💘HEART OF A BEAST👺
(Love is the word💓)
.
BY BLESSING SILVER
.
BOOK 2 📚
CHAPTER 23✏️
.
❤Kayla’s POV❤️
.
I was restless as I sat in the bus and it began moving, I suddenly began regretting not picking a seat close to the window to let the air hit directly at my face and make my thinking state less.
I sighed and thought about the last minutes in Melvin’s house.
What could’ve gone wrong with his mom? It’s pretty obvious that she’s sick. And earlier she had seemed like she recognized the n£¢klace and the holder but the next minute, she denied knowing it.
I’m pretty certain she was hiding something and with the way she mentioned Melvin’s name, it sounded like she was hearing it for the first time.. I could find all atom of obliviousness in her voice and I wondered why..
Did Lucinda manipulate Melvin off her mind or something?
Why did she lie about the Luvi?
What could possibly be the next step?
I’m pretty sure I’m not giving up now, I mean not now that I know that she remembers the Luvi and probably have its holder, even though she denied it, I’m pretty sure she definitely knows something about it.
And I won’t st©p until I get her to speak, it’s the only option right now or I can try to sneak in and find it myself, even though I have to disguise as a maid or something.. I could just give her more time to think about everything I told her but I’m definitely going back there..
She must’ve acted that way because I was a stranger and she mustn’t have trusted me enough or the hypocritical act was to just get the insane person off her building, probably.. She would probably reminisce on my words after.
I sighed and rested my head on the headrest. I really hope she thinks more about my words, I hope they have the exact effect I want them to have on her.
I hope she easily gives in when I go next.
The bus st©pped and it was only a few minute walk before I got to the woods. Melvin was now awake, bent over the picture book I had given him for entertainment.
He noticed me when I reached him but I’m sure he would’ve s-en-sed me meters away.
“Hey, how’d it go?” He asked, closing the book and facing me. “Did you see my mom? Is she okay? Did you get to talk to her and get the key?” He asked.
“I know you’re curious but one question at a time, okay? I’m not some answers powered robot” I said in exhaustion.
“Well just tell me how it went!” He persisted.
“What do you expect, I got kicked out” I said.
“By my mom?” He asked, with his brows furrowed.
“Yeah but I’m very sure she does know something about the Luvi holder, I think she wanted to tell me but she suddenly started coughing out blood and couldn’t”
“Blood? She coughed out blood? That means she’s seriously sick, right?” He asked, panicking.
“Well.. She does look sick and it seems like-
Melvin’s ha-rd and curious stare on me made me st©p my next words- *she wouldn’t be able to last long*
“She’ll be fine, so you don’t have to worry” I as-sured with a lie.
My words made him calm. “You’re sure? She didn’t look like she’d die or like the poison had eaten her up de-eply?” He asked.
“Poison?” I repeated “was she poisoned?”
“Yeah.. When I went to the house last I saw that Lucinda had made her maid to poison her tea everyday and my mom always love having her morning tea, I caught her adding the poison to it” he answered lowly. “You think she’d be fine? Seriously Kay?” He asked, his eyes starting to water at the memory and I nodded, not being able to voice the lie out.
“That’s such a relief,” he smiled “I plan on getting out of this soon and save her before she goes” he said with so much surety.
“We will!” I told him “cos I’ll be going back to your house and I’ll make sure I get something more tangible this time, regardless of what I have to do” I as-sured him and he nodded.
“Well good thing you’re here, I’m starving!” He grumbled and I smiled before standing “And maybe when you go to my house next, you can just search for the keys yourself in the possible places. That’s if my mom still acts obnoxious” he said.
He probably knows that she doesn’t even remember him.
“And how do I know those places?”
“I’d tell it to you when you ask properly and that’ll be later but let’s eat for now” he said and I nodded before walking to my bag.
*
*
*
Five days pas-sed fast and we didn’t get any visit from Priola and also I had made up my mind to visit Melvin’s house today again. Mom driving me to the supposed libr@ry today, made things fast enough for me.
I had left Melvin in the woods and went to the bus st©p where I got a bus going to the venue. It st©pped and I hopped down.. As I walked to the house address, I began revising on my words, hoping fervently that it’d yield positive result..
I got to the gate and when I pushed it, it gave way immediately. I almost jumped out of my skin at the many people hanging around the large exterior of the building.
I noticed one similar thing amongst them, they all had sad faces. There was a lady at the door that had dry tears line on her cheeks and as I walked in further, she approached me.
“Welcome miss” she greeted with a dull and shrunken voice, putting a booklet in my hand. I gave it a glance and almost g@sped out very loudly.
It was a funeral service and Melvin’s mother was the obituary picture.
She’s dead?!
I couldn’t help the g@sp.
