Emma’s POV
Jake stared at me with a mix of concern and affection before cradling my hand in his. “Beloved,”
“Yes?”
“You are the girl who stole my heart. The one who completes me and understands me ways no one does. A missing piece of my soul! My soulmate. The one who tried to get away. My little white beautiful fox. You are mine and I am yours forever.”
I looked away dissatisfied with his answer but to be honest, I expected it from him. Maybe I didn’t phrase it well. His hand snaked onto my face and I turned to look at him with a sad expression on my face.
“I mean, who am I before I met you?”
He cocked an eyebrow at me in confusion before flashing a smile at me. “Oh, I understand. Do you want to talk about it over cake?”
I nod and he quickly goes to the kitchen to grab some plates, some forks, and a knife. He cut me a piece and gave it to me.
“Your name is Emma Cross-wood. You are a sixteen-year-old currently attending Akademi High and your friends are Brianna, Ralph, Andrew, Caroline, and Aubrey. You joined a team of students to unlock the mystery behind the school but they die due to unfortunate circumstances. Now you are trying to unlock the history behind the school to bring peace to a woman named Raibaru Fumestu who blackmailed you into helping her summon the ghost of her late friend whose name is Osana Najimi.” He cut himself a piece of cake and leaned back on the couch with a smile on his face. “You are courageous, independent, observant, beautiful, and fluent in martial arts, calligraphy, ballet, and cooking but you are bad at swimming because of your fear of water. You have a motherly nature around children, you love classic Japanese Opera and drama, you are obsessed with ancient Japanese traditional architecture and gardens because of how beautiful they are and you know how to do the fan and sword dance and how to play the violin.”
He put a forkful of cake in his mouth and ate it while I blinked back my shock. “A…anything else?”
He smiled. “You can see ghosts and communicate with ghosts, you have supernatural abilities including an unknown power source every…”
I was shocked by this. “What do you mean I have a …”
He stuffed my mouth with a forkful of cake.
“Forget I said that,” he said with a wild look on his face.
With the fork in my mouth, I gave a stiff nod and swallowed.
“Do you need water?” he asked.
“N…no.” I replied and started eating my piece of cake. “Anything else?”
“I do know some other things but they are the sad things like your parents passing away, the bullying in your former school, your toxic relationship with your ex-partner, how you friend-zoned me, the many times you nearly got killed…” he shook his head sadly. “You made so many sad memories there.”
I nod and put another piece of cake in my mouth. “You seem to know a lot about me huh?”
He nodded happily. “What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn’t know anything about my Sweetheart?”
This comforted and scared me at the same time for it reminded me of how I acted when I was dating my ex. ‘What’s the use? I didn’t know her that well.’
‘Not as well as he knows you.’
“What do you know about my childhood?” I ask ignoring the voice in my head.
His eyes widened at that. “I…I am sorry Beloved. I did not dig up on that since it was tragic.”
My face fell at that and I dropped the plate on the coffee table. “The reason why I am asking this is I don’t remember much about myself.”
“Why?”
“The Detective told me my late parents were not found in the government computer system.” I leaned back. “I don’t know what this means. Does this mean I am an orphan or the memories of my childhood a lie?”
Jake wrapped his arms around me and sighed. “I…I am not so sure Beloved. Maybe there was a mistake on his side.”
“What do you mean?”
“There are so many people registered in the government system and some aren’t registered due to private or personal issues. Maybe it’s a glitch on their part or he didn’t dig deeper on his part.” He looked down at me lovingly. “So don’t worry about it okay?”
I looked into his eyes and snuggled deeper into his chest. “Thank you.”
He tightened his grip on me.
“I can’t help but feel that most of my childhood isn’t real,” I muttered.
“Why?”
“I can only remember them in fragments.” tears pricked my eyes at the thought. “Heck, I can’t even remember going to my parent’s funeral or where they were buried or what happened to me before I clocked thirteen. It’s like, my life just replayed itself after the incident and I don’t know why.”
