We climbed the designed luxurious curling wooden stairs up to his room. His room was right above mine, and I felt chills running down my spine as we were about to find out the truth. Was Axel telling the truth? I couldn't stop thinking about it as we reached his door. I clutched Cupcake, the adorable puppy, in my arms and Hannah knocked on the door. She and I were the only ones who had gone to ask him the truth. The door opened and he smiled, seeing us. It was Percy, the boy I had feelings for, but he didn't know it.
"Hey, come in," he said, gesturing with his hand.
I didn't move. I looked him in the eye and asked him bluntly, "Is Cupcake your pet originally?"
His smile faded and he nodded slowly. "Yes, he is. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before."
the puppy happily pounced on him, licking his face. I felt a pang of betrayal and sadness in my heart. How could he lie to me about something so important? How could he keep this from me?
Hannah sensed my mood and quickly changed the topic. "Oh, well, we just wanted to ask you this," she said, forcing a smile. "You can play with Cupcake for a while. We'll go now, right Aana?"
She grabbed my hand and pulled me away from him. Percy looked puzzled and hurt, but he didn't say anything. He just held Cupcake in his arms and watched us leave.
I let Hannah drag me to the stairs, but as soon as we reached it, I broke free from her grip and ran downstairs. Emma and Della, who were sitting on my bed, looked at me with concern.
"What's wrong?" Emma asked.
I ignored her and said in a disheartened voice, "We're leaving today at midnight."
I didn't want to explain anything to them. I didn't want to admit that I was hurt by Percy's lie. I didn't want to confess that I had feelings for him. I didn't want to face the possibility that he had joined hands with Oliver, our enemy. I couldn't let my emotions get in the way of our mission. I couldn't let my friends land in trouble because of my blindly trusting Percy.
I walked past them and went into the bathroom. I turned on the shower and cried under the water, hoping they wouldn't hear me.
After half an hour, I came back out as if nothing had happened. We packed our belongings and got ready to leave. The night was dark and cold, just like my heart that felt betrayed. We walked through the dark corridors of the mansion, past the main door where Percy had welcomed us a few days ago.
I wanted to take Cupcake with us, but Della said he would be happier with Percy. She said he was his original owner and he loved him very much. I agreed with her, but it still hurt to leave him behind. I didn't know where we would have to travel next or what dangers we would face. He would be safer and happier with Percy.
We walked along the road that was unusually silent and eerie. There were no signs of the undead creatures that had been chasing us before. We reached the house at the address that Axel had given us. It was a cosy house with a bright light on the outside.
A familiar voice greeted us as we approached it. "I knew you would come," Axel said, his pretty red eyes shining under the light.
He came towards us and said, "This house is yours now. All the groceries and everything are filled and all the necessary things are available. First of all, deactivate your cell phones so that Percy and Oliver won't be able to track you. Then I have kept new phones and sims and even walkie-talkies in case the systems collapse."
He seemed happy and cheerful, but something seemed off about him. Why was he so helpful? What was his motive? What was he hiding?
He glanced at me and noticed my gloomy expression. He waved his hand in front of me and asked me if I was alright.
Emma answered for me before I could say anything. "She's just a bit sad because she left Cupcake behind," she lied.
Axel nodded sympathetically and said, "If that's the case, you should have brought him with you. Even if Percy was his owner, you took care of him like your own little kid."
I cut him off and said, "That's alright. Percy will take better care of him."
He smiled and said, "Okay, then. Della, you see visions, right? If you see Percy or Oliver, just call me. I've put my number in the new cell phones."
He added, "Now I must go. See you later. Bye."
He turned around and walked away, leaving us alone in the house. I didn't feel any truth in his voice. Something was weird about him. But I didn't care. I didn't want to talk to anyone. I just wanted to be alone with my broken heart. I didn't care about Percy anymore. I didn't care that he had lied to me or that he might be working with Oliver. I didn't care that I had feelings for him or that I had left him behind. As if I didn't care I told it all to tell myself I didn't but I couldn't help myself, I cared about Cupcake, I cared about Percy. He was the only one who had made me happy in this dark and dangerous world. He was like a baby to me, my little furball of joy. I cherished him and loved him more than anything.
We went inside the house and found separate bedrooms to sleep in. I chose the one at the end of the hall, away from the others. I didn't want to talk to them or see them. I just wanted to be alone with my memories of Cupcake.
I lay down on the bed and hugged a pillow, pretending it was him. I imagined his soft fur, his warm body, his cute face, and his playful bark. I wished he was here with me, snuggling with me and comforting me.
I cried myself to sleep, missing my Cupcake terribly........