Clove watches me wear away the polish on her bedroom floor.

My legs started to shake right after Della's big comeback, and I had to occupy them with something. Pacing seemed like a reasonable cure.

"Don't worry, Ivy. Miss K won't throw you out," Clove says. She's sitting on her bed eating candy corn, starting at the white tip and working her way through the layers. "It's obvious she likes you. And, more importantly, Ben likes you."

I can tell Ben likes me, and now that I know about his preferences, I'm sort of confused about it. "But where will I sleep? I can't stay here in your room."

"Sure you can. It's been done before. And I damn sure prefer you over my last roommate. She was a real witch." Clove pats the bed. "Take a load off. You're making me dizzy."

I disregard her witch comment, since I've noticed she uses it a lot, and command my legs to fold into a sitting position on her double-quilted comforter. It doesn't take long before I'm rocking back and forth.

"Just relax here until the drama is over," she says. "Kitty will have to come out of the cellar sooner or later. Her dad arrived about ten minutes ago. He'll talk some sense into her."

"Kitty's dad visits her? That's nice."

"It's nice that she still has a dad." Clove holds out her hand, wafting candy corn under my nose. "Have some. I had to go out of my comfort zone to get them, but candy is my weakness."

"Thanks."

I take two of the triangle-shaped treats and rub them between my fingers. The waxy texture takes me back to Grandpa Floyd sitting in his recliner, the one where he kept his stash. As I breathe in the vanilla scent, I imagine him opening up the bag to let me choose what I want. He always had a variety. I bite into one, crushing the granules of sugar between my teeth and remembering how much I love candy, and how much I loved Grandpa Floyd. Before I have a chance to get stupid and cry, Adeline strolls in with a wily grin on her face. She leans against the dresser and Clove tosses her a candy corn.

"It's obvious you know something, Addie. Spill it."

Adeline inspects the candy like she thinks Clove poisoned it. "You get these from Willy the Worm? You know the guy lives with like twenty cats, right?" She gives it a sniff before biting off the tip. "I just saw Kitty and her dad go into Miss K's room. I'm guessing there's going to be a serious convo when Della's done hogging the bath. The girl has been gone a week and she looks like she's aged twenty years."

"If I were Della, I would take my time in the tub," Clove says. "Scavengers don't like to be double crossed. I can't wait to find out what goes down."

"Kitty's dad is a scavenger?" I say, having pictured him a little differently. "I would have guessed he was some kind of big shot. You know, someone with connections."

Clove chuckles. "Kitty does act like the queen of everything, doesn't she? Her dad may be a scavenger, but he's okay as far as parents go. He visits her every time he's in port."

"At least that's what he tells Kitty." Adeline smirks as she studies herself in the mirror hanging over Clove's dresser.

"So, are he and Della a couple?" I ask, because I'm no stranger to drama...or nosiness.

"Yep. They've been doing it for a while," Clove says.

"And now he's probably bugged because she took off after someone else," I say.

"Bugged?" Adeline laughs. "You can drop the manners when you're with us. But you pretty much hit the dick on the head."

Ew. Thanks for the visual.

"Is there a big age difference between them? Kitty is about ten, right?"

Clove snorts. "Ten going on thirty. Kitty's dad is not as old as he looks. He was only eighteen when she was born. At least, that's the rumor."

"And Kitty's mom was way older than him," Adeline adds. "But that's just part of the story." She widens her eyes like she's gone mad. "Kitty isn't his only child. She had a twin brother. He died of the fever last year. Kitty doesn't even talk about him. It's like he never existed."

Light bulb.

"Didn't you say Kitty's mom died of the fever?" I ask Clove.

She nods as she picks candy remnants out of her teeth with a polished fingernail. "Two more tragedies of this crazy, effed-up world."

Della passes by Clove's room and everyone shuts up. She doesn't stop to say hello or even turn to look at us before her door clicks shut. A few seconds later, footsteps echo on the balcony and a man walks past Clove's room. The hairs on my arms bristle when I see the three-brimmed hat in his hand and the long braid hanging beneath his red bandana.

Bastian. Why do I feel reassured to see him?

"Della, open the door," he says, as he knocks. "I'm not angry about the boy. I just want to talk to you."

The three of us keep quiet as we strain to hear Della's response. Well, I'm straining. The room next door stays quiet.

"Kitty's ready to forgive you," he goes on. "She says she'll fix your hair any way you like. And I've asked Ben to cool a bottle of your favorite beer in the stream."

