Don't forget our deal!
Runa read the message from Mandy and smiled a little. She had just finished taking a shower and checked her phone right away while drying her hair with a towel. After that, Runa went to the kitchen and brewed coffee. While waiting, she replied to Mandy's message.
Who would have thought that useless information would actually make him comply?
It didn't take long for a reply to arrive.
Yes. So now, whenever that bad boy tries to act up, you just have to threaten him with his guardian's name. Congratulations! You've caught hold of Arden Whitlock's leash!
Runa chuckled, reading Mandy's silly words. The coffee she made was ready and Runa brought it to the sofa. She put the cup on the coffee table by the sofa, then she grabbed the hairdryer. While drying her hair, Runa looked out the window. It was night and there was nothing to see out there but darkness and the faint outline of trees.
When Runa first occupied this house, to be honest, she was afraid. She imagined a terrible figure might emerge from the thick trees around her tiny house, or a criminal will break into her house and hurt her. However, living in the house with her father in it was as terrible as all those bad thoughts.
Until finally after Runa lived here for a while, and she didn't experience any of the horrible things she imagined, she started to feel comfortable.
Except, maybe, that night, after dinner with the Hales.
Runa still couldn't forget that figure… even though the fear she felt at that moment had faded and was replaced with curiosity.
The only creature she knew wielded such a weapon was The Angel of Death.
If that was really what Runa was thinking, what had he been doing here? Will someone die?
If so, Runa wishes he would take her father's life….
Runa turns off the hairdryer. She was stunned by the thought that popped into her head.
Since when did she have such pitiful thoughts? Expecting someone's death is as evil as intent on killing them.
Runa shook her head and put the hairdryer on the table, then she stopped when she heard a rustling near the window. She turned her head and squinted, trying to see through the darkness.
The voice came again. This time it's getting clearer and closer.
Then she saw something moving swiftly through the trees. The darkness made the figure look like a black shadow. But its form was unlike anything Runa had ever seen in her life.
It was too tall for a human, and too big for any animal that might roam here.
Runa saw that there were many black branches around it, and the branches seemed to be wavy, while the tips faded like smoke. Slowly, the figure glowed in color, only a faint glow, like a barely extinguished ember.
And it was getting closer. Runa groped behind her, looking for her cell phone to call security. Her hands that move in an erratic direction only made the phone fall, and she turns to look for it.
Then two things happened at the same time.
The window snapped open, and her cell phone rang loudly.
Runa jumped and fell. Her waist hit the edge of the coffee table and spilled the coffee she had not drunk on the floor.
The phone was still ringing, but the figure was nowhere to be seen.
Runa was motionless on the gray velvet carpet, feeling confused about her current situation.
Before long, she felt a throbbing pain in her waist and ankles.
Runa moaned, rubbed her waist, then grabbed the cellphone that had fallen near the table. Mandy's name appeared on the screen.
"What is it?"
"Runa! Help me!" Mandy shouted.
Runa's heart skipped a beat when she heard Mandy's frightened voice. Is the creature with her best friend now?
"What happened?!" Runa turned towards the window and saw the shutters swinging slowly. She tried to get up and went to the window to close it.
"Can you accompany me?!"
Rune frowned. "Where?"
"I have to go back to campus to get my notebook, Runa! You know that tomorrow I have to take a follow-up exam!"
Runa took a deep breath and closed her eyes. It annoyed her that Mandy was overreacting, but she was relieved because Mandy wasn't in any danger as she thought.
Runa glanced once more at the forest before pulling the curtains shut. Then she looked at the clock on the wall. It was still three hours before the curfew.
"Can you do it, please? I'm afraid to roam alone on campus. And I don't want to spend any second with Morrison! You know how he'd love to flirt with literally any girl he sees, right? But he wouldn't dare mess around with me if I go with you."
Mr. Morrison's face, their campus guard, crossed Runa's mind. The man was known to be flirtatious among female students. Many students filed demands to fire him, but because the campus found no fault with Mr. Morrison, they're still hiring him.
"Fine. Pick me up now."
"Great!" Mandy screamed until Runa took the phone away from her ear. "You're the best!"
"I know," replied Runa with a smile.
---
Runa and Mandy entered the Sunbrillo compound through the back gate, which was near the driveway to Runa's house. Mandy held a flashlight in her hand and Runa walked beside her with a crutch in one hand.
"I wanted to ask how you got the key to the side gate of this university, but I have a feeling you won't answer it."
