Heather's Adventures: The Search for Maxamus

Chapter 76. Heather

Max and I had decided it was best we spent the night in the house recovering before we were to travel back to Max's house. Max had told me Dawnlight had left Sheria there for safety. I wanted to make sure that she was alright before finding anyone else. She was my sister, after all. I couldn't just let anything happen to her. It was bad enough I let myself be taken while leaving her with two artifacts a lot of people are still probably after.

Although I sustained many injuries during the prior day, sleeping that night didn't come rather easy to me. I had tossed and turned in bed for several hours before I finally decided that this guest room was not going to be the place that I would be sleeping tonight. It was a decent guest room in this house, dated and usually unoccupied since it was rather obvious the two girls that lived here hardly had any guests.

After rolling over one last time, I threw my feet out of the bed and onto the floor. I just couldn't take this anymore. I had no idea if Sheria was still okay, Jen and Frank were still out there. Max's sister and our trainers were probably worried sick about us—and the fact that they brought a prince in to find me...it was all just too much to think about. My brain just wouldn't shut off to let me sleep. Everything just kept circling around in my head like vultures in the desert looking at a tasty snack. There was just no way I was going to be able to sleep.

I adjusted my loose nightgown to fit the way it was intended to before I decided to head downstairs to the living room where there were bookcases. Since I couldn't sleep, I might as well read. There wasn't much else to do. I knew there were enough candles to light down there so I'd have enough light to read and not disturb Max, who was asleep on the couch.

Or so I thought.

Max was awake as well, examining his own sword. He had apparently borrowed some cleaning supplies from the two girls we were staying with so he could clean and polish his sword. His blade shimmered in the moonlight, reflecting back the light onto his face and his hair. It was if he had some kind of glow to it, more magical than any of my fire and abilities.

Instead of making contact with him, I decided to sit on the stairs and watch him through the banister railing. He seemed to be humming some tune, nothing I had heard before. Perhaps his mother had taught him it when he was younger, I wouldn't know though. The longer I was at the academy, the further I grew away from my parents. At first we were fine, I was at the academy only for a few hours and had the time to grow close to them, but then after I finished all my intro-placement classes, I was transferred into higher level classes and was at the academy with Dawnlight and the Weird-o longer than most students. I'd get there early in the morning, sometimes I'd be leaving even before my parents were awake, and often times I'd come home after they were asleep, or I'd have night training and would sleep during the day then go back at the night. The only reason I was close with Sheria and Jen was because they'd wait up for me. I was their triplet, after all. My parents tried to stay up and wait for me, but after a while they ended up just entrusting me to the Weird-o and Dawnlight.

After continuing to watch Max clean and polish his sword, humming along to his melodic tune, I finally felt at peace just enough to finally sleep long enough to regain my energy I needed. After all, I'd need it to get back to Sheria tomorrow. I just hope she was still alright and wasn't startled by the events she had to witness twice now.

In my attempt to sneak back up the stairs, I had stepped on a squeaky floorboard, letting my presence be known throughout the entire house. "Dammit!" I lightly cursed in a whisper-hushed tone. Stupid old houses trying to get the best of me.

Max had stood up rather rapidly, darting for the stairs where I was in attempt to find out who the 'mysterious figure' that was intruding the house was. Meanwhile I was frozen, petrified with the fear of the noise I made. I didn't have enough time to scamper back up the stairs and into the room I was supposed to be sleeping in right now.