THE HUNT BEGINS
A sweet melodious voice sings along to BTS's boy with luv. The singer in questions dances her way into her bedroom from the bathroom, swinging her hips from side to side.
"Whoop!" She said aloud, still dancing to herself.
"Can you keep it down, Eva?" A masculine voice interrupted her and she screamed.
"Aargh! Dad, come on. I told you no interruptions during BTS time." Eva turns off the music and frowns.
"There was no way I could concentrate with that music booming all the way to my office. And shouldn't you be studying by this time? You're in senior year." Mr. Prescott crossed his arm over his chest.
Eva chuckles nervously. "I just cane back from the study cafe with Ginny and Max."
"Yeah. study cafe huh? Did you study alcohol and chips? Because that's what you smell like."
"Ugh! I thought I washed it off me. Eww."
"Eva, you can't keep living like this. I can't bribe all the way to college for you. I have a reputation to live for. You on the other hand should be studying."
"I don't study, dad. You of all people should know that." Eva rolled her eyes.
"If only your mother were here," Prescott palmed his face.
"Don't go about mentioning mom to make me feel guilty. It won't work." Eva walked out of the room, slamming the door in her father's face.
"Eva!"
Eva went downstairs, not minding the robe she put on. She sauntered past the maids and walked out to the garden.
"Miss Prescott?" One of them went after her.
"If anyone comes after me, they'll get it!" She screamed at them and they stopped moving further.
Eva walked to the fence and knocked. A young woman lifted her head.
"Eva?" She said with a smile.
"Ender, dad yelled at me." Eva sobbed.
"Oh, poor baby. Come on." Ender unlatched the fence open and Eva walked through.
Eva let herself to Ender's clothes. It wasn't the first time she stayed overnight at Ender's. And it probably wouldn't be the first. Her father threw more tantrums than she did and what happened, she found company and silace in Ender Murray, the neighbor next door.
"So do I get you a cup of coffee or your favorite cake?" Ender called from the kitchen downstairs.
"Both will do fine." Eva called back.
She walked over to an ash tarp on the wall. It wasn't there last week when she visited.
"What's this?" Eva pulled the tarp off the wall and gasped in shock.
"Oh. You've seen it." Ender appeared on the jamb of the door with the tray of coffee and cake.
"What is this?" Eva repeated.
"My evidence wall. Come on." Ender walked in and set the tray on her bed.
Eva went to sit on the bed. She took a slice of cake and looked at the wall.
"Perks of being a news reporter." Ender went to cover the wall of papers, cutout photos and sticky notes.
"You believe in Xavier?" Eva asked.
"Why, yes." Ender reached for a mug of coffee and took a sip.
Eva scoffed. "What are you, 5? Xavier is a myth. Everyone knows that."
"Oh he's real. I can feel it. I give news reports about him almost every night."
"Xavier is a made up story. Werewolves and aliens aren't real."
"He killed a war general in a conference full of congressmen and security. Camera caught a black streak. It was him." Ender said.
Eva chuckles. "Gosh. You sound exactly like Iris West when she was looking for Barry Allen."
Ender shrugs her shoulders. "That's your loss."
Meanwhile, Alex prowls the garden of the Prescott household. He hadn't caught Eva's scent but he knew she was nearby.
He heard voices in the house next door. It belonged to Eva and the woman who sang his praises.
He leapt through the fence and landed smoothly on his feet. Right there, a white cat purred loudly.
"Shh." He shushed the cat but it wouldn't keep quiet.
In annoyance, he kicked the cat into the swimming pool.
"Mr. Twinkles." Ender cried as she ran to find the cat.
Alex rolled his eyes. "Of course, its always Mr. Twinkles."
"Is he okay?" He heard a voice from the balcony. It was Eva's. It was exactly the same voice he had heard tonight.
He took a peep from the shrubs he had hid behind and it was her. Now, she smiled as Ender carried the wet purring cat in her arms. It was the same smile that warmed his heart.
"Mate!" His wolf screamed and he ignored it.
"How did he end up in the pool?" Eva asked.
"I don't know. Maybe he fell." Ender replied.
She heard movements in the shrubs and was startled. Even Mr. Twinkles jumped down from her arms and ran for cover.
"Who's there?" She asked.
"Is someone there?" Eva asked.
"Stay there!" Ender told her. She picked up a water hose and approached the shrubs.
"Come out!" She yelled. When no one answered, she sprayed the water hose all over the shrubs.
"Is it gone?" Eva said behind her.
"I think so. It wasn't a human. I thought I told you to stay up there." Ender scolded Eva.
"I was worried." Eva pouted her lips.
