Chapter Twenty

Hay

Harsh light woke me along with a kink in my back. Where am I? I remember thinking. When I looked around, I saw hay, and lots of it. And, as if I had asked the question out loud, a voice came out clearly.

"A hay pile," It was Doyle's voice.

"Huh?" I groaned.

"Your in a hay pile. You asked, didn't you?" Okay, maybe I wasn't thinking. Maybe I said it out loud. " It's where I sleep. Well, actually I sleep over there, but it's close enough." He pointed to my right. I wasn't going to bother looking though. It was too bright.

"Come on, sleeping beauty." He called, opening a door or something, letting more cursed light it.

"Yeah, right. Why don't you come over here and kiss me, and maybe I'll call you Prince Charming." I said sarcastically sleepy.

"Man, you have no idea how good it feels to call someone that and have them actually understand what it means." He gave a little laugh.

I had completely forgot that he was from the real world. I immediately shot up. "Holy cow," I screamed. "I forgot! You're from the real world. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Same reason you didn't tell me. I thought you would think I was crazy." He grabbed a pitchfork.

"How did you get here?" I got up and followed him to where ever he was going. Unfortunately it was out into the bright sun.

"I told you. I woke up here." He rolled his eyes. "You must have done a number to yourself last night."

"Last night," I remembered all of a sudden. "Oh, my god! I have to get to work. Hell! What time is it?"

"Breakfast time for the horses. Otherwise, I don't know. I wake up at dawn." He was now piling hay for the horses.

"Where's Ayden!" I was now running my fingers through my greasy, hay filled hair. I looked down and noticed my dress had hay all over it.

"It's okay," He was saying in a soothing voice. "He's hidden. He already got his breakfast."

"I gotta go," I was looking around for something that I wouldn't find. I was just frantically looking around for no reason.

"Hey," Doyle tossed me something. It was a brush. "Brush you hair. You look like something from The Exorcist." He gave a chuckle. "That feels sooo good. You really have no idea." I brushed my hair through, trying to get out all of the hay and knots.

"Take me to Ayden. I have to get to work." I was picking hay off my dress.

"Okay, okay, chill out. Come on. I'll get him for you." He put the pitchfork down and started to walk away. I followed and found Ayden tied to a tree. Doyle saddled him for me while I picked hay off myself. When he was finished I mounted him.

"Thanks for not leaving me in the woods," I was about to ride away, when, "Hey, Doyle."

"What?" He turned.

"I'll come visit later today if I can. Maybe we can ride. You think so?" He looked at me funny. I think he thought I thought (confused yet?) I was making it like a date, so, "Ayden needs a good ride. He hasn't had one yet."

He still looked a little suspiciously at me. "Sure, I need to know a little about the World anyway." He said the world like I would say the real world.

"What ever. If you make it before two, I can get you lunch, probably." I said.

"I'll try, and try is the key word. Don't wait up if I don't come."

"What ever, I have to go. I think I'm late." And with that I rode away as fast as I could keep balance on Ayden.

When I got to town, I tied up Ayden and entered the Dove. I sneaked past Solom, and into the kitchen. I saw Lili holding my apron up, like she knew I was going to be there right then.

"Late?" She asked, even thought she knew the answer.

"How did you know?" I asked surprised she knew.

"Molly saw you when you came in. She kept Solom distracted for you as long as she could." I grabbed my apron and put it on. I started to look around for Molly.

When I found her, she was smiling that you-owe-me look. "Thank you soo much, Molly," (Molly is another maid, if your lost right about know.) I took knowledge of her look. "I owe you."

"Sure do, girly." She smiled. "Now get over there and clean dishes. I hear Solom. Both of you, go!" We sprinted to the sink.

"Does she have super Solom radar, or something?" I asked Lili.

"What's Radar?" She asked me back. (Stupid, stupid, stupid)

"Does she have super hearing when it comes to Solom?"

"I would hope so. She's been working her for over fifteen years." That was a long time.

Later on, as I was finishing a dish, Lili's hand went behind my head and started to pull my hair.

"Hey, what was that for?" I asked, kinda mad that she pulled my hair for no good reason.

She produced a peace of hay. "Why do you have hay in you hair?"

"It's a long story. You don't wanna know." I went back to washing, but Lili didn't.

When I looked to see why, I saw her mouth open wide. "What?" I asked.

"Did you..." She seemed at a loss for a certain word. "Did you, you know, with a guy last night?" She looked astonished at me, like she believed it.

"Me? What? No!" I couldn't believe she thought that. "No! I most certainly did not. Not that, anyway."

"But you where with a guy." I couldn't deny it.

"We didn't do anything. Were just friends." She looked doubtfully at me. " Really, if not, less. He really kind of a jerk."

"But you where with a guy, all night."

"I passed out and he doesn't know where I live, so he took me to his place."

She picked another piece of hay out of my hair. "And he lives, where? In a straw house?"

