19 Not her Father

Linda's POV

I legit couldn't believe what just happened. I had the most perfect date, a splendid dinner, then got attacked by a weird, albeit cute puppy in the midst of a dark lane and now my best friend in the world is turning out to be insane.

Yes, Cassie, my bestie is insane. That's the only plausible explanation for her behaviour right now. She is leaning over the extremely tiny puppy and chirping furiously, communicating with a canine in some weird tongue while we stood dumbfounded by the day's events. Just a few minutes back we were floating in mid-air, possibly due to some sorcery performed by this tiny animal…. I'm not even sure if it's a puppy. It looks like one though. 

I looked at Jake, who had that confused look in his face. Even, he couldn't register what had just happened. Jake was always so sure of himself, confident and glowing, he seemed to have an explanation for almost everything. For once in my life, I saw him surprised. I turned to look at Mike who looked at Cassie with a penetrating gaze. For the umpteenth time, I wondered what Cassie saw in this guy. Tall and lanky, with a head full of shabby black hairs…. Mike was the very caricature of a studious introvert which he was. Extremely boring, obnoxious and patronizing. He is the complete opposite of my Jake, it's a surprise that they are best friends too. 

No one would initiate a conversation, I realized...so I should probably start. 

"Cassie, er...what are you doing babe? Are you alright?" I said gently. 

Cassie looked up, as realization dawned upon her face. 

"Ohh... I am so sorry I became oblivious to all of you." She said with guilt, "I suppose you guys think I am crazy. I assure you that I am not. There's an explanation for my behavior, one that I can only explain when we return home…. please bear with me."

"But...but.. what's happening at all? I mean us floating...this puppy…. I am thoroughly confused." Jake chimed.

"Your confusion is only starting, mate." Mike said, nodding sagely. 

Cassie shot him a furious look, and then picking the puppy up gently she said, " Trust me Linda, I will explain everything. Let us go home first. And yeah, this little guy is coming with us. I assure you that he is not harmful anymore."

I didn't believe her. There was something sinister about the puppy that unsettled me. It had purple eyes and an eerie bright glow, it's furs were too white, too fluffy….it just looked unreal. But, I trusted Cassie.. so I said, "Ohkay...on one condition, you will have to explain everything. I can't bear the suspense anymore."

Jake agreed enthusiastically, his demeanor becoming less sour as he turned his previous adorable self. I simply loved his goofiness, I know father would say that I should date guys who are more like us(which is rich), I never could find one guy who is both rich and interesting. Jake is the most interesting guy that I have ever dated, and I am thankful to Cassie for letting me find him. I gazed at him adoringly, one that he gratefully returned. I could feel the rush of happiness in my heart. 

The puppy leaped on Cassie's arms, chirping at us with renewed vigour. 

"Come now, I thought you loved animals Linda. Pat him." Cassie encouraged. 

I considered her proposal. While the puppy looked extremely adorable, the truth that it had tried to harm us still holds true. I timidly approached the puppy, and put my hand on its luscious furs. I waited, nothing happened. I slowly swept my hand over its extremely furry body while it chirped with happiness. It might not be that bad afterall. 

The puppy seemed to love my patting and it jumped and landed on my shoulders without any warning. I shrieked, Jake hurriedly removed him as Cassie laughed hysterically. 

"Come on Linda, he's a little thing. He means no harm."

I wasn't so sure of her conviction. I thought it would be prudent to maintain my distance.

We travelled the whole way back in absolute silence. After the incident, I had insisted on calling my father's car but no one agreed. We had decided to go to Cassie's house to allow her father to explain everything. I didn't understand why she couldn't tell us, and I wondered how Mr Hitchins, Cassie's father would explain everything given that he was not even there on the scene. 

Jake held my hand, keeping me closer to him the whole way. I could feel his breath, the warmth of his touch permeating my skin. More than ever, I wanted to kiss him then, but the atmosphere was so grim, everyone was so shaken by the experience that I didn't feel it would be the right move. 

The puppy was perched on Cassie's shoulder now, chirping occasionally as Cassie replied in its language. I failed to understand why Cassie was behaving so strangely. It has never occurred before, and I had a dreadful feeling that this new boy, Mike was not a good influence in her life at all. She was perfectly normal before him, now she is inconceivably weird. 

