The Five Dimensions Part 1: Shadow World

Chapter 40

Hailey went inside, the door unexpectedly didn't creak. The room was round and bigger than her own back at home. It had the same sort of medieval look to it like the rest of the house, but it was different. The walls were a different tone of Bordeaux red and there was a large rug on the floor that looked like it was made out of sheep's wool instead of a bare wooden floor.

There was a large bed with countless pillows and a blanket on top made of the same woolly material as the rug. It also had a small nightstand. There was a lit lantern on it and Hailey wondered how it was powered since it didn't have a cable or plug. Then her attention was turned away again. On the other side of the room stood a tall closet and next to it was a door. On the left side of the door, a small fireplace was filled with smoldering wood logs. But that wasn't what caught her attention. It was the window. The glass formed half a circle, and it was twice Hailey's width. She was relieved to find a window, it dispelled the feeling of isolation a bit. Looking outside made her realize how high up she was.

They were on the highest floor because the ceiling was slightly slanted. The view was quite extensive from this high up. She could see a part of the woods that was next to the house, she could even see a part of the green lawns of the garden and behind that the shimmering water of the Holy Lake. Even though the lake was some distance away, Hailey was still almost blinded by the light reflected off its surface.

After looking out the window she opened the door next to the closet. It was a bathroom. Above the sink with a shining water tap there was a big mirror. Behind a small wall there was a toilet and on the right side of the room there was a white bathtub with a small window above it. The room was dimly lit; there was only a small lantern hanging on the left wall. The objects were a weird combination of modern and old-fashioned. Everything was cleaned, and the mechanisms seemed fairly the same as it was at home but the material the toilet and the bathtub were made of wasn't like anything that Hailey had ever seen in any other homes. Although, she had to admit she hadn't been in any houses with antique bathrooms.

Hailey looked around at Alex, she smiled at him and said, "Thanks, I appreciate it. And thanks that you haven't looked at me weird."

Alex laughed. "Yes, I can imagine how the Soul Hunters you have met so far would do that." Hailey nodded. "There is room in the closet for your own clothes. I will bring you your suitcase as soon as it arrives so you can unpack. You are also provided with clothes which originate from the Third Dimension, to use as you please. Lastly, before I forget, the lantern can be put on and off by brushing your hand on the light stone, it responds to body heat."

"I have two questions," Hailey began.

"Just two?" Alex teased.

"One, how can my suitcase not be here yet? Ash told me it left before we started riding." There were so many more questions flying around her mind, but Hailey decided to just ask the first things that came to mind. The rest would have to wait.

"Ash's horse is much faster than regular transportation. Besides, Ash shortens the journey by going through the woods instead of on the main road," Alex answered. It was clear in the boy's voice how much he admired his big brother.

"Two, am I allowed to leave the room?" Hailey meant to say it as a joke, but Alex didn't understand right away. He looked at her with big eyes that he unsuccessfully tried to hide but then he apparently caught up on Hailey's expression.

"Funny," he answered offhandedly, as if he didn't know what else to say. His laugh was still a little stiff, as if the question weren't completely unfounded.

There hung a silence between them that neither of them could seem to break, they stood facing each other without looking at each other. Hailey tried to find things in the room that she could possibly comment on, but everything was very self-explanatory.

"I will see if your luggage has arrived yet. It should be here shortly," he finally said and took off, closing the door behind him with a muffled sound.

Hailey turned to the bed and went to lie on it. Just like on the horse, she felt inexplicably tired. But now that she was alone, she could fully appreciate her own condition. There was nothing to distract her from it now. She felt the aches all over her body. All of her scratches and cuts. Although none of them had reopened, luckily. She could feel them starting to heal because they were itchy. She nearly fell asleep. Even though she was only awake for a few hours, it felt like days. Maybe it was the fact that she hadn't eaten anything yet ― shouldn't she feel light-headed then? ― or maybe going through the portal and the horse-ride had taken up all her energy.

Suddenly Hailey felt like crying. She literally felt like weeping like a little baby. Maybe it was the fatigue or maybe it was everything that had happened. Either way, somehow all her emotions started to flow out of her. Then a tear dropped down her cheek and, in a way, she was completely surprised by it.

What was the last time she had cried? Tears, yes, she had those occasionally, but she bit them back just like she did now. But actual heart-felt, puffy-eyed, runny-nose cried? She couldn't remember at first.

Then the memory resurfaced. It was because of her dad. She said some things, he said some things, none of the things anything either of them meant. Possibly, her mother was in some way connected to it all because after they both stamped into their own rooms Hailey heard her father cry. It sounded so painful and soul ripping; such emotions weren't caused by the fight they had moments before. That was the last time Hailey really cried. The second she closed her bedroom door the tears started flowing, not only because she regretted her words but because she heard the pain her dad was in. And then her wall of emotional protection came tumbling down. She pushed her face into her pillow to stop her dad from hearing.

He was the strongest but at the same time the most vulnerable person that she knew. His heart was completely open to love ― the exact opposite of Hailey's heart with wall upon wall built around it ― and it was shattered when he lost his wife. Despite that, he never loved Hailey any less and that was why he was so strong.

She wanted to push her dad out of her mind. He was one of the only people that could really touch her heart and thinking about him was painful. She missed him so much, but her regret for leaving him ― however little she could've done about it ― was by far the worst.

She wanted to scream, to cry out loud but she didn't. All she did was sit on the bed quietly and look out the window at the glittering Holy Lake in the distance. She wiped away the tear on her cheek, and there weren't any more. She told herself she would come home, she told herself that even if it wouldn't be soon, she would eventually come home.

Then a loud gasp of pain that had nothing to do with physical pain escaped from her lips. She put her hand over her mouth but there wasn't another sound. Except for something that faintly resembled footsteps coming from behind the door.

Hailey didn't move, didn't react to the noise that wasn't completely sure she heard at all, it was so soft. Slowly she let her hand drop back into her lap and continued to stare outside. She had no indication whatsoever of how long after that her eyes lost focus and her eyelids became as heavy as stones.