Civitas

8th Capital

CHAPTER 7

The next morning, Cade awoke well rested and ready for the day ahead. He rose from his bed and stretched himself put, cracking his neck a couple of times before walking over to Laya's bed to wake her.

What he saw there was surprising to say the least.

For Laya was not alone in her bed.

There was another woman sleeping in the bed with Laya, and she had spooned Laya in the bed, making it a obvious that the woman was significantly taller than Laya. The woman was asleep, and looked to have cuddled up to Laya while she was asleep, but there was no way for Cade to know that.

Cade did not know or recognize the stranger who was sleeping with his companion.

It was then that Laya opened her eyes. She had heard Cade moving after waking up, and the need to pretend to be asleep was no longer necessary.

She locked eyes with Cade, and for a second he just stared at her, wondering what he was supposed to ask in this situation.

"Who is she?" Cade whispers to Laya.

"Her name is Sibyl." Laya whispers back, and attempts to free herself from said woman's grip, with no such luck. If anything, Sibyl just holds her tighter.

Cade sees Laya trying to free herself from the woman's grip. "Should I wake her up?"

Laya shakes her head to him. "She does not know who you are. It would confuse her."

Laya searches through the information in her head in order to find a way to wake the woman before her. Then she finally arrives at a conclusion. She leans in close to Sibyl's face, and calls her name a couple of times, but Sibyl only stirs a little, so Laya moves on to her next technique.

She 'pinches' Sibyl's nose.

It takes a few seconds to have the desired effect, and Sibyl's eyes open. Laya releases her nose.

However Sibyl does not immediately release Laya from her hold. Sibyl regards the girl in front of her in confusion, and after a second remembers the events of last night. She releases Laya from her hold and sits up in the bed, adjusting her dress before looking at Laya once more. She gives Laya a smile full of warmth and she cannot remember the last time she had ever given someone a smile so bright.

It is then that Cade speaks up. "Good morning."

Sibyl's head immediately turns in his direction at the sound of a male's voice, and Laya speaks up for her.

"Sibyl, this is Cade." She explains, and sits up on the bed. "He is also accompanying me on my journey. Cade, Sibyl will be joining us from now on if you do not mind."

However none of them have really absorbed anything she has said, because as Laya sat up on the bed, her hood, which had miraculously stayed on the entire night, fell back, revealing her white hair.

Laya's two companions both stare at her hair in wonder. Cade is the first to recover from his shock.

"Laya...has your hair always been like that?" He asks, now piecing the reason why she did not remove her hood when they had first met.

Laya realizes her hood has fallen, but makes no move to pull it back stop her head. She felt much better without having to wear it after all. She nods her head in response to Cade's question.

Sibyl then snaps out of her daze, and gives Laya another warm smile.

"Your hair is very beautiful." She tells Laya.

"Thank you." Laya thanks her with a smile.

Sibyl then turns to Cade and extends her hand, the smile on her face not even half of the value she gave Laya. “Pleased to meet you Cade.”