Yearning

Two white window curtains moved with the wind before the crimson sky. The red flicker of the horizon made the curtains appear like a snow queen dancing with a fire king. Sometimes they exposed the back of a girl sitting on the window frame, sometimes they engulfed her in shadow.

A gust of wind brought strands of her hair closer to the golden light. Furnitures covered with white cloth watched at the girl silently as the silence played its lonely notes. But then the door opened, destroyed the serenity within the room.

"How could you fall down the stairs?!"

The girl turned her head. Her gaze became increasingly indifferent as the woman who had shouted at her stepped deeper into the room.

"You should have known that today I will introduce you to—"

"I don't need those people's connection, Mom."

The woman in a calf-length cotton dress froze in place. Her eyes twitched to see that Brissia was not the least bit afraid or shared her worries.

"You really are an ungrateful child!"

While climbing down the window frame, Brissia spoke a little defensively, "Why should I associate with people who make off with other people's wealth?!"

"Because you won't be able to make a fortune with your two bare hands! You didn't even manage to get straight A's!"

Brissia stepped back as the woman approached with a fierce gaze. But as if forgetting that the window wasn't closed, she kept backing away until she staggered out the window.

The woman widened her eyes as she saw her daughter's body fall from the window. Quickly, she propped her palms on the window frame to check her vision. However, there was nothing or any sign of her existence on their backyard grass.

In a room with a tall window and teakwood interiors, a black-haired woman put a sugar cube into a cup of tea in front of her. She gave it a quick stir before getting up from her seat, serving it on the coffee table. "So, you feel like you won't be able to walk for a while?"

The shoulder-length haired girl who was lying on the sofa next to the coffee table sighed with a flat look. She slowly sat up just as the black-haired woman sat down on the sofa opposite her.

"Is this some kind of herbal medicine?"

"I must remind you that I'm a mere intermediary between two worlds, Brissia."

"Does that mean I'll go back there if I drink it, Mrs. Olivia? Or shall we go by 'Madame Ouden'?"

Mrs. Olivia smiled slightly in response to Brissia's words. "Anyway, you should have seen the tension on his face when he saw you fall down the stairs."

Brissia almost spat out the tea she had just drunk.

"He must be scared at the thought of me punishing him a second time," Mrs. Olivia continued with a knowingly smile.

"What did you do to him?"

A grin adorned the woman's face and a relaxed look did not escape her eyes, even though Brissia looked as if she was about to stab her after hearing her answer.

"Again, you're worrying about someone you dislike."

"He looks different since I went to Archtier. Does it have something to do with... 'his copy'?"

One leg crossed over the other, the woman stared at the window behind her. "I can't tell you that. You will find out."

Seeing the complexity in the woman's gaze as if it was an unsolvable question, Brissia looked at her in annoyance and disbelief. She then laid back on the sofa.

The peaceful silence closed her eyes. It was strange for her to feel calm around a woman who could twist the world into unimaginable chaos at any moment. Even the darkening sky did not in the least increase her desire to go home.

What was even home to her? Was it where the sun was setting and she was ready to take a cruise ship to Neverland, or someone residing in her mind?

When she was about to seek the answer, suddenly the chandelier above her glitched like a hologram. Her brows furrowed as the crystal chandelier turned into a traditional candle lamp like in an old classic residence.

"What was—"

A knock on the door cut her words. Her gaze turned to the woman on the sofa opposite her. However, apart from the woman's mysterious faint smile, she no longer had the black hair Brissia had seen before sunset.

"They're arrived."

Brissia raised her eyebrows. "Who?"

Her head turned to the wide open door. She also realized that the door and its surroundings had turned into Madame Ouden's shop in the blink of an eye. But what surprised her more was the guests's face.

"Madame, I wanted to ask you about... hey, could you not follow me for a day?"

The man with turquoise eyes and a vest shrugged his shoulders casually at the complaint of a hazel-eyed man in front of him. "My father didn't know I helped you and Brissia yesterday, so why can't I now?"

"That's not it. This is a personal matter with..."

Harris was stunned when he found Brissia on the sofa. So was her, but Brissia had neutralized her expression better than Harris, whose jaw almost dropped.

"Relax, man. She's real."

Even though Benjamin was nodding his head with a calm face, Harris still stared at Brissia in disbelief. "B-but... I was thinking about her just now. How could she..."

