Journey

Chapter Thirty-Nine~ Welcome

I went across the hall to the bathroom and drew up another bath. I washed the sweat of practice away and allowed my mind to wander. The scent of lilac flowed up from the water. The oil created rainbows in the water. Which I ran my hands through. I watched as the different colors scattered away from each other. I closed my eyes with a sigh.

All of a sudden I hear a pop. I snapped my eyes open and looked over at a blue glow. Haley. She was not in her small form. She was bigger, human size, but she still glowed slightly.

"Annie, what have you been doing?"

"Haley! Where have you been?!" It's been weeks since I last saw her. I was captured by Raymond when she went with Reth and Sengen to heal Sengen who was shot down.

"I was with Reth and Sengen."

"Why aren't you with them still?"

"I could feel your pain this entire time and figured I would check in. We are bonded you know."

"Then why didn't you come to me the last time this happened then." I motioned to my battered and bruised body. Samantha wasn't here heal me right now.

"Because I was too weak. I was using all of my energy to heal Sengen healing that kind of wound, in a wing I might add, and pulling all of those fibers back together drains you. They asked me to come here after I was done. Although I did tell them I couldn't go back after I went to you because I'm not bonded with any of them."

"Wait, wait, wait. Are you saying they can see you?"

"Of course they can! I revealed myself to them. Don't you think I would have been a little weird if Sengen was just fixed with an unseen force?"

"Good point. How are they doing?"

"They are doing well, other than the worry they have for you. Where are we anyway?"

"Oh yea." I threw my arms in a wide arc, "Welcome to the Underworld."

"THE UNDERWORLD?!" Her hands shot to her face and she covered a scream, "Why did you summon me here!? Most of all, what are you doing here?"

"It was not my choice I swear."

"Oh my god. Soren is going to kill me. He directly told me to keep you away from here." My heart broke. She was working for Soren? "Do you know where he is?"

"Haley..." I looked away from her. "I'm so sorry. Soren is no longer here."

"What do you mean 'no longer here'? He has to be somewhere around here."

"Haley-- S-Soren was killed by Damion."

Haley stared at me with shock. She sunk to the ground, "That can't be." I hopped out of the bath and threw a robe on. I leaned down with her. "That's not true." She looked up at me. "You're lying right? Please tell me you are lying." I gave her a sad look. She looked back down at her hands, tears fell off of her cheeks into her palms. "If I was here. I could have-- I could have saved him. I'm a terrible servant."

"Haley, no." I took her hands in mine and whipped the tears from her cheeks. "No one could have saved him. He is gone, you can't change the past Haley. I can assure you he is happy where he is, with Destiny in the world between the worlds. I know he is, I saw him."

"You went to the world between and made it out?" She looked at me astonished. "You really are strong. Thank you Annie. I feel better now. Where is the food? I'm hungry." I laughed and led her to my room. I called Mary in and asked her to ask the cooks to make a big meal. Mary gave me a weird look, but went to the cooks anyway.

She returned with a huge tray of desserts. Haley ran over and began taking food. Mary looked horrified, then I remembered that no one could see Haley cramming food into her mouth like I could, "Mmm. Real food. I missed you so much." I looked over to her. She held a scone to her face and was kissing it.

I turned to Mary, "I'm just messing with you. I'll talk to you later, Mary. Thank you." I half pushed her out the door and shut it.

I looked at Haley with my hands on my hips, "Are you going to save some for me?"

"Definitely not."

I snorted and went back to the bathroom, shutting the door. The entire time I could hear Haley telling the food how much she loved it and promptly shoving it into her mouth. I dipped my hand into the water. It wasn't warm anymore, but not yet cold. I dropped my robe and sunk, shivering when the water enveloped me.