As we were travelling, we talked and laughed. Even Leon joined in with his own jokes and stories. For once, my mind was off the Reaper. The last time I truly enjoyed myself like this was at daily dinners with my family. There was so much about Casey, Kiana, Blair, and Leon that reminded me of my family. And yet, they all were different.
But, the talking and laughing didn't last forever. Soon, we were back on the trail, and heading for Syren. But as we walked, there were more disturbing things. I even saw a number of skulls on the side of the trail.
"Um, Casey? Which part of the map is this?" Leon asked, which was exactly what I was thinking.
Casey glanced at the map. The more he looked at the map, the more his eyes seemed to widen.
"I suggest walking through this place very quickly," he said suddenly.
Blair frowned. "Why? Where are we?" she asked.
"We're by Haely Graves." he answered.
I didn't know what Haely Graves was, but the looks on Leon's and Blair's faces didn't make it seem like a nice place.
"What's Haely Graves?" I asked.
"A cemetery." Casey said, his face grim, "A cemetery for sacrifices."
That made my eyes widen. A cemetery for sacrifices?! Then, I remembered the word Haely. It was one of the words made up by Xera. It meant "mortem" in Latin, otherwise known as "death" in English.
"Can't we take another way around?" Leon asked. He didn't want to go either.
"We can't. If we go off the trail, we can't get back on again. We're going to have to go in and out as quickly as possible."
Soon, we approached a curtain of ivy separating the forest and Haely Graves.
"Alright. Don't look around if you can't handle it. Just look straight, ok?" Casey ordered.
Everyone nodded. Casey pulled back the curtain of ivy, and we stepped inside. As soon as we do, I immediately regret it.
Haely Graves was unlike any other cemetery I've ever seen. Instead of graves, bodies were lying out in the open. There were no headstones. They just had Xs written in the dirt above their heads. The silence was deafening, too sad to stand.
We all walked ahead, staring straight like Casey said. Blair, who was carrying Kiana now, closed Kiana's eyes so that she couldn't see. Leon looked at his feet, tears in his eyes. No one is talking now.
We almost made it to the end, when I heard a voice, even though no one was talking.
"Nova… Nova.." it said, echoing in my head.
It was then I made a mistake. I looked back. And, I can't believe my eyes. I saw Asher.
There was no mistaking it. The body in the grass had dark brown hair and tanned skin, just like me. His eyes were blue. No one in the whole town had blue eyes and brown hair except Asher.
I stood there, petrified, as I saw his body. It couldn't be. No. It can't. But, I can hear his voice in my head. The same voice that would joke at the dinner table. The same one that would stop my tears. The same one that brought smiles to my face. The same voice that would never speak again.
I crumpled to my knees. I never knew that I could cry so many tears. I could see Casey burst back into the clearing in the corner of my eyes. After my tears come, I suddenly feel suffocated. The world starts to spin. What was happening? Maybe it was my time too. My time to see my brother again.
I can feel myself falling and hitting the floor, before I black out.
…
When I opened my eyes, I saw a blurry face staring at me. Asher? I couldn't help but think. Was I dead? This is what it felt like to be dead?
But as my vision focused, I realized it was just Casey staring down at me. So, I wasn't dead.
I sat up, rubbing my head. I had a strong headache, almost like a migraine. As I glanced around, I saw Blair and Leon staring at me, worried. I could see Kiana clinging to Blair, her eyes wide.
Suddenly, I felt someone hugging me, and when I see who it is, my stomach twists. It was Casey. I slowly pushed him off, embarrassed.
"What happened?" I asked.
But, Casey didn't answer. For a minute, I saw that he was crying. Was it that big of a deal?
Finally, he spoke. "Are you okay? Is there anything wrong? I'm sorry I didn't check on you. This is all my fault!"
I stared at him, taken aback. I never saw him act like this. Blair walked up to him, and hugged him.
"It's not your fault, I told you a thousand times. Remember when we passed through there last time? Leon fainted too."
Leon nodded. "It's the worst place I've ever been to in my life."
Blair turned to look at me. "How are you? Are you feeling fine?" she said softly.
For some reason, those words had an effect on me. Next thing I knew, I was crying too. I told them everything that happened. About the voice, about Asher, and about how I felt.
After I finished, I cried some more, and Blair hugged me too.
"I'm sorry that happened to you. Haely Graves is the worst place in this region. But, now it's over. We're never going back there, I promise you."
I sniffed, tears on my face. Casey stopped crying, but he looked away, his face sad. Before I knew what I was doing, I held his hand.
"It's not your fault, Casey. It never was. If you didn't notice I was gone, I would've been there forever." I reassured him.
