This time, she wore a white flowing nightdress. She wasn't in her usual mood otherwise, she would've picked it up as she walked but it looked better left alone as it trailed the floor while she walked. She found her way down the stairs and her footsteps so light as though she would wake the inhabitants of the household if she made the slightest noise.
The fountain, just like the weeping willow became her sanctuary overtime. A stream of thought would sometimes flow through her while she sat at the feet of the fountain, her fingertips lightly touching the water as though tracing it while recollecting her thoughts.
The Gargoyles knew who she was, she wasn't an intruder, her familiar scent made them avert their attention elsewhere. Staring at the water in the fountain, she seemed to be lost in thoughts and didn't realize a few teardrops has escaped her eyelids, they slid down her cheeks to join the body of water down below.
He knew she had soft side, she wasn't one to hide it but this… this was a completely different side of her. She was in a vulnerable state. He caught her eyes and realized she was in a daze and hadn't taken note of his presence.
He didn't know how she would react if he went up to her, humans were unpredictable. He didn't want to stay back either. She wasn't the quiet type, her silence on the way back rubbed him and instantaneously made him question his actions. Although he didn't regret what he did by taking her away from him, his action is the reason why she was hurt.
Without further thinking and a reason to hold himself back, he walked up to her pulling her hand out of the water. The slightest grazing of his finger on hers brought her out of her daze. She soon realized the one who was hovering over her was none other than Jia. She quickly turn her head to look at the water in the fountain, she didn't want to look at him, not wanting to deal with him until she had her emotions in check. She caught an unexpected sight, tears were down her cheeks and Jia was staring at her through the reflection with a look of worry in his eyes.
She attempted to stand with the intention of running as quick as she could to her bedroom, he held her hand which made her look him in the eyes but then again remembered her tears, she pulled her hand away from his slightly firm grip making a run for it.
She made sure she locked her bedroom door with a key and remembering she has a window, she hastily closed it. She heaved a sigh taking a few steps backward.
"Isabelle." He called her name and she froze.
Closing her eyes shut she chanted repeatedly;
"He's not here, he's not here. Your bedroom door and windows are locked, there's no way he could…
Without mentioning another word, Jia approached her slowly stopping right in front of her. He hesitated at first but then pulled through to hold her face calling out her name once more.
"Isabelle" Only this time, his voice seemed darker and rich in hue.
Isabelle refused to open her eyes, she found it hard to believe he was in her room.
'How did he get in?' She asked herself and he eventually gave in as this wasn't the first time she would be asking this trying to put two and two together in order to make something out of the situation.
"I teleported."
She opened her eyes, he almost felt pulled in but his self-restraint prevented him from doing something he might regret.
"I will make it up to you." He said. "Don't cry anymore."
On their way back from the Library date, he let himself have access to her thoughts. He didn't realize how his actions had affected her, he knew the type of man Stanley was and she didn't.
"Why did you do that?" Isabelle asked. "And I was never informed about a chaperone." The whole idea of having a chaperone seemed off to her because she knew Nya would've informed her but none of that happened. One moment Stanley was with her, the next she had a chaperone and of all people, it had to be Jia.
"That was my doing." He paused. "The chaperone thing was my doing." He stared at her awaiting a response.
"Because?" She looked at him seemingly waiting for a response and then said.
"Isabelle is a kid and she can't possibly take care of herself. She can't possibly handle herself." She raised her voice continuing her tone of sarcasm.
"Hey, don't say that." Jia's voice came across softly.
"Don't say what?!" She raised her voice even more. "The truth? Jia you and I both know you see me as nothing more than a kid, a kid that needs protection, a kid that needs a chaperone, a kid that needs to be guided."
"You don't need to be a kid to be guided. You do not even know who Stanley is and you're already accepting his gifts and his company. It's not like I don't trust you or you need a chaperone. I don't trust Stanley and I can't leave you to be with him alone even for just a second." Jia raised his voice.
"But Nya and Kia don't have an issue with it." Isabelle took notice.
"The day we came back from the town's bake fair, Nya was already drunk, I didn't think she would pull through with the letter until I saw him on the premises and as for Kia, he wasn't proud of the idea any more than I was and relieved the moment he heard I was the chaperone." He sat on the edge of the table across Isabelle's room.
Isabelle had no response, she went mute for a while. Jia sighed and then said;
"A human like you came to our world a long time ago and just like you, we welcomed her in, took her to places she shouldn't have been in. We didn't treat her like she wasn't human which was a grave mistake, we treated her like she was just like us."
Isabelle feeling slightly offended. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"Meaning, she is human and we are not. The way we can handle things is not the same way humans can and if care is not taken, the unthinkable happens. And that's what happened." He paused taking a deep breath.
"She died." He ended abruptly leaving out a lot of information he didn't think she should know, at least not now.
He looked at her and said;
"Even though you're quite naive, I know you're a smart girl that can handle herself. But in this world, we are the ones responsible for you and we have to protect you." Jia paused and waited for a response from her in respect to what he had just said, he got none.
Isabelle, at the moment was trying to process what he had just said and then remembered the teleportation part. The statement almost felt like a response to the question she had, almost like he could read her mind.
"Wait! You teleported." Isabelle said, in surprise and Jia gave a nod.
"Is that how you have been able to access to my room without me knowing how you came in?" Isabelle approached him slowly.
"Yes." He took note of her steps.
"I have had this conversation with Kia before and he seemed like he doesn't have a clue or rather he didn't want to say a thing." He watched her come closer to him and he instinctively took a few steps back wondering where what she might be driving at.
"Jia?" Isabelle began the question, the intensity of her stare causing him to move further backwards making him wonder what the question would be. He could let himself have access to her thoughts but he wanted her to say it.
"What…" She stepped closer, another step he took backwards.
"Type of…" She continued and so did he.
"Creature are you?"
At this point, his hands were on the window sill and his eyes were locked in with hers. She had closed the gap between them with her head slightly forward, her hands held together positioned at her back and her gaze piercing him. Her eyes demanded answers and he could see them.
What she couldn't see right now was how dangerously close they were, something he had taken note of.