Felicity Finds Family -09-

The early morning light filtered through the ornate windows of Hotel Colorado, casting shifting patterns across Felicity's suite. She stood at her French doors, gazing out at the impossible gardens below while the tesseract within her core pulsed with an uncertainty that matched her emotional turmoil. The hotel's magical resonance, so welcoming the night before, now felt almost overwhelming in its implications.

Do I deserve this? The question had haunted her since she'd awakened in the luxurious accommodations. Everything about the hotel felt too perfect, too specifically designed for her needs. The way the tesseract responded to the building's dimensional properties, the immediate sense of belonging, Mrs. Yule's knowing acceptance—it all seemed too good to be true for someone who couldn't even remember her past.

Can I protect this place? Felicity sensed that there was a malevolent force twisted up by anger and fear somewhere on the grounds or under them. Its pain was getting greater as well as its power increased by that pain. Felicity felt like it was a mistake that the supreme power within the malevolent force had been co-opted. it was an Oopsey Daisy and unfriendly.

She was an outsider by every definition. A being of pure energy transformed into human form, carrying abilities she barely understood, with no memory of who she'd been before. What right did she have to this sanctuary when so many others might be more deserving?

A soft knock at her door interrupted her brooding. Before she could respond, the door opened to reveal a woman in her thirties with a perfectly pressed charcoal suit and a clipboard that seemed to shimmer with its own subtle light. Her smile was both professional and genuinely warm, her posture radiating the kind of confidence that came from years of helping people navigate complex situations.

"Good morning, Miss Archer," the woman said, stepping into the room with practiced efficiency. "I'm Miss Devereux, the hotel's concierge. I hope you slept well?"

Felicity blinked, caught off guard by the woman's appearance. "I... yes, thank you. The room is beautiful." She paused, studying Miss Devereux's knowing smile. "How did you know I was awake?"

"Oh, I always know when newcomers need guidance," Miss Devereux replied with casual certainty, consulting her clipboard. The pages never seemed to run out, Felicity noticed, cycling through endless notes with fluid efficiency. "It's part of my role here—helping guests navigate the hotel's unique systems during their adjustment period."

The tesseract stirred at the mention of systems that needed explanation, responding to the implied complexity of the hotel's operations. "What kind of... unique systems?" Felicity asked carefully.

Miss Devereux's expression brightened as if she'd been waiting for exactly this question. "Oh, the usual things for a establishment like ours. Dimensional room service, temporal laundry schedules, interdimensional communication services. Nothing too complicated once you understand the basics." She made a note on her clipboard with a pen that seemed to write in colors that shifted with her mood. "I imagine you're wondering about meal times? The library hours? Perhaps our recreational facilities?"

"All of it," Felicity admitted, feeling overwhelmed by the casual mention of dimensional and temporal services. "I'm not sure I understand how any of this works."

"That's perfectly normal," Miss Devereux assured her with professional warmth. "Most guests need time to adjust to the level of... accommodation we provide here. The hotel responds to its residents' needs, but it takes time to calibrate properly."

As Miss Devereux began explaining the hotel's meal schedules and amenities, Felicity found herself distracted by movement in the corridor beyond her open door. A woman passed by—unremarkable in every way, with the kind of forgettable face and manner that seemed to actively discourage attention. Yet something about her made the tesseract pulse with recognition.

"Who was that?" Felicity asked, interrupting Miss Devereux's explanation of the hotel's temporal tennis courts.

The concierge followed her gaze to the corridor where the unremarkable woman had disappeared. "That would be Lyra Boring. She spends most of her time in the library on the second floor. Fascinating woman, though she prefers to keep a low profile."

There was something in Miss Devereux's tone that suggested depths beneath Lyra's unremarkable surface. As if sensing their attention, the woman in the corridor turned slightly, meeting Felicity's eyes for just a moment. In that instant, Felicity caught a glimpse of something extraordinary—not through her dimensional sight, but through a more fundamental recognition of power carefully contained.

"I'd like to meet her," Felicity said impulsively.

