29 29. Jeremejevite Blue

"Kris! You wouldn't believe this! Bella lost her way to the house. After all these years! Isn't it funny?" Mira tested the waters with this text.

"Ha ha. Really, now?" Kris texted back. How did he forget? He needs to be careful. He called the jeweller from before and ordered for a piece of jewelry for Bella. Once he got the confirmation, he went to get it himself.

--------

"Are you serious? Like, real gods?" Bella's mouth grew wider. She had told Mira about how the house appeared out of nowhere thinking her friend would call her crazy. But instead, she had revealed an even bizarre story.

"How, Mira? How on earth is that possible? You know I'm an atheist, right?"

"Do one thing, Bells, go out and try to find your way in."

Bella didn't need to be told twice. Within two minutes, Mira got a call from her, "Help. I can't see the house." Mira gave a short laugh and went to invite her friend in. Kris's car came to a jerk stop when he saw Mira and Bella standing outside the gate. He got out of the car swiftly and ran to Bella.

"Hey, still having trouble finding the home?" He smiled innocently.

"Naah, when Mira is around, I won't get lost, I guess." Bella twisted her words to not sound dubious.

"Here, I bought something for everyone on the day of the grand opening, but forgot to give you yours."

"Oh, why, but thanks, Kris. This is sweet of you."

"This would help you from getting lost."

"Oh really?" Bella raised her eyebrows. She gently opened the deep blue velvet pouch and pulled out an antique chain with a long, gradient blue hexagonal crystal pendant. "What is this?"

"Jeremejevite", said Kris.

"Oh. I'll be right back. I need to get something from the car. Why don't you guys go in?" Bella said.

The couple walked in, chatting about lunch.

Bella inserted the key into the ignition and took a round, went to a convenience store and bought a couple of boxes of tuna sandwich and cakes. She returned to the location. She couldn't see the place again. She reached out to the pouch and wore the necklace around her neck. There it was. The house of her best friend. Like magic.

* * * * * * * *

Pama stopped by the window as she saw a familiar face passing by. That cannot be. Absolutely impossible, she thought. Making the girl at the counter in charge, she walked out, following the vision in front of her two eyes. Upon reaching the quay, she stopped following and stood watching. The woman looked totally derelict. Unlike her previous self, of course. Pama walked up to her and sat down beside her.

"How did you escape?" she asked the woman.

"Life has a queer way of holding on to me." The woman chuckled.

"You make me feel 'almost' sorry for you", she told the woman.

"You should, for you and I are not very different. Only, I don't have a husband like yours. Mine is a tyrant, has always been and will forever be."

"How may I help you?" Pama asked.

"By letting me go."

"Are you sure? Don't you think you'd be safer with us?"

"Not right now. Not at the moment."

* * * * *

"So, how's the cafe doing?" Bella asked Kris as they ate lunch together alongside Mira.

"Well. Much more so than my initial expectations. Hope the streak continues."

"Of course. By the way, do you have some hot best friends I could possibly date? All your friends are soooo hot!"

"Bella!" Mira reproached her.

"What? I can't ask your boyfriend to hook me up with some hottie? A girl can't have fun or what?"

"I think there's a guy you'd like. I could introduce you to him."

"Ooh. What does he do?"

"He's a model. His name is Yisu."

Mira and Bella stared at each other, stunned.

"Or maybe", Kris continued, "you'd like my friend Mihail? He's a publisher."

"Mira, I guess you're stuck with this one while I get these wonderful choices", Bella put on a smug expression.

"Oh yeah? But can you do this?" Mira reached to bite Kris on the cheek.

Kris groaned while still smiling.

Bella looked at both of them, "Of course, I can. Come here." She started chasing Mira around the room.

This is exactly what I missed, this is exactly what I wanted, Kris thought.

* * * * * *

The letters came one after the other to him. Anger boiled under his skin. What did he do to deserve this woman? She was a curse unto him. At first he was very happy— she was the most beautiful woman in the world, after all. Then it began; a chain of her promiscuity. When he confronted her, she was brazen enough to say, "Well, you do it, so why can't I?" Things got really out of hand when she slept with his archenemy, Johan Sapir. He still fought to bring her back. But she refused to come back, and that too, after he sacrificed millions of lives to save her. He put his entire kingdom at stake for her. But she was disgraceful enough to stay back at her captive's Palace. Of course, no man could tolerate her for long— other than him. Why did he love her still? The more he loved her, the more he hated her. The more he hated her, the more he wanted to hurt her. The more he tormented her, the more it hurt him and the more he pitied her. His secretary walked in right then.

"Any news yet?" he asked.

"No, my lord. The locations of the letters are arbitrary too. It'd take a while to track her down."

"The kids. Are they okay?"

"They wish to see mother, they requested to convey this emphatically, my lord."

"Hmm. Poor b**tards."

"My Lord.." Amphiis, the secretary, wanted to stop him from cursing the kids at least, but he resisted from unnecessarily commenting.

"Bring them to me in the morning, first thing tomorrow."

"It's their mother's birthday tomorrow."

"Oh yes. The day they celebrate her cursed beauty. Helena's cursed day."

Emanuel crumbled the letters and threw them on the floor. Instantly, they caught fire and burned to ashes.