Chapter 56: BACK To ÁLFHEIMR
I stood in front of the mirror, staring at myself. I need to look different from who I used to be. I need to start with my hair, but I just don't know what to do with it.
Opening the lower cabinet placed close to the mirror, I grabbed a pair of scissors, ready to cut my long hair that rested on my lower back.
“What are you doing?” Siofra asked, grabbing hold of my hand as she took the scissors away from me.”
“I'm trying to cut my hair, so give it back.”
“Why would you do that? I'm not letting you cut that beautiful hair of yours.”
“But I want to, so give it back!”
“Cutting your hair wouldn't change a thing, Alda,” she said, pointing the scissors at me.
“First, it is my way of saying goodbye to my old self, and secondly, I suddenly hate everything about my hair, so if you don't give me those scissors, then I'm making use of the hair clipper, and trust me, I will be going bald.”
“Cutting your hair wouldn't make things right, Alda.”
“But it will grow back; please just let me do this,” I pleaded with her. She sighed before giving me back the scissors.
"Well, I guess humans don't value hair like we do. In my world, we don't ever cut out our hair. Although we do trim them whenever they grow, cutting is prohibited.”
"Why, if I may ask?”
“Because we believe a woman’s hair is her crown, so we don't cut our crown.” She said, and for the first time since I met her, she let her beautiful grey hair fall as it fell all the way down to her mid-thigh, or was it knee-length?
“Your hair is beautiful,” I complimented her.
“And so is yours, and you don't have to cut it." I looked at the scissors I was holding in my hand, sighed, and dropped them.
“I guess I have to wear my crown, but I still need to visit a hair salon. I might need a stylist, or else I won't be able to look presentable at this dinner with Xender's family.” I said. I was frustrated, but I had to try.
“Well, I will say, just be yourself. I never knew how to style my hair because Alma was always there to help me, but now, I don't even know how to pack it back up.” Siofra said. There was sadness in her eyes.
“I can style your hair, but not today. I need to go shopping.”
“Shopping for what?” New dress. I will be meeting Xender’s parents, so I should leave a first impression.”
“How?”
“You will see. I really need to get going if I want to meet up with my activity.”
“When will we try the dance for the portal?”
“I don't know, but we will after tomorrow.”
“But I really need to open that portal, and you have proven to me that I can't do it on my own. I need your help to go back home.”
“I promised to help you, and I'm not backing away from it.” I took her hand in an attempt to calm her down, but what happened next left me shocked. Something appeared behind Siofra; it was like a tornado.
"Oh, my God?” My mouth was still pretty open as I stared at the big hole the wind formed.”
“What?”
“What the heck is that?” I asked her as I began to draw back. Siofra turned when she noticed I was staring mostly behind her.
“It's the portal; it's finally open!” Siofra said in excitement,but before she could take a few more steps towards the portal, it disappeared.
“No, not again.”
“Is that what it looks like, the portal?”
“Yes, but did we summon it? I thought we needed to do the secret dance before it could appear.” She was confused, and so am I.
“Maybe we did summon it without the dance, but the question should be: how? How did we summon the portal, and what do we do to make it stay long before disappearing?”
“But we didn't even do anything; I just hope that Álfheimr is safe, but something is telling me that it is not.” I watched as she went to her knees.
“We are not giving up; we will keep trying.” I said to her, offering her my hand. She took it, and I helped her up. Just when I thought I had seen it all, the tornado wind came again and started forming circles.
I took my hand away from Siofra's, and it disappeared.
“Holy sh*t, I think I figured it out!” I said this to Siofra, who was confused as to why I kept holding her hand and withdrawing mine every ten seconds.
"Figured what out?" she asked.
"How can we open the portal? Our hands are the key.”
Siofra's POV
Our hands are the key. What is Alda talking about?
“Alda I'm confused.”
“Just look behind you while I hold onto your hand." She said to me, I turned facing the same direction as Alda as the portal started as a little air until it came to life. Alda was right; she figured it out.
“Yes! Thank you, Alda.” I said, pulling her in for a hug. When we pulled away from our little hug, I started heading towards the portal, still holding Alda's hand tightly. But I stopped when I noticed she wasn't coming along with me.
"Alda, we need to go.”
“I don't want to leave anymore, Siofra. I know I told you to open the portal so we could both disappear from this world, but I think I changed my mind.” She nervously said,.
“I'm not taking you with me so I could leave you behind; I'm taking you because I need a body I will cultivate until I find my body.
You promised to help me fight this battle; don't tell me you are trying to walk away.” I was scared of her answer because I couldn't read her.
“I will help you as much as I can, but I want us to be returning here for every mission we accomplish, and you have to also promise me that I won't be stuck in your world.
I think I have finally found a reason to keep living in my world; even though it's already pathetic and all, I still want to make something out of my second chance.”
“I promise I will return you here once I find my body. We need to go now!” I could already feel and smell the danger from the portal.”
“Okay, what's our first mission?” Alda asked as we both stood in front of the portal, ready to jump in.
“Firstly, we need to find my grandmother; she is the only one that can tell me everything I need to know, and she might be the one with the three stones I bonded with.”
“Then let's go do our best,” Alda said before we both jumped in.
Alma’s POV
That stupid witch thought she could hide her body from me. I will fry her alive if we ever cross paths again.
“Tore the whole building down and find that body, now!” I screamed at the armies I created from the waste of nature. They all went in and did exactly as they were told.
“I know you are out there, Siofra; you better find me in whatever body you ended up in, because if I find you first, then you can consider yourself dead because I will destroy what is left of your body.