CHAPTER 20: THAT SCUM

Forneius had just recovered from whatever wicked spell Lara put on him.

'That scum! That slut!' He thought with a clear look of disgust on his face. He hated her. She swayed her hips and curvy body to entice him. He recalled her deceptive eyes, her soft, illusory voice. What exactly did she want? His powers? His demise? Well, whatever it was, gladly, she didn't get it. She was barely dust on his feet, he was going to wipe her out! Instantly, he remembered Araphel wanted to meet with him.

'That should be interesting…' he thought as he took a seat in a small room in the turret.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Jeanette had just gotten home. Her high heels were the first things she took off her body. She sighed at the comfort of her legs on the rug. She went ahead to boil some water. She needed a hot cup of tea and obviously, a change of clothes. She put on her pyjamas and a pair of peach socks. In less than five minutes, the water had begun to boil. She poured it into a mug with a little round tea bag in it.

With each sip of the hot liquid, she got warmer, almost as warm as she felt in Damien's coat. She smiled at the thought of him. His mysterious eyes, his calm, soothing voice…

'I'd be honored to dine with you,' he smiled as he pointed to a small restaurant, across the road.

'Uh…I'm tired and I'm cold,' she said refusing his offer.

'Please…it'll worth your time. Look,' he pointed at the roof of the building.

'…it has a chimney. That means there's a fireplace. We could have a table close to it.' He persuaded.

'Okay,' she smiled, letting him lock her arm with his as they crossed the road.

The stars were absent. They were replaced with street lights, neon lights from various stores and headlamps of vehicles as they drove by.

'Better?' He asked as they took a seat right in front of the fireplace.

'Yes,' she smiled, tucking her hair behind her ear.

'Sir Damien?' The waitress smiled as she approached their table.

'I see you brought a beautiful lady with you today. It's nice to see you both,' she said cheerfully. Jeanette smiled back at the plump middle-aged woman.

'Thank you. I'll have number one.' He politely requested.

'How about you miss?' The waiter asked Jeanette.

'Um…I'll have same,' she smiled.

'Hopefully, this goes right,' she thought as she peeped into the menu. 'Fisherman's soup'.

'Ok. I'll get to it immediately,' the waiter said, jotting their orders into a little book, before leaving.

'You haven't been here before, have you?' Damien smiled at her as she looked around the restaurant.

'No. I don't usually eat out. I've never even been to this side of town before,' Jeanette explained shyly.

'I see, but why?'

Jeanette didn't know what to say. She was so busy with work, she didn't have any friends asides her co-workers and all the men she went out on dates with were either not her type or were obnoxious.

'No reason,' she lied.

'Have a nice dinner.' Another waiter placed two bowls of soup on the table.

'Thank you,' they both said in unison.

'Well, I hope you'll let me bring you here after tonight,' he smiled at her.

'We'll see,' she replied, picking up the spoon. She looked into the bowl, she had never had this soup before. It had large sized shrimps and slices of catfish. She wasn't sure if there was a specific way to eat it, so she just observed how Damien ate and did same. The night went on with them talking about everything that came to their minds. The night wasn't as awful as she had predicted, she was seating across the most charming man she had ever had the pleasure of meeting. Jeanette just went with the flow. She didn't need to overthink to give an answer to any question he asked. Conversing with him was as easy as spelling her own name. For some reason, she felt like he wouldn't hurt her, like he was harmless. She felt like she had known him for years. But did she?

Once again, she recalled all the conversations they've had so far. She didn't know his last name or where he was from. Why didn't she find his name in the hospital register? Something didn't seem right. Now, she was worried. Was she in love with a ghost? Jeanette was now in panic. She wanted to take a sip of her tea, but the cup was now empty.

'The waitress saw him and he ate. Ghost don't eat! Ghosts aren't even real!' Jeanette laughed nervously, calming herself. It had been a really long day. She had to get some sleep. She headed to the kitchen, rinsed the cup and retired to her bedroom in a bid to get rest before morning.