When Harris rubbed his face, Brissia opened her mouth slightly. Even though it wasn't finished, she knew what the man was going to say.

"Harris."

The man looked up a little surprised, especially because suddenly the girl was standing in front of him. But before Brissia could say any word, a woman's soft cough turned the three of them to the table.

"Alright, shall we hear the question?"

Brissia turned her head when she saw Harris turning his face away from her and giving the purplish-haired woman a small nod.

"Thank you in advance," said Harris then took a deep breath. "What proves that Miss Savior is still alive?"

Still with her gaze fixed on the hazel-eyed man beside her, Brissia repeated Drey's words in her head. Her hands clenched into fists for a moment as if she was making up her mind to intervene. But seeing the lecturer's gaze going back and forth between her and Harris, she eventually said nothing.

"As long as she make it out alive..."

Harris and Benjamin's gazes followed Madame Ouden's index finger.

"...So will Miss Savior."

Brissia blinked.

"What?"

"You managed to get the photo and get out of there alive, right?"

"Oh," Brissia reached into her trouser pocket as soon as she heard Madame Ouden's words. "Right."

Benjamin's eyes narrowed when he saw the thin rectangular object that Brissia handed over to Madame Ouden. His brow furrowed at the fact that Harris didn't even show the slightest sign of surprise.

Madame Ouden looked at the photo for a moment before looking at the three in turn.

"Bouville. She must be there."

After giving them a concise answer, she returned Brissia's cell phone. Harris nodded and turned toward the door, while Benjamin didn't immediately follow him and seemed to investigate Brissia for a moment.

Until there was no one but herself and Madame Ouden, Brissia looked at her feet confusedly. She turned her leg to the side and didn't feel the pain that was there before. But when she stepped closer to the door, a woman's voice behind her stopped her.

"The price for that is having to keep Harris's memory intact, Brissia."

The girl turned questioningly to Madame Ouden.

"He wouldn't be able to protect people if he lost his memory. Can you make him always remember?"

The woman's request left Brissia in a short silence. But in the end, she nodded and headed toward Harris who opened the door from the outside and looked at her in both surprise and confusion.

His hazel eyes turned to Madame Ouden as he closed the door slowly. The woman's faint smile gave rise to a hunch in him.

However, before he held suspicion on the purplish-black-haired woman, he first needed to secure two people on his side.

***

Walking beside the street lights, Harris and Brissia looked away from each other. Neither of them seemed relieved by what they got when they left Madame Ouden's shop. One bore great responsibility while the other bore a rare opportunity.

"Are you really going there?"

"There's no reason for me to linger in this place."

Brissia sighed because she was unable to argue with him thanks to all the problems that had befallen the two of them. Lazily, he said, "Alright, when do we leave?"

Harris stopped walking as he turned to Brissia.

"We?" he snorted between laughter and annoyance. "There's no 'we' in my plan. I'll go alone."

"Wait, didn't we work well together back then?" Brissia asked, frowned.

"You've even become blind to the dangers in just one day of working with me."

"Said an 'extraordinary' police officer and agent who had failed to catch the bandits alone."

Harris gave Brissia a complicated look, again at a loss for words. Unlike before, Brissia was looking at him firmly, demanding a firm answer from him as well.

A chuckle disrupted Harris's concentration and turned Brissia's head. Annoyed, Harris asked the man behind the two of them, "What's so funny, huh?"

"No... it's nothing," said Benjamin while showing a grin. "But did you know, Harris, that technology can be the strongest trick to win?"

Benjamin stood in front of Brissia and Harris, threw Brissia's cellphone over his head and said, "If I told you this was a sensitive explosive, would you let it fall?"

"Yes, if that would stop you from blabbering in my face. You know what?"

Harris stepped forward to Benjamin, which he unconsciously closed the distance between him and Brissia.

"You seem off to me. Are you really following me out of gratitude?"

Brissia nudged Harris's shoulder with a reluctant expression, making Harris just glance at her nonchalantly. Benjamin smiled faintly, caught Brissia's cellphone, then turned the flashlight and directed it to Harris, making Harris spontaneously squint his eyes and back away.

When he opened his eyes again, the dazzling light from Brissia's cellphone was gone. However, Brissia's neck was locked in Benjamin's left arm. Harris's eyes bulged.

"Brissie!"