The Petals of A Dream - II

Waking up ((Chapter 24))

***Alaire's POV***

It took me forever just to convince myself to move out of the comfortable soft mattress where I slept. I awkwardly swung my legs to the cobbled floor and balanced myself.

Sheesh... I felt so weird, and I was not even drunk. It must be from total lack of sleep.

I flexed my stiff muscles and checked my joints. Yep, they were still there, though I felt otherwise.

Beyond the glass panes, I noticed that the sky was still dark outside. Weird. I was sure it must be around eight in the morning. I paced towards the window and narrowed my eyes. From a distance, masses of purple and grayish clouds covered the sun. What's that thing? A storm? That's impossible. We were in the middle of the mainland Celes, not near the seaside.

I clicked my tongue as I realized that it must be the work of the Alphas. That thing must be a tracking spell. I yawned and closed the windows, pulling the blinds down as I headed for my things. As soon as I was ready, I stepped out of my room into the pebbled hallway.

I had merely taken a step away from the door when I heard a soft noise coming from below. Everyone must be awake by now. I closed the door softly and locked it.

"You look tired," a female voice commented from behind. I turned around in an exaggeratedly slow manner, hiding a yawn as the orange-haired healer smiled. What was her name again? Ella? Aira?

"I barely slept," I replied nonchalantly while rubbing my eyes. I stretched out and folded my arms behind my head.

"You better hurry," she said as she walked pass me. "Those guys are pigs. If I were you, I'll get my fill of food."

I laughed at her and together, we came down to the dining hall. I was surprised by how much food was laid on the table. It was like a feast! There are varieties of fruits and salads, and fishes and bread and meat! Grilled red meat! Great! My favorite. Just looking at it made my mouth water. I immediately pulled an empty chair and joined in.

The guys laughed and bickered, while the women giggled and chattered. Despite the problems we are about to face, these guys seemed to forget them for now. They gave off an aura of hope.

But hell, this bunch is really noisy, too noisy for a gloomy morning like this.

"Hey! Is this really just for breakfast, or are we eating a day's load?" I asked with stuffed mouth, while picking a big chunk of meat into my platter. Some part of me feel kind of embarrassed as a noble, acting disgraceful like this. But somehow, I feel light, like I was home. The atmosphere their company have was warm and vibrant.

"Neither of those!" yelled Steven who was flushed. "This is just the appetizer man! Appetizer, you hear me?"

"Guys, can't you tone down a bit? Aldina is still asleep," hushed Wrynlace as she offered more food. "You know she's grumpier in the morning."

Steven simply laughed, but they did tone down. Aldina, huh. The little bitch? Seeing her bad attitude get worse surely would be interesting. I turned around and noticed that a few people were actually missing.

"Where's Yhuelle?" I asked to the person beside me, who happened to be the male twin. I think his name was Tharne or something...

"He's in Yolan's room, still sleeping."

"Really?" I asked surprised. "That's weird. Yhuelle never overslept before."

I stood up and placed more meat and bread on my plate.

"Hey! No fair! You're such a glutton!" shouted Theletta, his noisy sister.

"For you information, I'm bringing this to my pal upstairs." I smirked at her and climbed the stairs, carrying the food on one hand. I walked towards the room on the farthest side of the left wing and knocked. I waited for a few seconds but received no response.