“We’re all saddened by it too, Mrs Mag was truly a good person and doesn’t deserve this death,” the lady that had given me the paper said “but I’m glad that she finally got off that everlasting pain, she was in so much pain being alive and would always wish that she died instead of un-dergoing such de-ep pain everyday.. I hope she gets the peace she deserves and always wanted up there” she said to me, sniffing de-eply as fresh tears began rolling down her eyes again.
I felt something drop from my face, my palm went to my face and I realized that I had been crying without even noticing it.
I sniffed and wipe my tears with the back of my palm.
“When did it happen?” I asked, my voice low.
“Four days ago.. Her sickness had really gotten to it’s last stage, we kind of saw it coming but still-
She broke down, not completing her s£ntence.
I walked slowly to the crowd and it was almost as if I was invisible because no one looked at me..
A large portrait of the pretty woman (Melvin’s mother) in her healthy stage was left at the entrance side with flowers surrounding it. I couldn’t help but notice the de-ep and striking resemblance between Melvin and her in the picture..
I quic-kly blinked to prevent the tears and went to the back of the house. Luckily, I found the backdoor, it was unlocked, so I pu-ll-ed it open and got into the kitchen. It was empty.
I moved gently out of it and arrived at a lane that connected different doors.
I walked down it and almost immediately, one of the door flung open, I was quic-k to push myself into the opening of a curtain.. It had a tiny space that I could see from and I sight Lucinda coming out of the door.. She looked so pretty and innocent that one would think she couldn’t hurt even an ant.
She looked around and then began locking the door she c@m£ out from, she pocketed the keys and walked away, pas-sing a different route.
I pushed the curtain aside and walked out, I quic-kly went to the door that she locked and as I brou-ght out the Luvi from my pocket and place it on the door, I noticed the sparks of connection..
This has to be her room and where the holder is. I quic-kly turn the knob and then realized unfortunately, that Lucinda had locked it before she left..
I pushed ha-rder at it, gathering the most of my strength and more but it didn’t budge.
I sighed loudly and sadly and slide down the door, breaking down in tears..
*
I walked miserably back to the cave and as if he was expecting me, Melvin immediately c@m£ out of the cave to see me..
Seeing his cheerful mood, I brightened up a bit..
“You failed, didn’t you?” He asked, obviously re-ading my mood and I gave him a light nod..
And I fear that it’s a dead end now.. I said inwardly.
“You shouldn’t worry too much Kay, I know my mom.. She’s someone that gives in easily if continually disturbe-d. I’m sure if you keep persisting, she’ll finally give in to you” he said and I almost broke down in tears knowing that it couldn’t be possible anymore.
I blinked ra-pidly to push the tears back.
“I hope so” I sniffed. “Are you hungry? I should go make some food for us” I said and began walking to the cave, trying to get away from him before my emotions would betray me.
“Kayla?” He called when I was halfway to the cave and I st©pped, facing him with a faux smile.
“My mom, is she okay?” He asked, “is she better than she was or..is she getting worse?” He asked and I saw how his face twitch to a sad expression at the last phrase.
“She-” I looked down, not being able to lie at his face. “She’s fine!”
.
.
BOOK 2 📚
CHAPTER 24✏️
❤Kayla’s POV❤️
.
After the meal, I spent some more time with Melvin. I felt terrible for lying to him but I just couldn’t blurt the truth out. He’d be completely shattered and hurt.
As we sat un-der the thick dark clouds of the early evening , Melvin couldn’t hide his excitement when he didn’t change to the beast.
“It’s strangely nice out here” he uttered, ru-bbing his palms together.
I gave him a sad look and he turned to me, catching the look but I glanced away.
“What’s with that look?” He asked.
“What look?” I feigned ignorance.
“The uncertain pity look, you’ve had it almost all day” he emphasized.
“Um.. I was just thinking of something, that’s what” I said.
“Something sad?”
“Not really, it’s just.. Well, I was remembering a movie a watched years ago, a Disney collection” I said.
“It’s kind of similar to you and I, a beast and a girl” I laughed.
“There’s a movie like that?” he asked, interested and I had to look him closely before I could tell that he was serious.
“There is, it’s a cartoon. You haven’t seen it?” I asked and he shook his head negatively.
“I’m surprised you haven’t watched beauty and the beast but I’ll try to get it for you to watch sometime” I said and he nodded with a smile..
Okay, I feel really guilty about this.. I just don’t think I can contend it anymore and even if I can for today, I’ll still eventually tell him.. He has to know and I don’t know how to say it.. And keeping it inside me is bothering the heck out of me, how do I sleep with something so bothersome hanging all over me.
I have to tell him somehow, he deserves to know and I feel terrible alre-ady.
I inhaled and glanced at him; okay, here it goes.
“Melvin?”
“Kayla?”
We both called our names at the same time and he let out a childish laugh.
