The walls of the two-story inn were made out of pinewood. The first floor consisted of a living room, a kitchen, and a spacious dining room. While the second floor had six bedrooms and a study. The inn was currently was accommodated by Ziron Kandas and his family.
Jade came out from one of the bedrooms. After the council, she had another episode of migraine. Maybe it was due to the stress from the prior night or just because of the unwanted noises she cannot unhear during the counsel. When the counsel concluded, she decided to head back to the inn to take a nap. She was just supposed to take a thirty-minute nap, but she woke up fifteen minutes past seven in the evening already.
She heard no noises. There were no servants roaming the hallway as well. She thought that maybe all family members were out. She was just a bit surprised, as Hannah would usually be just beside her when she wakes up. She opened the door, to come out of the room. At that time, she realized, everything was not as what they appeared to be.
Cold, gentle wind passed through her face as she gently swung the door. She saw the hallway indeed, but it was not the hallway that she remembered. True, her room at the inn was at the end of the hallway, but it was not that far as to not see the staircase. She looked around and gone were the varnished pinewood walls and pine chandeliers. Instead, she saw sky blue walls that were higher than what she remembered. The hallway was lit with rows of dimmed light bulbs that glowed like fire. The floor was covered with dark red carpet with golden margins at the edge. Gone were the windows. She felt that she was in the dungeon of their manor, it was just well adorned.
Carefully, to make her footsteps as silent as possible, she took a step out of the room, then another. She roamed the hallway, staying closest to the wall. There were many doors and all of them were closed. Then, after a minute or two of walking, she reached a half-way opened door. Jade assumed that someone was there, as light and gentle voices, more like whispers came from that room.
She walked behind the half-opened door. From the door edges she tried to peek inside. While she heard her own heart beat nervously, she loudly heard the calm, soothing voice from a man inside the room.
"Has she eaten anything today?"
Jade tried to move her head around to peek inside. 'Who was the man talking too?'
"No Sir." An older man replied. " She said she had no appetite."
Although it was soft, Jade heard a sigh from the younger man, who now was sitting at the edge of what looked like a king-sized bed. She could only see the man's back. He had broad shoulders, but a slender, lean torso. From this situation, Jade inferred that the topic of the conversation was lying on the bed, and that person was a woman. The man moved his right arm, it seemed that his hand touched the person lying in front of him.
"I see that you are awake dear. Why have you not eaten anything today?"
A sweet gentle groan came from her who was lying in the bed, "I..I..did not have a-an ..appetite". Again, Jade made a conclusion by how sick the woman was by the way she paused to breath in between her reply.
"Shh.." shushed the man, " Say no more. Can you please try to eat something now? Please, do try for me."
The sick might have agreed as the man demanded, "Bring me a new set of food. It would be easier for her if it would be soup and soft bread."
Immediately, the older man rushed to the door. Jade was surprised by this swift motion, as the door swung more open. Luckily the door did not hit her as she squeezed her body, leaning more against the wall.
"Ha!" This time Jade heard a hoarse, voice from an older woman, "This has gotten so far! Stop this you two! How long are you going to endure this?"
There was no answer from neither of them. Silence ruled the room. From the gaps where Jade was peeking, she saw pale, almost translucent, slender arms with long, elegant fingers coil around the man's neck and shoulders as she tried to lift herself up. Very different from the panting, hoarse voice, Jade heard a while ago from the sick woman, this time she heard a strong, authoritative woman and synchronously from a threatening, serious man
'As long as the blood and curse flows within me, I'll chain him'
'As long as the blood and curse flows within me, I'll hide her.'
A cold shiver ran down from Jade's nape to her spine. As she leaned at the gap to take a closer look, her heart almost jumped out from her chest as she saw the woman whose head leaned against the man's shoulder and whose eyes, although partly covered with her wavy hair, were definitely staring back at her. Her eyes, her red hued sunset sky eyes, gazied intensely at her through the gaps at the door.
She felt dread. She felt that if she did not get out of this place, or wake up from this dream, something bad would happen to her. The dread kept her still but her will to live enable her to turn around. However, as she shifted her body to turn around, time and her heart stopped suddenly. More intense dread came into her, as a boy was standing in front of her or maybe, all the time she was peeking, the boy was already behind her.