His chest rumbled as he hummed and stroked my head. “It’s okay. Memories take time to remember but I promise to help you.”
“How?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know but I don’t break my promises.”
Then he reached out and cradled my face in his hands.
“I want to take you somewhere tomorrow morning. Are you up for it or should we go later?” he asked.
I was unsure of where he wanted to take me but I nodded and hugged him again letting silence overtake the room.
The following day unfolded with a sense of anticipation as he took me to the park in the middle of the city. During the day, it was bustling with energy with people walking and talking, children playing, street vendors selling snacks, and the homeless sleeping on the benches but rumors about its nightly activities spread like wildfires.
Jake held my hand tight as he led me through the concrete path and we arrived at the lush greenery-like forest situated at the end of the park. The air hummed with the symphony of nature as he guided me deeper into the foliage. Sunlight filtered through the emerald leaves, dappling the ground in a mesmerizing mosaic of light and shadow. The ancient oak trees and slender birches mingled with the vibrant flora made it seem like he was taking me to a secret realm beckoning to us. Soon we arrived at a clearing where a wooden table and a training dummy.
“What’s all this?” I asked.
Jake raised his arms and stretched. “To sharpen our martial arts skills.”
I was surprised by this and it took me a while to let the information sink in. “You want us to sharpen our skills in martial arts?”
He closed his eyes and beamed with a smile.
“But what about the curse you…” my voice trailed off.
“I know, I know you are worried about the curse I placed on you but it is alright. Besides, your combat skills are…subpar.”
“Subpar?”
The confused look on my face was obvious and chuckled nonchalantly. “Beloved, I have fought you more than once and your skills are impressive. Weak but impressive but they need some work.” he placed his hand on his chest and stared at me with half-lidded eyes. “Let’s make up for it by training together. Who knows, we can learn something new about each other as we train together to fight.”
The smile he gave me in the end already told me there was a hidden intention in his words but I couldn't figure out what it was.
‘Not to mention the curse he placed on me. Did he forget about that?’ I thought to myself.
‘I don’t think he forgot.’
‘Then what does he have to gain from this?’
‘Let’s find out shall we?’
“Okay. I accept.”
He closed his eyes and clapped his hand in satisfaction. “That’s the spirit! Now please take off your clothes.”
My eyes increase in shock. “Wh…what? Why?”
“Beloved, you can’t fight me wearing a skirt reaching down to your feet and are you sure your long-sleeved buttoned-up shirt can help you with complicated movements?”
He was right. My outfit surely wasn’t fit for combat while he was wearing a sleeveless black shirt with a pair of black jeans. Sighing deeply, I start unbuttoning my shirt revealing my dark-red push-up bra and ignored his gaze. Just as I was about to unhook the buttons on my skirt his hands stopped me.
“Let me help you, Beloved.” He murmured in a husky voice.
I adverted my eyes from his hands as they slowly undid the buttons on my skirt but shivered when his fingers brushed my bare skin. So I concentrated instead on the fabric of my skirt slowly slithering down my thighs until it stopped at my knees.
My suspicions were right.
A few minutes later I grab the back of his hair to force him to look at me. “Are you done staring at my thighs?”
He purred staring at me with half-lidded eyes. “Do you want me to do more?”
My glare was his answer. He chuckled finally dragging my skirt down to my feet and I stepped out of it.
“What do you intend to teach me?” I asked tying up my hair.
“You will see.” He replied neatly folding my skirt. “Why don’t we start with a little fight between us?”
“Mmm?”
He pointed to the array of weapons. “Pick any weapon of your choice and attack me with it.”
My eyes widened at that. “Why do you want me to do that?”
“To know which weapons you are good at and which ones need work.” He replied with a smug smile. “Or should we start with wrestling techniques we learned in Judo instead?”
