Spirit World Adventures

Chapter 17 - Walk Alone

After that, it was all laughter and exchanging stories about what we had seen whilst on our scavenger hunt. The boys and Ko swore they saw a giant man in the forest, but Hinote said it was a trick of the light.

'The sun was in your eyes, Darius,' Hinote said after Darius promised he had seen it.

'You never want to believe in things.'

'Don't say that.'

'It's true.'

'Anyway, I am very proud of you all and am anxious to see how things will turn out in the next task. Things will...turn up a notch, as it were,' Master Jack said, his hands in a pyramid-like he had done back in his Healing Centre office so long ago now.

'Hey Master Jack?' I said, thinking about that day, 'Are you a real person in the real world? Are you really a doctor?'

'Firstly, I'm a Healer not a doctor. And secondly, who's to say which is real?'

'Enough riddles, just answer the question,' Acacia added.

Everyone turned to face him. Sal and Belle looked blanched.

'It's getting late, why don't you all get to bed quickly. You have a very big day ahead of you tomorrow,' he said weakly, getting to his feet.

'But-'

'Go, now!'

He looked scary for the first time since we had been there. Part of me wanted to stay and force him to tell us whatever it was he was clearly hiding. The look on his face might have been anger, but behind it, I saw more pain, so we just did as we were told.

'I'm worried about Jack,' Olivia said in the darkness as we lay in our beds.

'Worry about yourself, it sounds like we're the ones in the deep dark here,' Acacia said, 'Not to mention this strange and dangerous world that we're not equipped to handle!'

'We just need to focus on the next challenge, then once we're in, we'll get answers,' I said.

But part of me wasn't so sure it would be that easy.

**

It was this night that I realised every time I had slept in the comfy, plush red bed in the Institute dorm that I hadn't dreamt. Not once. And I was a big dreamer. When I realised it, I felt kind of sad about it. My night had been sort of restless anyway, tossing and turning as I thought about what was to come. It felt like the big final boss was on its way to get us. What if it defeated us?

Feeling sluggish, I drew myself from the bed and jumped onto the ground where I found Olivia and Acacia looking worried, too. Ko looked well-rested, though. I don't think anything ever bothered her. We made our way down for breakfast, but I wasn't as excited about the colourful selection that time around. The novelty had worn off a bit. It was eerily quiet at breakfast as people picked at their food and pushed it around their plates. Lou told a joke, but no one laughed.

'Right, outside!' Master Jack demanded, clapping his hands together.

My stomach did somersaults as I followed behind Wallis out into the courtyard. Except...that's not where we were. It's not where I was, anyway. In stepping through the doorway, I had stepped out into a different place. I turned back, confused, but the door wasn't there anymore. Nor was any of the others.

'Olivia? Acacia? Hinote? Jack?' I called out their names, but my voice fell in the wasteland all around me.

Suddenly I felt cold, but it wasn't as though the cold was around me but inside of me. I crossed my arms over my chest and started walking forwards, hoping I was going the wrong way. It was like before when we were submerged in water outside the prison; I didn't know which way was forwards or backwards. I just had to move and see where I ended up.