Silence.

"Your stubborn nature is becoming tedious, Della. We will be downstairs when you're ready, but I might have to offer your beer to someone else if you wait too long." He shuffles by Clove's door, but this time he glances in and shrugs at Adeline. "I think she is more stubborn than Kitty."

"Just tell her you're going to give the beer to Clove," Adeline says. "She'll be out here quicker than shit from a goose."

He leans into the room to smile at Clove and notices me sitting on the bed. His smile widens. "I'm glad to see you found refuge here, young lady. Miss K said she recruited someone new, but she said her name is Ivy. I distinctly remember you telling me your name is Bea."

I glance at the floor to cover my embarrassment then look up when I realize I shouldn't feel embarrassed. "I make it a point to give my middle name to strangers."

His crooked grin makes me think he knew all along. "I don't blame you."

Clove's hand goes up. "Hold on a minute. You two know each other?"

"Bastian rescued me from a lava flow and brought me to the outpost in his airship."

"No shit?" Adeline tugs at her auburn curls as she continues preening in the mirror. "I guess you met Rake then. He's a hunk, isn't he?"

I stifle a grimace. The girl must be blind as a bat if she thinks that dirtbag is a hunk.

Bastian purses his lips like his opinion of the dirtbag matches mine. "I'm sure Ivy would agree that Rake wouldn't get past the front door in the state he was in. You'll get your boy toy, Adeline, once he's cleaned up."

Oh, hellfire.

Rake at the House of Happiness? That has bad juju written all over it. I will definitely have to find a place to hide before he shows up. Maybe in the dressing room, behind the curtain of satin and ruffles...and the fisherman's jacket.

"I have your jacket, Bastian," I say, desperate for a topic change. "It's in the dressing room."

Bastian smiles and holds out his arm. "Why don't I escort you down and we can talk about your adventures, so far."

"Uh, okay."

I push off the bed, glancing at Clove for reassurance. Her eyebrows shoot up and so do Adeline's, making me feel like I'm about to jump into a tank of sharks. But I'm not going to be rude to the man who saved my life. I take Bastian's arm, feeling his muscles flex beneath his shirt, and I try to ignore my pulse beating in my ears as he leads me toward the stairs. I know Clove and Adeline are watching. I can hear the click of their heels on the floorboards as they follow us to the balcony, although it's the click of Della's door that I'm more concerned about. As we walk down the stairs, I notice Kitty glaring at us from Miss K's bedroom, drumming her fingers on the shutters.

Damn. What did you just walk into, Ivy?

"Tell me, Ivy. How did you find the House of Happiness? Or did the House of Happiness find you?" Bastian asks, as if everything is perfectly normal.

"Ben found me, actually."

"Ah, Ben. He has a good eye. But it's hard to miss such radiance when the world is so gray. I expect even Mitch would have noticed you."

My face burns from his flattery and I cover it with a question I already know the answer to. "So, Kitty is your daughter?"

"She's a real firecracker, isn't she? Just like her mother. But I think Miss K would be lost without her. She's the heir to the throne, so to speak. May the gods help us."

We get to the dressing room and Bastian waves at a cedar chest like he wants me to sit down. Does he really want to talk about my adventures? He didn't give a hairy bat's ass about my welfare when he left me in the outpost with Ruth, the magic thief. What changed?

He sits beside me and stretches out his legs, reclining against the wall like he's done it a hundred times. His hand gently brushes my shoulder as he arranges his arms behind his head. I know he did it on purpose and, strangely, the gesture doesn't rattle me. Or maybe it's the smell of his spicy cologne that has me slightly sedated. He obviously has a strong connection with this place if his daughter lives here, and I don't expect him to behave badly with her nearby. If I need help, Ben and Mitch are right outside.

"What do you think of your new home, Ivy? Will you stay?"

Dude, it's a whorehouse.

"At first I wasn't sure how things were going to work out. It's not a halfway house." How's that for tiptoeing around the obvious? "But it has been nice eating home cooked meals and sleeping in a bed with a mattress. Although, now that Della is back, I don't know where I'll sleep."

"Don't worry about finding a place to sleep. If you have passed the madam's inspection, you are one of the clan now."

Clan? What is he playing at? And why is he smiling like that? Does Miss K suspect something? Is he trying to rat me out like his sneaky daughter? Should I just ignore the warmth radiating between our bodies or scoot away from it?