“Wh…what no?” I quickly grab the boa staff and point it at him. “Let’s start,”
He chuckled again and posed for battle while I used my determination to hide the fear in my eyes. Slowly spreading my legs a few feet apart and squatting a bit, I start a spin and swipe the body of the staff at him but he blocked my attack with sessions all the while keeping the smug look on his face. I continued sending swift and calculated strikes at him but he sidestepped my attacks with minimal movements even when I applied speed and agility to my movements. However, he countered and blocked my strikes until he applied a move that forced my staff to beak in two.
‘What the…’ I stared at the end of the staff and tossed it away. Picking a spear, I used the range and distance to my advantage. The silver blade sliced through the air as I sent a downward strike at him but he moved and used his fluid movements to move closer to me with lightning-fast strikes that knocked the weapon off me.
Defenseless, I took a step back in fear and he took two steps away from me. Swallowing saliva, I take the next weapon; two twin swords, and start with a surprise attack followed by a web of attacks hoping it will overwhelm him but he dodged effortlessly, like he knew what I was going to do. I didn’t know if it was my lack of coordination or my predictability but he managed to disarm me.
“Are you sure that’s all you have for me?” he asked spreading his arms wide. “Come on Beloved, I know there is more in store.”
The results for the next weapons I picked were the same. Out of breath, I accepted defeat and slumped on the ground in frustration.
“That was fun,” he chirped. “Are you thirsty?”
My throat was parched and my lips were getting dry. He walked towards the wooden table where a basket was, took out two bottles, and tossed it to me. I caught it, opened it, and took a sip.
‘It tastes funny,’ I take a closer look at it and see something glittering inside the liquid. Looking at him with eyes full of concern I ask, “What is this?”
Jake drank a mouthful of the liquid and sighed with satisfaction. “It’s water.”
“Water?”
“Yep. Special water.”
A shiver spread through my body creating goosebumps on my skin and a pit inside my stomach. Silently, I screw the cap back and handed the bottle back to him.
“Are you okay?” he asked. “Is your thirst quenched?”
“Yeah,” I bow my head to avoid the uncomfortable thoughts crawling in my head nearly making me throw up but I hold it in. “Yeah,”
The scene grew silent with the chirping of birds and rustling of leaves when Jake sat next to me. The uncomfortable feeling grew the more I thought about it and the disgusted feeling swirled into my stomach creating tears in my eyes. He kissed the top of my head and stroked me as I failed to fight my emotional breakdown.
‘Why did you do this to me? Why?’ I wept to myself.
“It’s a potion,” he whispered.
I looked up at him in shock. “What?”
“I bought a potion from a mage in the other world.” he calmly said. “She said it restores vitality.”
Feeling stupid I adjusted myself to turn away from him but grabbed my face and forced me to look at him.
“I’m sorry I did this Beloved,” he whispered holding my chin to look into my eyes. “But I don’t like the fact that you think badly of me, it’s getting annoying. But don’t be ashamed. It’s natural for someone to be that way.”
The warm smile appeared on his face rendering me speechless while the mixture of emotions welled up in my stomach. He released me and leaned back on the tree behind us while the leaves rustled in the wind and the distant sound of children echoed across the park.
“Do you remember the ‘Fan Dance’ you did in the Fox Village?” he asked suddenly.
A puzzled look appeared on my face “Huh? Umm…yes. I remember.”
“Do you know it is a form of martial arts?” he looked at me “If you quicken the movements, you can perform quick strikes and blocks.”
I shake my head in disbelief. “I don’t agree.”
“Where did you learn that dance?”
“It was in an old book I found in my old school’s library.” I say recalling the texture of the thin paper felt in between my fingertips as I flipped through the pages but the cover was thick with the title; ‘The Dance of the Fox Princess’ written in white. “The dance looked magical so I decided to learn it.”
“Magical?”
I shrugged and gave a small smile. “I learned the dance when I was just thirteen and thought something magical would happen.” Then I sighed. “It’s a shame nothing happened.”
