The Five Dimensions Part 1: Shadow World

Chapter 22

Leo got up and Hailey followed him out of the room without saying a word. She was really glad to leave it. She might not be claustrophobic, but the room really made her be, as it was so cramped and confining.

They walked through a small hallway. The walls were brownish, and the floorboards creaked a bit. It didn't seem like the best hangout, but Hailey supposed the Team didn't really care about the hallways of their temporary house in the human world. The terms still sounded unnatural to use, even if it was just in her head.

Then they entered a sort of living room. The first thing Hailey noticed was a big window, it was splattered with big drops of water. She realized it was snowing outside, it came as a surprise. Knowing what the weather was made Hailey feel much less like she was being held against her will, like she was still connected to the outside world. Although, she was definitely not here on a voluntary basis.

She moved her eyes across the room. There were several couches that looked scrambled together, not having anything in common. One was a velvety red and very old but another one had an odd wavy supposedly modern form and was a hard white. There was not any decoration and the room looked plain and old. There were a couple very messy tables, covered in papers and remains of coffee cups and leftovers. Right next to the door there was a big board with maps and photos and lines on it. It was the kind of board you would expect a detective to have.

All the things on the board were related to Hailey. There were pictures of her, her father, her friends, school, house, possessions, there was even a picture of her mother. She hadn't seen a picture of her in so long, she had almost forgotten what she looked like. The only pictures she'd ever seen were in her dad's room and she hadn't gone in there for a long time. Hailey was taken aback by how similar she looked to her mother now. Their blonde hair with all the different tinted strands that was slightly wavy was almost an exact copy. Even her smile, with one mouth corner reaching slightly higher than the other, was eerily familiar. Only Hailey's eyes were different, soft brown like her dad's where her mother's eyes were icily blue.

Slowly, she walked to the picture, picking it off the board. All the people in the room were quiet. There were four people she didn't know, but Hailey was too enticed by the photograph to pay them any attention.

Tears started to swell up in her eyes, she bit them back. She didn't want to cry, never wanted to, not for her mother. She could never explain it to anyone right, the way she felt guilty over missing someone she had never known. Somehow it felt wrong, because it wasn't about the person that her mother was, it was about missing the idea of having a mom. It felt like she was taking away from her dad's grief, who really did miss the person herself. And it felt wrong that Hailey couldn't relate to that. Suddenly, there was a soothing hand on her shoulder.

"Hailey, I can remove the documents if this is difficult for you," Leo said soothingly. Hailey regained herself and waved at him casually.

"Why would it be?" she asked, forcefully blinking the wetness out of her eyes. "I can't miss someone I didn't know." Her voice was emotionless.

"She will never cease to be your mother..." he began but was interrupted.

"I can't miss something I never had, either." She pinned the picture back on the board and faced the people in the room, who were still not saying a word. Some of them were looking a bit shocked, a few looked slightly interested, but most of them seemed mostly bored. There were two men and two women Hailey didn't recognize. Leo thankfully dropped the subject. He coughed before opening his mouth to talk.

"In the Soul Order the official greeting includes stating one's full name and rank but I limit myself to just the first and surname. We have overwhelmed you with enough information. I will give you a quick summary instead. You have met Ashton, he is from the Alborn family, our Second in Command and the first Fighter ―"

"Ashton? I thought his name was Ash," Hailey interrupted. She was a bit annoyed by his high rank. Also, she noted that Leo and Ash didn't have the same surname. She thought that meant they had the same mother, but she couldn't be sure. Who knew whether Soul Hunters took their mother's or father's surname?

"It is," Ash said. "It's my abbreviated name. We all use them, it's easier when you're in combat and seconds make the difference of living or dying."

"Right," Leo went on. "The red-headed lady is Phoenix Eowydia, second Fighter." After that Leo started pointing out the people. "That there is Ruben McCarron, first Runner." The man was younger than Leo, but older than Phoenix. His hair was short and black; his eyes were dark as well as his skin. He was hanging on a couch, looking very comfortable.

"You can call me Ben, sweetheart," he said with a wink. He shared the same accent as the rest of them. Hailey was starting to think that all Soul Hunters spoke with an accent.

Boyish boy. Hailey thought about Ruben, even though he really was a man. Any admiration she felt for his velvety skin and large eyes was instantly dissipated.

"That is Brooke Falconi, she is the second Runner," Leo told. Hailey looked her up and down, she looked very cute, with her brown curly hair and big blue eyes. She looked really young, though, almost as if she didn't really fit with the others. "This man is Zechariah Barrows; he is our Planner." The man gave Hailey a friendly smile, making her decide he might be trustable. He must be one of the oldest. Despite him being Latino and having a darker complexion, everything about him seemed to emanate lightness; it fascinated Hailey. His black hair was long and wavy, and his eyes were a light brown, twinkling in his tanned face.

"Please, just say Zech, it would sound weird if you did not," the man said. Hailey didn't respond, but she gave a little nod.

"And she is Marlene Asano, she is our Locating Hunter," Leo said with finality. The woman had Asian features, having black brownish hair and shiny brown eyes. She was slender and from the way she held herself, she came over as a shy person.

"You're not such a big team, are you?" Hailey said while looking around, trying to remember all the names so she didn't have to ask them again. Then she turned to Leo. "What about your Locators and Healers?"

"Quick learner," Ruben ― Hailey wasn't going to call him Ben ― said with a big, dirty, grin.

"Shut up, Ben," Ash said.

"Being defensive over the sweet, little, mortal girl?" Ruben replied. Hailey turned around, her eyes burning.

"I am not sweet, I am not little, and don't call me mortal or girl," she snapped. Ruben only chuckled. Her threatening look apparently hadn't affected him whatsoever, although Hailey was seriously thinking about punching him. Her smirk reminded her so much of several people that she would give anything to punch. But something told her that she didn't have a chance with this guy. Leo had told her about the Soul Hunters having special abilities after all. Hailey didn't think trying to punch one of them was a good way to find out the extent of those abilities.

"She can be pretty fierce, Ben, you might want to watch your back," Ash said, chuckling. She wanted to dismiss anything Ash said because she was so irritated with him, but she couldn't help but admit to herself that it felt good to hear Ash call her fierce. Maybe, if she really tried, she could take one of these Soul Hunters on.

"A human? I doubt it," Ruben said, rolling his eyes.

"Last time Ash doubted me, one of my throwing knives almost chopped off one of his ears," she said proudly, feeling a little smug.

"Yes, I witnessed that little spectacle." It was Leo who said it. That was when something clicked in Hailey's mind and pieces started fitting together. She turned around to him, open-mouthed.