"She's not coming." Tanner whispers to me.
I sigh and sink lower into my seat. "I know. I just don't know what could have possibly happened."
"I'm sure she's fine." Tanner assures me, but I don't believe him. There's no way that disappearing for two days isn't abnormal. Something happened to her.
"I just want to confirm that she's fine, and there's no way to do that unless we find her." I lean over onto my desk, waiting for the teacher's voice to be silenced by my thoughts. It would happen any moment now.
"Just find a way to distract yourself until she shows up." He advises, but there's nothing to distract me while I'm in training other than training itself. And it isn't interesting enough to keep me occupied.
We're talking about the practices of a guardian angel, something along those lines. It's stuff that we've vaguely gone through before, there's nothing new.
I wish there was some way for people here to contact each other, that way I don't have to wonder what time I'm going to see Brooke all day.
I lean forward in my seat and think about all of the things that could've happened.
She left with a group of thirty people, and I don't remember which people went with her so there's no way I can find one of them and ask them. Maybe that same group of people is also missing, maybe something went wrong. Maybe there's some sort of population control going on here.
I shake my head.
There really is no explanation and all I can do is wait. I know that I don't know much, but I do know that there could be terrible things that happen in the Afterworld. She could've been reincarnated or something or gotten lost somewhere.
She'll be fine, they say.
"It's not stress itself that kills you, it's how you react to it. Just pretend everything's fine, get your mind off of it." Tanner whispers to me. He can tell that I'm stressed, is it that obvious? Why wouldn't I be stressed? I'd be more concerned if I wasn't stressed about my missing best friend.
My leg is bouncing up and down and I continue to mess with my hair, maybe it doesn't take an expert to figure out my emotions, but I can't help it.
"It's harder than it sounds." I return, then stare at the clock, watching the second hand circumvent about the center.
"Now," Will's voice becomes louder. "As a guardian angel, you are able to see Earth, but you cannot go onto it. Your wings are used for traveling into dreams, but you only travel within the Afterworld." He says, which either doesn't make any sense or I'm just not paying attention enough.
I really just want to go back to my room.
She wasn't in her room when I knocked.
She couldn't have been kidnapped, that kind of thing doesn't exist here. I couldn't think of anything other than her finding a guy, but staying with him for two days isn't believable.
I decided to stay in my room and go to bed early, but after what I thought was two hours passed and it ended up being only forty-five minutes, I knew I had to leave.
I don't want to hang with Tanner or Jack, I would just ruin the mood with my stress. I could do what I did on my first night here and wander around my dorm, maybe check out the garden that Luna told me about all those days ago.
Grabbing my key, I leave the dorm and quickly head to the lobby.
I might just be a nervous wreck, but I'm confused when I noticed that Tanner and Jack aren't concerned about Brooke's absence. Maybe they're just playing a cruel prank on me, but they probably would've told me by now.
Either way, the lobby is full of people and I have to weave my way through the crowd, and through the back door.
Outside is a field of yellow. There are different kinds of yellow flowers scattered around and beyond the field is a maze.
Somebody told me there's a fountain at the center, and maybe I can sit there for a while before I get tired and want to go back to my room.
The maze is bigger up close, the freshly cut grass overpowers the scents of the flowers, but if nature had a smell, this would be it. The "walls" of the maze are tall plants densely packed together, with flowers tucked into every hole. That way, it's hard to see through it.
I easily find my way to the center, which isn't surprising. There's hardly anybody here, but the fountain is smaller than I would've thought. The water barely pours over the statue of an angel and splashes into a large cement bowl that has golden coins at the bottom.
The water is a light blue, and it almost looks like it lights up its surroundings. I wrap my coat tighter around my chest and sit down at one of the stone benches that face the fountain. I lean forward, my head resting in my hands and watch the water gracefully flow down the cracks and curves of the statue.
I feel more peaceful now.
I wish I could show Nick the wonderful elements of the Afterworld because everything is just so beautiful. I am truly lucky that I ended up here and I am grateful for the friends I've made so far.
I hear someone's footsteps behind me. They sit down at the fountain, on a bench across from me.
"Can't sleep?" He asks. I can't see who it is, but he has a very distinguishable voice.
"No, not really." I reply. I didn't expect him to talk to me.
I can't even tell what he looks like, the water and the statue is covering his face.
"This is a great place to bring you to peace." The man says. "The water is rumored to be magical. I come here whenever I can't sleep. It really helps."
"Well if that's the case, then I'll probably see you a lot." I chuckle. Not being able to sleep is something I've struggled with ever since I died. I'm not sure what it's from or how to fix it.
"Yeah? Well then I might as well get to know you, then. What's your name?" He says. He hasn't made an effort to move his head so that I can see it.
"Julia." I reply. "And yours?"
"Atlas." He replies. "How often do you come here?"
"This is my first time. I haven't been a stage two for very long." I answer. The good thing about the Afterworld is that you don't have to worry about creepy men talking to you because all of them are... well, not here.
"Oh wow. So you hardly know anything then." He chuckles in astonishment.
"So I've been told."
He stands up and moved from behind the fountain. I can see his face now and his hair. It is cut very short and is very curly. His eyes are gold, which stand out a lot in the dark. "Do you know why the water is magical?"
I shake my head.
"Here, I'll show you. Put your hand in the water."
I do as he says and dip my fingers in the water. To my surprise, it's warm and the water begins to change colors.
It changes from blue to a dark grey color. My eyes widen and so do his. I take my hand out of it and it returns to its natural state.
"Oh my..." his mouth drops open. His skin lightens when he leans in closer to the glowing fountain. "This blackish color means that you have great chaos in your future Julia."
I narrow my eyebrows. I have a hard time believing somebody I just met. Maybe he's trying to scare me.
He places his hand in the water and clouds of yellow surround his hand, slowly blending into the water. "Yellow represents friendship." He explains. "That will be a prevalent thing for me in the Afterworld. The fountain is usually correct but for your sake, I hope it isn't."
"Why not?"
"Well, everyone has a different color. Yours is just odd. Grey represents chaos and destruction. It appears you have a dark future here, Julia."
My mouth gapes open and I'm not sure how to respond to that. "Are you sure that's what it means? Why would a fountain predict my future?"
He smiles, revealing a very white set of teeth. "You have brilliant eyes and a nice face. It doesn't look like you have chaos within you, and I don't want to assume you're capable of destroying something. The colors that form either define you or they define what you will encounter. It's nothing to worry about, it could be something minor."
I can't help but assume this has something to do with Brooke, there would be no other explanation. "But what is chaos in the Afterworld? If we live in a place without evil, then how could something bad happen to me?"
He laughs, which sends chills down my spine. I don't want to be here anymore, I wish I just decided to stay in my room. "There is evil everywhere. Some places just have very little of it." The smile remains on his face. "Others have lots of it."
"Right..." I reply nervously.
"Look, I know it's weird to think about especially after we just met. Don't worry about it Juliet, everything will be fine."
Before I can thank him, Atlas is gone.
Weird chapter, don't you agree? I know that this one is kind of random but remember that nothing I say is an accident and nothing is random. Everything has a meaning to it.
Remember to vote and comment what you think happened to Brooke! :)