“Too bad,” he sarcastically said. “Well, if you apply speed and time your movements and be précised you can create powerful strikes and defensive maneuvers.”
“Wow, I didn’t know this,” I replied. “I thought it was just an ordinary dance.”
He beamed a happy smile.
“But I don’t have a pair of fighting fans,”
He snapped his fingers and a pair of fighting hand fans appeared right in front of us, floating in the air and bathed in a purple sparkling glow. It was black with a purple inscription which said read, Watashi no Itoshii Hito’ engraved with gold on the sides but the blade shimmered in the sunlight showing how sharp it was.
“Don’t you like it?” he asked flicking his finger causing the floating in the air to rotate. “I made it especially for you.”
“Yes. I…I like it.” I say.
“Too bad you can’t use it,” he snapped his fingers causing it to disappear, “Let’s perfect your skills first, and from the looks of your performance earlier, you still have a lot to learn.”
I huffed and pursed my cheeks in a pout. “I apologize for being a little rusty.”
“No, it’s my fault. I…” he used his finger to scratch the side of his cheek. “…I did dwindle your skill set while you were in the labyrinth but…”
I thrash my head at him in shock and he looked back at me with an apologetic look on his face. Then he stood up and stretched.
“Let’s continue our training session shall we?” he asked stretching his hand towards me.
I took his hand and we continued from where we stopped in our training teaching me the basic skills I already knew about hand combat he complimented me on my grace and strength but pointed out the fact I lacked speed in my attacks. The sun was setting when we walked out of the forest foliage in the park.
“I promise to teach more next time,” he chirped as we walked through the park ignoring the eyes that stared at us.
‘Next time,’ the thought excited and saddened me because of what he said earlier. ‘How did dwindle my skills? Am I trapped in a video game?’
A loud gasp interrupted my thoughts and we turned to see Julia staring at us while holding what seemed to be groceries. Then her eyes welled up with tears, and she let her bag drop to the ground and ran away wailing loudly.
“What a drama queen,” Jake said with a huff. “I wonder why she is crying.”
I squinted my eyes in confusion until the cold breeze flapped the color of my shirt. As I reached out to button up, I noticed my cleavage was out, my shirt wasn’t tucked in and the buttons on my skirt weren’t done properly. It took a minute to rearrange myself and we were on our way to our apartment block.
“I’ll get dinner ready,” he said dropping the weapons beside the door. “Why don’t you go take a shower?”
I nod and head up the stairs but stop when I open the door because it is half-opened.
“Jake was the last one to open the door,” I whispered to myself. “He never leaves the door half-opened. So…”
My instincts perked and I went back downstairs to the kitchen to see Jake chopping vegetables while the pot of brew bubbled in on the stove.
“Jake? Did you leave the door open?” I asked walking into the kitchen.
He stopped and raised the knife. “No. Why do you ask?”
I told him what I saw and he stared at me with wide eyes as his pupils dilated with an unknown excitement. Still holding the knife and walked passed me going up the stairs. The sound of the door sliding open echoed in the living room followed by a chuckle, the sound of a knife piercing through flesh and a grunt.
“Care to tell me who you are?” Jake asked as I hurried up the stairs. The door was half opened and he was standing in the middle of the room where we used to sleep with a bloodied knife in his hand. Withering in pain on the floor before him was a man, with his hand on his neck in a vain attempt to stop the blood from seeping out from his fingers.
Before I could say another word, Jake slammed the knife into the intruder's abdomen and sliced through it. “I asked a question.
This caused the man to chock on his own blood before giving an airy gasp and rolling his eyes back with tears running down his cheeks.
Jake groaned loudly and took out the knife. “I hate guys like them. They always die easily.” then he turned around to face me with a huge smile on his face. “At least they bleed like a pressured busted pipe when they die. Don’t you agree?”
I shivered at the sight of his golden glowing eyes and was about to leave when he grabbed my hand.
