Hades' Lost Daughter

Chapter Eight

We trailed behind Barbara in silence. The atmosphere around us was beginning to feel humid and slightly warmer. It surprised me considering there was no possible way for that to happen. Alex's expression told me she was thinking the same thing as she scanned our surroundings every couple of minutes as if wanting to make sure we were still in the same place we lived.

Andrew stayed surprisingly quiet behind us. He seemed to be lost in thought and I couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking about. Whatever it was, it was serious. His furred eyebrows revealed as much along with the crease on his forehead. I shook my head and cleared all suspicion away, it wasn't any of my business. Even though, a small voice inside of me told me otherwise.

"How much further do we have to walk?" asked Alex. Her voice was filled with uncertainty. She was an adventurous and bold person but she sometimes lacked confidence and trust in others. It was obvious that this place was making her uncomfortable because she found no way to explain the temperature here nor the flora around us that had begun with pine and oak trees and ended up surrounded by palm trees. I did find it strange but decided to go with it, but not Alex. She wasn't easily convinced by anything.

Barbara turned to face us and her eyes settled on Alex's uncomfortable expression. Slowly, she gave her a warm smile, "it's not much further. Don't worry, Alex. You're safe with us. Just try to relax."

My friend tensed beside me as she looked at our friend unsurely. I rolled my eyes internally, knowing that if there was anything Alex wasn't good at was at trusting.

"Come on. It'll be fun," I said softly as I took her hand between mine. Her warm brown eyes settled on me as she studied me closely and I offered her a warm smile.

Finally, she sighed and nodded her head before continuing walking. It had been a while since the last time Alex and I had walked hand-in-hand. We used to do that when we were younger and Alex was just beginning to get used to life in the manor.

I had been the tough one. I had been the one who helped her adjust to her new life when Barbara and I brought her back from the hospital.

...

When the car stopped in front of the familiar building I had always considered my home, I turned to the backseat, and my eyes connected with the girl's unfamiliar gaze. I quickly turned away to look at Barbara who had already gotten out of the car.

"Where are we?" the girl managed to croak out. Her eyes looked wide and red from all the crying and her hair was no good either.

"We are in the Stars Orphanage. Do you know where that is?" I asked softly as I turned to face the girl.

She slowly shook her head and her eyes filled with sadness as she turned to face the big, brick-colored building.

"Why are we here? I want to go home," she murmured sadly. Her eyes began to tear up and panic filled me. What was I supposed to do?

Quickly, I got out of the car and opened the backdoor before holding out my hand. "You will like it here. You'll see." When she didn't make a move to grab my hand, I let out a sigh of relief.

"I know that this isn't what you wanted. I know that you want to see your parents. But they're gone and you're here. You won't have to worry about any of the other kids, I'll help you through it. I'll take care of you, Alex" I whispered softly, finally saying her name. My eyes looked at hers with nothing but sincerity.

The sound of her name must have made something inside of her shift because she looked at me and slowly nodded her head. She took my hand between hers and I helped her out of the car. We were just two young girls but given our circumstances, we had both grown up faster than many other children with parents. At least in some aspects.

As Alex and I made our way to the door with our hands grasped together, I spotted Barbara standing there looking at me with pride in her eyes and something else I couldn't decipher. I never knew why Barbara let me be the one to talk Alex into coming inside. I supposed it had to do with the fact that I didn't get along with the other girls and therefore, didn't have many friends besides her. She must have wanted me to try and give Alex an opportunity, to take her under my wing so that we could bond over time.

If that was the case, it worked. Alex and I became inseparable. We became more than best friends, we became sisters over time. I was the tough, rebellious one, while Alex was the serious, sensitive one. Any time she was scared or uncomfortable, I would take her hand in mine and give her the strength to keep going. As time passed, that happened less and less but our bond was still stronger than ever.

...

I didn't know for how long we walked nor could I come to a conclusion as to why we had to bring our bathing suits. There was nothing around us but palms and humidity.

As if reading my thoughts, Barbara stopped and waited for us to catch up. When we looked past her, my eyes widened when I saw a clear-blue lake swaying softly with the wind. Andrew came up from behind us with a wide grin on his face, "it's beautiful."

Barbara nodded her head. "This is like a personal oasis I found a couple of months back. I thought it would be a good idea to celebrate your birthday here," she said as she stepped forward. As we followed her out of the treeline, a table and chairs came to view, and on top of the table was a two-story white cake decorated with yellow and orange flames. It was beautiful.

Next to me, Andrew let out a chuckle and turned to Barbara who gave him a stern gaze. My eyebrows creased together as I watched them. Sometimes I thought they knew each other more than they let on.

Alex smiled, suddenly looking more relaxed. "I did not expect this when Barbara said she had a surprise planned for today."

