Thea closed her eyes after feeling a soft touch on both sides of her face as she laid her tired body on the bed. The touch felt more and more real every time she sighed and emptied her mind.
"How was your day, Maven?"
The same question of the same baritone voice is always Thea hears when she expects something else when the touch she feels is so real.
"Tiring," she muttered.
Slowly Thea flashed a knot smile as the hand on the right side of her face rubbed her cheeks again with his smooth ridge despite the veins.
"Thanks for asking," she murmured again.
Thea vaguely heard a subtle laugh above her head. She was eager to open her eyes, looked up, and witnessed the existence of the owner of the voice. It's just that she can't do it. Because every time she tried, at least it could never open, even on several occasions, the owner of the baritone voice forbade her, as she does now.
His big hand gently rubbed both of Thea's eyebrows and eyelids. Thea again reviewed the knot smile when she felt how soft the swipe was, so she was reluctant to open her eyes as she originally intended.
"I like your smile, Maven."
The baritone's voice echoed again, filling Thea's head. She subconsciously flashed a smile after being praised like that.
"I like your voice," Thea replied bluntly.
Yes, Thea really likes that guy's voice. A man she never knew, who always filled the void in her. The man who always asks how the day she lives, the man who always hears all her complaints, even always knows what she likes and does not like since she broke up with Hugo, and decided to keep her distance from Pauline; Her best friend is also the cause of the break-up of her relationship with Hugo.
"I know, Maven," replied the voice.
For a long time, Thea was silent, weighing the right sentence for him to say. However, she did not voice it even when she found good diction, which she was about to say.
"You're not dreaming, Maven," he said. "You can feel my existence, just like I did."
The baritone's voice echoed again in Thea's head, answering a question that Thea did not have time to express even though she was so eager to voice it. Thea was very curious, what she heard and felt was just a dream? Does the voice have a real form? She was so curious about everything, although sometimes she doubted what she often experienced when her eyes closed. Is she just dreaming? Hallucinating? Or... what is currently happening is just an illusion? However, again, the voice managed to dispel any doubts within her. As he said earlier, it's real. He could feel Thea's existence, and vice versa. He answered the curiosity that Thea had all along.
Thea let out a long breath while rubbing the back of the left hand that was above her abdomen. She then asked, "Can I be selfish a little bit?"
"You can hold my hand," the voice said.
Again what Thea thought was simply read by the owner of the voice. Thea wanted to grasp the hand whose touch always managed to make Thea feel so comfortable.
Thea raised her right hand, placed it over her left shoulder, and slowly approached the big hand that was rubbing her right cheek while pulling it softly and grasping it slowly.
Thea smiled. "May I open my eyes and look at you, if you are real and not just in my dreams?"
"Of course."
Thea's smile expanded at the answer. She thought her request would be rejected as usual. But it seems that this time is different. The voice threw her to come face to face with her, instead of sound or touch alone.
Thea adjusted her breath, preparing herself before doing what she had wanted long ago to realize. Unfortunately, when she opened her eyes, she found no one but herself. Thea even looked at her body wrapped in satin blueish-grey pajamas, instead of the black off-shoulder dress she wore when she closed her eyes earlier.
Soon Thea forced her body up and sat leaning against the headboard with padded pads behind her head as well as her shoulders. Slowly she turned her head, looking up at the 4 frames containing a painting of a man's hand that looked like he was hugging something or someone, which was split into four parts in the four framings.
"It seems that I have to throw this silly painting away," she hissed in annoyance.
Thea sprayed her eyeballs when imagining the hand in the painting that had been touching and talking to every time she fell asleep.
Silly. She thought.
Then, in the next split second Thea turned her head and looked at the door of her room when she heard a knocking sound from outside.
"Thea, can I come?" Esme's voice bounced off the door.
Thea nodded, instead of answering. She then combed her long blonde hair with her fingers, slowly rolling it up after finding the round black hairband lying on the table.
The door is open, Esme; her aunt appeared from behind the door with her long brown hair neatly flowing. A black corset dress wrapped Esme's tall body, making her look so charming that morning. Thea even smiled as Esme smiled while slipping her hair behind her left ear.
Esme looked at Thea and the painting hanging over the headboard of her bed took turns. Esme then sat down and gently rubbed the back of Thea's head.
"How are you sleeping?" asked Esme in her soft voice, as gentle as her gaze as her gray eyes greeted Thea's blue iris.
Thea is pensive. For a moment she considered around, was telling what she experienced in her subconscious a must? Or better not to tell her anything? She didn't want Esme to forbid her from doing all the things she liked. Because, if her dream will bring so many bad things, Esme will not hesitate to enter her subconscious and withdraw the source of the dream from her.
I don't want that to happen. Thea thought. Although it's not real, it always makes me feel safe, and comfortable, every time I go through a tough day.
Thea doesn't want that to happen. She hurriedly shook her head, then slowly returned Esme's gaze. "Pretty good," she replied. "You have a meeting or something? You look too beautiful."
Esme smiled. She then shook her head, instead of answering, and gave Thea another question. "How was the photo shoot you did last night?" she asked. "Julien said, Hugo and Pauline are there? You... are okay with that?"
