Old Carson is the master of the mansion. He trains teenagers who were tasked with killing werewolves and lycans for Malcolm's company—I mean, for the sake of humanity. And since Old Carson didn't know the identity of Malcolm as the CEO of Atropa Belladonna, who used werewolves for fashion aesthetics, I felt even more interested in his quest. After their talk, Malcolm reminded me again to shut my mouth and not lay even a single finger on any of their transactions. However, I was conflicted. I can sense that Old Carson and Malcolm have known each other for years, yet the old man doesn't know what's behind the CEO's motive—which I guess there is. There should be! Anyhow, I think even if he knew Malcolm's company, I am sure he wouldn't get affected…
"Thank you," I nodded at the young lady in the mansion as she served me my tea. I looked away as I became conscious of myself, staring straight at the splashing waterfall. I heaved a deep sigh and made myself comfortable in the wooden chair. I slid my hands over the armrests, feeling their smooth texture. I took a sip of the tea and stared back at the waterfalls.
I admit. I still got confused when it came to Malcolm's purpose in faking his identity with the old man. It got me shaking in confusion and wondering what could be the motive behind it all. The more things I do not understand, the more I am hungry for information. The taste of tea is as tasteless as the situation.
Suddenly, Sheena made an appearance. She landed on the bamboo railings that were the backbone of the mansion's terrace. I gave her an eye roll and beckoned her over with a flick of my finger, not even bothering to glance her way. The moment I sensed her by my side, I took a sip of the tea before talking to her.
"What now?"
I was in the middle of taking another sip when I froze at what she said. "No matter what happens, don't leave before midnight!" Sheena chirped. She even mentioned the same line twice.
"Why?" I asked. I dropped the tea on the side table beside me and looked down at her. "I need to know," I emphasized.
But instead of giving me an answer, she just flew away. I closed my eyes, rubbed the side of my forehead, and leaned my right elbow on the armrests. I shook my head. "Ugh," I muttered.
I thought I had to embark on another mission chase, as Sheena gave me the heads up, but it looked like I'd have to bear with it for a meantime and postpone it for another time. I needed to come up with a plan to keep us in this place until the clock strikes twelve. Sheena never spilled on anything that was neither unnecessary nor untrue. I had a gut feeling that something heavy was gonna drop tonight. I could sense it just by laying eyes on the waterfall's rigid splash and the misty atmosphere dancing atop the water's surface.
—
I felt like walking in an enchanted portal as I strolled through the forest, gazing in awe at the sky-high trees that seemed to touch the heavens. Their grand stature was just out of this world, stretching as far as the eye could see. I can't lay eyes on its summit or the uppermost part of it. The plants here were soaring 'til my height. In the concrete jungle, these sizes shrank by almost twofold. The flowers were as big as my palm. I put one of them on top of mine and saw the bee emerge from it. I waved my hand in front of my face as the bee wandered and flew towards me. Its buzzing sound reverberated through the woods. I took a step back and captured it with my bare hands, cutting it to pieces.
It was crunchie. I stared at its body pieces falling to the ground.
When I looked up, more bees suddenly emerged from the bushes. Its body moved blindfolded, and in the blink of an eye, they immediately reached me. My reflexes were quick enough that I managed to dodge their attacks before they could land their stinger on my skin. I sliced them with my speed alone, making them dizzy at first. A lot of them came to attack me a couple of times, and I did the same thing. For a couple of minutes, the jungle buzzed, but not until the silence made me hear the loudness of the void.
"That was impressive! You were able to kill them without having to touch their bodies!"
My eyes widened as I heard a voice from behind. The voice seemed to echo somewhere else, and so I kept looking around to find the source. Then, a lady suddenly jumped in front of me from above. She was wearing a plain white dress with white sport shorts inside that kept her comfortable while jumping from one place to another. She looked like a tennis player, except she's holding a sword. But her wearing a women's shoe raised my eyebrows. Who the hell wears it while stepping in this muddy place? Her eyes were as green as the mosses in the stagnant water. Her eyelashes that curled from the side, which made her eyes look sharper than the bee's stinger, caught my attention. Her ponytail hair makes her natural-looking and fresh, similar to the vibrant plants around her.
She looks young. Perhaps she's a teenager.
"You are?" I asked, my face looking straight.
But I was taken aback when she swiftly stretched her hand, requesting a shake. She stood upright, and I could feel her vibes radiating from her smile. "I'm Felicity. Felicity James!"
I cast my eyes upon her hand, suspended in the space between us. I kept my lips sealed tight, letting the silence do the talking. She blinked her eyes thrice and let out a heavy sigh, then pulled back her hand. I cast my eyes upon her blade, which she quickly noticed I did.
"Oh, don't mind this sharp thing. I am doing a warm-up for tonight's Hunting of Mercy," she reasoned out of the blue without me asking anything. Just by looking at the shape of her sword, I could tell it was built to last and had enough length to chop off a werewolf's head. Maybe this young lady is one of the wolf slayers on a mission.
"What's hunting of mercy?" I asked out of curiosity. She placed her index finger at the side of her lips and walked past me as if she was dancing around the muddy surface. "It's... about hunting werewolves!" I knew it. So, this is what Old Carson and Malcolm were talking about earlier.
I kept my composure straight. "You are one of the hunters that Old Carson trained?"
She nodded while humming aha. She doesn't even look like she was surprised that I know their trainer. Interesting. She perched on a twig as we slowly walked forward. She had lightning-fast reflexes, so attentive that she spotted a falling branch behind her and swiftly sliced it in two with her sword. She looked straight at the sun from the narrow horizon and said, "As soon as the moon eats the sun, the blood thickens."
It seems like Sheena's words were making sense now. Well, it's time I pulled out every possible effort to ensure that Malcolm sticks around for a while longer. No doubt about it, we won't be here until midnight because the roads are as dark as the odds of coming home safe, posing a real danger for us to make our way back. I gotta settle down here, no ifs, ands, or buts, but to have my attention on the pulse of the other side of the world I've been itching to uncover since I arrived here.
"It looks like you're lost in the wilderness," Felicity said. At the back of my head, I rolled my eyes. I am not lost. I can find my way back. This young lady thinks I am still a teenager like her. If she only knew my identity, she would undoubtedly die in embarrassment.
"How about let's go back to the Birnam Mansion and have some meal? We might also meet some of my friends there," she initiated after noticing that I wasn't uttering a single word to her. I just gave her a nod and headed quickly back to our way.
On my journey, all of a sudden, I got zapped with what seemed to be an electrical storm in my brain, like it was doing the bug-like thing in there, and I was unexpectedly turned standstill. I was left in the dark after the condiment, I had a vision of a festive group rejoicing within a grandiose setting adorned with gold and silver accents. There were just over a handful of people dancing but all of them were faceless figures. I couldn't hear their voices. All I knew was that they were having a blast.
But from where I stood, it seemed like a whole different point of view. They burst into laughter, leaving me completely dumbfounded. I couldn't determine whether it was a laughter of mockery or a laughter of enthusiasm—perhaps a bit of both.
"Wake up…" The humming whispers of Felicity brought me back to reality.
I blink my eyes multiple times. "What was happening?" I found myself just standing in the middle of the woods. Did I just daydream while in this position?
"You suddenly fell unconscious for a moment."