Chapter 5
It was late. Really late. When I finally recieved my own room in the house. My Aunt Anna finally coming home as she glanced around infuriated that Elizabeth had let me sleep on the couch. So here I was plopping down in my own room. I glanced around the room covered in dolphins and not just the walls, there was even a lamp on the dresser in the shape of a dolphin as an example. "Do I really need a dresser?'" I asked Aunt Anna as she glanced at me, shocked.
"You seriously were in some situation over there weren't you?" she had shaken her head noticing I only had the clothes for when I arrived, the day after that, and pajamas.
"Next Saturday...we are going shopping." Aunt Anna told me and then walked out shaking her head, locking my door behind her.
That was the other fun fact about my room. Although I had a giant beautiful balcony all to myself. My door handle was on backwards. Only people from the outside could open it once it's been locked. At least I had a bathroom. Elizabeth had explained that apparently the 'real' reason I was actually here: to be the family maid.
The last one ran out on them, I sighed putting my stuffed animal upon the bed. Well at least I still had her, and now I had plenty of places to hide her. I glanced over at the balcony, it was almost deadly quiet for being in the middle of the city standing up I headed over to the balcony unlocking the door to see a view stretch out before me. The backyard contained a large pond or pool with a beautiful colorful fountain spreading out through the middle. I smiled at least one thing here would bring me joy.
I ducked as a rock flew at me, clattering against the porch. Another rock clattered against the glassdoor likely leaving a small scratch on it. I glanced down below where the rocks were being thrown.
Shuichi?
He smiled up waving at me suddenly climbing the vines until he was sitting on the balcony ledge. "Careful! You'll fall!" I shouted running over towards him as he grabbed my forearms pulling me up to sit on the ledge.
"We need to talk." he sighed as I shook my head again.
"If you don't you, you'll fall." he was lying, he had to be. His grip tightened as I held my breath feeling as though he was leaning me backwards. A nonverbal threat to throw me off the porch. My heart thudded. I didn't know him. I had no proof his threat was a lie. I knew he was threatening me for my own good, so that he could help. He had to be figuring it was the only way. "Talk to me" Shuichi declared again shutting my balcony door when I didn't even have enough time to jump down.
"This doesn't really enhance the ideal of trust." I whispered, gripping my hands on the balcony railing.
"Alright, I'll correct myself, you need to talk to me." he sighed his hair dropping in my face as his hand wrapped around my forearm. I shook my head in reply. "I can't." I whispered glancing away.
"Are you being threatened?" he asked quickly as I glanced up at him biting on my bottom lip feeling the slightest eye movement towards my balcony window. If you talk to him, I'll behead your precious treasure. Elizabeth's words ran through my head, "I have to go back in and clean." I muttered instantly wanting to punch myself any girl would've killed to be out here with him and now here I was passing it up for cleaning.
Which I would probably have to do a ton while I lived here for who knows how long. "Talk to me." His voice didn't sound like a request, it was more of a demand.
"I'm not supposed to talk to you, look at you, or be within your presence." I sighed glancing at him as he waited for more information. "That's all I'll be telling you...it's part of it...I'm not allowed to tell you." I looked sternly up at him wanting help knowing that no one could help me this way. "I can handle this on my own. I'm strong enough to do it. I can't have you seeing me looking like I'm weak anymore! I won't have a total stranger look down upon me!" I stated finally pushing him backwards towards the further end of the porch so I could get off of the railing taking him by shock. "I'm only weak in this city for a while, I'll be stronger in a little while! I was part of my old school's track team. It's this city's atmosphere. And the threats will be taken care of promptly. It's not fair to make you deal with it, you were just collateral damage because of the threat." I shouted, I was never any good at the track team but it was something to back up what I was saying,at him.
