They Called Me FIVE

LANCE

I tentatively take three steps back. Away from her. Away from all this.

"Lance?"

"You...what are you?"

She laugh as if I'm having crazy talks again. Which, last time I check, has been pretty frequent whenever I'm around her.

"What do you mean 'what are you?' I'm me. Meira, your girlfriend." She take a step forward and make a move to grab my shoulder.

I slid my eyes back to the mirror. Her image is still withered and nasty looking. Along her smile, she looks like a rotten tree woman with trunk skin and maggots crawling at every hole in her face.

I think back to the conversations I've been hearing between a girl and a man. They talk about me, falling in a trap. About a Faery they call 'Temptress'.

I don't exactly know what's that...But judging by the name, I can guess, they're good at charming men. Like siren. They appear to look really pretty and seductive to lure victims...especially men and then, I gulped. They'll eat them.

When that girl in my head said 'I was wrong. The girl is not a slave, but a Faery.' How come I didn't process she's talking about Meira?

"Where's Ava?"

Images started to came back slowly to me now. From yesterday's event. At the entrance, meeting Meira and Ava, then the alleyway, I talk with Ava at the rooftop. No, she's not Ava, she's Seven. She's also my friend Moon rose, who's voice I've been hearing in my head for sometime now talking to a man…Which I suspect is Magnus.

"What did you do to Seven and Magnus? Where are they?" 

Her eyes took one last linger of sweet innocent Meira I shortly knew before her mouth twisted in a snarl.

"My, my what a cruel young man, you are. Can't you appreciate the sweet date we're having right now? Aren't we going to the aquarium later? Let's not waste the ticket –"

I throw her a shirt from the racks. 

"Stop talking nonsense you witch! Where's my friends?" 

Her eyes grew colder at the mention of friends. 

"Friends? Friends that you almost killed? Because of your stupid outburst you almost disintegrate them to dust. Well, that's how we caught them easily, so no complaint there. But that stupid Seeker hid the Eklektos bracelet somewhere and we can't lay a hand on him." She shakes her head. Her auburn hair falling at her shoulders.

Even now, I still can't believe the girl I'm too excited to date this afternoon is a monster. To think I brought her here to escape the burly twins. How stupid was that? If I have to choose, I'd rather go back and be gang up by those chubby fists, than be with a Temptress old pretending young woman I slept last night with.

I became alarmed when the boutique store has no one in it. No customers, no staffs, yet I heard footsteps from all over the corners. As if we're surrounded. I shuddered. 

"Same with the girl too. None of my minions can touch her. Tsk, tsk, of all Eklektos we get to sight first, why life and death blessings? You're clearly not making this any easier." She said, exasperated. 

From the entrance of the store, two shadow figure came in. It took me a while to recognize they are the burly twins. Now, I'm smacked with regret. I shouldn't have wished it was better if I was with them instead…if I'll end up in a situation where I'm trapped by both.

"Now, I've ran a check on you and you don't have it either. I should rip your skin and tore you limb from limb right here and now but.. where's the fun in that? We got the Seeker, he'll lead us to other Eklektos in hiding, But without the bracelet that would be extremely difficult." Her right hand started to change shape. From human fingers to scaly green talons. I fondle for my waistband. There's a small gemstone Lista gave me, which, if pressed in the center, will sprang into a sword. I slip my fingers under my pants. 

My heart skipped a beat. The gemstone…is gone.

"Now Lance, baby, you and that girl have no use for us. Yet…" she fished something from her pocket and brought it in the light. I froze. It's the gemstone. She balled her hands into a fist. CRUNCH! And the gemstone was literally crushed into powder.

My only means of defense…is destroyed.

"As I was saying, except for the Mark and blessing you have in your blood, your flimsy life has no use for us. And yet, His highness covets your power. So we can't kill you." she ran her eyes from my hair down to my shoes. 

"Neither of my minions can lay a hand on you three either. Which brings us to the important part… how do we make you do our bidding? Threats? Torture?"

"Torture? You just said you can't lay your hand on us." I said. She stared, taken aback. Then burst out laughing. Her figure shimmered and the old withered woman I saw in the mirror resurfaced. By seconds, it quickly disappears and Meira's youthful face came back.

"Oh, my my. Is that what you think? Right, I used the wrong word. I'm so sorry. I'm supposed to say 'can't kill you three just yet' instead of 'can't lay a hand'. Now it's different thing entirely right?" She laughed. From another pocket, she drew out a thin stick that seems Cinderella's Fairy godmother's wand. She pointed the tip at the level of my eye.

"I can gouge out that pretty eyeballs whenever I want to. Or slice that stomach and pluck out each of your organ, not letting your eyes pull away or faint when we dissect your lungs, your heart, your intestines and minced it into bloodied dice size pieces." 

I shuddered in disgust.

"That's the same thing as killing us." I said. She chuckled. 

"Oh, the innocence. This is what you get for choosing to betray your Seeker and your fellow Eklektos for your traitorous father and his Faery friend, Lance baby. You don't know anything. Let me make it clear to you, because of the bracelet your Seeker bears, once you are found by him, you are binded in that protective sphere of the thirteen stones of Deities, making you close to immortal. If we found that and have it destroyed, you will finally die. As simple as that."

Did she just say… traitorous father and Faery friend?