Gerald's POV
"Sorry," she said, then took a step backward.
Her eyes observed me for a while, kind of checking if she could see something different about me. She had known me for quite some time, and had sometimes come close to me.
It was strange for her to be acting like it was her first time meeting me.
"I… Actually came to check for Leah." She was bending her head to look through the sides of the door, trying to see past me.
"She left," I said. "Didn't she tell you?" I closed the door so no free space was left to see through.
She nodded, but was hesitant on leaving. "Please when she comes back, tell her to come see me."
I locked the door, heaving a sigh of relief. I didn't believe she wasn't aware of Leah not being inside the room, but simply came for a different intention. She must have heard something about me. As Luna of their pack, such things couldn't pass her.
"She must have had a discussion with Leah… It wouldn't be surprising if she has, but why had Leah continued with the marking process if she had?"
Wind blew in through the windows, and it caused the doors of the wardrobe to slowly open. My box was inside. I opened it to bring out a picture.
"Prisca…" I rubbed it against my shirt to clean off the dust on it.
It was a small sized picture, the only one I had of her, and I had always carried it along with me, wherever I went. The picture looking at me gave me the feeling that her eyes were on me.
My face formed a smile, but a tear dropped on the picture. "See… I've gotten a mate, and it's just a matter of time before we start the process of escaping this curse… Just a little while…"
And then I laid flat on the bed, the smile on my face gradually fading off. The picture felt real as though she was present in the room with me.
I heard someone knock.
I left the bed to open the door, but then I heard Andrea's voice from the other side. What else was she going to say?
"Gerald…" She held her hands together, almost shaking like a mouse held in a trap.
That confused me. I would have been blunt with my words to her, but I had to calm down a bit. The personal moment I was having with Prisca was cut short.
"Andrea… Is there something you need?" I asked.
She took a step forward, getting so close to me. I had to let the door open.
"Can I come in?"
What else could I do? She was acting crazy, and I had no choice but to hide my displeasure.
Her eyes were scanning the room, but she hadn't said anything. Hadn't said why she had come even after confirming Leah was not inside with me. It was like she came to a crime scene, and that all her intention was to take note of everything in the room.
"You need my help on something?" I had to ask.
"Actually…" She started but stopped halfway.
It had become obvious. She came to look for traces that might back whatever she had told Leah.
Leah's boxes were not in the wardrobe, but outside it, at one of the four corners of the room closest to the bed.
"These are Leah's clothes," she said, nodding her head, turning her head around the room, and pouting her lips into a fake smile just as Leah would do.
They looked so much alike. Her pair of hazel eyes were exactly like Leah's, the only difference was that they were slightly bigger, but seemed to give a more piercing gaze. That could be because of their age difference.
"I just wanted to check if the room was okay… Hmm… Leah told me she convinced you to stay for a couple more days…" Her fingers went through her hair.
It was a dark brown color, also like Leah's. And her height? She was average heighted. Over all, Leah was close to being a replica of her.
"The maids would have checked on the room," I said. "Not you."
My voice might have perhaps come out rude, but that moment I wasn't concerned about that. She noticed the hard expression on my face, but didn't relent on her crazy act.
"I know." She sat on the bed like it was her room.
Actually I was just a guest.
"The maids are supposed to clean up the room, but they didn't. There's dust on the floor."
I looked around. That was true. I had refused the maids entry, and that must have been the reason they hadn't bothered to come in for the usual cleaning.
"I could call them in, or as well do it myself."
"No. I had asked them not to. Whenever Leah comes, she would do it herself."
"Fair enough."
Her acting was starting to wear off. She had something in mind to say, I was certain of that, but she hadn't let it out, and was instead stalling for time just so she could feel comfortable around me. I could sense her unease.
The door of the wardrobe opened a second time, and the picture I had kept on my box, Prisca's picture, floated in the air, and fell on the floor beside her.
"Wh–"
Without allowing a second to pass, I took the picture off the floor to keep in my pocket. She wanted to look at it, but it was out of her sight.
"The picture…"
Of course she wanted to ask but didn't. It was time I asked her to leave, but then, Sago's words replayed in my mind. I had to kill every emotion.
I forced a smile that seemed genuine. And she flinched, pushing herself further into the bed like she had seen something strange on my face, something that could turn out to be a nightmare.
"Leah…" Her voice had a visible fear. "Did she… Tell you where she had gone?"
I shook my head. It was surprising that Leah hadn't told her. How distant could they be?
"I have to leave…" She left the bed, almost running to the door.