KNOCK! KNOCK!

“Who is it?” asked Raven.

“Tyra, Miss Raven,” she answered.

“Come in!”

Tyra entered the room with a pair of clothes for Raven. She apologized for not asking, but Raven told her it wasn’t a problem. Tyra then showed Raven to the bathroom, which was the door next to her bed.

“Wait, that door was for the bathroom?” she asked shocked.

“Y-yes? What did you think it was?” Tyra questioned politely.

“A way to Narnia.”

Tyra looked at Raven strangely. Wondering what could be going through her mind. “Master was right, she is a strange human,” she thought to herself.

Tyra escorted Raven into the bathroom. While Raven looked around the bathroom, Tyra got the bath ready. She made the water warm and put soapy bubbles in for Raven. “Miss Raven,” Tyra called.

Upon hearing her name, Raven turned away from admiring the marble artistry and twinkling lights in the room. “The bath is ready for you,” Tyra gestured.

Raven thanked her then undressed but kept the pendant on. She climbed the small, three-step stairs into the tub. Her toe was the first to touch the warm, bubbly water as the rest of her body adjusted it. She closed her eyes and laid back in the tub feeling relaxed. “This is the life,” she sighed.

She opened her eyes to look at the beautiful lights, that were like stars, twinkle on the ceiling. From the corner of her eye, she saw Tyra putting away her school uniform. Raven sank in the tub thinking about home. She wondered how everyone was. Did they care she was gone? Raven considered all the friends she made as only school friends and nothing more. Her sheltered life has always made her different. Made her feel alone and distant from everyone else. If they did care, was it only because they had to? Like her mother?

And what about her brother, Austin? What about her dad? What about…“Taylor,” she whispered.

What about Taylor? Did she know Raven was gone? After what happened, would she care? After what Raven did? Did Taylor hate her? In her eyes, were the two of them really sisters? To Raven, they’ve been sisters since the day she was born. She always saw Taylor as her sister. But what did Taylor think when she walked out the door.

“Miss Raven?” a concerned voice called.

Raven sat up at the sound of her name. She immediately met Tyra’s worried eyes. “Miss Raven, are you alright?” Tyra asked once again with worry.

“Y-yes, I’m fine,” Raven smiled trying to stop Tyra’s worries.

Tyra didn’t seem to believe Raven, but her suspicion was soon brushed off. She then asked Raven to turn around so her back could get cleaned. Raven turned with her back to Tyra, who rubbed the soft cloth on her back. The soapy, warm water traced all over her back as Tyra cleaned it. When she was finished, Tyra turned on the silver showerhead that resided above. The water rained down on Raven as the tub water went down the drain.

After making sure she was rinsed off, Raven turned off the showerhead. She gathered her dark hair and wrung it out the best she could.

“Here, Miss Raven,” Tyra said handing Raven a towel.

“Thank you,” Raven smiled taking the towel.

Raven wrapped the towel around her body and carefully stepped out of the tub. She moved with caution as not to slip and fall on the cold marble flooring.

“Come, sit, Miss Raven. I’ll do your hair,” Tyra gestured Raven to sit on a wooden stool she had brought out.

Raven sat down on the stool and felt hot hair being blown at her. She turned to see Tyra holding a blow dryer. Honestly, Raven was quite shocked. She didn’t really expect electricity down here. She thought it would be at least the non-technology age.

Tyra noticed Raven’s shocked expression and questioned her. Raven’s reply was blunt, but not too blunt. “I just didn’t expect you guys to have electricity down here. I saw the chandlers and light, and I thought they were fire-lit.”

Tyra gave a light giggle at Raven’s remark and explained how her master’s land worked. “I understand, Miss Raven. Allow me to explain. The Master’s world is split up, it adjusts to the times in which each shadow arrived here. For example, a shadow that came here during the stone age, as you call it, would be in the section with all the others pertaining to that time. The same rule applies to all the others; the only place that remains modern is the Master’s castle. After all, he has lived for a very long time and since he is our king, it’s only natural for his home to be in the best era…so far.”

“Okay, I really need to explore this place,” Raven said astonished.

“Was that your plan for the day, Miss Raven?”

“Yes, it was. I figured it would do me good to explore this place and get adjusted to it; instead of sitting in my room all day.”

Tyra acknowledged Raven’s fascination with the master’s world, but it would be dangerous to go alone.

Raven immediately caught sight of Tyra’s worry and explained the rest of her plan. “Don’t worry, I wasn’t planning on walking out of here by myself. If anything, I would ask either you, Tomi or Lucas to, how you say, escort me.”

“Oh, I see. Then allow me to finish dressing you and I shall see if Master is back. I’m sure he would love to escort you,” Tyra smiled.

“Okay! Thank you!”