The Five Dimensions Part 1: Shadow World

Chapter 33

"Is everything packed?" a male voice asked. It was muffled, coming from the other side of the door.

"Yes. I only have to wake Hailey up and we're good to go," another male voice answered, it was closer.

"Did she sleep okay?" This time it was a female voice. It must've come from down the hallway because Hailey nearly couldn't make out the words.

"Yes, she―" began the second voice but he was interrupted by a bang.

"Dammit," Hailey said under her breath, not yet opening her eyes.

She had tried to roll around but had found nothing to roll onto and the next thing she knew she was lying on the ground. She could very distinctly feel where every one of her wounds was. There were new bruises now as well that she hadn't been aware of the night before. With a groan, she looked up at two faces. Ash's and Leo's, both plastered with a smile. Leo looked sympathetic but Ash was grinning widely, seemingly amused. She let her head drop with another loud groan.

"Do I have to wake up? I can continue sleeping on the ground, perfectly fine to me." Despite being too tired to keep her head lifted, the floor really wasn't comfortable at all. Although, she guessed that with the shooting pain all over her body, no position was comfortable at the moment.

Ash and Leo laughed, and they both grabbed one of her arms, pulling her off the ground, surprisingly gentle. She rubbed her eyes when they let go of her and yawned wide-mouthed. Ash opened his mouth to say something, but she put her finger in the air.

"Give me five minutes," she said and walked out of the room, making her way to her suitcase, which was still in the other room.  She pulled out black jeans, a red tank top, her leather jacket and high black boots. She changed quickly, all the while being careful not to rip open any of her wounds. The bed was stripped of its bloody sheets. Hailey wondered absentmindedly whether the Soul Hunters would attempt to clean them, or whether the sheets were thrown out immediately.

She zipped up the suitcase. This was it. These were the only possessions she was taking to go to another Dimension that part of her still didn't believe existed. One small suitcase with some clothes. She was leaving everything else behind, not knowing when she would be back.

Despite her hysterics last night that resulted from the nightmare, she was slowly starting to accept that the Soul Hunters' mission really was necessary. Their Order was created to keep the balance between the Five Dimensions, and they needed Hailey to play a small part in that. That didn't change the fact that she was scared of what would happen next.

She took a steadying breath and then picked up the suitcase. Ash was waiting for her outside the room. She refused to let him carry the suitcase. She was feeling weak enough with bandages everywhere, she didn't need to surrender the one thing she had to carry. She wasn't completely incapable of walking. Although, she had to hide her pain as went down the stairs. Hailey was afraid that Ash might decide to carry her if he saw her struggling.

All the other luggage was already in the living room. Hailey was surprised to see how light the Soul Hunters travelled. Her small suitcase looked excessive compared to the rest of the bags. Phoenix came to add one last bag to the pile. It was by far the largest, and it clattered and clanged when she put it down. Hailey had a strong suspicion that this bag wasn't filled with clothes.

"So... How are we going to get to another Dimension?" Hailey asked, uncertainly. Zech looked up from the bag he was checking and smiled.

"Well, it is not a conventional way of transport for you," he began. Hailey immediately felt nervous, and she knew this was only the beginning. Zech smiled understandably and went on, "The short explanation is that it is a portal."

"Okay, so you guys aren't only extra strong and fast, but you can also create magic holes which can take you any place you like?" Hailey meant to say it a little jokingly, but Zech nodded as if he was happy that she understood so quickly.

"Correct. Among other things of course. Although only Leo is authorized to open portals, and Ash when necessary." He nodded and went back to whatever he was doing.

Hailey wondered why Ash had the same authorization as the Team Leader, but before she could ask, Leo entered the room. Without saying a word or anyone looking up, he put his hand on the back wall and closed his eyes in concentration. Only seconds later a big blue hole appeared. It started small, originating from beneath Leo's palm, then immediately growing to cover the whole wall. Hailey couldn't stop her mouth from hanging open. The blue substance looked like glittering water, but also a bit like a weird kind of mirror. A strong wind came from the portal. The clothes and hair of the people standing closest were being sucked into the hole.

When she finally got over the shock of seeing the first real evidence that anything the Soul Hunters told her was true, and allowed herself to believe she was awake, she took a step towards the portal. Just then, Ruben jumped into the blue hole and disappeared. Marlene, Zech and Brooke followed quickly after, each of them holding bags. Hailey was now the closest.

"You might want to hold me tight," Leo said from next to her, laying a hand on her shoulder. She looked around finding Ash and Phoenix.

"Are we skipping breakfast? I like breakfast," Hailey asked. It was a weak attempt to distract herself from having to jump into a swirling blue hole. The Soul Hunters ignored her remark.

"We'll be at your side if anything goes wrong," Ash assured her. His voice was different from last night, when they'd been alone. His mask was back on. Phoenix didn't pay her any attention at all.

"I swear if I find a scratch on my boots, I'll kill every single one of you," Hailey said and she could just hear Ash chuckle before she ― holding Leo's waist tightly ― fell into the portal, disappearing from the human world, her home, leaving behind so much more than she could've realized.