As he had become wide-eyed. "Fine, I shall let you deal with it. But if you need me." He sighed cutting off with a simple nod saying 'I'll be there'. I glanced down below the porch knowing that's all he wanted to tell me but wasn't too sure how. I glanced away knowing that was a lie. He had something else to ask me. I could see it in his eyes but had quickly deemed now wasn't the time. "Sorry Shuichi..." I whispered placing my head on the railing as I watched the red hair disappear.
Quickly realizing I hadn't asked him about the people who had attacked me earlier or if he had caught them. I paced back into my room glancing back out. There's no way he could still be out there. Without even noticing it I felt myself swing around and slam the balcony door open with such force I didn't even know I had. "Write me a letter!" I shouted unsure if he was even out there this way if he did, it would be a way that I could talk to him. This way I could disobey the 'fine' woman that I was supposed to call my cousin.
I glanced behind me to see a muscular dark figure standing there, "Um hello?" I asked my voice slightly shaking as I tried to remember if this was normal for a city. People shouldn't be able to just appear on other people's balconies. My thoughts recollected how Shuichi got up here.
The figure blinked down towards me behind their mask as they reached into their pocket causing me to back up several steps. My heart pounding I could almost feel it in my ears as I imagined all of the things that could be in this man's pocket. "A gun? Guns were common in cities right? Or a gang? Was he a kidnapper?" I began reasoning with myself, running through lists of whatever could be in this man's pocket. A picture flashed in my face. A single picture. I felt myself relax for only a moment slightly relieved he didn't pull out something random. I was going to be alright he wasn't after me.
"Have you seen this person?" He asked his voice was deep and gruff as I glanced at the picture. I glanced at the picture, twice. Shuichi. He was glaring back over his shoulder almost perfectly at the camera as if to insult it. But there was something in his arms just over his shoulder. Yup...it had to be...That was me. Not my brightest of pictures I was still falling even though Shuichi had already landed. I knew that because of my hair and arms still in blowing upwards.
"Would you believe me if I told you I had never met the girl?" I asked pointing at the picture nervously. As the centaur shaped man laughed. It didn't sound like a pleased laugh at all, or disappointed. It was something a little more vile was the reason he was laughing.
"Funny, girl...very funny." The man replied stuffing the picture back in his pocket and throwing me over his shoulder. "I'm from a proud Centaur race, we can smell your lies."
"Hey wait!" I shouted obviously infuriated.
"Are you lying? Because you are obviously the Isabel of this picture." The centaur who I was about to just start calling Mr. Centaur stated.
"I wasn't lying! You can't really meet yourself in it's proper definition so technically I was telling the truth." I shouted back wondering if it could get any worse as we suddenly were at the bottom of the house. "I'm going to be in so much trouble when I get back! They locked me in that room for an apparent reason!" I shouted realizing I didn't really want to go back.
"That is if you get back." Mr. Centaur replied towards my shouts.
"I bet it wouldn't be any better than with you!" I shouted unsure who I was saying I had preferred. My aunt hadn't done anything too extreme other than keeping me like some prisoner.
Mr. Centaur only grunted towards my shouts still wondering through the backyard as if he were in a giant maze. "I thought Centaurs liked mazes." I sighed placing my elbow on his back and under my chin. This was obviously a dream, no one could be the size of a centaur without having some major health-problems.
"Than you read the story wrong...Centaurs were imprisoned within the maze, it wasn't by choice." Mr. Centaur re-educated me on my mythology. I knew that, believe me I have tons of mythology classes trying to find a cryptozoology class instead I wound up in mythology class which was still fun in general. I knew the mythology of the centaurs one of the other students had did a final project on it and for some reason it was still seared right into my mind. I glanced up sighing at Mr. Centaur.
"Put. ." I stated firmly glaring at Mr. Centaur. He didn't budge. "Do you make it a habit? You know to kidnap people off of their porches?" I asked as Mr. Centaur only sighed at me. "Do you have a reason? I mean I was totally minding my own business wandering around in my very, very few moments of freedom that you were interrupting." I sighed at him putting up a mask of 'cool and calm' as if this situation happened everyday.
