Chapter 64 – The One Who Could Help

Levisia was expecting a strong opposition from Pel but she was relieved when he moved to do as she wished. She merely ignored the frown on his face indicating his strong protest over the matter. She followed him to find the criminal by going to ‘the helpful place’ that he had mentioned. As their unfamiliar path became even more unusual, she tried to remain calm in spite of her increasing apprehension.

‘Pel, this place?’ Levisia wondered when they entered an alley that stretched out to downtown. Alley after alley, their journey felt like an eternity as they went through each and every one of it in a repeated cycle. She was now doubting whether they were not lost in a labyrinth.

The darkness of the alleys did not help the growing anxiety of the princess. Contrary to the much illuminated festival streets where they came from, the alleys were not simply dark but clammy. The deep corners appeared like any form of light had not touched them for quite some time, making them creepy; and the atmosphere of the place — eerie.

As they turned to another corner, they were met by a crouching black cat’s menacing shriek. Levisia’s heart almost dropped to the ground by such unwelcome surprise. Then, the cat quickly leaped away from them and disappeared into the deep darkness of the passageway.

“Pel, here…”

“Hush.” Pel placed his finger over Levisia’s lips, looking at her intently. With a soft nod, he signaled her to be quiet. After which they continued wandering the crisscrossing alleys until they reached a store with a suspicious unreadable board sign.

‘What on earth is this place…’ Levisia thought to herself while looking at the letters inscribed in the signboard that she can’t decipher.

Pel knocked on the door then turned to Levisia, whose eyes are obviously wary looking at the store sign.

“Stay here and don’t go inside.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll be in and out quickly.”

Unable to disagree with the idea of waiting alone outside, Levisia’s eyes roamed around the pitch-blackalley. Seeing nothing but deep blackness, she didn’t feel any threatening presence yet the hair at the back of her neck remained standing as she endured the fear she truly felt inside.

‘I’ll… be alright though.’ She tried to appease herself in spite of being scared something bad might happen to her while Pel was inside the store. She knew Pel hid many things from her and this was probably one of them. She nodded, in spite of herself. “If you say so,” she took a step back away from the door. I’ll wait here. Just hurry back.”

Instead of going inside, Pel also scanned the dark alley just like she did. The crease on his face tells her that he was thinking the same thoughts as her.

“It’s okay, just go.” Levisia insisted, seeing that he also feared for her safety gave her a sense of comfort somehow. Sighing deeply, he looked at her eyes gravely.

“Stay close to the door. I’ll be back as soon as I’m done talking.”

“Got it.”

“It’ll be quick, so don’t go away.”

“I’m not a child.”

Pel’s face flinched a little as she said that.

“There’s something inside the store that I must do.”

“Are you telling the truth?”

Pel simply shrugged as a reply which meant it was the end of their conversation and he couldn’t tell anymore.

“Anyway, stay here for a moment.”

Then, he walked through the door and disappeared inside the store. The sound of the bell’s opening and closing door broke through the deafening silence of the alley.

‘It’s a bit spooky here.’ She felt her anxiousness coming back as she stood all alone in the empty and dark alley that was now dead silent without the ringing of the bell. Her situation felt like a scene in novels that she read and usually, the main character is bound for trouble or crisis when it happens.

Levisia swallowed hard, trying to be brave. She squinted her eyes to adjust her sight in the dark. Except for the loud noises coming from the main street, the alley remained quiet.

‘I knew it. I’m not even the main character.’

Finally feeling a bit more relaxed, she leaned back against the door. Suddenly, a light flickered on and off over the fence in front of her.

‘What the…’ A cold shiver shot up from the back of her neck as her body broke into goosebumps. Stepping back suddenly agitated, her heel hit the door behind her and made a short knocking sound. ‘That thing just now…’

Lights? It seemed so. A pair of bright, round lights. She then remembered the cat they encountered a while back as they entered the alley.

‘Oh… the cat…’

If it was a stray cat, then it wouldn’t be strange if there were more than one of them. As relief washed over her, the door she was leaning on flew open.

“Huh?”

Falling over backwards she felt her body against Pel, whose arms are wrapped around her for support. She saw the look of surprise in Pel’s expression when she turned around to face him.

‘Your face is quite dynamic today, Pel.’ She wanted to tell him, but knowing that her thoughts about him were inappropriate for the situation they were in, she kept them to herself. She then felt him gently pushing her forward to straighten her.

“Did something happen?”

“What do you mean?”

“Just now, did you knock on the door?”

She gasped as she realized that her heel hit the door making it appeared that she knocked. ‘It wasn’t that loud, how did he hear it?’

“No, nothing happened. I was surprised by the cat over the fence.”

“Cat?”

Pel quickly looked toward the fence, alarmed. She was about to assure him that it was nothing, when she saw the fierce energy passed over his eyes. Before she could understand what’s happening, Pel stormed away and zoomed towards the fence.

“Pel!”