Heart part 1

Chapter 31 - Rock Bottom

Day and night, they travelled over dunes and through endless bounds of hot sand. Throughout the trek, they barely got any chance to rest thanks to Dandy's constant pushing for them to keep going. Despite the trip draining Esther, Jaqueline, and Sandy more than any of the last, it at least went without a hitch. Not once were they attacked by any of the so-called threats that Dandy had warned them about and they didn't even get hit by a single dust storm. But the suns still took the time to bake them alive during the day.

The final day before they would reach their destination, they stopped to rest for the night. Shortly after his tent was set up, Dandy and Bagon disappeared behind the covers, leaving everyone else on their own. Even long after their tent had been made, Esther, Jaqueline, and Sandy opted to help get everyone else's tent set up first before calling it a night. After about an hour of running back and forth, everyone was all set and the three finally took a step inside their tent to get their much-deserved night's rest.

" Do any of you have any lythol left?" Jaqueline asked, looking over at the other two as they made their beds with a cup full of water in one hand and an ancient-looking toothbrush in the other.

" Oh, yeah," Esther stuck a hand inside her pack and rummaged around for a moment before pulling back out with a small box in hand. " here you go."

Esther reached over and handed it to her.

" Thanks," Jaqueline uttered, grabbing the box from her hand and turning back.

Seeing her return to her own world, Esther watched as she popped the top of the box off, took a pinch of the green powder inside, and sprinkled it across the top of her toothbrush. Lifting it over and dunking it down into her cup, she swirled the toothbrush around for a moment before pulling it back out and sticking it into her mouth. As she watched her, Esther couldn't help but think back to what happened days prior at the Ceshilatu.

" She seems fine right now...but how much of that is just a facade?" Esther furrowed her brow in frustration and worry.

Spitting a mouth full of water and foam back into the cup, after dumping it outside the tent, Jaqueline returned, stuffed her brush and cup away, and crawled into bed.

" Goodnight." She uttered as she hid herself beneath the sheets.

With an anxious sigh blowing out, Esther tucked herself under her blankets and began to dim the lantern. But as she began to turn the knob, in the corner of her eye, she noticed Sandy stood arched by the window, looking out it with a glare.

" Uh...what are you doing?" Esther abruptly asked her in a low voice.

Rolling her eyes over, Sandy glanced at her momentarily before swiftly turning back. " Oh, it's nothing. Go on, get some sleep. I'll join you guys in a minute."

Shooting her a confused look, Esther shrugged and laid down in her makeshift bed sitting flat on the ground. As she pulled a blanket over her, Sandy watched her from the corner of her eye. Once she was fully tucked in, Sandy turned her gaze back. Her eyes watched their surroundings like a hawk, looking out for anything strange. Letting out a tired yawn, she slapped the sleepiness out of her. It was going to be a long night.

Meanwhile, in Dandy's tent, he sat with his hands crossed in front of him. His face was tilted down to his desk and his eyes hid within the shadow being cast over his face. Like a gargoyle, Bagon kept watch near the tent's entrance. Minutes passed by and Dandy had yet to utter a single word and his face stood stiller than stone. But as a fresh breeze of cold wind blew by and flew into his tent, chilling the inside, the sides of his cheeks slowly grew into a heart-stopping grin. With a breakneck swish, he flew up out of his seat. As if some spirit or craze-inducing plague had taken control of his body, he cocked his hips to the side and began to dance.