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Chapter 7 - THE SAME DREAM

The people of Alkal live in structures that look like giant mushrooms. Each structure had a unique feature that differentiated them from the others. They were all colourful and brightly lit with small terraces or gardens Infront of them. The structures form ring after ring of circles, the circles growing smaller as they reached the centre. There is a very wide space of about two hundred kilometres from the midpoint of the place, which is the seat of government, to the giant mushroom like structures. The Pagoda of the Oracles, the Hall of the People and the residence of all the elders(Artima) are at this midpoint. Surrounding the whole of Alkal are mountains of different ranges. From the sky it looks like two big hands clasped around a round object_The people of Alkal call them the Hands of God_and around this picturesque town is the Aurora Array which separates the town from the world.

At the innermost centre of Alkal is a tree-like structure with orderly branches or rather extensions of different elevations and on each of the extensions are different sized villas made of a rear metal that can only be found in Alkal called

Alkallium. Flanking it on both sides are the Pagoda of Oracles and the Hall of the People at the right and left sides respectively.

Mona Serinna followed behind Ophelia who had just entered the lounge of Artima. Ophelia sat on a wooden stool at the lounge, waiting for Mona Serinna.

"Let's go up". With an affirmative nod, Ophelia got up.

"Levie" Commanded Mona Serinna and a metallic rope fell from the sky. No, not the sky but from the balcony of a villa from a very high point of the tree-like structure. The two women held unto the rope as it lifted them up into the villa.

"Tea" Mona Serinna brought tea to the girl sitting on a sofa in the living room. Ophelia took the tea silently and held it between her palms. Warmth from the cup permeated her hands and she felt slightly warm. Ophelia was born with a weak body which made her paler and colder than the others. She sometimes feels the cold blood coursing through her veins. She doesn't like the cold so she makes up for it by putting on more clothes, holding a hot cup of tea whenever she could or sitting by the fireplace in her home. Mona Serinna even made a big fireplace in her room.

"Come seat by the fireplace. You look paler than usual." The girl didn't get up but dragged herself to the other end of the sofa and stretched her hands towards the fireplace.

"Serinna, do you think I made the right decision by consenting this marriage alliance?" Ophelia rarely takes the initiative in a conservation. She had always been the listener, sometimes not even saying a word from start to finish. Before the older woman could respond, the girl continued:

"What if I told you that even if given another chance , I'll still make this same decision. I need to see what's outside these walls. How other people live. I also need answers to why I'm different and whether there are other people like me. They could even be in Lycan Kingdom. I know that you are not willing at all for me to go." she looked up at the woman and then quickly looked down again. She was afraid that if she looked at the only family she had, she might just give up and enjoy all the pampering that her nanny had always given her, but she also had another family member more important than any other that she needed to find and she couldn't miss out on this opportunity, wanting to meet others like her was just a cover up.

" Ophelia, it's dangerous out there... We can discuss this further and find a way of going out once in a while. You don't have to..."

"I have to!" with a snap of her head she shot her guardian a determined, no room for compromise look.

"Let's not talk about this again ok" she sighed and looked down again. Mona Serinna was shocked. Her serene ward was showing anger for the first time. She could only compromise.

"Okay... If that's what you want. How about I.. "

"No more, Aunt Serinna. I'm tired. I'll be sleeping here tonight." Ophelia got up and walked into a room then 'bam' the door was shut.

Mona Serinna sighed for the umpteenth time her eyes not leaving the already shut door. She had wanted to tell the girl that not all the kingdoms and independent towns where inhabited by humans and that her husband to be was also not totally human but the self-willed girl had thought that she was going to persuade her not to leave. 'Has Mona Serinna forgotten that that was exactly what she would have achieved by saying that?'

Ophelia sat in the middle of a meadow holding a book which read: Reaching Nirvana. She was deadly engrossed in the book when she suddenly had a low whimper around her. She got up, looked around and layer down. As she pick her book to read, another whimper was heard. From just glancing around to searching carefully, Ophelia had gotten up four times. The fifth time she decided to just ignore the whimper and enjoy her leisure when the whimper turned into a low growl. She sat up again. This time she closed her eyes then opened them. Her silver eyes had turned into silver light orbs shining softly. She look into the night and saw an injured animal partly covered by some grass. She went closer, bent down and observed it. The animal felt strange. She had never seen such an animal before.

There were not many animals in Alkal and every child had to learn about these animals from childhood. Alkal, being a savanna had few but the most dangerous animals such as: the tageros_ spotted lions, the leptailurus_ a wild cat, small but dangerous, the erectus mamba_ a walking snake and the Eina_ hyaenas with mane like horses. This animal Infront of her was very strange. It had a narrow face with distinct wet nose the eyes were smell and they glowed a dull reddish-yellow and wide mouth. It was gnashing it's teeth as if trying to hold in the pain.

"You must be new here. Are you alone?"

The animal: ....

Looking carefully around, she concluded that the animal was indeed alone, then she said

"Were you abandoned?"

"...."

"Strange, you look strange. I've never seen an animal like you before"

"grwwwwl"

"oh! you are hurt. Let's threat your wounds" She moved to touch the animal but just as she was about to reach it, she withdrew her hand thinking that the animal might be scared.

"I want to threat your wounds so I'll need to carry you. Are you okay with it?"

"grwwwwl"

"Okay, then I'll carry you now" she carried it and placed it on her lap. She then pulled a small pouch out of her dress brought out some metal bottles, cleaned and dressed the wounds. The animal looked comical after bandages had been plastered on different parts of it's body it looked like a pet wearing rags. By the time she was done. The animal had fallen asleep. She decided to take the little animal to her play house under a tree and hide it there. She would check on it everyday giving it food and water until one day she came one day and it was gone.

She had searched for it and gave up after a few days. She was saddened about the animal and began to cry....

Ophelia jolted awake, she touched her eyes and they were wet as usual. She had been having this dream every night for months now. It was always the same. She didn't think that she was that attached to the...the 'pet', she just found it less fierce and a little adorable. The way it gnashed it's teeth when it was in pain, gnawed it's food or that time when it's paw was kneading her... chest like it needed milk. At this point a shy smile graced Ophelia's lips... She buried her head in the pillow.

Does little Ophelia knows that she was being taken advantage of?

Nicklaus sat up at the same time as Ophelia, he had also had the same dream but in his dream, when the girl carried him, her cold skin felt soothing and maybe because, he was severely injured at that time he had lost his sense of smell and could only perceive her cold butterfly pea scent. Normally, butterfly peas are warm flowers but he felt that hers was cold and he was drawn to it. Though she only can when necessary, Nicklaus had never felt so drawn to any other. He wanted to be with her, touch her and feel... those soft firm mounds of hers... He could still feel them in his palm as if he was still holding them...Her thin waist that look like they could snap but firm when he held them... He smiled, thinking that she was soon going to be his. He growled and went into the bathroom.