"I'm sure that can be arranged," Miss Devereux replied, making another note. "Though I should warn you—Lyra tends to appear when she's needed rather than when she's sought. You'll find her in the library, third door past the portrait of the melancholy duchess. She's usually reading books in languages that... well, you'll see."

After Miss Devereux left with promises to return later with more detailed information about the hotel's amenities, Felicity found herself pacing her room. The tesseract's energy was responding to everything—the hotel's dimensional properties, the mysterious staff, the implied presence of other supernatural beings. It was as if the power source within her was trying to calibrate itself to an entirely new reality.

A connecting door between her room and Lynn's suite opened, and the older woman appeared, looking both radiant and deeply uncertain. The transformation in her appearance was subtle but profound—her posture was more relaxed, her movements more fluid, as if the hotel's accepting atmosphere was allowing her true self to emerge.

"Did you sleep well?" Lynn asked, though her tone suggested she'd been wrestling with her own fears.

"Eventually," Felicity admitted. "Did you meet Miss Devereux?"

"Oh yes," Lynn said with a slight smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "She's quite... thorough in her explanations. Very kind, but I kept wondering..." She paused, wrapping her arms around herself. "What happens when people here discover who I really am? What I really am?"

The vulnerability in Lynn's voice made the tesseract pulse with protective instincts. "What do you mean?"

Lynn's laugh was brittle. "I mean, this place seems so accepting, so welcoming. But that's because they don't know the truth about me yet. What happens when they see past the surface? When they realize I'm not really..."

She couldn't finish the sentence, but Felicity understood. The fear of rejection, of having sanctuary withdrawn once truth was revealed, was a terror they both shared.

"Lynn," Felicity said gently, "Mrs. Yule already knows who you are. She saw you yesterday, remember? The real you."

"But the other guests," Lynn whispered. "The staff. What if they're not all as understanding?"

Before Felicity could respond, a new voice spoke from the corridor. "Might I interrupt?"

They turned to see a man in his sixties standing in the doorway, his weathered hands and practical clothing suggesting someone comfortable with physical work. His eyes held the kind of warmth that came from years of helping people through difficult transitions.

"I'm Giuseppe Medici," he said, stepping into the room with Lynn's permission. "I maintain the hotel's infrastructure—the basement workshops, dimensional calibration systems, that sort of thing." He smiled at Lynn's obvious confusion. "I heard voices and thought I might introduce myself, since you'll probably be seeing me around."

"Infrastructure?" Felicity asked, the tesseract responding to the implications of his words.

"Oh yes," Mr. Medici said with evident pride. "The hotel's reality-bending systems require constant maintenance. Dimensional anchors, temporal stabilizers, protective wards—all sorts of impossible machinery that keeps this place running smoothly." He gestured toward the floor. "My workshops are in the basement levels, filled with equipment that most people would find... challenging to understand."

Lynn stepped forward, her curiosity overcoming her fear. "You maintain magic?"

"Magic, technology, dimensional engineering," Mr. Medici shrugged. "At a certain level, they're all the same thing. The important part is ensuring our residents' safety while they adjust to their new circumstances." His expression grew gentler. "And I want you both to know—you're safe here. Whatever you're worried about, whatever you're afraid people will discover, this place is designed to be sanctuary for those who need it most."

The tesseract hummed with recognition at his words, responding to the protective energy that radiated from the older man. "You know what we are," Felicity said, not quite a question.

"I know you're both on journeys of becoming," Mr. Medici replied. "And I know that such journeys require safe spaces to unfold. That's what I help provide—the structural support that lets people transform without fear."

As he spoke, Felicity became aware of subtle changes in the room around them. The air felt more stable, the light more consistent, as if his mere presence was calibrating the space for their comfort. Whatever equipment he maintained in the basement levels, its effects extended throughout the hotel.

"Would you like to see the library?" Mr. Medici asked, noting their continued uncertainty. "Lyra's usually there this time of day, and she's excellent at helping newcomers understand how the hotel works."

They made their way through corridors that seemed to shift and adapt around them, the hotel's architecture responding to their emotional needs. The library, when they reached it, was a vast space filled with books that defied conventional organization. Shelves stretched toward impossible heights, their contents arranged according to principles that had nothing to do with alphabetical order.

