In fact she had looked really sad looking at the painting. And he had kicked her out? Just like that? Den suddenly started to see why his friends had been telling him that there was no meaning for his actions and he was going mad.
But what about McCartney? She had actually stayed in such a place. Which was not her home and the person she was living with didn't meet her for weeks on end. Suddenly, Stella's words from earlier rang in Den's mind, "I don't want to live with another Susan."
Den recalled all that Stella had told him about her life, how much she had endured before she had finally ran away from her step-mom, and then what she had endured with those five filthy bloodsuckers.
Den was brought out from his thoughts by the sound of his mobile phone ringing.
He frowned at the caller ID before picking up.
"Yeah?" Den asked, keeping his locket back into the drawer and locking it.
"Boss, one of the five is in the forest tonight." the person on the call spoke.
Den straightened up and froze in place. One of the five was in the forest? And McCartney had just run away to God knew where.
"Which one?" Den asked, grinding his teeth.
But his subordinate seemed to misunderstand this and took it that his boss was angry. "Boss he has no intention to find you. Of course none of them know about Miss McCartney. I think he just came here after they had a fight among themselves. We didn't think it would be safe to reveal us. It would then put them...."
"WHICH ONE DAMNIT!!!!!??" Den thundered, cutting off his subordinate.
"Umm the second eldest one boss. Mazata Zukao." The subordinate trembled.
"Got it." Den barked into the phone before cutting the call.
Den rushed out of the cottage and sniffed in the direction he had seen Stella run away. It was very faint as she was running at her top speed, which was double than his. But it was still there. And if he could, Den was sure that Zukao would catch it's smell if he came across it while in the forest.
Den swore and ran at his full speed following the trail of Stella's smell.
Stella ran blindly along the forest, not knowing where she was going.
She finally stopped when she was at an unfamiliar place and had no stamina left to run farther. Stella was panting hard as she sat down leaning against a tree. This running thing was very good, she loved the thrill of speed and the feel of wind, but her stamina usually gave out before she had run her fill.
Stella hugged her knees as she mumbled, "I guess I'm still a human after all."
She laid her head on her knees and closed her eyes. The cold wind on the hot summer night felt really good.
Stella wondered how she had ended up in this situation? Why was she in a forest with no house to call home? And no one to turn to?
Maybe she wasn't destined to have a home. She was never able to consider Susan's home her home. And when she was living with the Zukao brothers..... Stella shrugged as the memories of the dreadful time flooded in her mind.