"I'm grateful to Miss K for taking me in. She seems like a decent person, and I consider myself a good judge of character, although I totally misjudged Ben. He scared the heck out of me when we first met, but I don't know what condition I would be in if he hadn't found me."

You're rambling, Ivy.

He bobs his head silently, staring at his boots. They're scuffed and covered in dust, kind of like his skin, all tanned and hardened by life. And there's that scar. Before he catches me staring, my mouth goes at it again.

"Do you think the world will always be like this? Will the planet keep falling apart until nothing is left?"

"No one knows the answer to that. But humans are a stubborn bunch. As long as a future exists, we will try to make it a good one. I have seen forests teaming with wildlife and mind-blowing ports made out of shells. Hope is out there."

I sigh and slouch against the wall. "I hate to say it, but it's been a while since I've had anything to be hopeful about."

Bastian looks at me, forcing me to meet his eyes. They're dark, almost black, but they appear less sinister than before. Maybe because he's not standing on the deck of his creepy airship. "I know you have horrors in your past, Ivy. They are written on your face. But believe me, fate has brought you here to heal. No matter what you think of the activities that go on behind closed doors, this house has been a refuge for many others like you. Well, not just like you."

He lifts one eyebrow like he wants me to read his mind. Or is he just trying to lure me with his scavenger charm? I can't tell. My brain is busy fitting pieces of information together, like his connection with this place. Whiskers said Bastian had a son who died. Devlin, I think it was. He must be the brother Kitty never talks about. And Miss K's daughter, Eve, has to be Bastian's lover who he named his ship after. Did he meet her at the House of Happiness during one of his visits to the outpost? Clove said he was young when his kids were born. It makes me wonder how long he's been a scavenger. I doubt he picked up his manners from bars and brothels. Someone had taught them to him. And, now that I'm not petrified with fear, I realize he's not bad looking, in a wrong-side-of-the-tracks sort of way. The scar is a little disturbing. It looks like a knife wound, maybe from a bar fight, although something tells me the fight was not over something trivial.

Kitty appears in the doorway, wearing her favorite scowl. "What is she still doing here? There's no room for her now."

Bastian pushes slowly to his feet and walks over to Kitty, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "How would it be if you helped me unpack the rest of my satchel? I think I stashed a few caramels in there for a certain girl with braids." He shrugs at me apologetically and leads Kitty away before she gets another word out.

I stare at the empty room and the door that leads to freedom. If I wanted to, I could escape the evil clutches of the House of Happiness right now. Of course, I would have to get by Ben and Mitch, and Bastian's cologne keeps tickling my nose, distracting me from forming a plan. I glance at the cedar chest where he sat, feeling a strange void.

Should I wait for him? I would like to hear more about this mind-blowing port of shells. Is there really something out there that is better than just survival? Could I find another home that doesn't charge such a steep price? Without my magic, I'm as vulnerable as a regular whether I stay here or not.

Damn that thieving witch! The aging potion should have worn off by now, if she's lucky. Do I have any chance of finding her again? I don't even know what she looks like under all those wrinkles. I glance at the closet. The fisherman's jacket is still hanging among the dresses. I walk over and fondle a few of the ruffled sleeves, remembering what Clove said about high trade items. How old is the collection? Which ones did Eve wear? Are the girls forbidden to wear anything that might remind Miss K of her dead daughter?

A cotton dress in pale pink catches my eye. Delicate roses are stitched around the neckline, with tiny pearls sewn into the center of each one. I trail my finger across the soft fabric, imagining how the color might look against my chalk-white skin. Maybe I can wear it tomorrow, if I'm still here tomorrow.

I pull the jacket off the hanger and lay it across my arm, but a quiver in my gut tells me to put it back. Because I always follow my gut, I slip it on the hanger again just as Ben strolls in.

"Don't you like the dress I picked out for you?" he says, faking a pout. "I think you look stunning in it."

"Oh, I love it. I was just daydreaming."

"That's a relief. I would hate to think I misjudged you. You were looking at the pink one with the roses weren't you? That was my second choice." Ben reaches for a strong box on the overhead shelf, unlocks it, and fishes out a set of keys.

"What do you need those for?" I ask, although it's none of my business.

Ben seems to relish my curiosity and leans close to my ear, speaking in a dramatic whisper. "Della refuses to unlock her door and Miss K is on the verge of one helluva bitch fit."

CAST PHOTO: Aidan Turner as Bastian

PLAYLIST SONG: Hunger of the Pine by Alt J