Gardens of Time

Chapter 8

I quickly grabbed my bag, trying to hurry and get to the car without being seen. I don't know why, but I felt like I had committed the biggest sin last night with Eden. And I also don't know why, but I felt like Eli would take one look at me and know what I did to his daughter. The very thing he tried to keep me from doing, I bet.

"You sure are in a hurry to leave," Lexine says, seemingly coming from no where.

I laughed nervously, putting on my shoes. "Like I said, I was ready to leave last night," I stated and she sighed.

"Of course, anything that's good you hate," she folded her arms, saying matter-of-factly.

"That's actually not true, and I'd love to be get into detail about it, but I actually have a lot of work waiting for me at home," I told her, and she smiled teasingly.

"You actually care about work?" She laughed.

"I actually take my job very seriously, Lexine," I stated, rolling my eyes because I was actually starting to get irritated with her. "Just because I'm not opposed to fun doesn't mean I don't care. Maybe you should take notes, cause you're like a walking, talking, breathing example of how all work and no play makes you." At that, her mouth dropped, and I pushed past her with my stuff. "Now if you don't mind I'd like to get out of here."

"Well, fine," she says with a scoff. "What type of work do you need to do anyways? Cause you certainly did not find Dwade." We walked side by side down the long hallway, and I prayed I wouldn't run into anyone.

"And that is exactly why I need to get back," I said matter-of-factly, "so I can do that. Don't show your ignorance, its not cute." At that she made a face at me, then I pulled out phone.

"Erik!" She scolded. "You can't just pull that out here! You know we can't do that in front of anyone regardless of if they know or not."

"Yeah, yeah I know." We went towards the back of the palace, and she trailed quietly behind me. "Can you lift the ban from dimension eight?" I asked her, and she rolled her eyes.

"Why?" She asked, and I sighed.

"I need to get something out of my apartment there," I explained nervously. "Pleassseee," I begged her like a little kid, having flashbacks of when I used to beg my Mother for candy and toys.

"Ugh," she groaned. "Fine." She disappeared for a quick second, and then reappeared like she never left. "It's lifted... but only for one day." I sighed with relief, and decided that I would make a detour before going home.

"Thanks, Lexi, I'll be home tomorrow."

"Welcome back to the underworld," I muttered to myself, gazing around my poorly furnished studio apartment. I got this apartment so I can come here in peace whenever my life went to s**t. Now that I'm banned I guess it would be safe to say I should just sell it, or get rid of it. But I guess I may as well make the most out of my last day here.

I made my way to the shower and turned it on. I don't think that I showered but one time when I was at the Palace. I let the steaming hot water hit my body, and finally closed my eyes to relax. I know I'm supposed to be focusing on Dwade, but yet my mind still keeps traveling back to Eden. She makes it extremely difficult to focus.

In order to put her out of my head, I had to focus on my work. Everyone on this earth is being tracked in a database except for Dwade. How is that possible? My mind suddenly remembered the case that I heard of a teenager that went missing. Maybe if I can find her, and find how she's able to escape the tracker, then I can find the answer to Dwade.

With a new found mission, I got out of the shower and got dressed, making my way to my favorite club in this dimension, 'Chrome'. I've been coming to this club for years, so everyone knows me, and I'm cool with the guys that work there.

I sat at the corner of the bar, and ordered a beer. I usually get hammered when I come, but I decided to be halfway responsible and focus on what I came here for; to find Raelyn. Or rather, find out how she was able to stop being tracked.

"What's up Erik," Gregor said, coming up to me at the bar.

"Nothing, I'm actually trying to find a girl," I explained to him, and he laughed, cleaning glasses behind the bar.

"You're always trying to find a girl, Erik." At that I rolled my eyes, and smirked.

"Yeah, but this time it's for a reason." I pulled out my phone and showed him a picture of Raelyn, he glanced over it and shook his head.

"I don't think I've ever seen her before, but if she's ever been here, I think the person you should ask is Frida. She knows everyone that's ever stepped foot in here."

"Is she here?" I asked him.

"Relax," he sighed, pouring me a vodka on the rocks. "She'll be here in twenty minutes." He handed the drink to me, and I shook my head softly.

"Alright, fine." I finished the drink in one swig, and he poured another. "This is on the house right?" I joked, and he laughed with a nod of his head.

"Always, I'll let you know when she gets here." I drunk the other drink, and continued to sip on my beer while I waited for Frida. The song 'Latch' by Disclosure started to play, and I smiled softly to myself because I hadn't heard that song in a while.

My intention was to just stand there, but as soon as I turned around I saw the side profile of what looked like Eden. Except her hair wasn't natural, it was in long plaits, and she looked like she belonged here. I immediately started walking towards her, as if by a command. Was it really her? She began to walk away, and I followed her frame through the crowd. Finally, she turned to look at me, and I knew that it was either her or a complete replica of her.

She smiled softly at me, and began to dance on the dance floor. I still made my way towards her, but she didn't push me away. When I was close enough to her, she pulled me closer, making me dance with her. I was in complete and utter shock, I didn't know if this was one of those weird things that kept happening, or if she was actually real.

I had to put my hands around her just to see. Her form was soft and it was very much real, but I have no idea if it was actually her. I didn't argue with whoever it was though, I just let her stay in my arms as long as she was willing to. Suddenly, she began to leave, and I couldn't help but follow her.

For some reason, she went to the back exit instead of the front, but I started to fall behind her a lot because of the people in front of us. Once I got outside she was already gone, and I shook my head. What am I doing? I asked myself, closing my eyes.

"Erik, really?" I said to myself outside, and it was then that I noticed the girl smoking on the side of me. "Sorry," I murmured, and she furrowed her brows at me.

"I heard you were looking for me," she said suddenly, and once my eyes adjusted to the night I realized that it was Raelyn. "If you're trying to take me back to my parents, it's not going to happen."

I blinked in response, shocked that I thought this little girl was innocent. Her natural brown hair had purple stripes in it, and it was very unkempt, she had caramel colored skin, and her clothes were way too big but I feel like that was on purpose.

"I don't wanna take you back to your parents," I told her honestly. "Where do you live here?" I knew that wasn't really what I wanted, but I felt like I should know.

"With friends..." She said, trailing off, and I immediately knew she was lying.

"How did you get pass the tracker?" I asked her, shaking my head softly at her.

"Why do you care?" She asked.

"Because I need to know, and because I know that information is valuable, I'm willing to trade you for it." I smirked at her, and she pinched her face in wonder.

"What do you have to trade? You came out here talking to yourself," she teased and I ignored her little comment.

"I have an empty apartment, and I was gonna get rid of it, but I'm willing to trade it. I do think you should go home, but since I know you're not going to, I at least want you to be safe. And what are you doing here anyways? The eight dimension is not a place for a little girl."

"I am seventeen, I'm not a little girl. I can go to whatever dimension I want to. But I just can't stay long..." I nodded, because I already knew why. If we stay in a dimension we don't belong in, our existence starts to fade away into oblivion, so we have to leave.

"Just keep the apartment, and when you go to the seventh dimension, stay at the Palace and tell them that I sent you. I can help you as long as I can, but you have to go back eventually."

"Don't you get it?" She groaned in frustration. "If I go back, it's back to the tracking, the surveillance! I can't take it! That's why I ran away, that's how I found a way to get rid of it. I don't want to be controlled anymore, I wanna live my life alone." She reached into her bag, and pulled out a small, sealed ziploc bag. "This is how I did it," she said, giving it to me. "Thanks for the apartment, but you'll get tired of them tracking you too."