No. I have a hard time dealing with their annoying attitudes. She thought.
Yes, Thea had a bit of trouble dealing with Hugo's flirtatious attitude, even when Paulin; Her former best friend, came to visit Hugo, they blatantly showed off their intimacy in front of many people. Either intending to heat up herself or showing off is already their middle name. That's not important to Thea. Because there are other things that are much more important to her and make her curious.
When doing the first photoshoot, Thea had heard, that Julien warned Hugo to approach her again. It is even said, that Julien accused Hugo of never really liking her, and Hugo deliberately made her arouse the spirits of Hugo's late father.
Can I do that kind of stuff? Thea thought. After all, there was no incident that day, when I called Hugo's late father's name while holding the place where his ashes were.
An unrelenting curiosity surrounded her every time Julien's sentence twisted in her memory.
"Esme?" called Thea doubtfully, like she wanted to ask something.
"Yes? You want to ask about something?" Esme guessed.
Thea nodded. "Is it possible... I have the ability like... calling a spirit or whatever it is?" she asked doubtfully. "As you have said, we have the blood of a summoner in us. Is it possible... That our relatives of ours passed on their abilities to me?"
In Maven family bloodline, they have someone who has the ability to summon; spirits or whatever it is, even though their ancestors and almost all of their family members were werewolves. Some of them, most of them are healers, no one inherits the ability to summon everything anymore, other than that person. The only one that has even passed away, 95 years ago.
Yes, Thea. You have that kind of ability. Esme thought. But, I, Julien, don't want you to know even to notice, even though we've blocked your ability.
Instead of giving the real answer, Esme said the opposite.
"No, Thea," Esme shook her head. "Even if you are wolfless, you are a healer. Just like me and Julien."
Thea chuckled subtly, then smiled softly when she came face to face with Esme. "Well. We are the best trio. Although I am the only wolfless in your midst."
Esme smiled. Rubbing the top of Thea's head, she got up from where she was sitting and went towards the door. "I just stopped by and delivered some food," she said, as she reached the threshold. "Eat after leaving the gym."
"Thank you, Esme."
The door of the room was closed again. Thea rushed to change her pajamas with black sportswear with a gray crystal motif, a suit that she certainly had to wear when visiting the gym with her best friend; Ava.
"What good news you have for me?" asked Thea, to Ava who had just gotten a dumbbell with a suitable load.
The two stood face to face while doing squats and carried two 6 kilogram dumbbells in their right and left hands.
"I'm running out of tickets," Ava said as she adjusted her breathing rhythm.
Thea snorted, then shook her head softly. "I said good news, Ava. Not bad news."
"Don't you wonder what ticket I mean?"
"What ticket is it?"
"Bene's Gallery."
Thea spontaneously slowed down her squat movements. Glaring at Ava, she asked, "You're joking, right?"
"No," Ava shook her head. Her long black hair is tied to a sling every time she makes a whimper. "I failed to get the ticket. And we can't go into that gallery to look at high-value art items there."
Thea spontaneously straightened her back, looking at Ava with teary eyes. Ava hurriedly put her dumbbell on the mat, looking at Thea's teary eyes while shaking her head and even clucking.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" reprimanded Ava.
Ava's round eyes turned blue when she watched Thea suddenly kneel under her feet and whine like a child who had just lost her beloved toy.
"I beg you, try to get another ticket on the last wave of purchases," Thea whimpered with teary eyes.
Ava swept her gaze all over the room, watching several pairs of eyes hit her with their forehead frowning as if they are was about to judge the drama that Thea had just made. In everyone's eyes, Ava looked like an accused. So in that second Ava helped Thea stand up, then sprayed her eyeballs when she met with Thea's blue eyes which now looks flashy because of the smile she just gave especially for Ava.
"We can go in there later when the gallery is completely open to the public, Thea,"
"I'll buy you a limited edition bag from the YVent brand if you can get a ticket for the day." Thea lowered her left eyebrow when she managed to get all of Ava's attention, even making the girl's eyes flash with pleasure.
Ava nodded. "Agree!"
Thea nodded along, then spontaneously landed a brief peck on Ava's cheek. "Thank you very much," she retorted as she managed to hold back the dumbbell she had left on the mat a few minutes ago.
"What the hell do you want to see in that gallery on the special opening day?" asked Ava.
Thea flashed a glimpse of a knotted smile. Without looking at the girl in front of her, she replied, "Something that makes me curious every time I read a history book."
Ava spontaneously re-erected her body when she almost did squats with a pair of black dumbbells in her hand. "Did you mean Alpha Marc painting?"
"Yes. What else can make me curious other than that thing?"
"A rich man who has a lot of money and a myriad of talents?" guessed Ava.
Thea snorted while spraying her eyeballs. "That's you!"
Ava laughed softly. "It seems that you are obsessed with the painting," Ava raised her left eyebrow when commenting.
"Yes. It seems that I am obsessed with the handsome man in the painting."
Ava sprayed her eyeballs irritably. "I hope the painting is not there."
"Why are you so mean?"
Ava pensive. I'm afraid you can call the cursed prince, as Julien and Esme once said. She thought.