"He was adopted, and he worked with horses." I can't believe I was defending Doyle.

Right then, M. Tyler came up to us. "Dishes not enough work for you, ladies?" We didn't know what to say. Lili was absolutely afraid of her, and I was intimidated by her. "Maybe I should make you ladies work out on the floor. Yes, that's what I'll do. Go on now. Get to work." We hesitated. "NOW!" And we scampered out of the kitchen.

About fifteen minutes later George walked through the door with Anastasia strait for me. When he approached me, he said, "Hey Gwen. Where were you this morning? We went to get you to see if you wanted to ride with us, but mother said she hadn't seen you since yesterday. Where were you?"

I hesitated. "Me, I was..." I rubbed my head like I was in pain so I could make up an excuse. I mean I couldn't say, ' I when with a total stranger to visit some gypsies then I passed out and ended up in his bed.' That just wouldn't work.

"I was at...Lili's house." Lili, who wasn't very far away, heard her name and looked up. "Wasn't I, Lili?"

"What?" She asked, obviously not following my conversation.

I turned my whole body towards her, so I could wink with out George noticing. "Didn't I stay at you house last night?" Wink.

She didn't understand at first, but a second wink made her understand. "Oh. Y-yes. She was."

"You see, I was going to go home when I felt sick so I got off Ayden and started to vomit. It was just by chance that Lili was going home and she found me."

"Are you okay?" George asked, concerned.

"Yes, yeah, I'm fine now."

"What was Lili doing out at that hour?" A asked. What was this, the Spanish Inquisition?

Lili stepped in. (Did I mention I love this kid.) "I was coming home from a friends. She was sick also and I was talking care of here." She said in a very sweet, soft voice and her head down.

Right then George reached behind my head and pulled hay from my hair. I looked over at Lili and she gave me that sorry-I-didn't-see-that-piece look.

"Why do you have straw in you hair?" A asked as George looked at it curiously.

"I was, uhh, playing with Ayden this morning and he thought I would be funny to knock me in a pile of hay." I smiled a fake smile hoping they would eat it up.

"Oh, okay." George said. I guess it worked. "Well, we're hungry. Can we get something to eat over here?" And after that it was normal. Doyle didn't come and at the end of the day, so I decided I would go home first. I needed to clean up anyway.

Well, I got home and gave the same excuse to Elenni that I told George, and that leads me to where I am now. And my wrist hurts.

That's better. Yea, I've learned that simple healing is- well, simple. I just have to reach into the darkness of my mind until I reach the pool of light, then picture myself slathering the liquid light over what hurts. I don't know it works with major wounds but maybe I'll learn one day. But not on myself, I hope. That would-

Sorry about that. Elenni had a customer come in. It was a boy this time. Twelve or thirteen this time. He had a few large gashes on his body.

On the bright side, I got to test the question I asked earlier. The one about me wondering if my thought about if I can use my gift on large wounds like I do on small ones. It worked, bit it was slightly harder. It took me about fifteen-ish minutes to do half of his wounds. But once I got the hang of it, it was pretty easy; well, as easy as it gets any way.

When we where finished, the kid offered us money. Elenni said she didn't want it, but he insisted. He also asked if he could eat a little something. He offered money on this too, and insisted she take it.

He got some leftover food from the previous night, while Elenni and I ate some fruit.

I decided I wanted to talk to Kia today. I don't know why. It's like when you get those bad feeling about going somewhere, but backwards. I wanted to go.

"Um, Mistress Copper," I started to ask. She looked up at me from her previous spot on the wall. "I was talking to a friend that I met the other day, and she said she could teach me how to further my gift. I was wondering if, this after noon, may I go to her house?"

"Where do you know her from?" She asked, absent-mindedly. I think she was pondering about the boy.

"From work." I said, hopping she would say yes.

She did.

Shortly after the conversation, the boy finished his meal and thanked us. After he left, both Elenni and I where curious about the boy. But he did no harm to us, so we figured he was an okay kid. And yes we looked for stolen goods, but there where none that caught the eye.

"Well, I better get going." I finished my second apple and grabbed this journal. I don't know why. It was just sitting there, so I grabbed it. I guess I've gotten attached to you...it...the journal...you know what I mean.

Anyway, I have to get going. I just stopped for a little while under some shade because it's kinda hot today, and Ayden and I needed to get out of the sun.

Hey, I think I see a bread cart. Do you think Doyle will be hungry? Well, I'm going to put you back in the saddlebag and I'm going to make my good brother proud.

Hope I can do it.

Yes, i know. It's a short chapie. It was a sort of fun chapter to write. Sorry such a short chapter took so long. I've been...preoccupied. And i have writers block kinda. I just don't feel like writing. But i must for the sake of my fans. ok. (sorry for the BKL) And uhh thank to those of you how told me that Numair's magic is Black with sparklies. I though it was just black. My foult. Sorry for copying Numairs magic. But i can't change it now. Sorry.