“You, go first” I urged him.
“I just wanted to say, Priola is here” he said, looking past me and I turned to find Priola, walking towards us and dressed in her usual white clothing and her staff in her palm.
She walked to us and st©pped in front of Melvin, quiet and just staring at him with a low sad gaze.
“Is something wrong, Priola?” Melvin asked Priola, giving me a questioning look too.
“I c@m£ to give my condolence, I had to plead for permission to come here, I’m truly sorry for your loss Melvin but you have to un-derstand that it’s all p@rt of the trials and hinderances, you can’t give up no matter what” she said and Melvin just stared at her with struck brows. “You have to keep focusing and helping yourselves to enjoy a free and safer after!”
“Okay, okay.. Can you st©p sounding like I’ve lost something vital.. Condolences? Loss? What are those about?” He asked cluelessly, giving me a look when Priola said nothing, I glanced away from him.
“I saw that look again, Kay. Do you know what she’s talking about?” He asked. “Did something happen to us or- what exactly is this about?!”
He asked, yelling a little.
Priola gave me a look and I shook my head, as if telling her not to do it. She looked away.
“Priola?” Melvin called.
“Your mom is dead, Melvin”
For a moment, he was silent, like completely silent that I couldn’t even hear his breathing.. He must’ve seized everything from shock or her words were still dawning on him.
“W-what?; Kay, did you hear what she just said? That that-” he st©pped panicking and paused his gaze on me when I gave him a sad look. “Y-you knew about this too?” He asked, puzzled.
He let out a short snotty laugh.. “So..my mom’s dead?! Is this some kind of sick joke or what?” He asked..
“Answer me!” He suddenly thun-dered, I shook a little.
“She’s.. Dead, Melvin. It’s not a joke” I said and he gave me a shocked look.
“But that can’t be true! You told me she was fine! You as-sured me that she’ll live, Kay. How’s she dead, right now and you knew about it!”
“I didn’t mean to keep it away, I tried to tell you before Priola showed up but I didn’t want to hurt you!” I said honestly.
“Hurt me? You hid my mom’s death away not to hurt me?! I had so much faith that we could save her? You kept giving me the pity look and telling me that she’s fine! I had so much faith, how could you do this? How can she die?!” He screamed as tears began streaming from his eyes and rolling down to his cheeks.
“Melvin, you have to be strong” Priola said.
“Be strong?” He repeated “I’ve been strong all along knowing that I could still save her, I’ve encountered all this because of her, because I wanted to save her! How can I be strong, right now Priola?; just how?” He fired, crying as his b©dy trembled.
“I-I just can’t believe this”
“Melvin-” I called softly.
“She’s dead, Kay? She’s gone, my mother is gone!” He said, looking me in the eye ball.. His eyes red and we-t.
“I’m sorry” I said, fighting back my own tears. “I’m sorry I hid it, I was scared of your reaction. I’m sorry, Melvin that we couldn’t save her” I said, sniffing mildly..
“No..no! This is so..crazy and- I don’t know but-” fresh tears poured from his eyes and he stood up and ran out of the cave. I stood up to follow him when my phone suddenly began ringing.. I took it out and stared at the caller ID.. It was mom.
I quic-kly pu-ll-ed away from Priola’s side and answered it.
“Hey honey, where are you?” She asked.
“Um..I’m at the libr@ry, there’s only a minute left, so I’ll be home soon” I said.
“Good! I’m on my way to the libr@ry. I’m coming to pick you up, I should be there before you’re done, so just wait for me” she said.
“But mom, I-
She disconnected the call before I could blurt another word..
Oh geez..
“Um Priola, I have to hurry back now.. My mom’s on her way to pick me and she has no idea about me being here!” I informed her, quic-kly gr-abbing my backpack.
“plea-se stay with Melvin, I’ll be back soon!” She nodded slightly and I quic-kly dashed out of the cave, I didn’t st©p running until I hit the road to the libr@ry, taking in a single breath, I began running again.. Very fast this time.
I was only few steps away from it when I sighted mom staring at me from ahead, her bu-tt was rested on her car’s back and she stared at me with an expression I knew very well..
I didn’t know when my feet st©pped as our gazes stayed on each other’s, I nee-ded no one to tell me that I was busted.
I began taking slow steps towards her.
“Mom, I-
“Get into the car!” She cut me off and walked to the driver’s side of the car.
I bit my lower l!pin fear and walked to the pas-s£nger’s side, sitting there beside her..
She was quiet and she took in a de-ep breath before starting the car..
I knew I’ve been caught unaware but she couldn’t have gotten to the libr@ry so quic-k and with the way she stood and stared at my direction, it was as if she had expected me to come out from there! She must’ve known this for a while and said nothing about it..
Does she know about Melvin too?!
Tbc