The Five Dimensions Part 1: Shadow World

Chapter 43

Breakfast was very different from dinner; it did not involve any judgmental looks or yelling. Much less stressful.

Hailey was woken to a gentle knock on her door and a soft woman's voice behind it said Miss? When she didn't answer, the voice announced there was breakfast and there was a thump of something being set down on the ground. Hailey sat up at the sound of fading footsteps, but she needed a moment to remember where she was. The curtains weren't completely closed, and a strip of light crossed the room. With a sigh, she threw the covers off.

She was just in time to see the end of a skirt flit around the corner when she opened the door to examine the wooden tray filled with food. It smelled delicious. She looked at where the woman had disappeared to one more time before picking up the tray and bringing it into the room. There was freshly baked bread that was still warm and a piece of butter. There were some fruits and nuts as well as a cup filled with something that resembled coffee but was sweeter and much thicker. It smelled almost as good.

She looked out the window while sitting on her bed and eating. Now that she was settled down – or at least, she wasn't completely panicking – she had more time to think about what was to come. From what Leo had said, it seemed that the Team wouldn't be taking much of a break from the mission. And from what Ash had said, Hailey would spend some time in the Rosenberger Mansion. But she didn't know any more than that. Well, exactly for one thing that she was absolutely certain about. The Soul Hunters were uneasy around her, and they were exceptionally careful with their words. The only reasonable explanation was that they had a secret.

So, whatever the Soul Hunters intended Hailey to do with her time, she would take every possible opportunity to find out as much as there was about these people and their Soul Order. Her determination cleared her mind of feeling fear or panic or isolation. She would find out what they were hiding. She had to. No matter what measures she needed to take.

§

Hailey finished breakfast quickly ― which she couldn't deny was delicious ― and put on the first clothes her hands touched. She didn't care how she looked; it wouldn't change the way people looked at her.

On her way downstairs, she passed several people, but they were busy cleaning up and thoroughly ignored Hailey. There was only one woman ― an older one that held herself with authority much like Mrs. Ravensdale even though she wore the same uniform the other maids did ― who dared look Hailey straight in the eye. She didn't hold Hailey's gaze for long, but it was more than enough to express her opinion about the girl's presence.

It left an uncomfortable feeling in Hailey's stomach. She was so distracted by it that she almost ran into the person walking through the entry hall.

Hailey's first thought was that it was Ash, and she almost said his name but then she saw it wasn't him at all.

"Alex!" she exclaimed.

"Hello," he answered, a little shocked to be almost knocked over. His eyes were unfocused, giving away how far away his mind was. It took him a couple seconds to acknowledge who was standing in front of him. But after a few glassy-eyed seconds, a kind smile spread across his face. "How are you?"

"Fine. You?" Her reply wasn't half as kind as his warm smile, but he didn't seem to mind. At least, his smile didn't falter in reaction to Hailey's shortness.

"I am good, thank you," he said. His tone was very formal again, the way acquaintances addressed each other when running into each other unexpectedly in the street; very different from the night before.

"Is Ash around?" Hailey asked since it was the first question that she could come up with.

"I have not seen him, no. Perhaps there was business for him to attend." His eyes gave away the uncertainty of his otherwise neutral words.  Unlike his older brother, Alex wasn't any good at putting up a mask. To someone like Hailey, who was already exceptionally skilled at reading people, Alex was like an open book.

"I thought Leo said they would get back to work in a few days," she challenged, scrutinizing Alex. He looked slightly worried, pulling his brows together. Hailey decided to let him off the hook. For now. She shrugged and smiled carelessly. Alex didn't seem completely relieved yet.

Hailey knew she would have to be careful about the way to go about obtaining the information she needed. If she was too direct, surely they would become less included towards helping her. No, she had to be smart about it. But she was slightly thrown by Ash's absence. She realized she had counted on him being there. Not only to interrogate him in a subtlety veiled manner, but also because she was so used to him being present. Hailey had expected Ash to be there for her the way he had been there back at school. Even after the party and after everything that happened, she felt a strange sense of withdrawal with him gone. Was it really so naïve to think that after all the time he'd wanted to spend with her back at home, he would want the same here?

Determined not to get sucked into those thoughts, Hailey convinced herself that Ash was only just back home. He probably had loads of things to catch up on. Or maybe there was someone he needed to talk to. Someone who he'd missed and who he'd been thinking about all the time he had been away. Someone who he genuinely cared about.

That wasn't a particularly pleasant route of thought to down either.

"I..." Alex started uncertainly. "I can give you a tour around the mansion." He gave her a kind smile again, working hard to regain himself.

"That's alright, I'm sure you have lots to do." Hailey was indeed reluctant to stay with Alex, but it was nice all the same to have someone who didn't put their head down or look as if something smelled bad when Hailey walked by.

"I do, but I insist on at least walking you somewhere entertaining." He gestured for Hailey to follow him. She couldn't say no to his smile again, not when he was being so genuinely kind.