"It's a job I picked up from my friend who has gone bankrupt and this is the only way we could make money." Mr. Centaur replied as I felt for a moment sorry for this man, only for a moment.
"That's giving up too early you know." I sighed as Mr. Centaur glanced up hope and anger flashing in his eyes at the same time.
"Thinking that you're important to Kurama I would've expected that you would be more powerful." Mr. Centaur muttered.
"Powerful? Yeah right...I've been living in poverty I've only been in this town for two days and I want out...out I tell you! Someone with power would've gotten out the minute they set foot in my situation. They'd have a job or a train ticket by now." I shouted struggling to get free once again. "Set me down right now." I shouted extremely uncomfortable in my school uniform if it wasn't for the leggings underneath it as Mr. Centaur suddenly dropped me. As we began talking at the same time.
"Look here missy...I am kidnapping you, you better talk to me better."
"Now would you excuse me I have an unnecessary amount of homework to go be bothered with."
Mr. Centaur rolled his eyes at me. "Do you even know the situation you're in?" He finally asked crossing his arms.
"Yes...I'm asleep and dreaming because you look just like a centaur...so I'm going to go upstairs, hop in my bed and wake up just in-time to do that unnecessary amount of homework." I smiled nodding at my perfect conclusion beginning to storm away towards my room unsure how to get up to my room once again.
"Obviously you don't...my mission is to kidnap this girl because she is important to Kurama." Mr. Centaur showed me the picture again.
"Okay since I'm dreaming I'll just imagine you up a bunch of money and you won't have to go doing dirty work and you can make some money by turning these people into the police." I laughed waving him off.
"And how are the police going to give me money for this tip?" Mr. Centaur sighed at me.
"Ah well I'm asleep so this is my world! I'll just imagine that they gave it to you and you'll have it." I decided waving my finger around at Mr. Centaur. I felt like I was actually enjoying this conversation. For the first time since I had gotten to my aunt's place. I was enjoying something. Too bad I would have to wake up in the morning.
"You idiot...you really don't understand...I didn't actually think the mighty Youko would go for a normal-human girl." Mr. Centaur glanced towards me as I crossed my arms. Normal was far from what anyone had described me.
"I dreamed up such a weird person." I muttered glancing away towards the lake that stretched out in the backyard wondering how such scenery fit into a city of this magnitude.
He huffed, "I'm not weird now...come with me." Mr. Centaur snapped grabbing my wrist so tightly it burned.
"Let go!" I shouted as he dragged me a crossed the grass leaving my feet marks digging into the dirt. "Hey my socks are getting dirty! What kind of dream creature are you? Do you mind?" I shouted waving my free arm around. This was my dream he should fear me this was my domain I could instantly change anything around if I just imagined it.
"Stupid girl haven't you figured out you're awake yet?" Mr. Centaur shouted at me as I glared at the grass he was lying. He was just trying to figure out how not to be turned into a bunny by me when I figured out how to control this dream. I was going to turn him into something. Well, at least less harmless than a bunny. "You are rumored to be important to Kurama. So it'll be easier to get closer to the spirit detectives to destroy the four of dem' and blah blah blah." Mr. Centaur bothered explaining to me.
"I don't know any Kurama! I only know Shuichi!" I shouted back as Mr. Centaur suddenly let go of my hand falling sideways. A rope, no vines wrapping around my abdomen dragging me backwards towards the bushes Shuichi had left through.
"Has my friend caused you any problems?" I was met face-to-face with a pair of seductive yellow eyes blinking up at me.
"Oh? So the thief makes his appearance. Let me guess thieves don't like things stolen from them." Mr. Centaur asked towards the silver-haired one standing next to me.
"You're right, thieves like to steal, not be stolen from." I found myself squinting at him the way one would if they were trying to read a newspaper with their glasses a crossed the street in the center of New York. He was dazzling, almost to the point I knew I had to look away or I would be blinded, but one thought crossing my mind:
"I think the thief just stole my heart."