He didn't answer, but I felt him squeeze my hand in thanks.
Blair stood up. "Ok, I doubt that anyone would want to travel any more today after what happened, so let's find shelter, and call it a night. Besides, the sun's setting."
She turned to me. "I'll be on the lookout this time." And, I think I see her wink.
…
The next day, I woke up at dawn. I sat up, and rubbed my eyes. Part of the night, I was tossing and turning, thinking about Haely Graves. But soon, I finally fell into a deep sleep.
I looked around the cave where we were sleeping. I saw Leon and Kiana, sleeping together like always. But for a second, I don't see Casey. Then, I look to my right. He's sleeping right next to me.
I felt my face go red yet again. How many times was this going to happen? And why didn't I notice him earlier? I'm suddenly aware of Blair by the mouth of the cave, looking back at me with one of her annoying grins. UGH!
I walked up at Blair and sat next to her.
"How'd you sleep?" she said, chuckling.
"I hate you." I simply replied.
…
As soon as everyone got up, everything seemed back to normal. Casey seemed to forget Haely Graves as he looked at the map.
"How close are we to Syren?" Leon asked while combing his fingers through his hair.
"We're halfway there. Approximately 6 days would pass by until we're there. Assuming, we only stop for sleep, and that there's only good weather." Casey answered.
"What if we stop for more than sleep, and there's thunderstorms every day?" Blair asked.
"Then we'll get there in 2 or 3 weeks."
"Then, let's just hope there's little breaks, and good weather all week." I said, putting my hair up in a ponytail.
As we ate dried fish and canned fruit for breakfast, I sat next to Blair.
"I wonder what it's like in Syren." I said to her.
"Me too. Guess what? I heard in books that since Syren is basically a trading post, everyone is rich there. No one's homeless, and everyone lives in huge mansions." Blair replied dreamily.
"That seems amazing."
"It is. And also, the Syren council doesn't make all the decisions. They believe the villagers should have the right to choose. And, get this. Syren is well known for its potions. They can cure exinta, work as a non-aging solution, and make you immune to any diseases!"
"The way these books talk about Syren. They make it seem like paradise." I said, popping a pineapple slice in my mouth.
"Yeah. Maybe that's why Xera didn't show it to the public. Syren makes Xera look like trash."
Leon walked over to us, and sat down. "That's because Xera is trash."
"True," Blair and I said in unison.
Casey walked over and shook his head, a smile on his face. "After you guys are done complaining how Xera is trash, we're about to leave. So, finish eating and we can go."
It wasn't long till we all finished our food, and resumed our journey. The trees seemed to be thicker than ever, and only little rays of light could be seen through the trees.
I was back to carrying Kiana on my back. I could feel her sleeping. For a minute, I wish that I could do the same since I only slept for part of the night, but the talking kept me up.
This time, I was at the front of the group with Casey. I hadn't talked to him alone since just 2 days ago. Not to mention, I strangely have stomach aches or my face burns whenever I'm around him these days.
Finally, he says, "Sorry."
"Sorry for what?" I asked, confused.
"I freaked out yesterday. I'm kind of embarrassed about it." he said, his face turning red.
"Oh, it's fine. I wouldn't blame you for freaking out. I would've if you were stuck in Haely Graves." I said.
"I once was."
"Really?" I asked.
He nodded. "But, don't worry. Haely Graves isn't all that real. Sure, there are some dead bodies there. But, it can play tricks on you."
"What kind of tricks?"
"They make you see your loved one dead when they're actually not."
I fell silent. Haely Graves can do that? Does that mean that Asher can be alive?! I sigh. I shouldn't get my hopes up. Because I learned long ago that getting your hopes up only for it to come crashing down is a feeling you don't want to have.
"Maybe my brother isn't dead after all." I said.
"Yeah, probably. Is your brother a sacrifice?"
I slowly nodded. "He got sacrificed when I was 14."
"Sorry."
"Don't be."
As Casey smiled at me, I strangely didn't feel my stomach twist anymore, and I smiled back.
…
As we walked, Blair suddenly yelled, "Wait!"
We turned to face her, alarmed.
"What is it? Did something happen?" Leon asked.
"No, but I just saw something."
"The Reaper?!" Leon asked again.
"No, you dummy! I saw a building!"
We glanced at each other, confused. A building? All the way out here?
"I don't think there's a building, Blair. There's not a city around for miles." Casey told her, while Leon nodded.
"I know what I saw. And, I'm telling you. I saw a building. Come look!" Blair insisted.
As we followed her reluctantly, Blair pushed tree branches out of the way, and stood aside.
"Told you." she said.
We all gasped. Looming a few feet away was a tall, wide brick building.