Chapter Thirty Three: The Dawn

The night was quiet. Penny and Ember remained under the tree, not saying another word only thinking about what was to come from all of what had been asked from Penny. Trying to sort out every single possibility it had only managed to cause headaches and stress between the two. There was, at one time when Penny had believed within her heart that returning home, would offer her the chance to see the things she had never seen. To feel fulfilled with whom she was as a person. As a hybrid, as something and someone who could stop all the pain and bring the world to peace. But now, Penny was not so sure. Having Ember by her side, boosted the confidence of the young savior. But deep within her heart, she now knew that her sacrifice would cost her quite possibly, the chance to ever see her dreams come to fruition.

And she dared not to speak of that sacrifice to Ember, whom would surely try to find a way around it which may cause bigger issues than they were already facing. Time moved differently in the Underworld, and that meant that on any given day, her grandfather could call for her to return. And that is when she would have to act. Though, If Penny followed Embers idea, she would have already been in the Underworld, and would see things for how they truly are.

Penny thought long and hard about what to do with Lysette. Her guardian had lied to her, but perhaps, whilst it was selfish, it was also based on the love for her nephew. Taking something belonged to Penny, would allow for Penny to prepare herself for what was to come. Though, despite this, if Lysette had just spoken with Penny, and conveyed the truth of the situation, then perhaps they could have come to an understanding of some sort.

And now, after being instructed to crush the one single way for Lysette to return home, that would leave Penny's guardian, her protector, on Earth with no possible way to change the outcome of anything. And that is when Penny began to realize something.

" If Lysette use to travel freely between Earth and the Underworld, how had she managed to deal with the time difference? Five minutes could pass on Earth but when translated to the Underword, that could be possibly a several month difference. This was another thing about Lysette that Penny could not quite understand. And even her Grandfather had warned that Lysette would find a way back to the Underworld even without the necklace. Though it may just take her some extra time. Her grandfather had done his best to cover every question Penny had wanted to ask and for the most part, she had been satisfied with that. However, after leaving with Gooblin, more questions had stirred and now she felt lost all over again.

As they sat under the tree, the night had slowly began to pass and the dawn was on the horizon. It was quite beautiful to witness and the two just enjoyed the sunrise in peace, thinking about the tasks that lay before them.

" Have you decided on whether you want to go back or if you want to wait? " Ember finally asked, breaking the silence between the two.

" I think...we should go back. I just, I have to keep you safe" Penny answered which prompted Ember to chuckle from disbelief. " Keep me safe? Dude I have to keep you safe. You are the one that everyone is going to be out to get. I'm going to be fine. I've got my - " Penny, having heard it many times before, finishing Embers sentence " Surival Instincts" Penny turned her head so that she could see Penny more clearly. " But in that world, that beautifully chaotic world. This are a lot different. And you have to be careful. We have to be careful" Penny knew that tensions ran high throughout the Underworld. And if they encountered the wrong set of people at the wrong time, it would spell trouble for them both. Most of the creatures there possessed abilities that Ember, whilst capable, did not have.

" I don't care. I can handle myself just fine. But we will be careful. We won't make mistakes. You just have to have some faith in us. And me. We make a pretty good team" Ember cited their battle with Lysette in which the two had managed to overcome her with relative ease.

" Well, it's not always going to be that easy. But.." Penny paused. " We have got this. I know we do" Penny assured as the sun rose higher into the sky, casting a bright, warm and welcoming light upon the Earth. " But, now that I think about it. Lysette will wake up soon, and when she doesn't find the necklace, she is going to know something is wrong " Ember pointed out which is something Penny had completely forgotten about. " Crap. You are right. I don't know what she is going to do but she can't get her hands in the necklace" Penny was beginning to panic.

" Well you are suppose to crush it in front of her right? Ember questions as Penny pulls out the necklace from her pocket and holds it in her hand, gazing down at his bright green glow. And then, much to the surprise of the duo, they heard a voice calling back from the cabin. " Penny? PENNY? " Lysette had awoken. And had more than likely noticed that the necklace was gone now.

And then, out of the house, walked Lysette who was half dressed, hair frizzled and seeming to be in a state of panic. After seeing the two, Lysette breathed a sigh of relief. " Oh thank the heavens, there you two are" She smiled as she approached them, only taking a few steps before seeing the greenish glow in Penny's hand. " Oh...you found your necklace? Where did you find it? " Lysette tried to calm her shakey, nervous tone as she took another step forward.

" I found it in your room..." Penny accused. " Why did you take it?" Penny had wanted the truth. If Lysette were to get violent, Penny was confident in being able to handle herself. But before she was going to go anywhere, she wanted to take advantage of this situation, to find out the truth.