Caelevoria

Caelevoria - chapter 8

~Chapter 8~

"Ooh, ow. Ahh. Owww." Slight sounds escape my lips as I slowly lower myself into the scalding water. Ooh yeah, this is nice.

I wandered into the washroom shortly after Madam Golding left us, just intending to look around. It's a rather small room, with a white tiled floor and creamy walls. Aside from the tub, the room also contains a small chamber pot in the far right corner, mirrored by shelves full of towels on the left. Next to these are a pitcher and washbasin on a small table, partnered with a plain rectangular mirror on the wall. The rope Madam Golding mentioned hangs right next to the mirror's reflective surface. By the tub, a small stand holds three or four different bars of soap. By the time I saw all of this, I simply couldn't resist. I turned around and shut the door, luckily finding a simple latch to lock it with. I examined the tub for a few seconds before dropping a bar of soap into the bottom and turning the faucet on full blast. As it filled with subtle but sweet smelling foamy water, I grabbed a soft white towel and a washcloth from the shelves, laying them on the rack with the soap, quickly stripped off all my clothes, and turned off the faucet as the water filled the tub a little over halfway.

As I sink into the water, I can feel the dirt melting off me. "Mmmm," I say intelligently, but I really can't blame myself. I haven't had a proper bath since I've gotten here. Of course Eru gave me a small basin of hot water and a cloth to 'freshen up' with while I was at her house, but nothing compares to a hot, soapy, steamy bubble bath. Greater than anything, however, is the chance to relax. I haven't had any time to myself since...well, since I knocked on Aaron's door and insisted on exploring the woods without Callie. I think back to that morning, not even three days ago. It seems so much longer.

My mind starts wandering to the journey ahead of us, and our future meeting with the elves. Not only will they (hopefully) help us find Eru, but also I just really want to meet them. From what the book said, elves have great power here, and great knowledge. They're a peaceful race, but don't hesitate to defend themselves if necessary. I remember reading that they have great healing powers, many weapons, and even magic. Not like potions and spells magic, but gifts that they've gained from their close bond with nature. They might just be the key to saving Eru and Caelevoria. And yes, I do think that these two things are connected; I don't believe in coincidences. This means, though, that the success of our quest to save Eru may determine the fate of this world.

I sink a little lower in the water and sigh. That's a lot of pressure for one girl to handle, even with the help of a guy like Calder. On top of that, I have absolutely no idea what will happen after we find the elves. Will they even help us? And where will we go from there? Hmm. I try to shove those questions - and the countless others that pop up - to the back of my mind. There's no way to know what the next step in our journey will be, not until we reach the elves. Therefore, there's no point in worrying about it. So why can't I pull my mind away from the gaping unknown that looms in my future?

Ugh. I take a deep breath and plunge under the water, settling myself on the bottom of the tub. I slowly purge the air from my lungs, just concentrating on the breath escaping my lips, until my lungs burn and my chest aches for oxygen. I return to the surface and slowly inhale, then repeat the whole process. After three or four times of this, I've finally relaxed again. I'll just focus on the present until the future is more definite. Otherwise I'd simply drive myself insane. And presently, the most important item on my agenda is finishing this bath.

I tilt my head back into the water and start massaging my hair. It's not quite Herbal Essences, but this soap is actually doing a decent job of cleaning my soiled locks. I'd been ignoring my hair, since there was nothing I could do about it, but the grease and grime was starting to really bother me. I run my fingers through it a few more times, and then sit up again, reaching for the washcloth and fishing around for the bar of soap. I lather up the washcloth and then ardently scrub myself all over. Be gone, dirt!