mistress Eleanor” was the actual child of Shaymin House. He'd run into her tomorrow, and maybe she could help him understand his new place. In the meantime…

"I'd like to go on a walk somewhere," Hayden continued. "Could you please show me where to go?"

Of course, Young Master! Follow me." He did. The servant led him through Shaymin Mansion's maze-like halls, through doorways obvious and hidden, until they reached a small kitchen. Small compared to the huge ones they'd passed on the way in, anyway.

"The young master would like snacks to bring along on an afternoon walk," she said, through a high window in the wall. Then she looked down, smiling at him. "Forgive me to presume, but you looked hungry."

He dismissed her concerns with a wave. "No, it's fine! I almost forgot I hadn't had lunch, Miss—" He winced. "I'm so sorry, I didn't even ask your name. What do I call you, miss?"

She stared back, looking utterly bewildered. "What do you— My name's Christel, Young Master. But you shouldn't trouble yourself with servants. We come and we go, serving the needs of Shaymin House in our small ways."

Seconds later, someone thrust a basket through the small window, filled with something warm and rich smelling. Christel took it, then offered it to Hayden. "Please try to remember to bring this back."

"Yes, Miss Christel. Where's the best place for me to go? I'd like to see it all eventually, but since this is my first day…"

She took a moment to answer. "Most visitors want to see the maze. It's a bit overgrown in recent years, and probably not suited to one as young as yourself. There's the waterfall trail—I'll show you the way."

Hayden took his basket, and followed her through the house. Anything to keep from being locked in a room somewhere. If there was no city to explore, he would settle for a forest.