The Five Dimensions Part 1: Shadow World

Chapter 50

Hailey was surprised that morning to find herself in bed. She couldn't remember going to bed the night before. She remembered sitting against the wall next to her bedroom door. After that, nothing. She couldn't even remember falling asleep.

But the chair hadn't been moved and there she was, in bed. Hailey remembered everything that happened the night before with undeniable clarity. It was like her mind hadn't stopped thinking about it all while she was asleep. Before she was fully awake, she was already rerunning Ash's words through her mind.

But there was something else that her mind was occupied with during the night. Since becoming friends with Alex and spending the days with him, she hadn't had any nightmares. This night she had. It wasn't like she one she had about falling exactly, but the feeling she was left with was essentially the same. Something was wrong and Hailey's subconscious was trying to warn her.

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Even though it was hours since she woke up, her mind kept going back to that feeling. She was now sitting in a carriage, which would have been an interesting experience if she wasn't so preoccupied. Opposite of her was Alex, and Ralph, the stable boy, was sitting on the front of the carriage, holding the leashes of the horses. They were on their way to town.

Earlier that day, Alex had softly knocked on Hailey's door to tell her he had finally managed to get the carriage, after which she followed him down the stairs. Neither of them said a word. A few times, Alex looked like he wanted to, but he seemed to change his mind again.

She wanted to talk to Alex. A part of her mind was aware that the carriage brought up a dozen different questions. Was this the usual method of transportation for Soul Hunters? Was that very inefficient? Did everyone use carriages or was that determined by status or level of income? But she couldn't bring herself to ask any of them.

Maybe she could've talked to him about the night before. Hailey thought Alex would want to help her. He wasn't the one that had said anything hurtful to her. None of those thoughts didn't change her silence.

When they reached the carriage, the stable boy was standing next to it, holding the door open for them. Before Alex introduced Ralph to Hailey, a meaningful look passed between the two boys. She immediately understood that they had a close relationship. Maybe Ralph had worked and lived at the Rosenberger Mansion for a long time and that was why he was so acquainted with Alex. There was something very intense about their glance. Hailey was too busy with her own problems to really understand what was passing between Alex and Ralph.

Ralph seemed to be a couple years older but not much. He was very handsome and had a charming smile. His skin was tinned, as if he had one dark-skinned parent and one light-skinned parent. His black hair was long, tucked behind his ears to keep it out of his brown colored eyes. He was lean and had long arms. Despite the loving look that he gave the horse, he seemed to be a good person, overall.

"I am sorry we have to stay in the carriage," Alex said again. He already explained this when they first got into the carriage. Just as Ash had said the day before, there were a lot of bad guys around, so they would only take a quick tour of the town.

"You don't have to apologize," Hailey said, keeping her eyes on the trees passing by. They were driving for some time and the only thing that changed slightly was the density of the trees. Sometimes the road curved, but there was no indication that they were approaching any habitation.

"I do." Alex's voice was weak. This wasn't about having to stay inside the carriage. Hailey looked up.

"I'm used to being the outsider. It's fine." Their eyes locked, the way they sometimes did when they hit a difficult subject. This time, however, they didn't immediately change the topic. Things were too complicated now.