The Realm of Question

Chapter 26

As the cage came to a stop, I couldn't keep my heart from racing at the thought of Mason's face, hair, and soft cold lips. I could hardly believe it, but I even missed the butthead's snarky vain remarks.

"Ana, as soon as I release you to the mortal realm, you will wake up. In your body, in what ever condition it was in, it will be healed and fully functioning. As of right now, it is lying in the Hunter house," he said. "The length those luposes go to keep their morals is shocking."

"What about Zack? Isn't vanity a sin?" I asked, pointing one finger out. God laughed loudly.

"Yes, but I don't think looking in the mirror four times a day requires eternal damnation," he chuckled.

"It's more like four dozen," I rolled my eyes.

"Oh well that's a different story. Then it's the deepest circle of hell for Zack Hunter," he said seriously, but his eyes were lit with mirth.

"Nah, don't go too hard on the arrogant little lapso opso," I said waving him off.

"Anastasia, I wish you all the luck in the realms." He pressed his lips chastely to my forehead filling my head with magic.

"I'm going to need it," I said walking towards the large iron door with a large willow tree with huge roots sprouting downward to form the intricate handle. I gently touched it with my fingertips, hardly skimming the surface.

"Bye God, see you on the flip side." I tipped my imaginary hat to him before opening the door and jumping out. My body careened downward and I opened my arms wide like I was flying through time and space. Around me hundreds of clocks of varying sizes and shapes floated. I narrowly avoided an oversized grandfather clock as the swinging pendulum almost hit me in the face. My mind finally felt free even though it still felt like it was being shredded into pieces as each second went by. My body fell faster and faster. The wind whipped at my hair. I hit with a thud and suddenly my body lurched upward my eyes blinking, my whole body gasping for air.

I was in my bedroom... Nothing had changed. The bed was made underneath me. But, the body was so different. My skin was even paler if that was possible. I reached down to my legs. They were healed... I ran my fingers over everything from the smooth surface of the wooden window sill to the soft cushions below them. I turned coming face to face with a mirror. My eyes were a light red trimmed with black lashes. My hair was perfectly in place like right after that girl did it, only instead of white highlights, twirling in with the curls were strands of black.

I launched myself from the vanity, my feet touching the carpet but not feeling rug burn. I ran through the doorway not even clipping my hip on the door frame or tripping on the door jam. I swung myself around the banister, sliding down in one quick graceful motion. I saw the box of Lucky Charms and grimaced sadly. And that's when I saw the shape staring at the TV his left arm in a cast and the leg on the opposite side also encased. I crept silently toward him. He only saw me when I was steps away. He stared at me unseeingly for a moment. Then his blood shot grey eyes welled with tears.

"Ana," He rasped, reaching towards me.

"What happened to you?" I asked, running into his arms, trying to be carful of his injures.