At a table near the center of the room sat the unremarkable woman Felicity had glimpsed earlier. Lyra Boring was reading from a book whose pages seemed to shift and change as she turned them, the text flowing from one language to another in patterns that made Felicity's eyes water to follow.

"Good morning," Lyra said without looking up from her book. Her voice was as forgettable as her appearance, but something in her tone suggested depths that her surface presentation concealed. "I wondered when you'd make it down here."

"You were expecting us?" Lynn asked.

"I expect everyone eventually," Lyra replied, finally looking up with eyes that seemed to hold far more intelligence than her bland features suggested. "Most newcomers need time to process the implications of this place. The question isn't whether you belong here—it's whether you're ready to accept that you do."

As she spoke, Felicity noticed small distortions in the air around Lyra, subtle bends in reality that suggested power held in careful check. The books on nearby shelves seemed to lean toward her, their spines brightening as if responding to her presence.

"What are you reading?" Felicity asked, genuinely curious.

"Books that haven't been written yet," Lyra said with a slight smile. "Stories that exist in potential, waiting for someone to give them form. It's fascinating work, though most people find it rather boring." She closed the book, and Felicity caught a glimpse of pages that seemed to contain star charts written in languages that predated human civilization. "But you're not here to discuss my reading habits. You're here because you're both afraid this is too good to be true."

The observation was delivered with such casual accuracy that Lynn gasped. "How did you...?"

"It's written all over you," Lyra said kindly. "The fear that acceptance might be conditional, that sanctuary might be withdrawn if people discover who you really are. It's a common concern among newcomers."

Mr. Medici nodded from where he stood near the entrance. "The hotel's designed to address exactly those fears. The protective systems I maintain aren't just about structural integrity—they're about emotional safety as well."

Miss Devereux appeared in the doorway as if summoned by the conversation, her clipboard ready with notes about their adjustment process. "The three of us work together to ensure smooth transitions," she explained. "I handle the practical matters, Giuseppe maintains the infrastructure, and Lyra provides... perspective on the deeper questions."

"What deeper questions?" Felicity asked, though she suspected she already knew.

"Whether to trust in this new home completely," Lyra said simply. "Whether to allow yourself to belong somewhere. Whether to believe that you deserve sanctuary without having to earn it through suffering."

The tesseract within Felicity's core pulsed with recognition at the words. This was the internal conflict she'd been wrestling with since awakening—not just whether she could find belonging, but whether she could accept it when it was offered freely.

"It's your choice," Mr. Medici said gently. "We can provide the safe space, the infrastructure, the support systems. But you have to choose to trust them."

"All of us are here to help with different aspects of that choice," Miss Devereux added, consulting her ever-present clipboard. "But the decision to fully embrace this place as home—that's one only you can make."

Lynn stepped forward, her voice trembling with emotion. "And if we make that choice? If we decide to trust completely?"

"Then you'll discover what it means to belong somewhere that sees you for who you truly are," Lyra said, her unremarkable features brightening with genuine warmth. "And you'll help others make the same choice when their time comes."

The tesseract hummed with quiet satisfaction as Felicity felt the truth of those words settling into her consciousness. This wasn't just about finding sanctuary—it was about becoming part of something larger, a community dedicated to helping souls discover their authentic selves.

The debate was over. Not because all uncertainties had been resolved, but because the promise of belonging, supported by people who understood the journey toward authentic self-discovery, was too powerful to resist.

Whatever challenges lay ahead, whatever secrets the hotel still held, Felicity knew with growing certainty that she was exactly where she was meant to be. The question wasn't whether she deserved this sanctuary, but whether she had the courage to fully embrace what it offered—and to offer the same support to others who would follow.

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Comments

Oopsie Daisy, Indeed!

I am guessing that what was seen is not the Shekinah Glory, But could be It's opposite, or some Being such as Sauron, or Melkor from Middle Earth, or something equally malevolent, like a "Q". But what it is is hopefully countered by the Ladies.

Stanman
May Your Light Forever Shine