“At least they die quietly,” he whispered into my ears reminding me about his bloodlust. We left the room quietly shutting the door behind us.
“There was nothing inside the room Beloved,” he loudly said. “Shot! I forgot to buy the eggs for tonight’s dinner. Can you go to the store to buy them for me please?”
I was about to say something but clamped my mouth shut as his eyes looked in the direction of the front door. “O…of course! Let me get my bag.”
In a normal situation, one is supposed to calmly walk out of the house but I found myself nearly tripping twice on my way to the coat hanger where my bag was hung. Grabbing it, I opened the door, bid him a cheerful goodbye, and shut the door behind me but I didn’t leave. I stood still and patiently waited for the screams of terror but it was quiet.
Too quiet.
Then a scream punctuated the air and I thrashed my head to the door. However, the voice was familiar. Listening carefully to the sound, I realized it was Julia screaming in the room next to ours, and from the looks of things she was talking to someone on the phone.
“I swear they were doing it there!”
‘Huh?’ I walked and pressed my ear on the front door.
Thank my ancestors she was loud.
“What do you mean I was seeing things? I swear it! Her hair was crazy, her blouse was unbuttoned and she wasn’t wearing panties! And him? His hair was worse than hers, he was sweating and his zipper was undone! I swear they looked like they just f#cked!”
My eyebrows furrowed in anger and I sighed in frustration because this was normal for girls like her. They always emphasized what they saw or heard with no consideration for the facts but in Julia’s case, no one would know she was exaggerating until they investigated for themselves.
“Ugh! Forget it! I don’t care about Emma anymore. He can have her!”
My eyes widen in shock.
“Yeah! I give up! There is no way I would want her after that boy took her virginity! It’s gross thinking about it!” a pause. “At least I have you. You are way better than Emma. Oh I do love the experience! When are you coming over?”
The gagging feeling in my stomach forced me to stop eavesdropping on the conversation. It was disgusting to learn that two terrible people could use each other for their own selfish needs but the fact that Julia was slowly becoming fixated on Agatha gave me a sense of satisfaction. Julia would continue to pester Agatha and when rejected, she would be her new target for her verbal and physical harassment. However, Agatha is resourceful and manipulative. She might continue to manipulate Julia and when it all comes crashing down, she might do something to stop her or worse. Either way, those two deserve each other.
“Emma?”
Then the door was opened and Jake was standing behind me with a satisfied smile. “You can come in now. They are all gone.”
I give a stiff nod and walk in expecting something; be it a smell, a sign, or anything that was out of place but everything in the apartment was normal.
‘I know he won’t tell me what he did,’ I sat down at the kitchen table and watched him hum a tune while opening the pot full of steaming broth. ‘I need to ask another question.’
“How many were they?”
“Did you say something Beloved?” he asked turning off the rice cooker.
“The men. How many were hiding in the apartment?” I ask again looking into his eyes. “How many?”
He hummed while snapping off one of the curry tablets. “There were four.”
I was shocked. “Where did they come from?”
“I don’t know. They were dead before they could talk.” He dished the rice on a large plate and set it in front of me. “Maybe we should do a hot pot after our next training section.”
“Maybe I should do the hot pot next time,” I suggested. “I know a good recipe for it.”
“Yum! I am looking forward to it!” he stuck out his tongue from the corner of his mouth. “By the way, how are things between you and Ms. Haruko?”
I heard shouting in the next room and shrugged. “She tried to block me but when she learned I was a fan of ‘My Phoenix, My Love’ she listened to me.” I looked at the Facebook chat logs on my phone with a smile.
“You are still uncomfortable about this aren’t you?” he asked propping his elbow on the table with a knowing smile. “Am I right?”
“Yeah. I am.” I sighed deeply and turned off the phone. “She is a nice person.”
Jake reached out and stroked my cheeks. “Everything is going to be alright and you are making a decent friend. So there is no problem at all.”
I stared at the phone in my hand and bit my bottom lip.
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