The Five

21. The Fates of Five

In the end, all any of them could think of to do once they returned to Cindermere, was sleep. Hours and hours of silence passed. No one stirred.

It remained this way until late in the evening when Takuma and Divinity arrived.

"We're back!"

Divinity's voice echoed in the foyer loudly, but it was met with silence.

"I guess they're all sleeping," Takuma said. "I'm pretty beat myself."

"Me too. Want to go to your room?"

He gaped at her, blush rising on his cheeks. Her question caught him completely off guard. "Divinity, I don't know if-"

Her eyebrows raised. What in the world did he think she meant? "Relax. I meant we'd go to your room to sleep."

"Oh." His face became redder. "Sorry."

"It's fine." She began to walk toward the staircase, stopping when she didn't hear him behind her. "You coming?"

He grinned. "Yeah."

He hurried up to her and they disappeared up the stairs together. They were as quiet as church mice as they moved through the halls, careful not to disturb anyone.

"I hope everything is okay," Divinity whispered.

"I'm sure they're fine."

They came to a stop in front of Takuma's room. He opened the door and let her go in. Then he went in behind her and closed the door. They cleaned up a bit before lying down. Once they hit the pillows, it was lights out for both of them.

It was the next day before any of the inhabitants of Cindermere were seen or heard.

Her eyes still heavy, Freya stuck her head into the hall. She thought she heard a noise and jumped from her bed, but she didn't see anyone. She closed the door back. Her muscles were sore. It was understandable, considering what happened, so she stretched as far as she could to see if she could relieve some of it. Stretching seemed to make her feel a little better.

She walked around her room for a little bit then laid back down on the bed to try and fall back asleep. When she couldn't make her eyes close, she got back up. She changed her clothes after a shower and brushed her hair. She dried it with a spell, then left her room. She stopped by Addey's room and Akashi's, but she didn't hear a peep coming from either of them. They weren't up yet. She moved down the hall, careful not to wake anyone. She descended the stairs and went into the kitchen. No one was in there either. It felt strange being the only one up.

She sat down in the kitchen for a little while. When no one came to join her, she decided she would go for a walk. She didn't know if it was because she slept so long or if she was just nervous, but she seemed to have some energy to burn. She grabbed a few snacks and stuffed them in her pockets, then headed for the front door.

The air outside was crisp and chilly. Lucky for her, she was wearing pants and a light jacket. She pulled the front door closed and stepped out into the cool as a breath of wind stirred leaves at her feet. She hugged herself tightly as she walked out into the yard. The sun was just beginning to peek up over the hill. Once it had fully risen, she was sure it would be much warmer.

Her mind wandered to the battle yesterday. She walked the path in front of her, going through every piece she'd been a part of. She almost died. She couldn't imagine not seeing her parents or Takuma again. She didn't even know when he came back last night, or if he came back at all. So much had taken place. Before she knew it, she was at the barrier. She turned around and started back. It wasn't long before she heard footfalls coming toward her. She stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes darting from one direction to the other. The threat was gone, wasn't it? What was she so nervous for? She focused on the path in front of her, her heart beating wildly in her chest.