Nyx (Complete✅)

Chapter 66

With her new theory that sleep was somehow tied into her ability, she started formulating a plan. She slept as much as she could, refusing to get up even though she felt antsy and completely energized. She finally allowed herself to wake up fully, and as soon as she did, she settled herself down and focused all her mental power on getting home again.

To her annoyance and disappointment, it didn't work.

The next day, she didn't allow herself to sleep a single wink. Kelbar had been by her side pretty much the whole time, all but refusing to leave unless she expressly told him that she didn't want him there. Rather than hurt his feelings, she decided to let him help her, and she asked him to wake her up if she started drifting off.

Of course, it would be a while before she actually got very tired, but she let him stay anyways. She noticed more and more than he had a tendency to ramble on. And he talked fast—faster than she'd ever heard him talk in the present time.

The day gradually melted into night, and Beth soon started yawning, and then dozing, and then drifting off completely. Each time, Kelbar would gently shake her shoulder and she would snap awake again.

Every so often, she would close her eyes and concentrate as hard as she could on home, and her own time, Liam, the ship, older Kelbar, and just about everything else she could think of, but then Kelbar would shake her shoulder, signaling that she'd spent too long with her eyes closed.

Eventually, the doorway faded from black to a pale grey, and things were visible outside again. She'd stayed up all night, and sleep was pulling at her eyelids. She wanted nothing more than to curl up and sleep.

Her head ached from a night of failed attempts to get back home, and she was beginning to lose hope in her new idea. She didn't know what else she was supposed to try.

It was clear that Kelbar was extremely curious as to what exactly she was trying to do, but he was managing to contain his questions, for which she was glad.

After trying one last time to zap herself back to her own time, she sent Kelbar back to his family and promptly fell asleep again.

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Beth woke up with an even worse headache than she'd had when she'd fallen asleep. From the looks of things, she hadn't even managed to sleep through the whole day. She sat up with a yawn and stretched.

She really hated that both of her attempts hadn't worked out, but she wasn't about to give up hope. She would just have to try things to more of an extreme, and maybe then it would work. After all, jumping through time had to have all sorts of difficulties.

She got up and left the abandoned hut. It was on the side closest to the forest, and Kelbar's hut was closer to the lake, so if she wanted to go there, she would have to do some serious sneaking. But she decided not to go there. She didn't want anyone to get mad at her. But she had to get out of that tiny little space for a short time at least.

She turned towards the forest. She knew it would be dangerous, but she had to stretch her legs a little bit. She could pick and eat a couple of heart limes and just take a short little stroll, and then she would be back before anyone noticed she was gone.

She struck out across the stretch of bare grass and was soon under the cool shade of the forest.

Her walk went just as she had planned. She found a nice grove of heart limes and picked a couple, peeling and eating them as she walked. It was a nice day, and the forest seemed alive with sunlight.