"I asked for a duplicate from the campus," said Runa. "You know, I have a lot of activities and sometimes I come home late at night. If I don't have the key to the side gate, I'll be in trouble."
"The power of Runa Crown," said Mandy. She turned and gave Runa a grin. "If it was me, I will get nothing but a lecture."
Runa responded to Mandy's statement with a small smile.
The side gate key was the only key in the Sunbrillo complex Runa had legally obtained. There were places that no one could enter, and Runa had the keys to those places. But she never used it openly.
"Where's your notebook?" asked Runa. "We have to go to Morrison and ask him to open the door."
Mandy sighed, and her eyes twitched. "You don't have a key to our campus classroom building? I really don't want to meet him."
"I don't have it." Actually, she had, but she couldn't say it. "Don't worry, he won't mess with you."
"You can't leave me, even if it's only a step away."
Runa answered by directing her eyeballs up and pouting.
They circled half the convention hall used to hold the university's annual performances and competitions, then walked toward the campus' main gate, where the guard's office was.
From five meters away, Runa saw Morrison, a man in his forties who thought he was a grown man who was very attractive to young girls. With a pointed chin and droopy eyes, Morrison reminded Runa of a low-class member of a criminal gang.
The man was sitting on an iron chair, watching television. When he saw Runa come in with Mandy, he jumped from the chair and adjusted his hat.
"Ms. Crown!" he shouted, and it made Runa and Mandy flinch. Morrison glanced at Mandy, who was wearing a mid-thigh skirt and a black sweater. As Morrison's eyes slowly dropped to Mandy's thigh, Runa cleared her throat and walked forward to block Morrison's view.
"C-can I help you?" Morrison blinked and turned his gaze to Runa.
"I want to get the notebook that was left in the classroom."
Morrison took one more glance at Mandy before saying, "All right, Miss. I'll take you."
"No need," said Runa. "Just give me the key."
"With all due respect, I can't do that, Miss. The college can suspend me if I let students roam around campus areas that should be locked at night."
After saying that, Morrison picked up the string of keys hanging on the board behind him, then he circled his desk and stopped before Mandy. Mandy moved and stood on Runa's right side, using Runa as her shield.
"After you, Miss."
"No, you go first," Runa replied in a calm voice. "I can't walk fast, Mr. Morrison. Our journey will be hampered if I am at the front."
Morrison fell silent for a moment before nodding and walking first. It took about five minutes for them to reach the classroom building. From the front yard of the building, Runa could see the light and crowd from the dormitory, which was on the lower side of the ground, about ten meters from where she was standing now.
Runa sometimes wonders what it's like living together with other students. Seems like fun, though Mandy said it was nothing special and she moved out of the dormitory in her sophomore year. Runa thought Mandy did that as a form of solidarity towards her, even though Mandy never admitted it.
Runa's attention returned to Morrison, who was now unlocking the main door of the classroom building.
"In which classroom, Miss?" asked Morrison, as soon as they entered the building. There was only darkness along the corridor. Mandy's hand wrapped tighter around Runa's arm.
"Where?" Runa asked Mandy.
"Third floor," Mandy answered in a low voice.
Morrison turned and looked at the crutch in Runa's hand and then said, "I'm sorry, Miss, but the elevator was shut off as soon as class ended and the building was locked. If Ms. Bechtel pleases, I will accompany her to the third floor while Ms. Crown can wait—"
"You can turn on the elevator, can you?" cut off Runa. She slightly lifted her chin and gave Morrison a condescending look. It was an attitude she learned from her father to deal with people with low self-esteem, who were trying their luck to negotiate with the Crown family.
"Eh—" Morrison looked confused. He looked to his left and right, avoiding eye contact with Runa. "Alright, Miss," he said then. "You can wait here."
"I will."
Morrison gulped, then looked down and walked off in the opposite direction. He turned right and then disappeared from view.
"See? The stares were awful," Mandy whispered.
"Relax. If anything happens to us, he won't be able to escape."
Even though Morrison looked treacherous, Runa was sure he wouldn't dare do anything wrong. The guts aren't that big.
Not long after, there was a buzz and the lights above their heads flashed. Runa narrowed her eyes as the light suddenly rained down on her sight.
And when her eyes adjusted, she saw something at the end of the corridor, which was still dark.
Two figures ran across and entered through the door of one classroom. They only looked like shadows, but even though they were not clearly tangible, Runa recognized them both.
Running ahead was the smoke-branching creature that Runa had seen just a moment ago.
And the other held a scythe in his hand.