We reached Cassie's driveway as she led us to her house. It was Jake's first time here and he looked around curiously. Mike seemed oblivious to the surroundings as his eyes rested on Cassie and the Puppy, he seemed to know his way around very well and I strongly suspect that he had been here before. The very thought unsettled me. 

Mr Hitchins answered after two knocks, wearing pajamas and horn rimmed glasses, holding two books simultaneously. I had never seen him without a book in his hand, rumours are that he is the most knowledgeable person in the whole University. Despite that, his manners were perfectly splendid, he wasn't strict in the least and even encouraged us to push our boundaries. On seeing him, Jake hastily left my hand and suddenly looked peeved. I smiled inwardly, knowing that Jake had quite a history with Mr Hitchins. 

"Hello Mr Brooks! What a pleasant surprise!" Mr Hitchins looked at all of us, Jake in particular, and gave a welcoming smile, "I'm relieved that Cassadrei has finally brought friends home. Please come inside."

"Good evening Sir! I'm happy to see you too. Now, about the previous day's assignment, I have not yet found time to.." Jake said sheepishly and interrupting him Mr Hitchins said, "It's alright Jacob, no need of all that now. You are not my pupil now, simply Cassadrei's friend. You can relax. Why don't you welcome yourself and your lady friend inside?" Mr Hitchins winked at me and I felt grateful for his behaviour. He was always such a darling. Jake, however, turned crimson and stammered something inaudible. 

We entered Cassie's well maintained drawing room. I was always fascinated by her house, it had so much life to it. The walls were covered in murals and interesting artwork, clearly Mr Hitchins' collection, there were exquisite sculptures in different places, antiques adorned every corner of the house. It was like stepping inside a well decorated museum, with a sofa and table in the drawing room, few scattered chairs cluttered with piles of books and journals, and drapes drawn over the windows. Compared to my house, it was much more interesting here. My house had a lot of expensive and tastefully decorated stuff, but it lacked the vibrant colours, the throbbing essence of living was missing. I felt suffocated sometimes, craving for an escape from all that monotonous decoration, but father claimed that aesthetics were essential and it would not do good for a person of his stature to have a house that is not "properly" decorated. I preferred the randomness of Cassie's house, the dynamic and vivid decorations that meant nothing, yet conveyed so much. I envied her for this life. 

We sat down on the sofa and waited as Cassie narrated the whole incident to Mr Hitchins. He looked at the Puppy with curious eyes and lifted it, examining it thoroughly. I had expected him to be shocked, even scold us for deciding to walk the whole way back after such an incident, but no such rebuke came. He looked excited after Cassie had finished saying everything. 

"A Petrywinkler, you say? Interesting, very interesting." Mr Hitchins stroked the puppy, immersed in thought. 

"With due respect, Sir, but what is a Petrywinkler? I know, I should study the text more thoroughly and everything, but I don't think you had ever mentioned it in any of your lectures….now, I do listen to them with all my attention." Jake said. 

Mr Hitchins looked at him with a twinkle in his eyes, " I am honoured to hear that. Now, you are wondering what all this is about. Except, Mr Dumas. He knows all this. Yet, I will repeat everything."

Then, he said it all. I simply couldn't believe my own ears as he said that he was not Cassie's father, that Cassie's was some sort of Mythical Princess (Goblin, did he say?!), that Cassie was banished to the "Human" world due to her dreadful mistake and something about Michael being a key. Honestly, I lost track after a while. It all seemed so surreal. 

After he was done, I replied, "You do have quite an imagination, Mr Hitchins, given your age." I smirked at him, hoping that he would burst into laughter, tell us that it was just a joke and then retell the true story. None of that happened. He just looked at me pitifully and said, " I understand that it's a lot to digest, Miss Roberts. But, I assure you that there's not a single bit of falsehood in this entire story. What I speak, is the simplest and distilled truth."

I was thoroughly confused. To my surprise, Mike spoke. 

"I understood everything, but what exactly is this Mafhaelore? What is the cause of all this disquiet and war? Why is Cassadrei being attacked even after being exiled?"

He can't be believing all this nonsense. I looked at Mike, searching for the hint of a joke but none came. They were all serious. 

Then, Mr Hitchins said, "Well, that's a very good question Michael. I should start at the very beginning then. The very origin of our Kingdoms. You would do well to listen carefully, and Mr Brooks, you need not take any notes now." He smiled.

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