The boy, like the woman, stared at her. But this time, the boy's stare was more intense, more lingering. She was almost as tall as he and yet she felt that the boy looked down at her. She saw one edge of his lip curve into a grin. The boy took a step closer, while she took a step backward, forcing her back against the wall. The boy reached out his hand and one edge of his lip curved into a grin while a voice unbecoming of his age came out of his lips, "Stop hiding there. Come out." Then suddenly, the boy's irises glistened as they turned to crimson red.
The hand was reaching her, almost touching her below her chin. Jade feared that the boy was about to strangle her. Her immediate response was to shove his hand with hers but the boy caught her palm. As she felt his skin on her, bright light flashed between them.
As the bright light faded away, Jade saw the pinewood walls, windowpanes, chandelier, and golden wooden floors. The surrounding became warmer except for the icy cold hand against her palm.
"Why, isn't this a sight to behold? I am truly fortunate to be welcomed back home by the sweet little miss. You even waited outside my room."
Jade, who was confused, took another survey of where she is. She did wake up from the dream. She sighed as she felt her nerves calm down only to be tensed up once again, as she realized the current situation. She was indeed just outside of Dmitry's room. She felt unpleasant as she realized that her back was against the wall and a tall, well leaned man, whose clothes and body soaked with water was in front of her, keeping her wrist locked in his palm.
"This…This…no…this is not what you think! Let go of me" She shouted with both contempt and embarrassment. She tried to push the man away.
Dmitry chuckled and once again Jade saw that smile of his, not the lonely smiled, but the smile he always kept hidden. "What am I thinking?", Dmitry sarcastically asked.
She was too busy pushing the man away or wriggling from his clutch or she simply had enough conversing with the man and chose to not reply.
This time Dmitry gave a gentle laughter that only the girl in his clutch could hear as he leaned down near her ear. "What have you seen this time while eavesdropping…hmm?"
As he finished his query, images came across Jade's vision. The riverbed, the moonlight, Emerald, Dmitry, and the kiss. Noticing the girl stopped from struggling, the still-grinning Dmitry let go of her wrist and took a step backward.
Jade looked at Dmitry, this time only with contempt.
"Such a strong disdained look." Dmitry commented.
"I…to you…I do not have any trust. But my sister,…only her…I trust. "
But those words are not the only words she wanted to say. If only she did not want this mysterious man to know what she is capable of she would add, ' Because of that, I will trust her confidence in you.'
Even though she did not blurt out those words, she still failed to keep her secret as she heard the man say, "Sweet, it looks like your sister is no longer exclusive to you nor are you the only one in her heart from now on." Jade gave Dmitry a more disdained stare.
"Oh but, cousin Dmitry, I and her will always be bounded by our blood. I will always be the other half of her. She is my twin sister after all."
Directly gazing at Dmitry who was taller than her, she wanted him to know how she feels about this development between him and Emerald. As if Dmitry took a second to digest what she said, he kept silent. From a serious face, this time he curled his lips into a grin, and lo, there was it again, that fake smile.
No matter how many times Jade would see that tainted smile of his, she cannot help but to ask whether he was lonely or he was plotting something mischievous. Before the tension between them grew, a man cleared his throat for the purpose of catching both their attentions.
"Ivan?" Jade noticed the young man standing a meter away from them.
"Ms. Hannah and I were searching for you little miss. It's time for your dinner and your medications."
Jade nodded. Unknown to her, Dmitry's taunting gaze did not leave her. She glared at him back, bowed her head and sarcastically said, "Good night cousin Dmitry. Do dry yourself well. I heard an evening rain might come tonight. The family does not want you to be sick."
And Jade walked away with Ivan tailing behind her. Dmitry on the other hand turned the knob to open the door to his bedroom. Just as he stepped in, through the open bedside window, he saw lightning and rain pour down the night sky. As the thunder came chasing the lightning, five rows of pine trees just outside his window burned.
On the other corner in the room, two figures stood and watched as the pine trees continued to burn even if the rain poured.
One of the figures, who had the appearance of a woman, stepped forward to talk, but the other one, a figure of a man, stopped her by clenching her forearm. He shook his head and whispered, "He is not in the mood."
The woman sighed. All they can do, was to watch the pine trees burn and they were fully aware that the lightning was not responsible for it.