"Well, let's get inside. Mr. Twinkles, it's safe now. Let's get in." Ender called for him and he ran out.
"Coward." Eva scoffed at the cat and followed it into the house.
Ender looked at the fence. She had sworn she had locked it after letting Eva in but here it was, opened ajar.
"Ender!" Eva called for her.
"Coming." She called back, terrified.
******
Back in his crib, Alex took off his gear on the kitchen counter. His mind went back to the encounter he had at Ender's house - meeting Eva again.
His heart began to thump loudly in his heart and his hand went unconsciously to his chest. He had never felt like this before. Not for the past 24 years of his life.
"Mate!" His wolf cried out for the umpteenth time that day.
"Oh shut up. She can't be my mate." He hissed and paddled to his fridge.
"I perceive lavender when she's there. She is our mate." His wolf said.
"She might be your mate but she surely isn't mine." Alex took out a bottle of milk and poured it into a glass.
His phone rang and he went to get it, turning on the Tv in the process. The gane was over already.
"Great." He rolled his eyes and answered the call.
"How did it go, Xavier? Have you seen her?" Drake's voice echoed in his ears.
"Yeah." Alex had left out "she's really beautiful"
"Well?" Drake said. He could imagine him smiling.
"Tomorrow by 3pm sharp." Alex said.
"Excellent. Looking forward to it." Drake disconnected the call.
Alex took the phone off his ears and grimaced. "His voice sounds disgusting."
His second phone rings and he scoffs. "What now!" It's Edward calling.
"What!" He growled
"Let's go have a drink." Came the next thing he heard.
Alex ended the call and switched off his phone, telling himself he wouldn't be going out. However, he found himself sitting in Bourbon bar, drinking from a soda can.
Edward rolled his eyes. "Why are you sitting there? Won't you come join me and make some friends?"
"Not interested." Alex looked away.
"Oh come on. My mate just rejected me. I'm heartbroken." Edward pouts.
"Aww too bad." Alex sipped more soda.
"You're no fun." Edward scoffed.
"I'm an introvert. You should know better that I don't do outdoors." Alex was done with the first drink and ordered another one.
"Well, too bad coz I just met two beautiful ladies headed this way." Edward smiled.
Alex turned around and followed the direction Edward was staring into. Of course, they were both beautiful. And he knew both of them. These "beautiful" ladies were Eva and Ender.
"Why do I keep seeing her everywhere!" Alex hid his face from her.
Edward went over to greet them. "Later, loser."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, they followed Edward to their lounge.
Edward introduced them. "Hello, ladies. This is my best friend and brother, Alex. Alex, these beautiful women are Evangeline and Ender."
Alex didn't look up from his drink. "Hi."
"Aww. He's shy." Eva smiled. She pinched Alex's cheek to make him look at her. "He's cute."
"Yeah. He gets that alot." Edward smiled.
"Sure, he does." Eva smiled. She looked into Alex's eyes and squinted. "Wait. I think I've seen you here somewhere."
"Nope." Alex replied immediately.
"Nah. Alex doesn't go out. He's more of an indoor cat. Can you believe he works from home? A tech genius but he is that shy." Edward laughed and Ender joined him.
Alex suddenly wished the ground would open and swallow him whole. He wondered why on earth he was behaving like a little kid near Eva. His wolf howled within him and whined when she had let go of his face.
"Is that so? I swear I've seen him before." Eva touches his face again and his wolf leaps for joy.
"Nah. He has a familiar face." Edward said.
Ender whispered something to him and he followed her outside.
"Well, now it's just the 2 of us. What do we do, Alex?" Eva winked at him and he almost died.
'What is wrong with me?' He questioned himself.
"Are you that shy?" Eva chuckled.
"Excuse me." He got up quickly and went out.
He went straight to the VIP bathroom and shut the door. Then he turned on the faucet and he scooped water, splashing his face.
"Mate!" His wolf growled within him.
"One more peep of you and we're finished. Why the hell would you embarrass me like that in front of her?" He gripped the sink as he stared at his reflection in the mirror.
"She's my mate! I want to touch her!" His wolf cried.
"Our orders are to take her to Drake! She must be his mate!" He retorted.
"She is our mate!"
"She can't be! That's impossible!"
"You okay, man?" A middle aged man with a head full of salt and pepper hair, dressed in a blue business suit emerged from one of the toilet stalls.
"I'm fine." Alex grabbed a tissue and walked out.
The man shrugged his shoulders and went to wash his hands in the sink.
As he turned on the faucet, it fell right to the floor in a loud bang and he screamed. His eyes widen in shock when he saw hand prints on the body of the sink. The gentleman talking to himself had ripped it off!