I raised an eyebrow and looked at her playfully, "I thought you said you didn't know anything about this."

Alex blushed and turned away. "I mean... no. I didn't."

I chuckled and shook my head before turning to Barbara who was smiling widely. "You didn't have to do all this. Go through all this trouble for me."

Barbara quickly waved me off. "It's no trouble, dear. Besides, tomorrow you'll turn seventeen and that is something to celebrate, don't you think?"

I only shrugged and turned my attention to the lake ahead. "I think I am going to go in," I said softly before quickly taking off my clothes and jumping into the lake. When I emerged from the lake, I turned and saw Alex looking at me with wide eyes and Andrew grinning.

"Come on in. The water is great," I said with a smile as went down again.

Next to me, I felt a ripple of water and when I came out I saw Andrew swimming next to me, looking more excited than I had ever seen him.

Alex was the last to join us and instead of jumping in, she walked inside, shivering. "It's not very warm," she said accusingly and I laughed while shaking my head.

"Barbara, it's your turn," I called after a minute of splashing around with the others.

She only smiled at me from shore and nodded her head. "In a minute, Aileen. There is something I must do first. I'll be back in a second," she called back before disappearing through the forest.

I tilted my head sideways, unable to tell where she had disappeared to. Suddenly, someone threw a wave of water towards me and I gasped in shock.

Andrew and Alex laughed and shook their heads as they watched me. "Got you," Andrew said.

My cheeks started to flare up and I quickly threw a wave towards him. Steam was coming off of it as it evaporated and I began to wonder how warm it was in here to make that happen.

Andrew didn't look surprised as he quickly avoided the way and submerged.

Alex, on the other hand, was swimming next to me. Her eyes were filled with surprise as she looked around. "That's odd. The water feels warmer around you. There must be a warm current coming in but it doesn't make sense," she thought out loud.

I didn't say anything as I let my friend think about it and then shrugged. "You're the smart one. I just know that it feels nice swimming here."

Alex eyed me closely but didn't say anything as she watched me dive into the lake.

...

I lost track of how much time we had spent in the lake and as the minutes passed, we decided to play a game. By the time Barbara reappeared, she was holding a jug along with a basket. "Hey, what's that?" Alex called from far within the lake.

"Food. Aren't you hungry? You have been there for a couple of hours," Barbara said as she set everything on the table.

My eyes widened and landed on Andrew's. He shrugged and swam back to shore. The waves that had rippled through the lake began to descend until it was still again. A wave of confusion ran over me as I looked at Andrew again and noticed him watching me too.

Quickly, I turned away and rushed out of the lake and towards one of the towels Alex had brought with her. Setting it around me, I walked towards the table where Barbara was taking out all the food inside the basket.

"You should have joined us," I said softly.

Barbara shook her head. "This was all for you. I wanted to do something different for your birthday. But, I still have my job back in the manor. I will only be able to pop back and forth in intervals. I hope that is alright."

I nodded my head in understanding as I took a seat on the bench and Alex appeared quickly next to me. "What did you bring? I'm starving," she said excitedly. I chuckled and shook my head at her.

"I brought hot dogs, fries, sandwiches, tuna salad. A little bit of everything," Barbara responded with a wink.

My mouth began to water at the sight of food and quickly grabbed one of the paper plates on the table and filled it. Everyone followed after me and I could feel Alex's surprised glance at me as she watched how much food I had grabbed.

"Are you okay?" she whispered worriedly.

I nodded my head as I took a bite of the second hot-dog. "Yes. Why wouldn't I be?" I asked slowly.

Alex shrugged and pointed at all the food on my plate which was some tuna salad and a couple of french fries.

"You don't usually eat this much. That's all," she said softly. Slowly, she put the back of her hand on my forehead and her eyes widened in surprise. "Jesus, Aileen. You're burning up. Are you sure you're alright?" she asked, a little bit louder now.

Alex's tone had caught Barbara's attention and she quickly turned to us. "Is there something wrong?"

I gave Alex a look that told her not to say anything but she was already turning towards Barbara. "I think Aileen is ill. She has a temperature."

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "No, I'm fine. If I were feeling ill I wouldn't be so defensive about it," I murmured.

Barbara and Andrew shared a look and I raised an eyebrow at them.

Finally, Barbara smiled and waved Alex off. "Don't worry, dear. I'm sure that it's because of all that exercise in the lake. She looks fine to me."

Alex didn't seem convinced but she didn't push the subject any longer as she returned to her food.

Annoyance filled me. Why was Alex so worried about me? I had already told her I felt fine. And it was the truth. I did feel fine. Actually, I felt energetic and carefree. At that moment, I was happy with just being here eating with the people who meant the most to me. I didn't think anything would be able to ruin my mood.