The Secret Plains

18

Kay's POV

"Where have you been?!"

I dodge a shoe flying to my face as I see Ilkesi fuming.

"I woke up and I didn't see you in your bed! I was worried sick! I was this close to waking my mom up!"

"Calm down, Kesi," I say, "I went to Querida."

"You went to school?"

"Look, I went to check that library out. I can go through the barrier."

Ilkesi looks at me like I'm crazy, which is a look I can easily recognize now because of the amount of times she has given me the look.

"No you can't."

"Why are you so interested in Il'Homan?"

"I don't know," I admit. It's true; ever since I started hearing these whispers, my mind instantly went to Tal'Homan, but it wasn't Tal'Homan, and now the whispers are telling me to go to Il'Homan? Without figuring out what Il'Homan even is? I don't know what is lurking in that area, but I do know something.

One step around the area of the cave, without even entering the cave itself, can cause serious damage. There have been disappearances there.

There was a case on the disappearance of a vampire. A lady by the name of Heifla Yornwood. She was the first person to realise that Tal'Homan didn't affect animals unlike what it did to creatures. She went to Il'Homan with her friends, and while her friends were well away from the area to not get affected, she transformed into a bat, flying straight into the cave. She came out some time later, not turning back into her true form, just to show her friends that she was fine, before flying back into the cave.

She never came out.

One of her half vampire friends, Avalie, transformed into a bat and went into the cave to look for her.

There was no recorded account of what she saw in the cave except for what she noticed about Heifla.

She was gone. There was no body, no smell of anything. It was like she never even entered.

Avalie came out safely, but distraught.

"Hey, Avalie was a half vampire, right?" Ilkesi asked after I explained all of this.

"Yeah."

I nod, "Yes I can. I'm even surprised that you're surprised, you should know by now that I'm kinda weird."

She mutters something, and I catch the words, "Crazy, more like."

She sits down on her bed, "Fine, let's say I do believe you. Why did you go to the library and what did you find out?"

I quickly explain everything I found out from the library about Il'Homan, and at the end, she is as white as a sheet.

"What was her other species?"

"Fairy,"

"Do you think she might live in Bloedzuiger or Flairya?"

I ponder over the question, "Should we pay her a visit?"

"Most definitely."

Narrator's POV

As a result of heavy research and constant nagging, Ilkesi and Kay managed to figure out where Avalie lived, which, luckily, was in Flairya.

When they got there, the same thought was spinning in their minds.

"Is she okay?"

This question was a result of the house they were standing in front of. It was a 2 story stone house with uneven small towers jutting from it. It had vines crawling up it and growing through cracks and the bricks. It looked rundown.

Ilkesi knocked on the large, wooden door, which was surprisingly sturdy and clean. It creaked open, and a head peeped out. It was a woman, with red eyes and blue hair. She wore a plain green dress that was clean and looked like it was glowing. Her hair was perfectly combed. The only unkempt thing about her was probably her sleep schedule. She had deep dark circles under her eyes and it looked like it took so much energy to open the door. She opened her mouth to speak.

"You are Miss Lysen and Leathe, correct?"

Ilkesi and Kay nodded, and Ilkesi spoke, "Yes, we sent the letter to see Ms. Avalie to see her."

The woman opened the door wider, indicating that they should come inside. "I'm Jhana, nice to meet you girls. Come in."

When Kay walked in, she got hit with the smell of depressed cleanliness. The smell of daisies filled the air, but it didn't hide the faint smell of blood, which she guessed it was trying to cover. The long hallway walls were empty, and the floor was covered with harsh green carpet.

Jhana hurried them to a room on the right. It was a dainty kitchen area, a place less depressing than the rest of the house. It was probably Jhana's space. The walls were the same course grey, but the vines were arranged in a way that made the place so beautiful. Everything was beautiful, in fact. There were plants hanging from the ceiling, and everything seemed to be bathed in moonlight, when it was a Saturday afternoon. There was also a smell of poppies in the air, that made Kay want to lay on the wall and doze off.

Jhana ushered them into seats on the dining table, and went to the stove and removed a kettle, bringing out two teacups and pouring the liquid in the kettle into the cups. It was a transparent liquid, with a pinkish-green tint. She pushed the teacups to them.

"Resingleigh," she told them. "If you need honey, just ask."

Kay took a sip of the liquid and almost dropped the teacup.Once the liquid hit her tongue, there was a burst of something sweet and light and so... carefree, that she had to take another gulp. It tasted like mint and strawberries and...was that a hint of vanilla? It was like seeing the world in a whole new light.

She sat down next to them.

"When will we get to see Avalie?" Kay asked, curious.

"I was just hoping that you could help me, you see, I have tea for her and since you're going to meet her, I thought you could help me take it to her when it's ready," Jhana explained. "In the meantime, why don't you girls tell me about yourselves? Why are you here?"

Ilkesi cleared her throat, "We're researching Tal-Homan and we read about something that happened years ago that involves Ms. Avalie"

Jhana sighed slowly, "We used to get people like you here all the time. They always want to know what Ms Starbough saw when she went after Heifla into Il-Homan. It stopped after a while because, no one cares anymore, I guess."

She stood up and brought out a teacup, with a tray and a small plate. She took out a container of little cookies and placed 5 on the plate, returning the container and taking the kettle off the fire, pouring the tea into the cup. She passed the tray with the tea and cookies to Kay.

"Just walk down the hallway to the door at the end." she told them as they stood up, Kay holding the tray in her hands. "You'll see her, trust me."

Ilkesi and Kay left the kitchen, walking down the long corridor. The hallway wasn't creepy or anything, it just felt...eerie. The choking smell of blood and daisies filled the air, with a bit of sea breeze.

They got to the end of the corridor and Ilkesi opened it, seeing as Kay's hands were full.